Staff Choices

In Crying in H Mart,  Indie rock star Michelle Zauner (of the band Japanese Breakfast) has crafted a raw and authentic memoir that details her very complicated relationship with her Korean mother Chongmi.  When the seemingly indomitable Chongmi, who is both her daughter's harshest critic and greatest supporter, is diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, Zauner moves back home to Oregon to help care for her. This book is unsparing in its account of the ravages of cancer on the body and spirit. Likewise, when her mother does die, shortly after getting to see Zauner and her boyfriend/band mate Peter marry (a sweetly accelerated engagement and rush to the alter) the grief that she experiences is equally excruciating and nullifying.

With all of this said, there are moments of great humor...Chongmi can deliver some mean one liners. Crying in H Mart is also an incredibly realistic account of the emotional turmoil that exists in mother/daughter relationships.  Above all, there is the shared love of food, specifically the complex flavors of Korean cuisine, that bound mother and daughter together, while also connecting Zauner to that half of her heritage and her relatives still living in Korea. Foodies will delight in the vivid descriptions of the exotic dishes that the author has grown up eating, and then eventually learning to cook. Food is also a pathway into understanding her relationship with her mother. As Zauner writes, “Food was how my mother expressed love. No matter how critical or cruel she could seem—constantly pushing me to meet her intractable expectations—I could always feel her affection radiating from the lunches she packed and the meals she prepared for me just the way I liked them.” 

Trent Preszler grew up in a small town on a South Dakota cattle ranch. He left home for good after he went away to college ending up in New York. An estrangement with his father furthered the distance between them. After the death of his father, Trent's inheritance was a well-used toolbox. These inanimate objects still hold the essence of the man and the simplicity of what is necessary to get something done. The tools bring Trent an unexpected avenue to heal, to remember and to accept the lessons he learned from his family. He embarks on an extremely difficult woodworking project in which he has no experience that will take him close to one year to finish. As Trent uses each tool, he recounts memories of ranch life, reliving those days that are both good and bad.

Little and Often is plainly but eloquently written with doses of humor and pathos. It is an honest look at the complicated relationships that exist within families, how sometimes you will never really know them nor their challenges. Read through this book's page to find out the title's significance and to see if you might find yourself reflected there.

You don't need to be a woodworker to appreciate this memoir. Fans of Nick Offerman's Paddle Your Own Canoe might enjoy this book.

The third novel by author Steven Rowley, The Guncle, is a heartwarming story that manages to be laugh out loud funny while still sensitively dealing with death and mourning. The Guncle (gay uncle) of the title is also known as GUP, or Gay Uncle Pat, a former tv sitcom star who is living a reclusive existence in Palm Springs. After tragedy strikes the family, Patrick finds himself in charge of his young niece and nephew for the summer. It turns out that the kids are not the only ones dealing with grief, as Patrick must also come to terms with both the loss of his partner and of his best friend. There is much wisdom shared here, and despite some of the sad events this novel is entirely life affirming and uplifting.

Whereabouts by author Jhumpa Lahiri is an introspective novel about a woman who observes the world around her. She appears to be stuck in a rut, she lives alone, goes to work, has a circle of friends but does not seem to be fulfilled. She mulls her life growing up and how different her parents’ life is from the one she leads. Thoughts and observations occur to her on the street, at the train station, in the waiting room. There is an undercurrent of something not quite named but something almost like sorrow, simmering just under the surface. Still, I was drawn into her world and her emotions as she navigates her daily routine in her beautiful unnamed city.

Pick up a copy of Whereabouts if you’re interested in reading a quiet book that feels like an exploration and assessment of how far you’ve come, what you have achieved when you have reached a certain age with each brief chapter revealing a little more. At only 157 pages, it is a quick read.

What is also interesting is that Lahiri wrote this novel in Italian, then translated it into English.

Who is Maud Dixon,  a debut novel by former journalist Alexandra Andrews, is a literary thriller that has echoes of Patricia Highsmith's 1955 crime novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley.  Like the earlier thriller, Who is Maud Dixon? is a complex tale complete with stolen identities, exotic locales, and murder. And while Maud Dixon is set in contemporary times, there is something about if that feels vintage...even the names of the two main characters, Florence and Helen, are somewhat old fashioned.
I don't want to give too much of the story away, there is the obvious, predictable twist but others as well. A chilling scene towards the end of the novel had my heart hammering. Highly recommended. 

