The Excitements, by C.J. Wray. William Morrow, 304 pages, January 30, 2024 

A thoughtful and entertaining look at life in later years.

Please see “Fiction-Reviews.”

1/30/24

The Excitements, by C. J. Wray. William Morrow Publishers, January 30, 2024. 304 pages.

Fortune Favors the Dead, by Stephen Spotswood.  Doubleday, 2020, 324 pages.

1940’s post-war NYC.  Two female private investigators.  A case of twists and turns. Meet Ms. Lillian Pentecost and Willowjean (Will) Parker. Please see “Reviews, Fiction.”

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, is a novel that brings to life 18th century Maine as a midwife tends to the ills of her neighbors, some physical and others emotional, and deals with the early American legal system and its treatment of women. Please see “Reviews-Fiction.”

12-16-23

Hannah Coulter (See Fiction Reviews) helps end the year on a quiet and reflective note.

11-26-23

A dual biography (please see “Reviews, Non-Fiction”) and two novels (Reviews, Fiction) about early 19th century women who helped transform our understanding of the natural world.

11-18-23

North Woods by Daniel Mason: The forest of western Massachusetts is the setting for linked stories over three centuries. One of my favorite books of the year.

11/6/23

The Trials of Madame Restell recounts the true story of one of the 19th century’s most well-known “female physicians,” who provided abortions and other women’s health services. The story shows how the provision of abortions, practiced by trained women for centuries, became a hotly contentious cause of medical men and pornography activists. Please see the review in the Non-Fiction section.

The Museum of Ordinary People (Fiction) and The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter (Non-Fiction) about what to do with our most cherished possessions.

10-26-23

10-14-23

With sympathy, but not sentimentality, and a light hand, Katrina Kittle offers a novel that encompasses many of the current concerns in our world.