The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream by Jeannie Zusy: Sunday Salon

 

The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream: A Novel

by 

Jeannie Zusy

Publication, September 20, 2022, Atria Books

Description 

A very funny, occasionally romantic, and surprisingly moving novel about how one woman’s life is turned upside down when she becomes caregiver to her sister with special needs.

Every family has its fault lines, and when Maggie gets a call from the ER in Maryland where her older sister lives, the cracks start to appear. Ginny, her sugar-loving and diabetic older sister with intellectual disabilities, has overdosed on strawberry Jell-O.

Maggie knows Ginny really can’t live on her own, so she brings her sister and her occasionally vicious dog to live near her in upstate New York. Their other sister, Betsy, is against the idea but as a professional surfer, she is conveniently thousands of miles away.

Thus, Maggie’s life as a caretaker begins. It will take all of her dark humor and patience, already spread thin after a separation, raising two boys, freelancing, and starting a dating life, to deal with Ginny’s diapers, sugar addiction, porn habit, and refusal to cooperate. Add two devoted but feuding immigrant aides and a soon-to-be ex-husband who just won’t go away, and you’ve got a story that will leave you laughing through your tears as you wonder who is actually taking care of whom. (publisher)

My NetGalley/Goodreads review:

Bets, Ginny, and Maggie are the Frederick sisters whose relationships are featured in this novel. Maggie the third sister, becomes a caregiver for special needs middle sister Ginny, while the oldest, Bets, lives a life of California surfing.

Sisters and how they relate to one another, the sacrifices they make for one another, or sacrifices they don't make, are the themes. A surprising turn around at the end of the novel shows the sisters in a new light. 

The novel, however, takes too long to get to this point, frustrating the reader. The book could have been shorter and some of the middle events cut or omitted in order to get to the ending.

I enjoyed the first three-quarters of the book and wished the main points, though surprising and thought provoking, could have been reached earlier.

What are you reading this week? 

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

Sunday Salon: Contemporary Drama, Crime Novels

 Finished reading:

Meredith, Alone by  Claire Alexander Published June 23rd 2022 by Penguin Michael Joseph Genre: contemporary fiction, women's fiction

My goodreads/NetGalley review: Meredith has isolated herself indoors for 1,300 days and counting, until the time comes when she steps outside, prompted by the persistence of an internet friend Celeste; by a best friend who is the only friend to visit, by her online therapist Diane, and by a visiting social worker, Tom. I was moved by this group of people who become Meredith's support, never giving up on trying to get her out of the house and into society again. I also liked that the story behind Meredith's strange behavior is gradually revealed, and how she comes to face it and speak about it. Meredith is propelled to help the people she comes in contact with in person, on the internet, or from her front door and windows, and this also helps to get her away from her own problems. This is a sensitive, contemporary novel that looks at one person's trauma and its aftermath. The Couple at the Table (Spilling CID #11) by  Sophie Hannah Published January 27th 2022 by Hodder & Stoughton Genre: thriller, suspense My goodreads/NetGalley review: An unlikely scenario sets the stage for this psychological thriller, in which a couple, Jane and William, on their honeymoon, happen to be at the same resort as William's exwife and her new husband. This situation could be tricky and uncomfortable, and it is. Then when a murder occurs, the clues seem to make no sense and point to no one at the resort as the murderer as they all have alibis.  The novel very cleverly has the mystery resolve in an Agatha Christie fashion, with all the possible culprits facing a detective together at the end, and being grilled relentlessly in a controlled setting. This, before the detective reveals what really happened as he solves the crime. The main characters, the wife Jane in particularly, are ditsy personalities, which leads the reader to want to see more of where their extreme behavior will take them. Clever plotting and character development. Now reading:   City Under One Roof  by  Iris Yamashita Kindle Edition, 320 pages Expected publication: January 10th 2023 by Berkley Source: NetGalley Genre: crime fiction About:  A stranded detective tries to solve a murder in a tiny Alaskan town. where everyone lives in a single high-rise building. When a local teenager discovers a severed hand and foot on the shore of the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, Cara Kennedy is on the case. A detective from Anchorage, she has her own motives for investigating the possible murder in this isolated place, which can be accessed only by a tunnel. (publisher) My review What are you reading this week?  Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

Sunday Salon: Touch by Olaf Olafsson

 

Touch

by 

Olaf Olafsson

Expected publication: August 16th 2022 by Ecco Press

Source: NetGalley

About: A mesmerizing, panoramic story of one man's search to find a lover who suddenly disappeared decades before.

