The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

 

I really like Lucy Foley's books.

And I really like the format of her books - especially in audio!

This one, like The Guest List, is told from multiple perspectives and performed by multiple actors/readers/narrators (what do they want to be called, anyway???). So much fun!  I think it would be hard to keep up with who is "talking" without the different voices, so this is definitely one to listen to.

And again, the location is as much a character as the characters. Twisty and turny and a web woven for sure! A secret tragedy one summer between local kids and the rich people on the hill comes crashing back when events are set in motion to bring them all back together again for one fateful weekend by the sea. Definitely not an original outline, but certainly an original presentation.  And the BIRDS.....  wow!!

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

 

I don't know how this is possible, but this was my first Ariel Lawhon book!! 

It will not be the last.  I enjoyed this story SO much more than I even thought I would.  Lawhon's writing takes you RIGHT THERE - to 1780's Maine, no less.  This is fascinating historical fiction INSPIRED BY a real woman - Martha Ballard - who served as a healer and midwife in her small riverside community.  Her journals gave the author the start she needed, and was arguably a character of its own in this story.  A death, several accusations, a fantastically warped and evil bad guy, side plots of her nine children, her past, abuse inflicted upon women, birthing rooms, and her status in the community both as a respected midwife and a woman who cannot give testimony without her husband present all combine into a can't put it down kind of story.  There are a few flashbacks, but not so many as to be jarring.  You really get a feel for the hardships of farm life, of small towns, of suspicions and finger pointing and judgement that was so prevalent in those times.  

In the author's notes, which I ALWAYS read, Lawhon tells how she found this story, condensed the timeline, changed a few other details, but tried to stay within historical accuracy as much as possible. (Never read the author's notes first, y'all, spoilers abound!!) Still, this is fiction.   And I would never have learned about Mrs. Ballard without this book.  I loved that she is a 50 year old woman with life experience.  I loved that her husband was firm, attentive, and totally still in love with his wife.  I loved that Martha had a spark (fictionalized, but may also be true).  I also loved the way the author wrote about the way women were treated and viewed back then - how absolutely horrifyingly the punishments differed for men and for women - fines that would ruin a woman and men who got away with, well, murder.  How women were blamed for unwanted pregnancies - unwanted in the worst way.  Lawhon is relatively delicate about these situations, but doesn't turn her head either.  It happened.  No revisionist history here. And she tells a few facts that she could have turned into another novel about descendants of Martha's - just amazing.

I was actually reminded of my favorite female protagonist - Clare Fraser.  Healer, labeled witch, butts head with men in power.  Yes, I think Martha and Clare would have been fast friends.  If only Clare traveled to Maine...

Some great side stories here about Martha's children - we wait to see Cyrus' story, we learn about Jonathan, we watch as Hannah and Dolly fall in love.  

The ending was pretty perfect too.  

Lawhon's next book is about Grace O'Malley - female Pirate.  I am so in.

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

 

Oh. My. Goodness.

My mom gave me this book for Christmas.  She rarely gives me books because honestly, I have usually already read it.  (Shrug)  And because we share books so we just trade all year long.  My mom reads more than I do.  It is true!!

But, when she gave it to me and to my sister in law, she said, "This might be the best book I ever read."

Wow.  She has NEVER EVER said that.

I just finished it last night.  And now I see what she means. 

This is the book that has a blank flap.  And ya know what?  I think I might honor that here in my review by just saying this:

READ THIS BOOK.  It will make you smile, appreciate, observe, love harder, pay attention, want to be a Friend, cry, and be so amazed at the writing that this first time author but very experienced human has shared with the world.  Bravo, Mr. Levi.

We could all use a little Theo in our lives, indeed.

My Reading Life

My Reading Life

as at February 16, 2025

Each year for the past 3 years I have drawn myself a Bookshelf for my year of reading.  I draw little rectangles on "rulered" lines where I can write the book titles in as I finish a book.  I color code it by Audio, Owned, Borrowed, or Kindle.  I have a separate shelf to highlight my Book Club Books, and a Challenge Shelf in the middle to challenge myself.  One year I picked 12 books from my TBR shelf (the real life one with real life Hardbacks), and last year I upped it to 18 because that shelf is overflowing, y'all!  I didn't get to all of them, so this year I assigned each book a month in which I need to read it, taking the decision making, and the stalling, out of the equation.  It helps with What Should I Read Next (thank you Modern Mrs Darcy - that is a great podcast if you are looking to add several many books to your list!!).

Over these past three years, and really since Covid, I have not been reading as much.  My husband and I opened a restaurant 30 minutes away from our house, and that has taken most of our attention.  It has, however, afforded me more time for audio books - I listen in the car to and from the restaurant.  Looking at my Bookshelves Lists, I see more and more yellow, the color for audio.  And these are not usually books I would normally read.  There have been more romantic comedies, a Neil Gaiman, and the current medieval fiction about the plague.  Only once have I stopped listening to a book because I just did not like the narrator's voice.  And I was one of those who used to think listening didn't count, because by definition reading is using your EYES, not your EARS.  But some of these have been so well performed that suddenly I realized it really was like combining two of my favorite things - books and theatre!  I am a true convert.

But don't worry, nothing can ever replace the feel of a book in my lap or on my table, with my trusty book weight holding down the sides.  Or the way reading an actual book is a true getaway, forcing me to relax and enter a new world.  I can get distracted by my thoughts when listening to a book that does not happen when I am reading the page.  And I love talking about books with others - I met a new friend at Christmas and we immediately bonded when she saw my bookshelves in my house.  Like, "Oh, you are a Reader, I already know I am going to like you."  Even my brother and I can talk books now, and my sister in law and I are planning another Book Store Tour like the one we did a few years ago in New York (sorry David, Dot wins). My mother and my grandmother definitely got the ball rolling for me and my daughters - we are a generational family of Readers for sure!

