Books Reviewed By Lorie

I liked this book because it is a mother-daughter love story and because the author used the entire book to prove honesty is the best policy.

Tyler Sinclair is a famous musician who returns to his hometown to do a benefit concert. As his first day in town ends, three are dead.

It takes a very long time to figure out what is happening in this book, but stick with it, the ending makes up for the confusion.

As the book opens, a man finds himself immersed in the Gulf of Mexico as his cruise ship sails away. Was he pushed? Did he fall? Did he jump?

Lila’s mother, Zelda, was committed to an asylum when Lila was two. Zelda died in a fire at the asylum eight years later. Maybe? Maybe not?

A wildly disparate group of women come together and become a family of friends. And they remedy many a calamity.

This book has sold over four million copies. Its backstory is wrenching, concerning a rare illness with which the Rabbi’s son was born.

Perdita is in her late thirties when she starts an affair with twenty-five-year-old Nando, and forty-one when she looks into his murder.

The plight of women in 1900 is explored as we watch 18-year-old Mariah being forced to marry a 63-year-old man to save her destitute family.

This best seller about divorce among the super wealthy has its detractors. Some fail to sympathize due to the author’s privileged background.

Fascinating! Here we have an established writer challenging himself to turn out something new. No cookie cutter, formulaic books for him.

Elsie is an 81-year-old woman with a dark past. At the age of 15, she was found guilty of murder. It’s been a closely held secret until now.

I love Elizabeth Strout’s writing but I am finding her books difficult to read because I identify too much with her characters.

I find the whole Bernie Madoff scandal very intriguing to learn about, thus I was interested to read this book by his daughter-in-law.

Daphne is 53 when she bumps into Eddie Triplett. He was her step father – briefly – at age 9. It is 44 years since they have seen each other.

The coming of age story of Jimmy Perrini in the summer of 1974. See how he handles the tragedy that befalls him.

Maggie and Chip are brother and sister. They are close – in age and emotionally. What happens to them when he becomes ill and dies at 18?

I won’t give a lot of details about this book. Instead, I will give you the pleasure of having this lovely story unfold as you read it.

Lauren and the women of her family receive a ticket at birth that allows them one do-over in life. Yep! They can turn back the hands of time.

This is the story of Polly and her concerns in life: infertility, a father with dementia, an annoying mom, and a DNA test with odd results.

Ms. Komachi is a librarian who seems to give the perfect book to each person with whom she interacts. Is she some sort of oracle?

This is the story of a 28-year-old woman who escaped from a cult at 18. Trying to find her sister, she agrees to cooperate with a journalist.

By book’s end, I felt I was watching an episode of The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Maybe I was just jealous?

I am sharing my five favorite novels from the last several months. Each one has some designation that makes it special. Check it out!

The night Leo tells April he wants a divorce is the same night their house is demolished by a kitchen fire in this 2nd novel by Sarah Damoff.

Cora is in an abusive marriage with Gordon. What will happen if she doesn’t name her newborn son Gordon? Will Julian or Bear be ok as a name?

I like authors who write fiction and autobiographical nonfiction. It’s fun to see the overlap of their life and their fiction, so I loved this book.

I sort of yawned thinking this would just be a story of a love triangle, but then a twist here and a turn there made it so much more.

This book is about two families whose lives overlap. Through decades, we see births, deaths, marriages, tragedies, and reconciliations.

Richard Russo won the Pulitzer Prize for this book in 2002. My book club just read it and LOVED the richly drawn characters. There are many!

Historical fiction about an orphaned French noblewoman in the early 1500s whose guardian is more interested in her money than her wellbeing.

All members of the Cassidy-Shaw family have reason to believe they are culpable in a car wreck. Or is AI at fault? It was a self-driving car.

Many newly retired folks will identify with the ship wrecked couple: “The day, like the ocean, opened out around them, empty and formless.”

The novel’s epigraph tells us: The great dramas all begin like this: a surfeit of happiness, a glass-smoothed pond just begging for a stone.”

Grady Green is an author whose wife has disappeared – or died. Going to a remote island for a change of scenery creates all sorts of problems.

I am sharing my five favorite novels from the last several months + three strange books that are standouts from my year of reading.

The story of a love triangle in college and the lasting feelings from it. Watch those feelings play out almost three decades later.

Teresa Strasser and her dad watch Little League baseball games together as she processes her difficult childhood & the death of her brother.

This book’s for everyone. Depending on your age, it’s validation, previews of coming attractions, or insight into loved ones who are older.

Sybil’s life in her 70s was going along without a blip on the radar, and then BAM! CHAOS!” Read all about it in this popular epistolary novel.