When the pandemic hits, Kristofer is forced to shutter his successful restaurant in Reykjavik, sending him into a spiral of uncertainty, even as his memory seems to be failing. But an uncanny bolt from the blue--a message from Miko Nakamura, a woman whom he'd known in the sixties when they were students in London--both inspires and rattles him, as he is drawn inexorably back into a love story that has marked him for life. (publisher)

My review: I was delighted to read a domestic drama/romance that is more serious than a light rom com and ends, nevertheless, on a happy and hopeful note. The sensitivity of the main characters is essential to this novel as it pulls you into a story of the love between two people from very different backgrounds, of a love lost, and a mystery that ends with surprises.

An enjoyable read about a relationship that spans the years between youth and old age.

Now reading:

The Resort

by 

Sue Watson

Genre: psych thriller

Published June 24th, 2022 by Bookouture

About: When a dream trip becomes your worst nightmare…

You’ve been excited about this getaway for months – at last, a chance to reconnect with your husband at a secluded island resort. But when he unexpectedly calls you from the beach, you hear the urgency in his voice. Something is very wrong.

What are you reading this week? 

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

 

The Bone Records by Rich Zahradnik: Sunday Salon

 New book arrival

The Bone Records 

by Rich Zahradnik 

•  1000 Words A Day Press (November 1, 2022)
•  November 1, 2022
• About:  Grigg Orlov discovers an eerie piece of evidence at the scene of his father’s brutal murder: a disc-shaped X-ray of a skull. It’s a bone record—what Soviet citizens called banned American songs recorded on used X-rays. But the black-market singles haven’t been produced since the sixties. What’s one doing in Coney Island in 2016?
• 
  

 "The Bone Records grabs you by the throat on the very first page, then never slows down as it takes you on a wild ride through New York City streets filled with Russian intrigue, underworld crime, police corruption and a man's desperate quest to avenge his father's murder. Shamus Award-winner Rich Zahradnik has written a taut, terrifically exciting and thought-provoking thriller." —R.G. Belsky, award-winning author of the Clare Carlson mystery series

"The plot is not only timely, but utterly unique—a tale of cultures colliding, often with sudden and unexpected consequences, as lonely city claims-adjuster Grigg Orlov spends his long nights chasing down leads on the mysterious disappearance of his father... This is a compelling read, highly recommended." —LA Times bestselling author Baron R. Birtcher

"A fast-paced thriller set around Coney Island during the tumultuous lead-up to the 2016 presidential election... The Bone Records is a well-crafted mountain of intrigue and non-stop action." —Bruce Robert Coffin, award-winning author of the Detective Byron Mysteries

"A wonderfully flawed protagonist and a complex mystery combine with current events in Zahradnik's best novel to date. The Bone Records had me hooked from page one." —Elena Taylor, award-winning author of All We Buried and the Eddie Shoes mystery series

About the Author

Rich Zahradnik is the author of the thriller The Bone Records and four critically acclaimed mysteries, including Lights Out Summer, winner of the Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America. He was a journalist for twenty-seven years and now lives in Pelham, New York.

Thanks to Wiley at Saichek Publicity for a review/feature copy.

What are you reading this week? 

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

Sunday Salon: July Library Loot

 I couldn't resist these library books, listed with the publishers' book descriptions.  

Colorful (see my review)

by 

Eto Mori,

 

Jocelyne Allen (Translator)

July 20th 2021 by Counterpoint Press

About: A beloved and bestselling classic in Japan, this groundbreaking tale of a dead soul who gets a second chance is now available in English.

"Congratulations, you've won the lottery!" shouts the angel Prapura to a formless soul.

