S.M.C.'s Reviews

If Glennon Doyle, Anne Lamott, and Brené Brown were somehow to produce a love child, Ruthie Lindsey would be it. At 17 in her small Louisiana hometown, she was in a car accident that left her with a 5 percent chance of survival and a 1 percent chance of walking again. Yet, miraculously, after only two months and a spinal fusion surgery, she walked out of the hospital, went to college, and put the incident mostly behind her. But years later, she was struck by debilitating pain. One of the wires used for her original surgery had broken free and was now penetrating the base of her brain stem. Without another emergency surgery, any move could be her last. With honesty, buoyancy, self-deprecation, Southern wit and intelligence, Lindsey examines not “just…the magic of optimism, but the work of it.” — S.M.C.

This is a wonderful can’t-put-it-down literary mystery for fans of Tana French or Rene Denfeld. Set in Mendocino County, the story focuses on Anna Hart, a San Francisco detective who has fled to her hometown after a family tragedy. When a local teenager goes missing, Anna finds herself instinctively drawn to the crime, and  the reader bears witness to the ways that Anna’s past and present start to merge in startling ways. This is a smart, captivating read, blending trauma theory, atmospheric writing, and an intimate character study of one woman’s quest to learn how to find trust in herself again. — S.M.C.

At a time when our world can seem rooted in pitting ourselves against one another, this book is a beacon of hope. The brutal trauma of a murder/suicide of two teen boys who were lifelong friends leaves a small Washington town, and particularly the boys’ families, reeling. When 16- year-old Evangeline shows up alone and pregnant weeks after the tragedy, she holds a mysterious link to both boys’ past. We watch how three people start to form a bond that speaks to the depths and courage of our capacity to heal and to what it means to forge ahead when all seems lost. These characters are so real and true and complex. I recommend this book to anyone who is needing that reminder of just how redemptive the power of hope can be. — S.M.C.

Mixing poetry, art, science, and opinion from women across all ages, races, and classes, All We Can Save looks at climate change from a feminist perspective, where the idea of problem and solution is rooted in the idea of no hierarchy and that we are all “inextricably linked” (Jo Harjo).  Whether it is poet Ellen Bass, author Alice Walker, or Indigenous activist Xiye Bastida reaching across the page, this collection emphasizes that we need not choose science over art , or new ideas versus old, or even hope over despair—it is in the unity of all ideas that solution and transformation can be found. For all who are struggling with current times, this is your read. — S.M.C.

Former US poet laureate Billy Collins’s newest collection (his first in 4 years) is a wonderful gathering of poems that shines with its combination of mirth and depth. While the subject of these poems varies, there is an undercurrent of looking at life from the eyes of someone who is aging and holding mortality in view. I was delighted by the humor and wit that Collins juxtaposes with the tender and profound. This is a wonderful, readable book. Collins has once again proven himself, with poems that delight as much as they touch the heart. — S.M.C.

The honest and intelligent exploration of American identity in Stakes Is High couldn’t be more timely. Mychal Denzel Smith shines light on the American Dream and the idea that working hard and holding purpose can lead to success and stability. He shows the schisms in that dream, focusing on Black lives in history and the institutional oppression and racism that are such a part of America’s mythical promises and of Trump and the current political climate. Smith helps us see where change is possible in this important read. — S.M.C.

What if Jesus of Nazareth had a wife? In best-selling author (The Secret Life of Bees) Sue Monk Kidd’s new novel, she imagines just that. With painstaking detail about the historical time, Kidd introduces us to Ana, a young woman born with a gift for words who lives in a time when silence and obedience defined a woman’s place and belonging. Ana’s finding of her voice is intertwined with Jesus’s pursuit for kindness and humanity. What is imagined here is not a tale of one person saving another, but an unfolding love story in which mirroring and respect lead to both risk and reward. Kidd’s ability to hold reverence while infusing new life and perspective to a story that is so known is extraordinary. I cannot explain the beauty and depth of this book, its language, its heart, its anger, its grief, and ultimately its triumph; this is one novel you don’t want to miss.

I cannot get over the beauty of this book. It may be one of my favorite depictions of World War II since Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See. This is a book that is hard to review. It starts in Berlin in 1941. There is a golem, a heron, heartbreak, and wrenching loss. There are breathtaking scenes of love and loyalty. There is stunning detail of real and vivid scenery set against the sweeping backdrop of unveiled history and visionary magical realism. Since finishing it, I have gone to it again and again. There is always one book each season that strikes to the core, and this is that book. It is a gift like no other. - S.M.C.

This is a fast-paced mystery with just the right amount of character development and literary heart, told in alternating voices of two teenagers living a world apart. Rosie lives in England under the shadow of her older sister, who went missing when she was just a baby. Anna lives in Florida, the only child of a reclusive and religious mother who was widowed when Anna’s father was killed in a car accident. When Anna receives an unmarked package from a stranger, dangerous questions start to rise. Meanwhile, an ocean away, Rosie reads an email that was never meant for her. Each of the girls separately follows her path as the plot moves toward a thrilling conclusion. - S.M.C.