Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Wax. Gosh, there’s a lot going on in this novel. Lots of sub-plots and characters. All the characters seem to have something to hide. Secrets, if you will. I guess ultimately, that’s the theme of the book. We all have this convenient ability to avoid the truth when we want to even if we’ve made a living of digging it out when it’s someone else’s life. I can’t say I was a hundred percent crazy about this book, but there was enough there and it’s well-written enough that I was intrigued enough to keep reading to the end.
Sweet Dream Baby by Sterling Watson. There’s a pall hanging over this book from the first page. It’s haunting. Beautifully written and compelling. There’s an intensity that almost made it uncomfortable for me to read. But read it I did. I’m surprised it didn’t have a reader’s guide at the end because there was an awful lot of symbolism going on that even I could pick up on. The lead character, Travis, grows from a boy to a man frighteningly and disturbingly fast in 341 pages.
Local Knowledge by Liza Gyllenhaal. This is a well-thought-out, well written novel. Don’t be surprised if you see pieces of yourself in the author’s depiction of small-town life, family relationships, friendships and careers.
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