My beloved book club has now been reading together for 20 years as of September.  That is almost 180 books.  We've had a few author visits (hello, Kimmery!  Come back soon!), several Sally visits, 23 members total, and 46 kids, 20 grandchildren, 1 Pandemic and a bajillion bottles of wine (and yes, Luan's 360 bottles of Bud Light).  We read mostly fiction (only 17 non fiction books in 20 years!!), and a majority historical fiction.  We try to throw a "classic" in each year too.  That doesn't always go over well.  We are representative of probably 3, maybe 4 generations, and while a few have dropped out or moved, we have added a few new members and been all the better for it.  I usually like the books we choose, and while I recommend a lot of them, some of them are definitely ones I would never have picked up without my book club.  Which is the point really.  Well, except for the friendships and talks and support and laughter.  We actually do talk about The Book!!

But Book Club is only one book a month.  That cubby in my Bookshelf (the real one) is still staring me down with lots of other books I know the club won't want to read - too many dragons and creatures and heft in most of them!  But isn't that the amazing thing about a Reading Life?  No two are EVER the same. No two people on the planet have the same list of books read in their lives, waiting to be read, or that they want to read (yes, there's a difference).  Amazing, right?  How marvelous.  I intend to be better about sharing my list, my shelves, with you this year!  Hang on tight.......my current read is a first - there is NOTHING on the inside flap.  Do what?  

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

 

I really need to stop reading books about planes.

BUT - this one left me going WOW, I need to write a review on this one!  Good thing as then I realized it has been, well, months.  So, let me see if I can catch you up on some of Rawles' Reads!!!

This was my first read of 2025.  I have read several of Moriarty's books and enjoyed all but one of them.  Here One Moment might be my favorite.  It is different from her other stories - not set in a neighborhood, or in one town, or in one family, but set, at least to start, on an airplane.  An older woman suddenly stands up and tells each person on the plane how old they will be when they die, and what they will die of.

Yikes.

This doesn't change everyone's lives like we saw in The Measure.  Sure, some people change a few things, and one mother goes ballistic, but most people don't believe her - until some of her predictions begin to come true.

What I really enjoyed here was the thread Moriarity cleverly attached to many of the passengers, especially the woman in question on the plane.  Once we finally begin to get her back story, we can start to really wonder - is it as mystical as it seemed?  At first you'll think you are just being jerked around from story to story, but stick with it.  I promise it is worth it.

And the quote about the author "landing" the ending?  Yeah, ok, that was a good one.  I agree.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

 

First of all, I LOVE Julia Whelan.  I actually think I picked this book to listen to strictly because she is the narrator.  Performer.  Wonder Woman.

But oh my golly, WHAT a story.  I loved it.  I loved how the author wove in and out of each character's story to make this one great plot. Yes, twists and turns and coincidences galore. But so very thought-provoking.  My book club is going to have a blast casting this movie!!  ;-)

Would you want to know?  How much is choice and how much is pre-destined?  Did you make different decisions based on the string that then ended up being self fulfilling prophecy?  Does anything you do really change anything or just make what "will be, will be" come true?  If the string hadn't arrived, and Ben hadn't gone to Group, and hadn't met Amy, THEN....what?  What would Nina's story have been without the knowledge of the strings?  What about Javier?  Hank?  Oh, Hank.   

I got so invested in the characters that I forgot to stress about the WHY and HOW.  Where'd those boxes come from??  That becomes less important than the WHAT.  What will you do with the measure of your life.  Measure becomes less about length than about impact.  

So, get that bucket list out and call your bff and your mom and your long lost cousin or whatever.  This book has big questions, big fights, big love, and both joy and tragedy.  Are we really ever ready? For life, love and ultimately, death?  Big questions, I think very well presented.  This is a great book club book, imho.  My only regret is that I have read it 4 months before book club. (I usually read it the week of.)  But I don't think I will be forgetting this one anytime soon.

Troubled Blood / The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

 

 

These are books five, six and seven in the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith.*  These books just keep getting better.  And longer!

I won't get into the plots here, but I will say if you are looking for a series that is set in London, has a curmudgeonly protagonist who is brilliant and troubled, and who runs a Private Investigator firm to help people solve problems/murders/brainwashing/online bullying/infidelity etc, and whose staff includes a smoke stack secretary who tells it like it is, a Scottish jokester who keeps everyone in stitches (not literally), a partner who is switched on, brave and unlucky in love, and clients who are decidedly, well, weird, this series is for you.  So well written, complex, yet full of heart.  Cormoran is a vet, a former police officer, and the illegitimate son of a famous rock star who never claimed him (until Corm got famous too).  Family dynamics here are dysfunctional at best, but that only adds to Strike's charm.  His partner Robin literally blows in on the wind, and they become best friends.  Read what you will into that relationship.  Slow burn indeed.  

The series starts with The Cuckoo's Calling.  I do think it is best to read them in order.  The Ink Black Heart was definitely the hardest to follow; I started reading and listening to the audiobook in tandem to help me get through it.  I love the audio versions here, the actor is SO good that the new TV show hired him to be in the show (called Strike, on streaming services like Prime and Hulu).  I love this series and anxiously await the next time I can jump into Corm and Robin's lives!!

* If you don't know, Galbraith is a pseudonym for another famous writer, JK Rowling.  No magic in these books, except the magic of reading a great story with great characters.  Magic does exist in these pages!!  :-)