Fiction Review: Hearts in Atlantis

When my dad died seven years ago, my husband and I inherited his Stephen King and Dean Koontz collection. We all shared a love of reading, and these were two of his favorite authors. Most of the books are beautiful hardcovers, and the collection means a lot to both of us. For Big Book Summer Challenge each year, I often include a book from these shelves, to remember my dad and also because both authors write excellent books. My pick this summer was Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King, a unique work of fiction that my husband read last summer and said might be his favorite King novel ever (that's saying something!). This riveting, powerful piece of realistic fiction (no, not horror) includes multiple stories that are interconnected, from 1960 through 1990.

The book includes two novellas and three short stories, with clever connections between them. First up is a coming-of-age novella, Low Men in Yellow Coats, that is focused on 11-year-old Bobby in a small town in Connecticut in 1960. In many ways, Bobby is experiencing a classic summer for a kid at that time, hanging out with his two best friends, playing baseball, and going to the park and beach. But Bobby also has some very adult concerns that are black clouds over his summer. He can tell that something is upsetting his mother (and that it must be a very bad something), but he doesn't know what it is. He and his best friends, Sully and Carol, are being picked on by older bullies, and by the end of the summer, their bullying escalates to real violence. The other unusual thing about this summer for Bobby is their new 3rd-floor boarder, an older man named Ted. The two of them become friends, and Ted helps Bobby to choose some outstanding books after Bobby gets an adult library card, setting Bobby up with a lifelong love of literature as the two of them discuss books that summer, including Lord of the Flies. 

In the second novella, Hearts in Atlantis, set in 1966, Bobby's friend Carol is attending college in Maine, though she's not the main character of that story. Pete is a freshman at the same college and has gotten caught up in his dorm floor's obsession with the card game Hearts. Even as one boy after another either fails out or leaves the dorm, Pete is still under the spell of the game and in danger of failing also. Next comes a short story, Blind Willie, set in 1983, about a Vietnam vet who grew up in Bobby's hometown and appeared in that first novella. This vet now lives a secret double-life as an adult, as he has devoted his entire life to penance for something that happened when he was a child. The next short story, Why We're in Vietnam, is set in 1999 and focuses on another Vietnam vet, who served with the guy in the previous story. This vet happens to be Bobby's childhood buddy, Sully. He attends the funeral of a fellow vet from his unit and talks to another guy who was there, and during the funeral and all his way home to Connecticut, Sully is remembering what happened back then. Finally, Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling also takes place in 1999, as the narrative finally returns to Bobby and his friend, Carol, bringing the story full-circle.

These brief descriptions of each story and their connections don't begin to do justice to this original, clever work of fiction. King's writing is, as always, absolutely astounding, and I was so riveted by this book that I read it in record time, in spite of its size. Every story is outstanding on its own, and the way they all hang together is ingenious. King is especially brilliant when he writes from the perspective of a child (11-year-old Bobby), as we've seen in IT and the short story, The Body (adapted into the movie Stand By Me). Here, Bobby and Ted are discussing Lord of the Flies, Bobby's first-ever grown-up book:

"'Lord of the Flies wasn't much like the Hardy Boys, was it?'

Bobby had a momentary image, very clear, of Frank and Joe Hardy running through the jungle with homemade spears, chanting that they'd kill the pig and stick their spears up her arse. He burst out laughing, and as Ted joined him he knew that he was done with the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, and Bomba the Jungle Boy. Lord of the Flies had finished them off. He was very glad he had an adult library card."

In fact, I was thoroughly engrossed in every one of these five very different poignant stories. There is some suspense here, especially in the first story, though these are, for the most part, real-life stories, not horror (other than some real-life horrors like assault, bullying, and war). There is a small thread of fantasy in both the first and last stories (in the first one, King briefly mentions some things from his The Dark Tower series, which I'm told is something he inserts into almost every book!), but the focus throughout this book is on real people, real situations, and real feelings. The characters are fully fleshed out and all of the stories are emotionally complex and thought-provoking. I have to agree with my husband that Hearts in Atlantis is one of the best King books I've ever read. I only wish I could talk to my dad about it! Inside my dad's copy of the book, he wrote on the title page that he re-read it on 11/2010, and this is a book I can definitely see myself re-reading at some point.

