My daughter picked this up during one of our trips to Third Place Books and insisted that I read it after reading it with lightning speed. I must say, that I was a little confused about who was who, in relation to the main character Tiến at the outset. But once I got my bearings as to where I was in time, or reality, I found this book to be so engrossing and the illustrations of the fairy tale sections are just GORGEOUS. I loved how Nguyen straddled several storylines without it feeling as if one was given short shrift. My heart ached and swelled for Tien, as well as his parents. As always, I highly recommend picking up graphic novels, as they convey so much emotion and drama in a way that words alone cannot.

I finished Braiding Sweetgrass over the Thanksgiving holiday, which was serendipitous and I highly recommend googling the entirety of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address. A small quote that encompasses much of the book’s themes:
“We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things.”
Our #evergreenreaders book club pick was a perfect nonfiction book to dive into after finishing The Seed Keeper and Damnation Spring. Kimmerer’s way of illustrating science and nature through personal stories about her family, her tribe, and her students is so engaging. I bounced back and forth between print and mostly audio, and it felt like I was listening to a lovely guided meditation with a message. I learned so many fascinating things about lichen! pond scum! maple syrup and squirrels! cattails! and, of course, the erasure of Indigenous cultures and their efforts to forge new traditions. This book is so informative and just lovely.

The hype was real on this contemporary romance! I'm glad I knew going into it that the author workshopped her Star Wars Kylo and Rey fan fiction into this story about two modern day scientists. For one: yay for smart and successful female leads! And second, yay for putting Adam Driver in my head as the hopelessly in love, but romantically inept, male lead. Swooooooon. 

Many thanks to Netgalley and Scribner Books for the digital ARC of damnation Spring by Ash Davidson! I highly recommend this book if you like settling in with a community, getting to know a wealth of vivid and complex characters (the kind you think about when you aren’t reading), with an excellent slow burn of increasing tensions that come to an emotional conclusion. And it’s a heartbreaker.
I was initially drawn in by the very familiar Pacific Northwest atmosphere, and could picture it all so clearly. This was an especially impactful read after having finished The Seed Keeper and listening to Braiding Sweetgrass on audio. The author is from this logging area of Northern California and, though she is not indigenous, I think she represented her indigenous characters well. So many themes to unpack on environmentalism, and how we take care of ourselves, our families. This book will stick with me, and I highly recommend it - with the caveat of major trigger warning for miscarriage and stillbirth.

I finished Cloud Cuckoo Land over a week ago and have been struggling to find the words to describe why I loved it so much. I think that many book reviewers can agree, it is really hard to review a book that you love! (And pretty easy to explain why you dislike a book!)
If you want to read about why Doerr’s latest is well written and excellent, definitely check out the New York Times book review. It’s what convinced me to buy it, rather than waiting for my library hold.
I’m pretty sure this doorstop of a novel landed on my all time favorites because I am a sucker for interconnected stories that come together in a surprising and poignant way, recurring motifs, and secular musings on the meaning of life. It also came out came at the right time for me: when I was really wanting to sink my teeth into something after devouring a lot of romance, and feeling a little sad and lost - like each of the protagonists in the story. I found such lovely reassurance about the human spirit, of perseverance, of hope. I was reminded that pain and loss, our impermanence, are also what makes life meaningful. And books about the wondrous nature of the written word? Yes, please.

“By age 17 he’d convinced himself that every human he saw was a parasite, captive to the dictates of consumption. But as he reconstructs Zeno’s translation, he realizes that the truth is infinitely more complicated, that we are all beautiful even as we are all part of the problem, and that could be part of the problem is to be human.”

The Seed Keeper was my book club pick for October and would be an excellent choice for November, Native American Heritage month. This is a multi generational story of a Dahkota family and their enduring spirit despite the horrors of colonialism, past and present. It’s a beautifully told story about how our past affects our future and reminded me of of reading Barbara Kingsolver, with threads of historical fiction and current themes on environmentalism. My only critique was that I wanted MORE. More of Rosalie’s story in the present day, and more details of her great grandmother prior to their subjugation. Braiding Sweetgrass was mentioned in the author’s note, which is our nonfiction November book club pick, and I’m looking forward to reading more indigenous literature this month!

Slowly, but surely, I'm making my way through the Inspector Gamache books and I loved spending time with beloved characters again. This installment was a departure from most of the others in the series. Similar to Bury Your Dead, the setting was not in Three Pines, and it focused much more on the relationship between Gamache and his right hand man Beauvoir. A monastery of monks who have taken vows of silence was a fascinating backdrop for a murder mystery and Penny's writing was so atmospheric and immersive. Really liked this one and the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, so I might move on to the next one soon!

I stole this graphic novel from my 11 year old's school library pile and read it in an evening, and it it is a wonderfully told story based on Hughes' grandparents story of being sent to Japanese internment camps after WWII. The way she presents the harsh realities of this often overlooked piece of history is perfect for young readers, as the main character in present day is transported back in time and swept up into this terrible situation, forcing one to put themselves in the shoes of those who lost so much.

This book is beyond eye opening, heartfelt, and so necessary right now when such a loud minority of our great nation is trying to ignore learning from our past, or push completely false narratives (The civil war wasn’t about slavery! Enslaved people were happy!🤥🤬) And it is excellent on audio. I also highly recommend reading My Monticello alongside this book.

I’m so glad My Monticello was in my latest Third Place Books signed first editions box. A collection of short stories (finishing with the titular novella) that were lyrical, visceral and absolutely haunting. I happened to read How the Word is Passed after finishing this and it was a perfect book flight - highly recommend.