I am a sucker for any book that takes place in Italy.  Lori Nelson Spielman's The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany was an engrossing combination of all my favorite things about a book, a little romance, a little mystery, some historical references, and a generous helping of beautiful scenery. The Fontana family has had a curse on the second-born daughters for over 200 years. Always to remain spinsters, true love will never find any of them. Emilia has unknowingly resigned herself to the fact that the curse is a real thing as she remains consistently unlucky in love. Her cousin Lucy is unlucky in love as well, falling often yet never really connecting with anyone. When their 80-year-old, estranged aunt Poppy calls offering the two a trip to Italy and an opportunity to break the curse forever, they reluctantly agree.

Speilman provides her readers with an amazing story that crosses generations and completely captivates them as secrets unfold. Aunt Poppy's dual storyline growing up in Italy was riveting and emotional. From New York to Italy, The Berlin Wall to a tiny church in Ravello, we root for these 3 resilient women to find the love and peace they deserve. This is definitely a book that I will be recommending to others. Ciao Bella!

The title of this new novel by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney refers specifically to a struggling New York theater company of which the main characters are members, but in the larger sense it really encompasses the friends and family who play all the supporting roles in our lives. Good Company goes back and forth in time, as we follow friends and fellow actresses Flora and Margot, as roommates in New York City, as newly married brides, and then their diverging paths as Flora devotes herself to mothering daughter Ruby, while Margot becomes a television star on a middling medical drama. There is a lot to say here about the nature of female friendships as well. the petty and not so petty jealousies, and the seemingly steadfast loyalty that can be quickly destroyed by a toxic secret. The secret in this case is the discovery of a wedding band that was supposedly lost over a decade prior, and the painful revelations that are also uncovered.  

Good Company is lacking the satirical bite of the author's previous best selling novel, The Nest. But it is a pleasant diversion, and for those who enjoy audiobooks, very well narrated by Marin Ireland. 

What is there not to like about a book where a horse, a dog, a raven, a rat and one young boy find refuge and companionship with each? Add the City of Light and renowned author Jane Smiley and you are all set.

Perestroika, Paras for short, a young curious racehorse finding her stall door open, scoops up her trainers purse full of winnings and embarks on an adventure that lands her in the Champs de Mar in Paris. She meets Frida the elegant street dog, who navigates the market to find them food. Along with Raoul the raven, and a couple of mallard ducks, they discuss life, ownership, freedom and world problems. Not sure what her future holds, and unclear if she wants to return to the track, Paras spends her days and nights exploring, and reminiscing about her beloved trainers and the racing life. Eventually she befriends Etienne, an 8 year old living with his aging great grandmother in an ancient mansion. Etienne loves Paras and his friends, as well as Curt, the rat who comes out of his hiding place in search of love. The curious, hungry and cold animals find refuge in the old home. With ingenuity, and the generosity of kind shop owners, they all manage to keep their whereabouts a secret as they survive the snowy winter.

I loved this well written and heartwarming book. Through these interesting characters, Smiley reminds us that although "life is a chancey business", all creatures great and small seek the same things; love, freedom, and a sense of belonging. 

When novelist Ann Patchett says that one must read a book, I almost always take her advice. Patchett wholeheartedly recommends reading Meg Mason's novel Sorrow and Bliss, which is about mental illness, dysfunctional families, and a failing marriage. While these themes may sound far heavier on the “sorrow” than the “bliss”, it is often an incredibly funny book.

 Martha, the main character and the narrator of the novel, shares her observations of her struggles with such biting wit. She is prickly and difficult, but also brilliant, and as she tells the story of her life the reader begins to understand how, at the age of forty,  Martha has returned to her childhood home without any seeming  prospects for the future.  While Sorrow and Bliss does focus on mental illness (Martha has been diagnosed with something so severe that it is never named in the novel), this is also a story about the love of family and friends.  Martha’s relationship with her younger sister Ingrid is so refreshingly real in how they both rely on, and alternating, resent one another.

At the end, there is much hope in this novel, just not of the saccharine variety. Sorrow and Bliss should appeal to readers who enjoyed Normal People by Sally Rooney or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

Angie Hockman's debut book, Shipped , is a entertaining, enemies-to-lovers rom-com which confronted some serious issues to enhance the plot. The two main characters, Henley Evans and Graeme Crawford-Collins work for an adventure cruise line and are vying for the same promotion. They are sent on a cruise to the Galápagos Islands to work on some new marketing ideas that will decide who will get the coveted Digital Marketing Director position.

A majority of the story takes place in the gorgeous Galápagos Islands. The natural beauty and habitat of this region was truly a star feature in the book.  I also really appreciated the awareness of environmental issues throughout the story.

I highly recommend this book to those looking for a light rom-com in an exotic setting to read this spring.