Four women become book club friends in a suburb of Washington D.C. in 1963, and are impacted by Betty Friedan’s book, The Feminine Mystique.

Lewis and Wren are newly married when Lewis is diagnosed with a carcharodon carcharias mutation. He is transforming into a great white shark.

Our narrator has a double whammy coming her way. Her husband tells her he wants a divorce. Almost simultaneously, she learns she has cancer.

This book tells us that a sister is not a friend. Likewise, a good friend is not a sister, no matter how close we may feel to that person.

Lucy was accused but never found guilty of murdering her best friend. She has no memory of the night. A cold case investigator aims to change that.

I am sharing my five favorite novels from the last several months + giving information about my very favorite book ever – Chai on Life.

A midwife in the late 1700’s follows the pregnancy – and legal proceedings – of a woman whose condition is the result of a horrific rape.

The New York Trilogy is perhaps Paul Auster’s most famous book. Its first part was adapted to graphic format in 1994 and the rest completed in 2025.

This is the story of a new widow named Nina Swann who meets a very handsome and charismatic man, Nick Radcliffe, who proves to be a con man.

Forty women survive for years as prisoners in an underground bunker. See what happens upon their escape – and for the decades that follow.

Each new relationship for Daphne comes with a slip of paper magically telling her how long her relationship with the new person will last.

The story of a not-very-successful author stealing a wildly successful but deceased writer’s novel. Cultural appropriation is involved too.

This novel is about a hiker on the Appalachian Trail who goes missing, the search that ensues, and about other ways people can be lost.

Women’s rights have always been and continue to be under attack. This book about eugenics is a reminder of that fact. And a call to action.

I am sharing my 5 favorite novels from the last several months + information on the 10,046 books banned during the 2023-2024 school year.

A young woman & her mom plan to travel to Italy. When the mom dies, the daughter goes alone & magically meets the young version of her mom there.

What’s it like in Hell? This book offers a Welcome to Hell letter setting out nine rules to follow for “a pleasant stay.”

C. Jat is the artist who painted “The One of the Sea.” Both are world famous (and fictional). This is the story of the painting’s creation.

Celebrating her engagement to David, Dannie falls asleep after too much champagne and wakes up 5 years later (!) married to some other man.

Dana, a Black woman living with her white husband in California in 1976, gets transported to Maryland in 1819 and thus, to slavery.

This novel is about a school shooting where ten teens died. It has been banned in many schools, not for gun violence, but for a sex scene!

The American Committee for Devastated France was an organization of women lending aid to France in WWI. Read about their amazing work here!

A book about the reality of being a woman in a patriarchy, especially as that plays out for a woman in a heterosexual marriage.

This is the story of Abe and Jane, mostly told by Abe, as he helps Jane look back on their life together while her death from cancer looms.

In this Holocaust-related novel we learn horrific things about the Nazis including their real-life presence in America after the war.

Emma Lewis is a young woman who is about to be roped into moving home to take over the family estate sale business when her parents retire.

This is the story of a very dysfunctional family. While the front pages tell us it’s totally fictional, interviews with the author disagree.

I am sharing my 5 favorite novels from the last several months + nominees for the Women’s Prize in Fiction + a few more books just because…

This book, set in 1961 in a rural Dutch province, explores lesbian sex and also a matter of great historical significance. What a combo!

The author focuses on three hikers who disappeared on the PCT between 2015 and 2017, and on the four years she helped search for them.

A unique Holocaust tale that is teeny tiny in length while offering a lot to discuss – along with the lesson that you get what you give.

Grace Adams seems a lot less than amazing. Indeed, she seems like a mess! It takes the reader a while to figure out why – and to feel compassion.

See what you think about Gail Bains. Does she lack people skills? Does she need to read Manners for the Mystified? Or is she just prickly?

This book is historical fiction about the Warsaw Ghetto in WWII. It’s a wrenching tale. You will see why it was chosen as a Read with Jenna book.

The book covers a unique segment of Titanic survivors – those who had tickets for the ship but did not get on board for some reason.

Adult step siblings get to know each other as they investigate their father’s death. Surely his fall from the cliff wasn’t an accident…

This book introduced me to a part of history I had never heard about, was shocked to hear about, and that everyone needs to hear about.

Darling Girls is an interesting tale of foster care. My road to reading it was interesting too. I found it when I learned of the Indie Next List.

I am sharing my 5 favorite novels from the last several months plus top books of the year from various media outlets – find 14 reviews total!

On an Indian Summer day in November 1957, Kathleen Beckett goes for a swim. Ultimately, she refuses – all day long – to get out of the pool. Why?

