The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser. I have meant to read this one since it first came out. I am trying to catch up on the books I missed over the past few years I was busy teaching. I’m glad I read this very satisfying family story. With notes of the Melendy Quartet and what surely must be a nod to Little Women with a mysterious neighbor, this novel exudes the best kind of warmth. I am eager to share this with some middle graders who haven’t yet met this family.
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. Who knew I could like a contemporary romance? Satisfying is the word I’d use for this story. The author’s note at the end sums it up far better than I could: a better way to describe a romance novel than predictable is full of positive anticipation. We know they’re going to get together, and even though we can see it coming (with all its complications) from a million miles away, that doesn’t make our sigh any less happy when we close the book.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. I enjoyed this historical novel based on the life of real-life midwife Martha Ballard immensely. Part legal thriller, part romance, all history, this book examines the plight of women in colonial-era Maine. (The author’s note at the end of the story relates that less has changed about this than we’d think, given the long passage of time.) Content warnings abound for this one, but as it is a fictionalized account of a much worse series of events from history, no excuses are necessary. If you’re like me and find women’s history fascinating, read this one. A novel to read alongside it is Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See–similar subject matter, different culture and era. Both are highly recommended!
Foster by Claire Keegan. I slept on this one before trying to marshal my thoughts about it and still don’t really know what to make of it. Claire Keegan is most definitely a talented modern author. She writes with emotional depth and insight, and it’s all wrapped up in a lovely package of language and nuance. I feel like this is one I should’ve read with my eyes instead of my ears, researched and analyzed, and then discussed with my freshman comp class. That’s not a bad thing–it’s just that its brevity and complexity have left me scratching my head a bit. I’ll try to revisit this one.
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt. I don’t think Gary D. Schmidt can write less than a 5 star read for me. I adore his stories. I love a coming-of-age novel, so his are winners right off the bat. I love how he weaves the same characters and families throughout his stories. I love the New England settings he develops so well. I love that every one of his novels has some sort of literary of artistic allusion, even metaphor, that is developed throughout. In this particular novel, he deals with the difficult topics of grief and trauma, and to do that he uses the labors of Hercules, as indicated by the title. My favorite part, though, is the protagonist’s voice. This one is reminiscent of The Wednesdays Wars‘ Holling Hoodhood’s voice, probably because it’s a male protagonist and possibly because I’ve listened to them both in audio. I don’t know if every reader would feel this way, but for me it’s about as perfect as a novel for a middle grade or young teen reader can be.
The Long Way Home by Louise Penny. I enjoyed this one a lot. I always love Inspector Gamache but I especially love him in his “retired” state. (Does he ever REALLY retire? From the force, yes, but not from life.) I love all the literary allusions in this one (nod to Gilead, both the Balm In and the novel). And the ending! I won’t spoil it, but I was SHOCKED. My goal is to finish Three Pines this year. Hold me to it!
11/22/63 by Stephen King. This is a book I always wanted to read, intrigued as I was by its premise. I was always off-put by its author, as I always associated Stephen King with horror stories. I finally decided this month to give this one a try, and I couldn’t have been more surprised by how much I loved it. I LOVE a time travel story, and that’s what this one is, of the most complex sort. I love to get to know and love characters, and boy, does this one get you in the heart! I love a story that makes me think, and this one does, about what a character calls “the obdurate past,” so realized that it becomes a character in the novel itself. Content warnings go with this one, as you would expect given its subject matter: plenty of raw language (lots!), violence, and sex. With shades in the revolution of It’s a Wonderful Life (only, somehow, backwards, sort-of), this is a massive tale that surprised me with its poignance. Yes, Stephen King made me cry.
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So that’s it for January 2024. January is always a good reading month for me, and this one was no different. If I had read shorter books, I might’ve read more, but I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Of all of the books I read, only one of them did I not at least listen to part of it in audio. That one was Hello Stranger, and the fact is neither good nor bad, just worth noting. All of the others excepting the Stephen King novel I listened to entirely in audio.
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I’m not entirely sure yet what this space will become. I hope it’s a reflection of my life as a children’s librarian, but I am going to have to figure out how to carve out the time for it to be what I hope for it to be. Stay tuned!
The Wardrobe Under the Stairs 