Tag Archives: married people

A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst

24 Monday Nov 2025

Posted by in adventure, Biography, nature, Non-fiction, suspense, Travel

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 Only 246 pages – quick heart-pounding read!

“This is nonfiction that reads like fiction – the best kind. Elmhirst’s retelling is a triumph, second only to the seemingly impossible feat of Maurice and Maralyn themselves. You won’t be able to put it down.” – USA Today

“Remarkable… I found myself, alternately, holding my breath as I read at top speed, wandering rooms in search of someone to read aloud to, and placing the book facedown, arrested by quiet statements that left me reeling with their depth.” – The New York Times

“Such an emotionally vivid portrait of a couple in isolation that I was shocked it wasn’t fiction. How could a writer get so deeply into the minds of two real people in such extraordinary circumstances? … So brilliantly depicted.” – Elle, Best Books of Summer

“A beautiful meditation on endurance, codependence, and the power of love. A dazzling book.” – Patrick Radden Keefe

“An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit.” —Bill Bryson

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House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng 

21 Wednesday Feb 2024

Posted by in Fiction, Historical Fiction, murder and investigation

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Tan Twan Eng has been one of my top historical fiction writers forever. His new book is exquisitely written based on historical events in 1921 and the Havelin couple are living in the Cassowary House in the Straits Settlement of Penang.  Old friend, Somerset Maugham comes to stay with them for an extended visit looking for new material for his next book – I was immersed in the setting, the times, and the book’s upheaval of events for several blissful days.

“Exquisite . . . Tan takes on a behemoth task here: combining sensational fact and intimate fiction in a British colonial Asian setting complicated by white privilege, politics, social hypocrisy, gender inequity, racism, homophobia, and more . . . [He] succeeds in delivering another intricate literary gift.” ―Booklist, Starred Review

“The House of Doors is brilliantly observed and full of memorable characters. It is so well-written, everything so effortlessly dramatized, the narrative so well structured and paced, that this is a book that will mesmerize readers far into the future.” ―Colm Tóibín, author of THE MAGICIAN

“In this bold historical fiction, he courageously exposes his motherland’s flaws, exploring thorny issues of race, racism, gender and gender preference, bigotry, infidelity, and colonial power in richly mannered, atmospheric, and expressive prose, which is simply beautiful . . . no one can argue with the ambition, ardency, and achievement of Eng’s complex latest. “- Air Mail

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Anxious People by Fredrik Backman; translated by Neil Smith.

19 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by in Fiction, Humor

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This funny, thoughtful novel follows a group of people thrown together during an attempted crime, and the police trying to figure it all out. I loved all the characters in this unusual story.

“Wry, wise and often laugh-out-loud funny, it’s a wholly original story that delivers pure pleasure.” —People

“A deeply funny and warm examination of how individual experiences can bring a random group of people together. Backman reveals each character’s many imperfections with tremendous empathy, reminding us that people are always more than the sum of their flaws.” —BookPage

“[A] tight-knit, surprise-filled narrative… the brisk, absorbing action prompts meditation on marriage, parenting, responsibility, and global economic pressures. Comedy, drama, mystery, and social study, this novel is undefinable except for the sheer reading pleasure it delivers. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal (starred review) 

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Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone

25 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by in action, adventure, detective, Fiction, mystery, suspense, thriller

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“An elegantly twisting, lyrical, rocket-paced international thriller of the first order. With sterling prose, layered characters, searing insights, and gripping suspense, Chris Pavone writes with a deep knowledge of the world we live in―its many injustices, flaws, and the bending, dangerous road we sometimes must take to justice.”―Lisa Unger, author of Last Girl Ghosted

“There’s no such thing as a book you can’t put down, but this one was close.”―Stephen King

“I absolutely loved Chris Pavone’s Two Nights in Lisbon, an unputdownable thriller that’s his best novel yet. It stars a strong and savvy heroine who wakes up one morning to find her husband missing, and the action never lets up. This is a masterly, sleek, and sophisticated novel about love, marriage, and truth. Read it!”―Lisa Scottoline, author of Eternal

“I defy anyone to read the first twenty pages of this breakneck novel, then try to put it down for five minutes. It can’t be done. The plot is too devious, the pace is too gripping, and the characters are seldom who they are supposed to be. This is smart suspense at its very best.”―John Grisham, author of A Time for Mercy

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The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh

25 Wednesday May 2022

Posted by in 20th century, Fiction, romance

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Despite some struggles, Emma and Leo have a happy marriage and a daughter they love, but Emma has not been honest with Leo about who she really is. While the concept sounds like many popular thrillers, The Love of My Life is a slower, more thoughtful mystery about love and family, with beautiful descriptions of London and the English coast.