Mimi Lee Cracks the Code

(A Sassy Cat Mystery #3)

by 

Jennifer J. Chow,

 November 30th 2021 by Berkley

About: Murder follows pet groomer Mimi Lee and her boyfriend Josh to a romantic Catalina Island getaway, where she puts on her best sleuthing hat with her sassy cat Marshmallow in tow.

Fiona and Jane

by 

Jean Chen Ho,

 January 4th 2022 by Viking

About: Two young Taiwanese American women navigate friendship, sexuality, identity, and heartbreak over two decades.

Fiona Lin and Jane Shen explore the lonely freeways and seedy bars of Los Angeles together through their teenage years, surviving unfulfilling romantic encounters, and carrying with them the scars of their families' tumultuous pasts.

The Swimmers

by 

Julie Otsuka

Published February 22nd 2022, Knopf Publishing Group

About: What happens to a group of obsessed recreational swimmers when a crack appears at the bottom of their local pool.

The swimmers are unknown to each other except through their private routines (slow lane, fast lane), and the solace each takes in their morning or afternoon laps. But when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool, they are cast out into an unforgiving world without comfort or relief.

Lost and Found in Paris

by 

Lian Dolan, 

April 5th 2022 by William Morrow & Company

About: The ultimate escapist adventure in Paris, its world of art, intrigue, and redemption, told with wit, style, and intrigue. 

Joan escapes to Paris right after learning her husband is the father of five year-old twins by another woman. 

Just finished:

A Familiar Stranger

by 

A.R. Torre,  e

xpected publication,  September 27th 2022

Source: NetGalley

About: Lillian Smith is a quiet and ordinary wife and mother. Who will even notice what she’s done?

Here is my goodreads review.

What are you reading this week? 

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

Sunday Salon: Death By Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow

 Books reviewed

Death by Bubble Tea (LA Night Market #1)

by 

Jennifer J. Chow

July 5, 2022, Berkley

Genre: cozy mystery, culinary mystery, amateur sleuth

My review: Two cousins, Yale Lee and Celine, who is visiting from Hong Kong, become amateur sleuths when a young woman is found murdered at the Eastwood Village Night Market, where they were manning a food stall. Celine becomes a suspect because the bubble tea she served the victim may have led to the death. The two cousins are determined to find the real killer to clear their name and the reputation of Yale's father's restaurant.

I enjoyed the developing friendship between the two formerly long-distance cousins who together feature in this new amateur sleuth series. We eagerly follow Yale and Celine as they debate and investigate the crime at the same time as the police do. The culprit in the mystery is unexpected and so puts a twist at the end. 

Although it is sometimes hard to follow Yale's convoluted thinking about possible suspects and their guilt or innocence, the cozy was a satisfying read, and I look forward to reading more about the two in their next mystery. 

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

Death in the Aegean: An Intrepid Traveler Mystery by  M.A. Monnin Own copy, Kindle edition, May 19, 2022 Genre: international mystery and crime  I learned about antiquities in Crete and Knossos, the museums there and the monuments still existing. The setting was an integral part of this mystery of a missing gold artifact and several murders. The main character seemed somewhat frantic in her thinking and behavior, and the plot convoluted until the final events that revealed all . I still liked the topics and of course, Greece. And the romance thrown in helped the book along. In the Dark We Forget by  Sandra S.G. Wong Published June 21, 2022, HarperCollins Publishers Genre:  psychological thriller, family suspense, multicultural interest My review:  I loved reading this book written from a Chinese-Canadian woman's point of view, although cultural considerations may have made the author deliberately ambiguous about the ending and the resolution of the crime. I think I know who the author intended as the culprit(s) of the crime(s), but I understand many people have been put off by what they see as a vague and ambiguous ending. Nevertheless, this ambiguity could add to the intrigue of the novel. Cleo is an unreliable narrator who gets our sympathies  as well as our wariness about her supposed reputation, real or unfairly imposed by a non-sympathetic society.  It's a book I'd like to read over again, such is its pull and draw.  Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley

What are you reading this week? 

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday