A book with stories about cats who change lives? Yes, please! In “The Blanket Cats,” author Kiyoshi Shigematsu not only introduces us to seven extraordinary cats, he provides a glimpse into life in Japan beyond what tourists might see. We see real people with real struggles. And we see some very clever, perhaps almost magical, cats.
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In Poppy Alexander’s newest sweet, British, small-town romance, “The Battle of the Bookshops,” she makes no pretense about its Romeo and Juliet bones. The main characters, Roman Montbeau and Julia Capelthorne, are from families who have been feuding for centuries. The Montbeaus have come out ahead and live in wealth and splendor that the Capelthornes can only dream of.
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In “The Art of a Lie,” Laura Shepherd-Robinson takes us back to London in 1749, when women had few rights, and the clever ones learned to use their wits to survive. We meet Hannah Cole a few weeks after the murder of her husband, Jonas. The confectionary shop that had been in her family for generations is struggling now that suppliers have learned a woman is running the shop. They are overcharging her, and she’s not sure how long she’ll be able to stay in business.
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Fredrik Backman’s books are not subtle. Their emotion and their power hit us like a fist to the face. And in his latest novel, “My Friends,” there are literally multiple fists hitting multiple faces.
The story is about many things: the power of great art, the paradox of youth—the cruelty and the joys, the strength of childhood friendships, the horror of abusive parents and teachers, and the transformational nature of love. The characters he shares are all rough, troubled people; not one is polished, urbane, and sophisticated. But we love them just for who they are — down-to-earth teenagers doing the best they can who become adults who do the same.
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Like many others, I love James Ponti’s City Spies series, and “City Spies: London Calling” is no different. There’s so much to like about the novels, including two wonderful adults and the six spy-children, the clever plots that take them around the world, the strengths and vulnerabilities of all the characters, and the unexpected twists that keep us turning the pages.
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When there’s a dog in the title, I’m hooked. And in “A Dog in Georgia,” author Lauren Grodstein has provided not only the titular dog, one Angel—who acted as a school crossing guard for children, for heaven’s sake, before she disappeared—but a plethora of street dogs who live, apparently mostly happily, in Georgia (the country, not the state). And when Amy Webb finds herself in need of something meaningful to accomplish, she decides to travel to Georgia and find the missing Angel.
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I’ve been a fan of Joy Fielding’s books for decades, although I hadn’t read any recently. “Jenny Cooper Has a Secret” reminded me of why I loved her books and why I need to read the ones I haven’t. Fielding is a master at creating main characters who are regular people, just like us, and whom we really connect with. They aren’t spies, detectives, super heroes, law enforcement, or famous. In her newest novel, the main character is Linda Davidson, a widow of two years who lives in Florida.
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In Sarah Pekkanen’s latest, suspense-filled novel “The Locked Ward,” we meet two sisters, Georgia and Amanda, twins actually, who were separated at birth but now find themselves entangled in a web of deceit. The writing is ingenious as Pekkanen uses two different points of view to share the sisters’ stories. Amanda’s story is told in first person, each chapter labeled with her nickname “Mandy,” while Georgia’s narrative is shared in second person narrative. The second person narrative is a bit unsettling at first, but it quickly becomes apparent that by relating Georgia’s story as if it is happening to us, we feel deeply involved and a part of the action.
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Lyn Liao Butler’s parents are from Taiwan, and often Taiwanese culture and food are featured in her novels, but in her newest novel, “The Fourth Daughter,” we are immersed in Taiwan, both in its crowded, colorful present and in its violent and politically fraught past. We meet two strong women, Liv Kuo, a chef in New York who is suffering from PTSD because of an extremely traumatic incident in the restaurant she worked at, and her grandmother, Yi-ping, who moved back to Taiwan after living in the US with Liv’s family for many years, helping to raise her grandchildren.
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Jeanine Cummins’ acclaimed first novel, “American Dirt,” was about the perilous journey migrants take from Mexico to the United States, and in her new novel, “Speak to Me of Home,” she takes us to Puerto Rico in a story that encompasses generations of women whose lives are either completely or peripherally connected to that tropical island.
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The famous, the wealthy, and the not-so-wealthy all come together on Winthrop Island each summer in Beatriz William’s new novel, “Under the Stars.” For those who read “Husbands & Lovers,” a few characters will be familiar, but no matter, readers will be touched by this story about three women, all of whom end up at Winthrop Island, hoping that their lives will change for the better.
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