“Walsh masterfully shows both [protagonists’] points of view while maintaining an intoxicating air of mystery…a propulsive thriller with heart that will keep readers guessing.”—Kirkus, starred review

“[A] heartbreaking thriller…[that] explores the complexity of secrets in marriages…Walsh cleverly integrates twists that not even jaded readers will be able to predict…that builds to an emotionally raw yet satisfying conclusion. Walsh is a writer to watch.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The Love of My Life is a dazzling supernova of a book, it picks you up on line one and doesn’t let you go until the very end. Each chapter is filled with heart-breaking twists and revelations, and it is brimming with human warmth and intelligence.”—Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Night She Disappeared

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The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth Church

03 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by in Fiction

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I really enjoyed this story about a woman who gave up her dream of becoming an ornithologist in the 1940’s to marry the man she fell in love with and all that she sacrificed and discovered as a result of this decision.

“Church’s debut novel explores the relationship between sacrifice and love . . . Each sentence drives the plot further, exploring love’s limits and its spoils. But it’s Church’s exploration of Meridian’s role in her relationships that is the most gracefully executed feat of the novel. Meridian’s voice is poignant, a mixture of poetry and observation . . . An elegant glimpse into the evolution of love and womanhood.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Church hits the mark in this emotionally driven debut that spans the chapters of a long life . . . What does love require of us? How does one strike a balance between compromise and self‑fulfillment? In her debut novel, Church writes to these issues in a style that is thoughtful and elegant.” —Library Journal

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Vinegar Girl : The Taming of the Shrew Retold by Anne Tyler

18 Monday Jul 2016

Posted by in Comedy, Fiction, Humor

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I loved Anne Tyler’s newest, a lighthearted, super adorable farce full of quirky characters. A friend told me she thought it was the perfect summer read and I agree.

“Resplendent storyteller Tyler (A Spool of Blue Thread, 2015) is perfectly paired with The Taming of the Shrew…Deeply and pleasurably inspired by her source, Tyler is marvelously nimble and effervescent in this charming, hilarious, and wickedly shrewd tale of reversal and revelation.”—Booklist (starred review)

“[A] screwball comedy of manners that actually channels Jane Austen more than Shakespeare. It’s clear that [Tyler] had fun with Vinegar Girl, and readers will too…A fizzy cocktail of a romantic comedy, far more sweet than acidic, about finding a mate who appreciates you for your idiosyncratic, principled self — no taming necessary.”—NPR.org

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Like Family by Paolo Giordano, translated by Anne Milano Appel

11 Monday Jul 2016

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A spare and elegant novel that explores the topics of family and loneliness.  A poignant and melancholy (but not sad) book about Mrs. A, a dynamic nanny and caretaker who is the glue that holds a young family together. A good book to read on a rainy afternoon.

“Combining the edginess of modern life with the touching theme of losing someone who has become just like family, [this book] confirms Giordano as a writer who understands the complexities of human relationships.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

“Beautifully crafted…its themes are universal and it will appeal to anyone who treasures the gifts of others.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“[A] short work of fiction can resonate more deeply than longer volumes. That’s the case with LIKE FAMILY, the elegiac new novella by Paolo Giordano…. This poignant work points out that there is no one way to define a family, and that, in any definition, the primary ingredient is the ability to love.”—BookPage

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Euphoria by Lily King

04 Monday May 2015

Posted by in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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I can’t wait to post this book on the blog and share it with everyone who is looking for a gripping page turner!  My only complaint is that it ended too soon…only 261 pages.

Masterful…Euphoria begins so deep in the action that the reader is captured on Page 1… a thrilling and beautifully composed novel…A great novelist is like an anthropologist, examining what humans do by habit and custom. King excels in creating vignettes from Nell’s fieldwork as well as from the bitter conversation of the three love-torn collaborators, making the familiar strange and the strange acceptable. This is a riveting and provocative novel, absolutely first-rate.”—Seattle Times

“Atmospheric and sensual, with startling images throughout, Euphoria is an intellectually stimulating tour de force.”—NPR.com

“Set between the First and Second World Wars, the story is loosely based on events in the life of Margaret Mead. There are fascinating looks into other cultures and how they are studied, and the sacrifices and dangers that go along with it. This is a powerful story, at once gritty, sensuous, and captivating.”—Booklist

“Atmospheric…A small gem, disturbing and haunting.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Winner of the 2014 Kirkus Prize

Winner of the 2014 New England Book Award for Fiction

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The Clothes They Stood Up In; and, The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett

24 Friday Apr 2015

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Two delightfully humorous and “veddy” British short stories which deal with the strange nature of possessions or the lack thereof.  In the first story, Mr. and Mrs. Ransome return from a night out at the opera only to find that all of their possessions have been stolen, even the roll of toilet paper. Who will they become without the belongings that they have accumulated over the years?

The second story, to be released later in 2015 as a movie starring Maggie Smith, is laugh-out-loud funny.  What would you do if a very eccentric mature woman parked her van in your driveway, refused to move and stayed for fifteen years.  This book will lift your spirits on a rainy day!

“The Clothes They Stood Up In…... is a completely charming entertainment: a small gem by one of Britain’s most versatile and gifted writers.”   -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“Sharp…a happy evening’s read and a tantalizing mental challenge to those of us who, like the Ransomes, find [our] lives encumbered and [our] senses blunted by too much stuff.” -Brooke Allen, The New York Times Book Review
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