The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski

 

Title:  The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County

Author:  Claire Swinarski

Narrated by:  Alexander Cendese, Alexandra Hunter, Ann Richardson

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 53 minutes

Source: Audiobook from Amazon Music monthly allotment and physical book from the Kewaunee Public Library.  Ebook from NetGalley

What is your favorite book set near where you live?  I would have to say Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder as my favorite book set in Wisconsin, but I loved the local setting and flare of The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County which was set in a fictional community in Wisconsin.

Esther Larson is known for her good cooking as part of the “funeral ladies” in her local church and community.  After falling for an internet scam, she is in danger of losing her home.  Her granddaughter, Iris, decides a great way for Esther to raise money and be able to keep her home would be to put together a cookbook with all their local recipes. 

Cooper has come to Ellerie with his celebrity chef father and half sister for the funeral of his beloved stepmother.  Cooper is suffering from PTSD from being a first responder at a tragedy.  As he gets to know Iris and the community, will Cooper get a second chance?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read this novel at the start of April as part of the Page-turners Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.  The general consensus of our book club was that we enjoyed this novel.  The Wisconsin setting and characters were very relatable.

·       I listened to the audiobook from the recommendation of my friend Carol (the head librarian and leader of our book club).  It was delightful listening to the fun accents of the ladies, although we thought their accents seemed more from Minnesota than Wisconsin.  Cooper, Esther, and Iris are all narrators of different sections of this novel, and they all had their own narrator in the audiobook which worked quite well.

·       Cooper’s PTSD was difficult for everyone to deal with.  It brought about a wonderful heart to heart conversation in the novel between Esther and Iris.  Esther confesses that her husband, Iris’s grandpa, had suffered from PTSD after the war and it made their marriage difficult.

·       I enjoyed the details of family, life, love, and small-town living.  This was a very relatable story.

·       It was funny that the church ladies were mostly Catholic and Lutheran, which is very typical of small-town Wisconsin.

·       I liked that the book hit on difficult topics such as PTSD, internet scammers, alcoholism, family dysfunction, etc., but also how family and friends can pull together to help each other through their difficult times.

Overall, The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski was a good book with a great midwestern flair, characters, and charm.  It was especially delightful to listen to on audiobook.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

 

Thriller or mystery?  I love both!

Camilla has just finished her maternity leave and is returning to work full time.  It’s her daughter’s first day at daycare.  It’s a busy and momentous day, but what is odd is that her husband, Luke, is missing when she gets up and he left her a strange note.  While at work, she discovers that a hostage situation is going on in London and that Luke is the hostage taker.  Why is her happy, fun husband holding people hostage?  What has happened?

This was a great thriller that kept me guessing throughout the book.  I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to ruin the surprises for other readers.  I really enjoyed Camilla as a character and the plot kept me guessing right up until the very end.  This was a quick read, although the middle part was a slower read than the rest of the novel.  The novel primarily told through the point of view of Camilla and Niall, the hostage negotiator.  I enjoyed both of their stories.

Overall, Famous Last Words was another great thriller by Gillian McAllister that is not to be missed.

Book Source:  Review copy from NetGalley. Thank-you! 

Tilt by Emma Pattee

 

Title:  Tilt

Author:  Emma Pattee

Narrated by:  Ariel Blake

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 54 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank-you!

Do you like to read disaster novels or watch disaster movies?  If so, do you have a favorite?

Annie is nine months pregnant and has just started her maternity leave.  She decides she needs to get everything set for her baby and travels to Ikea to purchase a crib.  While there, a massive earthquake hits Portland.  Unable to reach her husband and with the city in full chaos, Annie starts her journey to find her husband and to return home.

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       Annie experiences both the best and worst of humanity during her voyage.

·       The novel flashes back through time to give Annie’s backstory as well as her romance and relationship problems with her husband.

·       As the story continued, I became invested in Annie’s story, and I really wanted her to make it home.

