All in the Family

The River is Waiting

Wally Lamb is back with The River is Waiting and I am so excited for it. Full disclosure: I have not read this yet, but I can assure you if it’s half as good as any of his other heartbreaking books, this is bound to be a winner. If you read and/or watched I Know This Much is True, you know what I am saying. He is one of my favorite authors and I’m sure his grocery list is more entertaining than most books I read.

Bitter Honey

The complicated relationship between mothers and daughters is explored in Lolá Ákínmádé’s latest, Bitter Honey. Tina is a singer on the cusp of stardom when a father she never knew shows up, throwing her off kilter and jeopardizing her career. Her mother Nancy isn’t interested in explaining why she told Tina he was dead. Nancy’s good intentions and bitter regrets will haunt Tina, who tries to understand this strange man showing up in her life. From Gambia to Sweden this is sweet and sour, layered and complex, showing us that secrets buried never stay buried.

Finding Grace

Loretta Rothschild’s debut fiction Finding Grace could have been written from any point of view, but the character she chooses to tell her story is brilliant. This one starts off with a wallop of a twist and just gets better from there. Honor and Tom are married. They have a child, Chloe, but Honor is desperate to expand their family, despite all the IVF failures. Tom isn’t a 100% sure he wants to continue down this road. What sounds like an average story is a deeply moving, emotional love story and I don’t want to give away the many surprises. I cried – okay, sobbed – numerous times during this one. It’s about love and loss and regret and it was everything I look for in a book – twisty, emotional, and well written. One of the best I’ve read this year. 

Our Last Resort

Our Last Resort is Clémence Michallon’s latest thriller (her Quiet Tenant was bone-chilling). A brother and sister who escaped from a cult, years later find themselves entangled in the murder of a beautiful young woman. The brother is a suspect, and it isn’t the first time he has been accused of killing someone. Frida and Gabriel have come to a desert resort to hash out the pros and cons of participating in a documentary about – presumably – living in the cult. When their neighbor is murdered, suddenly Frida worries Gabriel is involved after she catches him lying to police. Michallon is an excellent storyteller and master of psychological suspense.

The Satisfaction Café

You will fall in love with Joan Lian in Kathy Wang’s The Satisfaction Café from the moment you learn she has been living in an attic since coming to America from Taiwan, she’s been married for six weeks, and she just stabbed her husband. A lot happens to Joan while she attends school at Stanford, the least of which is meeting her future short-lived husband. I love all the quirky characters Joan encounters while she grows older, raises a family, and tries to find herself and
her satisfaction. 

The View from Lake Como

Adriana Trigiani brings us the delightful and witty The View from Lake Como. Jess Capodimonte is living in Lake Como, New Jersey, as a draftswoman for her uncle’s Carrara marble business. She has always dreamed about the other Lake Como, but something always seems to get in the way of her travels. After divorcing her perfect husband, enduring the loss of a loved one, and the revelation of a betrayal of trust, Jess will finally be on her way to Tuscany to discovery herself and the artist in her. This is a big, beautiful book and all we expect from this New York Times bestseller with dialogue that is snappy and delicious. A perfect summer read whether you are in Italy or just dreaming of it.