While missiles were falling around us, and we were in and out of the bomb shelter continuously this morning, I managed to finish a beautiful book. I cried as it ended (as my dad warned that I would) but I wasn’t positive if my tears were truly directed only at the book.
I realized that some of you in similar situations could probably use a good book recommendation. And even those of you living more normal lives might enjoy one too. I am very sparing with my five star ratings, so here I present my five starrers so far in 2025.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: This is the book that I finished this morning. I’ve found her books to be very hit or miss for me. Loved a few, didn’t love more than a few. This one? This was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I’ve never read a fiction piece centered around NASA, and particularly centered around the women of NASA. It was just incredible.
The Memory Shop by Ella Griffin: This beautiful story evolved like a slowly opening flower. As the main character came into her own, she connected with others and helped them to connect with themselves through a collection of antique treasures.
Exile Music by Jennifer Steil: This was the first Holocaust story that I’ve read centered around those who escaped to South America. It was an eye-opening and interesting read.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman: You say Fredrik Backman wrote a new book and I say watch me run to read it! A master at character development, Backman has done it again. This is a slow read that’s primarily character driven. Even without a major plot, it’s Backman so it’s beautiful.
America for Beginners by Leah Franqui: My dad and I wonder how this book (and author) has not been more widely discovered and why it has not, yet, been made into a movie. What a beautiful, painful read along the lines of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye. I would not miss this one.
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan: A very unusual story with a lot of magical realism that focuses on identify and family.
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson: From the author of Black Cake comes this moving story about one woman’s need to make sense of her present after tragic events in her past.
Heartwood by Amity Gaige: I do not like mysteries and I almost never read them. This, however, kept me on the edge of my seat as a search and rescue team looks for a missing hiker on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.
The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel: I only recently discovered Harmel and I love her take on WWII historic fiction. This story was about the intersecting lives of an American woman living in Paris, a British RAF pilot, and a young Jewish girl.
May our books transport us and help us to dream.
I love to hear what you recommend!