See how a family of four is impacted when one of the children has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Trust me, it dis-orders the entire family.

A million-dollar wedding + contemplation of life and death = a book that was readers choice for the best fiction of 2024 on Goodreads.

Sophie Kinsella is amazing in 3 ways: she’s a prolific writer who has recently struggled with a brain tumor, while being positivity personified.

Six short stories + one novella from the author of A Gentleman in Moscow. I listened to the audiobook, and loved the narrator, Edoardo Ballerini.

First there was The Plot and now, The Sequel. Both are hard to discuss without spoilers. So, let’s talk about the sequel-ness of The Sequel!

The Bright Years is about the sway of alcoholism across generations. And it is also the story of what it’s like to love an alcoholic.

Today I am sharing my five favorite books from the last several months. Oddly, I will also share a book I didn’t like. What’s that all about?

This double mystery follows the disappearances, 14 years apart, of two siblings. The book was on Barack Obama’s 2024 summer reading list.

Two story lines – one set in the time of the Civil War, and one set in modern day – show us that slavery may have ended, but racism has not.

Harriet is a retired teacher who runs a book club at a prison where she meets Violet, a convicted felon. From this odd start, friendship blooms.

Writer Lin-Manuel Miranda and illustrator Jonny Sun team together to bring us “little pep talks” about life. (Orginally published as Tweets!)

This is the 23rd book in the Temperance (Tempe) Brennan series about a forensic anthropologist. Author Kathy Reichs is likewise credentialed!

This is the story of a single woman and her magic attic. It spits out a new husband every time the old one goes into it for any reason!

In Dublin, in the near future, Eilish’s husband is taken away by the secret police. She should have left the country then, but did not…uh oh!

In this Quarterly Newsletter for Book Lovers, I am sharing my five favorite books from recent months and so much more! Books galore!

A 45-year-old wife and mom vacations alone. Instead of driving cross country as planned, she stops and has an “affair” within an hour of home.

As three generations share a vacation, we get the mom’s take on motherhood, marriage, the empty nest, menopause, aging parents, and more.

This book is not a typical whodunit. We know Ansel did it. But who did he do it to and why? I couldn’t put the book down until I knew!

Sloane Crosley processes the suicide of her friend, Russell Perreault. Both had amazing careers at Vintage Books, a division of Random House.

I loved this book, then hated this book. I almost stopped reading it! But what the heck, it’s short, so I kept going! By the end? I loved it!

Baumgartner is the last book written by Paul Auster. While it’s short on plot, it’s rich in Auster-isms! Fans of the late author will LOVE it.

This memoir about the author’s experience in long-term group therapy was the November, 2020 pick for Reese’s Book Club.

This book is terrific for book clubs! Lots to talk about! BUT: No two people will have the same thoughts on exactly what happens at the end!

When an acquaintance tells Frankie McGrath that women can be heroes too, she naively joins the Army as a nurse and goes off to Vietnam.

Is this book an epic example of male bashing or is it as an indictment of the patriarchy?

Ron Charles at the Washington Post said this book is a “spectacular intersection of class, racism, academic politics and journalistic ethics.”

An unconventional love story between an elderly woman and a mouse that is very charming – even for those of us terrified of mice!

In this Quarterly Newsletter for Book Lovers, I am sharing my five favorite novels from the last several months and so much more! Books galore!

A moving story – by the amazing Anna Quindlen – about the untimely death of a woman and how it impacts her daughter, husband, and best friend.

A novel in which SOMETHING MAJOR HAPPENED to the character, but the author may or may not tell the reader what it was!

An author who has worked as a domestic violence counselor writes very convincingly about an older woman who is physically abused by her husband.

An intriguing story of feather mania thru the centuries and of a major feather heist in 2009, plus the trial of the feather thief.

After a personal and professional fiasco, Talia seeks solace at home for the holidays. Will an old acquaintance there help kiss her tears away?

This is an addictive love story about addiction – a page turning story about a woman who falls for a guy who is a recovering heroin addict.

Hernan Diaz’s book, Trust, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2023. The book tells the same story from four perspectives. Which can you TRUST?

In this Quarterly Newsletter for Book Lovers, I am sharing my five favorite novels from the last several months and so much more! Books galore!

Imagine a time when DNA can be used to find a person’s one true love! Everyone would flock to the test, because really, what could go wrong?

When Joe was six, his little sister, Ruthie, went missing. As the last to see her, he blames himself. She is never found, which flavors his entire life.