522 pages, Scribner

Simon & Schuster Audio 

And I heard that there's a movie adaptation of Hearts in Atlantis, starring Anthony Hopkins, so I'd like to see that.

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

 

Mount TBR Challenge

Big Book Summer Challenge

 

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here, narrated by William Hurt, and/or download it from Audible. The sample is from the first novella, featuring 11-year-old Bobby's perspective.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

      

 

Or you can order Hearts in Atlantis from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Middle-Grade/Teen Review: Button Pusher

I noticed last weekend that one of my 2022 Reading Challenges, The Monthly Motif Challenge, had for its August theme, "Quick Lit," to read something short. Since I have been immersed in my own Big Book Summer Challenge, all I've read all month (and all summer) have been books with over 400 pages! So, I chose a shorter graphic novel from my shelves to squeeze in. I thoroughly enjoyed Button Pusher by Tyler Page and learned a lot from this intriguing graphic memoir about growing up with ADHD.

Tyler tells his childhood story mostly from the perspective of the age he was at the time, starting at just eight years old. Through a novel-like story, we see that Tyler is a happy, friendly kid who does well in school but is always in constant motion. He gets in trouble in school for fidgeting and not staying in his seat, he gives into impulses and does things that get him into big trouble, without understanding why, and even in the doctor's office, Tyler is moving nonstop, touching and playing with everything in sight. But Tyler is also a sweet kid who enjoys playing video games with friends, building with Legos, and who loves to draw. Visits to his pediatrician start him down the path to an ADHD diagnosis, which was relatively new at the time, and eventually to treatment with Ritalin, as it becomes clear that his behavior is disruptive both at school and at home. Tyler and his family have other issues, as well, though. Money is very tight, Tyler's parents fight constantly, and his dad often loses his temper and screams, hits things, and spanks Tyler. Things get so bad that Tyler starts to spend most of his time either in his room, drawing, or at friends' houses. The story follows Tyler and his family all the way from elementary school to middle school to high school. It ends as Tyler heads off to college to start a new chapter of his life ... though he points out on that last page that his hardest challenges with ADHD were still ahead of him.

Sample page from Button Pusher

On its surface, this is a very enjoyable, beautifully-drawn graphic story of childhood and adolescence, told from a boy's perspective. But there is also so much emotional depth to this memoir, plus fascinating information about ADHD. The colorful panels depicting Tyler's story are interspersed with copies of notes from his pediatrician and a few brief sections of informational graphics, explaining the science behind ADHD, Ritalin, labels, and other related topics. It's the perfect combination of entertainment and education, and I learned a lot while enjoying the story. It actually made me think back to my own childhood classmates and perhaps better understand certain behaviors from them. I'm sure back in my day, some kids (especially boys) were labeled trouble-makers and written off at a young age when they probably had ADHD. The age recommendations from the publisher say 10-14 years old, but I think any kids or teens who have ADHD or know someone who does (probably most kids in school) would benefit from reading this enjoyable book. I hope there's a sequel about his college years!

245 pages, First Second 

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

Mount TBR Challenge

Monthly Motif - Quick Lit

Nonfiction Reader Challenge - Medical Memoir

Diversity Challenge (August mini-challenge: mental health)

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

  

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

   
  

Or you can order Button Pusher from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

It's Monday 8/29! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

As expected, last weekend's family gathering here knocked me out for a bit, due to my chronic illness. It's what those of us with ME/CFS (an immune disorder) call a "crash," when doing too much leads to a sudden worsening of ... well, everything. The first few days of my week were very low-key, spent in the recliner and on the couch, recovering. Next time, I'll listen to my body, I swear! Hey, it's only been 20 years--I'm a slow learner. By Thursday, I was starting to feel better and was able to get out and about a bit, though I was still taking it easy.