·       I am not sure about the ending of this novel.  There were a lot of loose ends not tied up, but I do keep thinking about this story.

·       Ariel Blake, the narrator of this audiobook, had a great performance and the audiobook kept me invested on some long drives.  The only thing I didn’t like was the cringey baby music as the beginning and end of the audiobook.

·       NPR Book of the Day had a great segment on this novel.

·       Emma Pattee is a debut author. With such a great first novel, I’m interested to see what she writes next.

·       Annie’s thoughts were raw and honest.  They were funny at times, but also sad.  She is unlikeable at times, but also very relatable.  She is all of us.

·       This novel was a good depiction of motherhood and survival.

Overall, Tilt by Emma Pattee was an interesting disaster and survival story and a perfect audiobook to keep your attention on long drives. 

A Gift by Joy and Hope by Pope Francis

 

Did you read any books for the Easter season?  I read A Gift of Joy and Hope by Pope Francis.  I didn’t realize as I finished it on Easter that Pope Francis would be gone by the next morning.

A Gift of Joy and Hope is a collection of thoughts taken from the speeches and writings of Pope Francis.  It focuses on how joy and hope can be found even in times of darkness and despair. I enjoyed how the book was set up with brief sections about different topics.  It made it really easy to pick this book up and read it even when I didn’t have much time. A section at the end contains the prayers of Pope Francis.

My favorite quotes give a good insight into what this book is like:

“It would be good for our Western society, always in too much of a hurry, to learn how to stop and contemplate things, even in a poetic manner.”

“Sometimes all of our youthful energy, dreams, and enthusiasm waver and we are tempted to dwell on ourselves and our problems, hurt feelings, and grievances.  Don’t let this happen to you!  You will grow old inside before your time.”

Saint Teresa of Calcutta quote was referenced, “Whoever, on the journey of life, has lit even one torch in someone’s darkest hour has not lived in vain.”

“This reminds me of just how many of us Christians live in a state of apathy, incapable of doing anything, always complaining about everything.  Apathy is a poison; it is a fog that surrounds the soul and suffocates it.”

“True joy does not come from owning things.  No!  It is born of an encounter, from having a relationship with others, from feeling accepted, understood, and loved, from accepting understanding, and loving.  It is not because of a passing fancy, but because we understand that the other is a complete person.”

“Acceptance and a dignified integration into society are stages of a difficult process, but it is unthinkable that we address this problem by putting up walls.  I grow fearful when I hear certain speeches by new populist leaders; they mind me of speeches that spread fear and hatred back in the 1930s.”

Overall, A Gift of Joy and Hope by Pope Francis was a wonderful book to read during Lent and Easter.  Pope Francis writes with wisdom and really gives great thoughts on how to live a happy life and to be compassionate to all.

Book Source:  Review copy from Hachette Book Group. Thank-you! 

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

 

Title:  Broken Country

Author:  Clare Leslie Hall

Narrated by:  Hattie Morahan

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 57 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank-you!

What has been your favorite read of 2025 so far? I’ve read a lot of great books so far this year. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall was one of the best and will be on my top books of the year list.

One spring day in rural England, Beth, her husband Frank, and her brother-in-law, Jimmy, are tending to their sheep when a dog appears out of the blue killing the lambs.  Jimmy shoots the dog, but the owner of the dog, a sad young boy, Leo, and his father, Gabriel, appear.  Gabriel was Beth’s teenage love. Beth and Frank are in love, but there are some strains in their relationship because of the tragic death a couple years before of their young son, Bobby.  As Beth spends more time with Leo, her love starts to reignite for Gabriel.  As the Beth, Frank, and Gabriel become part of a love triangle, tragedy strikes.  What will become of them all?

My thoughts on this novel:

 

·       This was a nonlinear story set in the present of 1968 and flashing back to 1955.  There is also a setting slightly in the future at a murder trial.