A seventeen-year-old memoirist outwits her New York publisher, her agent, and a few attorneys along the way in this 64 page book by Helen DeWitt.

This book about a women’s health clinic that provides abortions is also about a pot dealer, a protester, and an anti-abortion crusader.

Barnes and Noble named this the Book of the Year. So did Amazon! It’s a bit difficult, therefore, to say I did NOT love it, though…

Adoption, fertility issues, homes for unwed mothers, and the Jane Collective are all part of this story that takes place between 1961 and 2017.

You might want to read this Booker Prize winner twice to see how perfectly parts one and two fit together, and to see philosophy in action!

A novel that is written almost entirely through museum wall labels that chronicle the life and times of Kitty Whitaker from 1906 through 1999.

This book was moving along smoothly until halfway through when the author threw in a couple new plotlines. One was TOTALLY disconcerting!

Historical fiction about two giraffes traveling cross country to become the first giraffes at the San Diego Zoo in 1938. It’s a perilous journey!

Three people suffering great losses help each other in this novel. Chuck has lost his wife; Kirsten, her father; and Ella her young daughter.

This book contains a life in bloom among the dead, not to mention two mysteries, one devastating heartbreak, and lots of love stories.  

There are twelve books to read about in this Quarterly Newsletter for Book Lovers including books from Kristin Hannah and Gabrielle Zevin.

When a woman starts an affair with her husband’s best friend, she makes her 14-year-old daughter her confidant in this compelling memoir.

Approaching death, a mom makes an audiotape for her adult kids to hear after she’s gone. In it, she reveals a secret past including another child.

Sadie and Sam were great friends, then not friends, then friends again. They make a pact to ALWAYS forgive each going forward. How will that go?

AJ Fikry is a curmudgeon, a bibliophile, and a book store owner. His “porcupine heart” is about to change thanks to an abandoned child.

This is a mother/daughter love story disguised as historical fiction about the Dust Bowl and about migrant workers in California during the depression.

This novel contains a careful examination of what it is like to be an Interracial family (Chinese-American and Caucasian) in 1977.

Along with 12-year-old Noah Gardner, we learn about the “Crisis” in the U.S. that caused his mom to run away 3 years earlier. Then, we go search for her!

What if you call out for the Lord and He answers – in person? After an explosion sinks a luxury yacht, this is the experience of the survivors.

There are 14 books to read about in this Quarterly Newsletter for Book Lovers including books from Ann Patchett and Jodi Picoult.

This novel has elements of many amazing books that have been popular over the years – like The Goldfinch and White Oleander – all rolled into one.

When a young woman is found dead the main suspect is her boyfriend. He is the son of an abusive man. Did he learn what he lived?

In this book for dog lovers, we read the correspondence between “Grandma Vivienne” and her grand-puppy, Zippy.

Behind the scenes at a SNL type show, a famous male musician & a dorky female writer fall in love. Better yet, the author makes it believable!

This is a children’s picture book about the life and legacy of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the founder of Reform Judaism.

Ken and Abby are the children of almost 70-year-old Adam Gardner. You won’t believe the gifts they plan for his big party! One is a BIG reveal.

Are some childhood traumas too large to overcome? We wonder about this as we meet Ethan, an odd man whose parents died when he was eight.

In her 20’s, Lara starred in Our Town – and had an affair with – an actor who went on to great fame. Decades later, her daughters want the details!

A war veteran is on the lam with his eight-year-old daughter. They live in a cabin in the woods. Why are they there and will they be found out?

Those who loved Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, loved the wisdom of Albom’s teacher, Morrie Schwartz. This book, gives us Morrie’s words written by Morrie!

A social media influencer organizes a weekend trip for her best friend from each phase of her life: her teens, twenties, thirties, and midlife.

This is the story of Irene, a woman who has suffered two horrific losses in her lifetime. Is it possible to bounce back from such pain?

Here are my top five books recommendations for you. All are taken from the Book Blog section of my website: LorieKleinerEckert.com

J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian was a Black woman passing as white. This would have been explosive news at that time, the early 1900s.

This is the story of the four Padavano sisters. Readers will love them. Those who are familiar with Little Women, will love them even more.

The book has three recurring themes: the impact of his mother’s death, what it means to be the spare, and the tribulations posed by the press.

A family in which one of three daughters dies as a child is poignantly explored by an author who lived a similar experience.

A murder at a private boarding school in 1995 gets revisited in 2018 in this novel that is akin to the podcast, Serial.

Johanna van Gogh-Bonger is the widow of Vincent van Gogh’s brother, Theo. After both men died, SHE made Vincent’s work known to the world.