We had a nicely balanced weekend. Friday evening, our oldest and closest friends came over for a take-out dinner (no work!). We normally get together frequently, but between our funeral and travels and their travels and a wedding, we hadn't seen them since June! It was great to catch up and hear about their summer and enjoy some delicious food with no cooking required.

Our friends & my husband camping circa 1989

Saturday, we went out shopping for a new oven, which is desperately needed. The problem is that our old one, which came with the house (probably built about 35 years ago) is built into the wall and is much smaller than most ovens on the market right now. So, we soon we realized we can't just shop for this at Home Depot or a big appliance store, but we think our local appliance company--who've done all our repairs since we moved in 28 years ago--can help us, but they're not open on weekends.

It wasn't a wasted trip, though, because on the way home, we passed a furniture store we've been meaning to check out. In about 15 minutes, we found a new sofa and loveseat that we really like for our living room! The furniture in there now is 35 years old--it was the stuff I bought right after college for my first apartment. As you can imagine, it's a bit dated and beginning to show some wear. We don't use our living room all that much, but it's time for a change!

My living room furniture when it was brand-new, 1987!
And who are those young, skinny people??

And Sunday was a very productive day at home. I had SO many things that have been on my to-do list for ages, and I just zoomed through one after another. I was worn out by afternoon, but it felt so good to get some things done finally! And I did enjoy some down time reading on our porch before dinner.

Just one new book-related video on my YouTube channel last week:

Friday Reads 8-26-22 - My last books for Big Book Summer!

And here's what we've all been reading this week:

I finished Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King. It's two novellas and several short stories that are all interconnected, taking place from 1960 to 1999. Each stands on its own but also has connecting threads to the others, like characters from one story that pop up in another. The first part, a novella, is about 11-year-old Bobby in 1960, and it showcases King's incredible talent in writing from a kid's perspective. It's mostly set in the real world (though there is a thread of something vaguely supernatural in a couple of places). I's not horror, but there are some real-world horrors that Bobby and his friends and family must deal with. It has so much emotional depth (including loads of literary references, as Bobby begins reading "adult" books that summer) and is gripping, moving, and engrossing. That guy can write. I was sorry to finish the book (though it's a satisfying conclusion) and am missing the characters--a sure sign of an excellent novel!

 

Since I finished the King novel so fast, I had time to fit in one more Big Book! I am reading Sycamore Row by John Grisham. At this point in Big Book Summer (which ends on September 5), I like to choose cross-over books that also fit with the R.I.P. Challenge (to read darker books in the fall) that begins September 1. I haven't read a Grisham novel in years, but this one has already pulled me right in. It's set in the same town as his first novel, A Time to Kill, and focuses on the lawyer from that novel, Jake Brigance, and the town of Clanton, Mississippi. This time, a wealthy man who is dying of cancer has committed suicide. The day before, he handwrote a new will and mailed it to Jake, cutting out his ex-wives and horrible adult children and leaving everything to his Black housekeeper, Lettie. This sets off a massive war between the family and Lettie, with Jake in the middle and the whole town watching (and gossiping). It's already great--gripping and intriguing.

 

I am also squeezing one non-Big Book into the last days of August: Button Pusher by Tyler Page. While updating my 2022 Reading Challenges, I noticed that the Monthly Motif category was a short book or quick read. Well, of course, I've been reading all Big Books! So, I pulled this middle-grade/teen graphic novel off my shelf. It's a memoir about the author's struggles with ADHD, from elementary school through high school. I'm almost finished with it already, and it's been excellent so far and very enlightening.