·       I usually don’t like tales of infidelity, but it was a really good story, and I couldn’t stop listening to the audiobook.

·       I do love a good love triangle, especially when it makes so much sense as this story did.  Beth was really conflicted and there was a lot that happened in their lives.

·       Nonlinear story line made this a brilliant telling of the story.  As facts came out from the earlier timeline, it changed the readers entire understanding of the present timeline.  I loved the way this was written.

·       The symbolism of the family oak tree was interesting.  When it stood the family was together, when it fell, the entire family was splintered.

·       There were shades of the classic novel, Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, in this story.  Frank was like Gabriel Oak and Beth is Bathsheba Everdeen.  It was interesting after having recently read Far from Madding Crowd with my Classics Book Club.  They were both fascinating, well-developed characters.  I felt like I knew them and their world.

·       As the novel neared its conclusion, there was more to the court trial.  It was riveting and reminded me a bit of the courtroom drama of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.

·       This was a Reese’s Book Club pick.

·       Hattie Morahan was a great narrator, and it was a fascinating audiobook to listen to.  There were many twists and turns, and very surprising moments that kept me wanting to continue with the audiobook even after I reached my destination.

Overall, Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall was a beautifully written drama with extremely well developed and complicated characters.  I could not stop listening to this audiobook.  It’s one of the best books of 2025.

 

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry

 

Title:  The Story She Left Behind

Author:  Patti Callahan Henry

Narrated by:  Julia Whelan and Theo Solomon

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 26 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank-you!

What's the most beautiful book cover you own?  I think the cover of The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry is beautiful.

In 1927, a devastating fire burned down young Clara’s house, but even more devastating, her mother disappeared shortly after.  Now in 1952, Clara is a single mother raising her daughter Wynnie.  She is contacted by a mysterious Englishman, Charlie, who tells her that he has discovered her mother’s lost dictionary in his late father’s library.  Clara’s mother, Bronwyn, is a famous author who wrote her first novel at the age of 12.  Her second book is in her made-up language and has been unable to be translated.  Will this dictionary be able to help translate the second novel?  Will Clara be able to find out whatever happened to her mother?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read this in March for the Brenda Novak Book Group.  It was a great Facebook meeting at the end of the month and interview of author Patti Callahan Henry.

·       This was an intriguing story that had everything – a literary mystery, family, beauty of nature, wandering the world, love, etc.

·       The audiobook was great, and it kept me intrigued on some long drives for work last month.  I enjoyed that there were two main narrators.

·       The riveting story of the London Smog showing the real danger during that time period in London, especially for those with asthma.  The main characters have to make a harrowing journey to get out of London.  It was fun during the Brenda Novak interview that Patti Callhan Henry discussed the smog episode of The Crown, which was excellent.  When I was teaching an environmental compliance class, I taught about this event as it was a precursor to our Clean Air Act.  Environmental regulations don’t come out of the blue.  Usually, a tragedy occurred that killed people and spurred new laws to be written.

·       I was fascinated by the author’s note at the end.  The story was based on real life author Barbara Newhall Follett.  Follett was a child prodigy and disappeared never to be seen again when she was 25 years old.

·       I loved the fairy tale like feel when Clara and Wynnie visit the Lake District in England.  I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the scenery, and it really made me want to visit the Lake District.

·       There was also a fun exploration of children, make believe, and magical worlds.

Overall, The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry is a beautiful historical literary mystery.  I thought the descriptions were beautiful and story was very engaging.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

 

Title:   I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Author:  Maya Angelou

Narrated by:  Maya Angelou

Publisher: Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 11 minutes

Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible

Do you like audiobooks narrated by the author?  I love them, especially when they are memoirs. I have read a physical copy of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou in the past, but it was especially wonderful this time to listen to Maya Angelou narrate her own story.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was Maya Angelou’s debut memoir, and it details her childhood until the age of seventeen.  This memoir is unique in its structure, prose, and depth of feeling.  She changed the way that memoirs were written.

