Author: James Baldwin

This recommendation came from a Facebook group I belong to; it was their February book of the month (I didn’t even know they had a book of the month). It was a small one so I decided to get it from the library and fit it into the pile of my own books that I had already set aside.

Fonny and Tish had been friends since childhood and later make plans to marry. Tish falls pregnant about the same time that Fonny is arrested and sent to jail. Their story reflects the gritty truth about many black lives in America no matter what time period they are set it.

If you like a neat ending you will be disappointed.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Lisa See

This is one of the books included in Kathryn’s 2025 birthday bag. I saw the idea on Facebook and decided to pass it along. On her birthday Kathryn received a bag of books (second hand that I’ve pre-read) each wrapped in brown paper. The idea is that once a month (on her birthdate) she can pick a book to read. Each book includes a bookmark of some sort.

This is one of the books that I didn’t pre-read. I’m a fan of Lisa See though and I hope to get it back one day so I can read it.

Author: Tim Winton

Pat was about to give this book away but I hadn’t read it and he thought I might like it. So it came out of the box (along with another by the same author) and was added to my books-to-read collection.

The author is Australian and the book was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. I often find the Man Booker books are not to my liking but I gave this one a try. The writing is lovely, although there were some Australian terms that I wasn’t sure about. It was an interesting story and it wasn’t until the final pages that it all “came together”.

There are three main characters in the book, all of them somewhat damaged. Jim comes from a long line of fishermen and by the end of the book we see he is trying to outrun his family’s past. Lu is a musician who lost his brother, his brother’s wife, and their two children in a vehicle accident. The whole family are considered bad luck by the surrounding neighbours. Georgie has never maintained a long relationship, including one with her family; she is living with Jim and his two children when she meets Lu.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Chris Bohjalian

This was on the list of books to wrap up for Kathryn’s birthday but when I thought a bit more about it I think it came to me from her.

The story centres around two women – Cassie and Elena. Cassie, the flight attendant, is an alcoholic and has random sexual encounters on her travels. After a flight to Dubai, Cassie wakes up in the bed of a dead man; she knows she slept with the man but she has no recollection of the murder. Elena is trailing Cassie in order to clean up a job her “people” believe she failed at.

I’m only giving the book a 3-star rating as I was disappointed in the ending. It was coming to an exciting conclusion but the ending left me confused and wanting the details.

Good Reads Rating: * * *