 

I am still listening to my last audiobook for Big Book Summer, The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny. This is also a cross-over book to finish up Big Book Summer and kick off the R.I.P. Challenge. This is book 17 in her Inspector Gamache series. I enjoy this mystery series set in Quebec but have not been reading them in order. I read book 1, Still Life, and then skipped to #15, A Better Man and now this one. This novel deals with a fictional controversial woman in Canada who is proposing a shocking solution to some of the world's problems (and one that affects Gamache's family personally). When she comes to a small university near Three Pines to speak, violence breaks out, and she is almost shot. Then, a murder occurs near her. The story deals both with her theories and the controversy, as well as Gamache's team's investigation of the crimes. It's very thoughtful as well as suspenseful.

 

My husband, Ken, is almost finished with The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, one of my favorite books from Booktopia this year (my review at the link). This is a twisty, suspenseful mystery about the disappearance of a $10 million violin. What's great about this novel is that there's a mystery, but it also incorporates family drama, history, romance, and an inside look at racism through the centuries. It's an outstanding novel. He's enjoying it.

 

Our son, 28, finished re-reading The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter, book one in The Burning series and then immediately read book 2, The Fires of Vengeance. Now, he is rereading Charmcaster, book three of the Spellslinger series by Sebastien de Castell to prepare for reading books four and five! He loves that series--I first heard about from Beth Fish Reads blog and have been gifting him the books!

Last week's blog posts:

Fiction Review: The Overstory by Richard Powers - unique, powerful, engrossing story of connections

Teen/YA Review: Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian - engaging, emotionally complex coming-of-age story set in 1989 New York

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.  

What are you and your family reading this week?

Teen/YA Review: Like a Love Story

Searching for my next audio for Big Book Summer 2022 last month, I wanted something a bit different. Perusing my extensive audio review backlog, I came across a YA novel, Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian. It turned out to be perfect: an engaging, emotionally complex coming-of-age story set in 1989 New York.

New York City in the 80's was, of course, one of the centers of the AIDS epidemic, devastating the gay population there and elsewhere in the U.S., and also one of the centers for AIDS acitvism, specifically Act Up. This novel focuses on three teens in New York at that time who are all affected by the AIDS crisis. Art is an out and proud gay teen, even though he's the only one in his high school. He likes to dress flamboyantly and comes to school on the first day of the year with his hair dyed lavender and cut into a Mohawk. Reza, on the other hand, is very quiet and reserved. He is also gay, but he has barely even admitted that to himself. His family (including a new stepfather and stepbrother) have just moved to New York, by way of Toronto and originally from Iran. Not only does his culture not acknowledge homosexuality, but what he sees of the AIDS crisis in New York terrifies him. He thinks that being gay would be a death sentence, so he is determined to try not to be. Art's best friend, Judy, has a gay uncle named Stephen, who is dying of AIDS and already lost his beloved partner to the devastating disease. Both Art and Judy are involved with him in Act Up. On the first day in his new school, Reza meets Art and Judy and immediately likes them both and feels attracted to Art. But Judy has a crush on Reza, and he is determined to ignore his "gay feelings." The three friends must somehow negotiate this difficult year, amid fear, hurt feelings, broken hearts, and changing circumstances.

A coming-of-age story at its heart, this novel is also so much more than that. That time and place provide a very specific--and frightening--backdrop to growing up, especially for two gay boys and the girl that cares about them (and her uncle). This is a love story but also a story of friendship, longing, identity, and cultural changes happening in the world around them. In fact, they become a part of those changes, as Art and Reza both deal with the negative responses from their families, their classmates, and society as a whole. The novel is beautifully written and engrossing, and it pulled me right into the story from the start and made me care deeply about these characters and their fates. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of the three teens, as well as Stephen. The audio was very well-done, with multiple narrators (check out the sample below). For both straight and queer teens today, I think the historical background of this novel will be very enlightening and will help them to understand the sacrifices and hard work that came before. Like a Love Story is a compelling, beautiful, and original story of love, friendship, and change. (And isn't that cover perfect?)