Other thoughts on this novel:

·       I reread this novel in March for the Back to the Classics Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.  We had a great discussion about it.

·       This book is frequently banned.  I was dismayed to see it back in the news again recently as it has been removed from the shelves at the Naval Institute.  This is a travesty.

·       Maya and her brother Bailey were sent on a cross-country train alone from California to Arkansas when they are very young by their parents.  I just can’t imagine this!

·       I loved how Maya is always reading such great books at an early age.

·       Horrible things happened to Maya as a child, and she stops speaking. I loved that a teacher, Mrs. Bertha Flowers helps her to get her voice back.  She said you can not truly love poetry until you speak it.  She helped to introduce her to great authors.

·       Maya experienced so many things in her life up to age 17:  rape, being the first black streetcar operator in San Francisco, living in a junk yard, driving for the first time when she had to get her drunk father home from Mexico, etc.  It culminated with her having a baby.

·       This memoir soars with love and laughter, but also pain and neglect.  Angelou tells her story in a raw and honest way.

·       In her raw and honest way, Angelous discusses her feeling on sexuality as she grew up being confused during puberty.

·       Angelou’s parents angered me.  While her mother does help her with self-confidence and determination as a teenager, neither were there for their children and put them in awful situations.

·       “Mama” their grandmother, was truly a greater person raising her grandkids as best as she could.

Overall, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is a compelling memoir that is great for a book club discussion.  Angelou tells her amazing story in an authentic and sincere way.  This classic should not be missed.

Four Red Sweaters by Lucy Adlington (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Title:  Four Red Sweaters

Author:  Lucy Adlington

Narrated by:  Esther Wane

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 54 minutes

Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible and Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for a physical copy of the book as part of the Bibliolifestyle Book Tour.

Do you have a special item of clothing that holds meaning to you?  My Dad recently brought me boxes from the attic that had special clothing from when I was a child. It was fun to look through them.

Jock Heidenstein, Anita Lasker, Chana Zumerkorn, and Regina Feldman were four different women who experienced the Holocaust in different ways.  They did not know each other, but their lives were all impacted by a red sweater.  Author Lucy Adlington, tells their stories in a unique way through the history of clothing, their relatives, and their experiences.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I liked the interesting discussion of knitting.  At that time, almost everyone knew how to knit.  During wartime, blackouts, etc., it was particularly comforting to know how to knit while waiting.  It also made items of great need.  Those that did not know how to knit, learned how to in the dark.

·       Later in the war, Jews were made to hand over their skeins of wool to Germans.

·       I am haunted by much in this book, but in one chapter in particular, “Nobody must know,” describes how a castle, Chelmno, was used to exterminate the Jews.  They were gassed large scale, and their clothing was thrown out into a large pile.  A local girl worked for a German commander, and he told her that “nobody must know.”  She slipped out to see what was happening at the castle and saw it for herself.  She was horrified.  The people lived around this area and saw the Jewish people going to the castle in mass and not return.  Only their clothing remained which was sorted and sent out for Germans to use.  Nothing was wasted.  People went to Catholic mass at the castle on Sunday.  The church was used to strip Jews during the week.  It is horrifying.  The locals knew this was happening and nothing was done about it.  When you believe the rhetoric that other people are considered inferior or subhuman, you become part of the evil.

·       Chana Zumerkorn was told she was going to get to “work outside the Ghetto,” but she was sent to Chelmno and never seen again.  Why was she selected when she was a stocking worker?   By 1943, German publications were advertising cities that were now “free of Jews.” 

·       Polish families would be moved off farms and Germans would just take them over.

·       It was interesting to look through the lense of history through what we have left behind.  When all that is left is a red sweater, what is the story of the little girl who used to wear it?

·       They physical book had pictures that helped to bring the story to life.

·       Esther Wane was a great narrator of the audiobook and brough each woman’s story to life.

