NEW READS + A FEW OLDER GEMS - posted 1.24.26

God of the Woods - Liz Moore

The woods where this story takes place are in the Adirondacks in upstate New York, home to a summer camp and the ultra-wealthy camp owners family mansion. The book opens with a camp counselor's discovery that a female teenage camper is missing, who happens to be the daughter of the couple who own and live in the mansion. The couple lost their 8-year old son many years ago, somewhere in the surrounding woods, building on the novel's intrigue. The real story of the wealthy family and their wealthy neighbors unfolds as the search for the girl reveals shocking truths about power, greed and pride. It's an old-age story, indeed, and Liz Moore's take on it has turned the novel into a much-talked about bestseller. 

The Names   -   Florence Knapp

The premise of this debut novel explores the possibility that a name given at birth can determine a person's life. Centered over 35 years around one extended family, three options - what-ifs - of the life story of each member are considered, destined by the three possible name choices that may have been given to the son of an abusive husband. A constant in the three scenarios is the husband's horrific domestic violence and how it impacts the future of each family members life. If reading explicit violence descriptions makes you uncomfortable, don't read this book. However, the writing and storytelling is perceptive, powerful, compelling, and imaginative, owing to why this book is receiving so much recognition and why you may want to read it yourself.

Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York's Explosive 80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation   -   Elliot Williams

This is a very long and thorough book, nearly a minute-by-minute reenactment of Bernie Goetz' 1980s New York City subway shooting of five black teenagers and his subsequent trial. What I found compelling was not only the meticulous detailing of the shooting, Goetz' disappearance and eventual arrest and the trial, but how the trial divided the city and the country on the race issue. What came to light was the surprising number of people on both sides - black and white - who believed Bernie to be innocent, that he'd defended himself, bringing to light their fears and attitudes towards personal safety rights and the right to bear arms. What I found eye-opening is that this trial was the moment that forever changed the NRA's intent. No longer did the right to bear arms relate only to farmers and hunters rights; citizens forced the NRA to recognize their demand for personal safety in its constitution. Forty + years later we live with the impact of that constitutional change and how it's destroyed and continues to destroy the lives of innocent victims and their families. 

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While taking a break from reading ARCs, I returned to several books I've enjoyed over the years for some re-reads. Each one is very special to me and might be for you as well.

A Tale For the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki

"A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be." Oh how I loved this book! It's a riveting tale of a woman writer in a remote coastal village in British Columbia, whose writers-block gets distracted when she discovers the journals of a Japanese girl that washes up on the shore in a barnacle-encased waterproof box. A beautiful and poetic book built on many levels and complexities that include school bullying, suicidal thoughts, the Japanese-version of WW II, the elderly nuns inhabiting a beautiful ancient Buddhist temple, and the horrific deadly 2011 Japanese tsunami.

About Grace   -   Anthony Doerr

Written 10 years before being awarded a Pulitzer Prize for All the Light We Cannot See, the author's first novel, About Grace, is just as word-perfect a book and as stunning an accomplishment. Doerr's moving storytelling captures a world of human frailties, full of grief and longing, along with the power and mystery of nature. Burdened by agonizing dreams that later come true, David Winkler lives despite every reason for him to die. In his journey to find truth he brings tiny bits of joy to the people he encounters. Full of so many sentences I wish I could carry around with me in my pocket, this is one of my most recommended books.  

These Precious Days   -   Ann Patchett 

I don't think it's possible for me to not be moved beyond measure by anything written by novelist and essayist Ann Patchett. Her latest collection of personal essays, some of which have been previously published in various periodicals, is a precious unzipping from moments in Patchett's life and a precious privilege for her readers to come away with a much deeper understanding of her. The most profound is her laying bare her admiration for and friendship with Tom Hanks' assistant Sooki, an elusive woman who is at the heart of this collection, a friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” Moving and utterly worth the exploration into the private Ann Patchett.

Up North in Michigan: A Portrait of Place in Four Seasons - Jerry Dennis

This book of essays is the loveliest love letter to the State of Michigan I have ever read. Jerry Dennis grew up and continues to live in the Traverse City area, what we Michiganders refer to as “Up North.” His descriptions of the rivers, lakes, and woods he has spent his lifetime fishing, playing in, and camping in and canoeing on took my breath away. The four chapters illuminate on each season in which Jerry Dennis creates picture-perfect images for the reader to ride with, as he eloquently details the sights and sounds of Michigan’s seasons. If you’ve never been Up North, become curious by reading this book. I assure you that you will find it necessary to get up there as soon as possible. Jerry Dennis doesn’t give away any of the exact locations he writes about . . . you’ll have to discover your own special spots to put to memory and to return to once you’ve become hooked, which, I also assure you, you will be!