432 pages, Balzer + Bray

HarperAudio

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

 

Diversity Reading Challenge

Big Book Summer Challenge

 

 

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

 

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Listen to a sample of the wonderful audiobook here, from the first chapter and Reza's perspective, and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

    

 

Or you can order Like a Love Story from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Fiction Review: The Overstory

Since its release in 2018, I have been hearing rave reviews of The Overstory by Richard Powers, which won the Pulitzer Prize, was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, and was on lots of Top 10 lists that year. Many of my friends told me what an amazing book it was, as well. It was on my stack for Big Book Summer 2021, but I never got to it. Thankfully, I made it a priority this year, for Big Book Summer 2022, because this novel about trees (and people) is a powerful, engrossing story that is utterly original.

The book is cleverly structured in four parts: Roots, Trunk, Crown, and Seeds. Roots is structured as a series of separate short stories. Each story focuses on a person or family and a tree or trees that are somehow connected to their lives. For instance, the first story is about a Norwegian immigrant in 1800's New York. He proposes to his future wife, an Irish immigrant, one evening while they are picking chestnuts in what was then a time of celebration in a region filled with chestnut trees. After marriage, they move to Iowa, buy five acres of land for a farm, and the man plants some of the leftover chestnuts. One grows into a giant chestnut tree, next to their farmhouse. Over the next 150 years or so, the tree grows (later, a unique sight after all the chestnuts on the East Coast die), as their family grows. Generations grow up, as the tree grows up, and a unique way of documenting the tree's growth is carried on through the family, until Nick, an artist and the great-great-great grandson of the homesteader is left to remember the tree's legacy.

That's just a brief outline of the first story in Roots. There are seven others, each focusing on a person or family somewhere in the U.S. (though sometimes with roots elsewhere) and the tree(s) that affected their lives. Each story is accompanied by a drawing of a branch of the tree. In Part 2, Trunk, the eight people highlighted in Roots, eventually come together on the West Coast, on a mutual mission to save some of our nation's oldest trees from being clear-cut. They are up against formidable forces in their fight, and each person carries his or her own roots, family, memories, and reasons why trees are important. In Crown, things fall apart, and the group separates, each devastated and coping in his or her own way to a tragedy that occurred. At this stage in the novel, they--and the reader--begin to feel that the goal of saving the trees (and the urgency to do so) are hopeless. However, in Seeds, there are glimmers of hope, as different characters each do their own part, and the trees themselves show some resilience.

That long description barely begins to capture the real essence of this book. It's magical, the way these people come together and find each other, in much the same way that trees connect with each other, communicate, and depend on each other. One character in the novel, Patricia Westerford, a hearing-impaired botanist who got her love of nature from her father, studies trees, writes books, and blows away old thinking about forests with ground-breaking research. Her passages provide some facts and science but in a beautiful, engaging way that is intricately connected with her life. It's a book about trees but also about people and mostly about the connections between both. This special novel uniquely combines science, spirituality, relationships, deep characterizations, and even suspense into a beautifully written and completely original story. This is one that will stick with me for a long time.

502 pages, W.W. Norton & Company

Recorded Books

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

 

 

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

 

Mount TBR Challenge

Alphabet Soup - O

Diversity Challenge

Literary Escapes Challenge - Oregon

Big Book Summer Challenge

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here, from the prologue and the beginning of the first story, about the chestnut, and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

 

 

Or you can order The Overstory from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

It's Monday 8/22! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

Very busy week for me last week, with lots of appointments and things going on. Plus, it was somewhat up and down for me physically, due to a medication change that has my system a bit off balance. I'm still waiting for things to stabilize. 

We had a fun (though exhausting for me!) weekend. Our older son and his girlfriend came to visit to celebrate his 28th birthday, and my mom and her husband came down, too. Our younger son's girlfriend even came home from grad school, where she'd just moved days earlier, for the occasion! It was nice to have us all together.

All Together! (I'm taking the photo)

New videos last week:

Friday Reads 8-19-22 - brief recap of what I am currently reading (last of my Big Books)

Chronic Illness Vlog: Nature, Rest, Food & Meds - one of my vlogs that provides a peek into my daily life with chronic illness.

 

And here's what we've all been reading this past week:

 

I am still reading Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King. This was one of dozens of King (and Dean Koontz) novels that we inherited from my dad. My husband read this one last year for Big Book Summer and loved it, so I've been looking forward to it. It's two novellas and several short stories that are all interconnected. Each stands on its own but also have connecting threads to the others, like characters from one story that pop up in another. The first part, a novella, is about 11-year-old Bobby in 1960, and it showcases King's incredible talent in writing from a kid's perspective. It's mostly set in the real world (though there is a thread of something vaguely supernatural running through it) and while it's not horror in the traditional sense, there are some real-world horrors that Bobby and his friends and family must deal with. It has so much emotional depth (including loads of literary references, as Bobby begins reading "adult" books that summer) and is gripping, moving, and engrossing. I've been staying up much too late reading! That guy can write. I'm now finished with the two novellas--both excellent--and am into the first short story.

 

I am listening to my last audiobook for Big Book Summer, The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny. This will be a cross-over book (and Hearts in Atlantis, too) to finish up Big Book Summer and kick off the R.I.P. Challenge in September! This is book 17 in her Inspector Gamache series. I enjoy this mystery series set in Quebec but have not been reading them in order. I read book 1, Still Life, and then skipped to #15, A Better Man and now this one. This novel deals with a fictional controversial woman in Canada who is proposing a shocking solution to some of the world's problems (and one that affects Gamache's family personally). When she comes to a small university near Three Pines to speak, violence breaks out, and she is almost shot. So far, the story deals both with her theories and the controversy, as well as Gamache's team's assignment to protect her and investigate the violence at her speech.

My husband, Ken, finished Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger, the first book in his mystery series that features P.I. Cork O'Connor, former sheriff of Aurora, MN. He enjoyed it and said he definitely wants to read more of the series. Now, he's moved onto The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, one of my favorite books from Booktopia this year (my review at the link). This is a twisty, suspenseful mystery about the disappearance of a $10 million violin. What's great about this novel is that there's a mystery, but it also incorporates family drama, history, romance, and an inside look at racism through the centuries. It's an outstanding novel--I know he'll like it.

 

Our son, 28, finished reading Blood of a Fallen God, book one of the Forgemaster Cycle series by Joshua C. Cook. Now, he is re-reading The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter, book one in The Burning series. He loved this book and is re-reading to get ready to read book 2, which his girlfriend gave him for his birthday.

Last week's blog posts:

Fiction Review: Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach - I loved this beautiful, moving story of love and friendship, set against a backdrop of nature.

Fiction Review: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd - a mystery about maps with a bit of magic

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.  

What are you and your family reading this week?

Fiction Review: The Cartographers

Three years ago, as part of my Big Book Summer 2019, I listened to The Book of M, a unique post-apocalyptic novel from a debut author, Peng Shepherd. I enjoyed that first book very much, so I was looking forward to reading her latest novel, The Cartographers. It turned out to be another unique story, combining mystery, history, and fantasy.

Nell Young is a cartographer (map specialist), just like her famous father, Dr. Daniel Young. The two of them used to work together at the New York Public Library's Map Division, which Nell considered her ideal job. In an effort to impress her father and gain his respect, she searched through a box of old, uncatalogued maps in the library, hoping to find something valuable, a new discovery. Instead, she found an old 1930 gas station map, still folded as if it came right from someone's glove compartment. Puzzled, she showed her father the map and was stunned by his response. He reacted harshly, taking the map from her, yelling at her angrily, and then getting her fired from the job she loved. That was seven years ago, and Nell and her father haven't spoken since. Now, she is at work at a small map company in the city when she gets a phone call from an old colleague at the NYPL that her father has died at his desk. She rushes over there, for the first time in seven years. The police soon begin to suspect some sort of foul play. The next day, Nell returns to her father's office and looks through his desk. Hidden in a compartment only she and he knew about is that very same cheap roadmap that caused the horrible rift between them. Why on earth would her father have kept it all these year? And why would he have hidden it? Nell brings it home and begins looking into it, checking online discussion boards and databases that map collectors use. It seems that all copies of this particular roadmap of New York State have been destroyed, and people all over the world are searching for a copy, offering to pay astounding amounts. As Nell tries to figure out what makes this ordinary map so special, her inquiries catch the attention of some dangerous people. She slowly, with the help of a friend, begins to unravel the map's secrets, but it's clear that her own life is at risk.