Favorite Quote:  “He was nobody in the terms of world history, and the world to everyone that loved him.”

Overall, Four Red Sweaters by Lucy Adlington is a unique story of four different ordinary women and their experiences through the holocaust.  It is a story I won’t soon forget, and I am glad that their stories were finally told.  It’s important to know history to make sure we never repeat these terrible times.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

 

Title:  Beartown

Author:  Fredrik Backman

Narrated by:  Marin Ireland

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 13 hours and 11 minutes

Source: Audiobook from Amazon Music monthly allotment.

What is the best book you’ve read for a book club pick this year?  Beartown by Fredrick Backman was the March pick for the Rogue Book club.

Beartown is a small dying town located far to the north in Sweden.  They are hoping for a comeback for their town if their junior league hockey team wins the national semifinals and championship.  After an assault occurs between a hockey player and the general manager’s daughter,  the town grapples with the repercussions.  Who should be believed and what is most important in such times?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This novel had great character development.  I feel like I really like to know the characters and the town.

·       The story had a slow build as Backman got the reader to know the characters and town before the action of the story really happened.

·       It made the reader ponder the frailty of human beings.  What is truth?  Do you want to believe the truth that will further yourself and your “team?”  Or what actually happened?

·       The town’s obsession with hockey was relatable living in a small town with a football obsession and having attended a northern college with a hockey obsession.

·       I mostly kept thinking in this book that teenagers can be real a##holes.  Backman captures this perfectly.

·       It was also a good look at family life.  While some people don’t have much, they do have the love of their family.  Kevin is a hockey star, but lives in a cold family.  They have wealth, but don’t even attend Kevin’s games.  I felt for Kevin.  He could have been written as a purely evil character, but there was a lot going on in his life.  He made poor choices.

·       The novel was a good look at community life and life in a small town as well. 

·       We had a good mini discussion of this book at book club, but we want to discuss it more in depth at our next meeting when everyone has had a chance to read it.

·       This was the first book of a trilogy and I really want to read the rest!  I enjoyed the characters and I want to see what else life has in store for them.

Overall, Fredrick Backman has a gift of writing unforgettable novels that leave you thinking about them long after you finish the last page.  Beartown was another great novel with great characters, and I am happy this is a series so I can read more set in this world.  My one sadness is – why can’t I watch the HBO mini-series?  I can’t find it anywhere!

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for the review copy of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett.

Do you have a special place you like to visit that makes you happy?  My Great Grandma’s house was my happy place growing up.

In the spring of 2020, the Lara and Joe Nelson’s three daughters have returned to their northern Michigan cherry farm to help at the orchard during the pandemic.  While there, they want the story from their mother of her romance with movie star Peter Duke.  How did it happen and how did she end up with their father Joe living in a cherry orchard?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Tom Lake was a beautifully written novel that was a story that was meant to be read slowly and savored.

·       I loved how the past and present intertwined in the story.

·       I grew up in Michigan and I loved all the Michigan details.  

·       Thornton Wilder’s play, Our Town, was prominently featured in the story with Lara playing the role of Emily at two key points in her life.  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the play performed and this made me want to see this play again.

·       I thought it was interesting how the girls learn about their mother and how she had an entire life before them.  The choices that she made led them all to the point of life they are all at in 2020.

·       I wanted to read an Ann Patchett book for awhile now, but this is the first book I’ve read by this author.  It was excellent and it won’t be my last.

·       I loved the family life of Lara, Joe, and the girls on the farm, but I also liked the story of young Lara getting discovered as an actress and becoming a star for a short period of her life.  I enjoyed her life as a stock actor on a summer production of Our Town in northern Michigan. 

·       The characters were all vividly drawn and unforgettable.

·       This was a quiet novel, but it was interesting how there were little snippets or surprises that changed the direction of the story. Some of these were items that Lara kept back from her daughters.

Overall, Tom Lake by Ann Patchett was a wonderfully written novel with great characters and setting.