Must-read books when the sun sets

As we barrel toward the holiday season, you may think you don’t have time to read, but remember, it is getting dark earlier and temperatures are cooling, so you spend more time inside (or sitting at the athletic field) so you want to have a stash of a few good books.
 
Books also make a great gift.
 
Our book club does a book exchange for Christmas. We wrap up our favorite tome and pull numbers for a random gifting.
 
There are some definite “must reads” this month – enjoy!
 
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz is an absolute gem. An epic story of a Swedish boy in 19th Century Western U.S. trying to reach his brother in New York after they are separated on the voyage from their country. A marvelous tale of grit, hope, loss, and determination. As it is set in the West, it also involves violence and suffering. Highly recommend.
 
Two-Step Devil by Jaime Quatro is another must read. Set in a remote hilltop in Alabama, this contemporary novel deals with faith, family, government agencies, art and rural culture. An exquisite read.
 
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich. A tale of two boys and a girl, their families in a prairie community in North Dakota. Real life gives us love, hope and tragedy, and this is a sometimes painful look at what that brings to all of us. Highly recommend this.
 
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman. If you liked The Thursday Murder Club (and who didn’t) this is the new pair of crime solvers from Osman. Delightfully funny with crisp writing and a main character who lives on a private island off the coast of Charleston.
 
The Anti-Heroes by Jen Lancaster. Initially, this cast of characters made me want to scream – so fearful of standing up for themselves. But as the story progressed, they found their footing and became confident and assertive, which I find far more appealing! Funny, easy read or listen.
 
The River View by Jamie Harrison is set in Blue Deer, Montana. It is a small town that was perfectly happy, but is in the throes of development like the rest of the state. Old timers looking to keep the tranquility are in conflict with residents looking to make a buck and the shady developers invading the area. 
 
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner. I chose this book for my book club before I had read it, based on the strength of The Mars Room, Kushner’s previous book. Thankfully I do not have to pick another book for a while! They hated it. It is listed for the Booker Prize and after reading it, I have to question this choice. The reviews are widely divergent. The New Yorker disliked it and the New York Times raved over it. I found the writing stodgy and the ending disappointing. However, there are many who found this book to be intellectual, profound and soulful. I am not one of them.
 
Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville. Not what I thought it was going to be. I expected a murder/crime mystery and this is decidedly in the groove of Stephenie Meyer and Anne Rice. Not for me.
 
Two nonfiction books this month:
Connie by Connie Chung. Excellent as an audiobook as she is the narrator. A very honest look at her personal life and the difficulty of being responsible for her parents personally and financially for many years. Her spouse, Maury Povich, is her rock and biggest fan and he is perfectly comfortable with his professional profile. (To see who is actually reading this, if you see me, you can ask me about my appearance on his show many, many years ago. Ha!)
 
Our Man in Charleston by Christopher Dickey. This engaging book covers much of the story of the outbreak of the Civil War that was in Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson. This is from the perspective of the British consul to Charleston at the time and provides even more personal information making it a nice complement to that book.
 
Don’t forget, you can go to beckysbookclub.com and sign up for the monthly email which provides access to all the past book reviews. Happy reading!

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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