As with Shepherd's first novel, there is a very unique premise at the heart of this original story. It's a mystery, loaded with suspense and tension, but there is also a thread of magic throughout the story, as Nell and her friend try to unravel the map's secrets. Along the way, Nell ends up learning a lot about her own family's history and some long-held secrets, so it is a personal journey as well. The narrative moves back and forth between different people, each helping to uncover more of Nell's and the map's past. The audio book was very well done, with multiple narrators for the characters' chapters, providing a radio drama kind of experience. I enjoyed listening to this engrossing, gripping, and very unique novel.

400 pages, William Morrow

HarperAudio

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

Diversity Challenge

Big Book Summer Challenge
 

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here, as Nell describes her current job and her background, and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

     

 

Or you can order The Cartographers from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Fiction Review: Lucky Turtle

I talked a lot this spring about Booktopia, a unique annual event held in Vermont every May that brings authors and readers together. While I read most of the Booktopia selections before the event, so I could discuss them there, one book, Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach, was just being released that week. So, I bought a copy at Northshire Bookstore, where Booktopia is held, and saved it for Big Book Summer. I read it last month and absolutely loved this moving, delightful story of love and friendship, set against the beauty of nature.

Sixteen-year-old Cindra gets into some big trouble in her hometown in Massachusetts. She goes along with her older boyfriend and his brother on a revenge mission, and the three of them get arrested for theft and assault. The boys get sent to prison and juvie, but since this is Cindra's first offense, she's a good student, and her guidance counselor speaks on her behalf, the judge at her hearing sentences her to two years at Camp Challenge, a remote reform camp for girls in the Montana wilderness. Soon after, Cindra is shipped off to Montana and emerges into another world. Montana is rugged but beautiful, and Cindra has always enjoyed nature. It's a big adjustment, though, and she's not allowed to communicate at all with her parents. Those first weeks are rough for Cindra, though she begins to get to know some of the other girls. She also discovers that there are abuses occurring at the camp and does her best to speak out, though it doesn't go well. There's a handsome, quiet young man working there named Lucky, and rumors about him abound among the girls, including one rumor that he's mute. He drives Cindra to town for laundry duty, and on the way back, Cindra finds out that Lucky is not mute, but his first words to her are quite startling.

And that's all I'm going to tell you about the plot of this unique novel; all of that happens in the first chapters. Cindra's and Lucky's stories unwind across decades in unexpected ways, and this is one of those novels best experienced as it happens. In fact, I think the description of the book on the jacket (which, thankfully, I didn't read until I was more than halfway through the book) is loaded with spoilers, and I recommend avoiding it. This is a novel about love, friendship, and motherhood, but it is all set against a gorgeous natural backdrop. In fact, nature plays a huge role in the characters' lives, even when they are living in cities and not in Montana. The characters themselves are fully developed, interesting, and likable. Lucky's history and background remain a mystery for much of the book, providing one of the many enticing secrets in this story. It is loaded with adventure and suspense but also romance, longing, and joy. Reading this novel was a delightful experience that I never wanted to end; I still miss the characters.

404 pages, Algonquin

This book fits in the following 2022 Reading Challenges:

Mount TBR Challenge

Monthly Motif Challenge - Summer Lovin' - Having a Blast

Diversity Challenge 

Literary Escapes Challenge - Montana

Big Book Summer Challenge

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here, from the start of the novel as Cindra (read by Brittany Pressley) narrates, and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

 

Or you can order Lucky Turtle from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.