Emma returns to her hometown to help care for her dad. As straightforward as that is, the book soon goes in lots of interesting directions!

Carrie Soto is a star tennis player with an amazing record that’s about to be taken away from her. She comes out of retirement to defend it!

This book is about the right to die and about how to find accompanied suicide for those who are not certifiably terminally ill.

Here are the top ten best-selling books for 2022 – across all genres – plus five new book reviews as published in my Book Blog.

Miles has two rules for Tate when they hook up: she can never ask about his past and she can never expect a future. Even so, she says yes!

Edi is about to enter hospice care. She does so with her lifelong friend, Ash, as her caregiver in this surprisingly humorous book.

Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will like this book about Meredith Maggs who hasn’t left home in 1214 days.

Joan Silber’s new book got reviews from many major publications! It is a “relay narrative” told from six different points of view.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is a huge success with middle school kids. Learn about the series. Read one to bond with your child.

The author says: “It’s about a disillusioned romance author and a literary fiction writer who make a deal to swap genres for the summer.”

A tragic car accident forever impacts the lives of those involved, especially when the incident becomes a “secret” that is never spoken of.

Adults world-wide receive a box with a string inside. The length of the string is the length of their days. Would you open your box?

Too young for a serious romance when they meet at 18, Fallon & Ben meet up each year on the anniversary of their 1st encounter – November 9.

This report for book lovers has 5 reviews of notable books + a list of 20 recommended books from the last 20 years!

This is the true story of Don & Mimi Galvin and their 12 children, 6 of whom developed schizophrenia. See what scientists learn from them.

An ill-planned bank robbery becomes an ill-planned hostage situation in this book about how idiotically difficult it is to be human.

Be warned: This is a novel about a cooking class but it’s not your normal type of class! You’ll love the book or NOT – with no middle ground.

This story about teenagers at a residential Deaf school will teach you a lot about the Deaf community and break your heart in several ways.

A doctoral candidate in feminist literature uses underhanded means to get close to the author she NEEDS to interview for her dissertation.

If you love everything Sondheim, this book’s for you. Learn about the author’s long term friendship with the musical genius.

This is a light-hearted and funny book except that it is so full of misogynistic and sexist crap you will want to scream.

A fictional look behind the scenes at an independent book store written by Susan Coll, who spent years working at just such a shop in DC.

I post slice-of-life blogs on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. But what if there is a 5th Tuesday? I write about books!

Watch Greta James, as she worries about the four men in her life and about the rocky state of her career as a rock star.

You know all those potential disasters in modern life you don’t let yourself worry about? This book tells you it’s time to start worrying.

A dysfunctional couple have 3 dysfunctional kids via in-vitro fertilization. Thank goodness for the birth of the 4th child, the peacemaker.

A 40 year old woman – who just canceled her wedding – returns to her hometown to manage the estate of her deceased aunt…and to find love.

Lenny and Alice have a close father/daughter bond. Alice uses time travel to find keys in the past to his terminal illness in the present.

Mustique Island in the 1970s was the playground of Princess Margaret, Mick Jagger, and the fictional star of this book, Willy May Michael.

Want to end artists’ block? Learn to do morning pages and take artists’ dates! This book’s been a best seller for 30 years. Now I know why!

Three women who are in their 70s and who have been friends for 40 years, get together for a weekend after their 4th friend dies.

This book is short on words and heavily illustrated by the author. If you need cheering up, this is the book to read.

Some novelists publish autobiographical non-fiction showing us where their lives intersect with their stories. Learn about O’Farrell here.

Eight book suggestions are included in this report for book lovers. Four are chicklit-ish for gal pals and four are for a broader audience.

A newly elected U.S. President and his Secretary of State clean up the mess left behind by the previous and inept president, “Eric the Dumb.”

Watch Virgil Wander as he comes back to life after a brain injury. Not even home feels like home. Indeed, the “previous tenant” is gone.

Who is Colleen Hoover and why does she have so many books in the top twenty of USA Today’s Bestsellers list?

Racial issues, women’s issues, and the polio epidemic all collide in this work of historical fiction set in the south in 1944.

Here is a life lesson: When I spend time watching TV, I have less time to read. But that’s ok. I forgive myself.

A family whose child disappeared fifty years ago may have finally found the lost son. Can it possibly be Philip? Where has he been?

What happens when a man learns his marriage is built on lies? Even his wife’s name is not what he thought! Join his search for truth…

A psychologist turns detective to investigate a grisly murder in this book. If that sounds too much like Alex Michaelides’ first book, I agree!

The impact of having kids and of keeping secrets are the main topics in this story about the 5 members of the Riordan family.