The Awkward Black Man

Portraits. I’ve read a lot of Walter Mosley’s novels, and I consistently enjoy his fine writing and the ways in which his characters are complex, interesting, and exhibit human behavior that’s always recognizable. In a collection of seventeen short stories titled, The Awkward Black Man, Mosley exhibits his talent at character portraits with great skill and efficiency. Within the constraints of the short story structure, Mosley presents vulnerability, struggles, awkwardness in the world and relationships, and strength in moving ahead. There are terrific characters presented in these stories, and many readers will see themselves and others presented with insight and sensitivity by the fine writing of this talented author. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase The Awkward Black Man from amazon.com.

The Eighth Detective

Puzzles. Fans of mysteries are those readers who will love Alex Pavesi’s novel titled, The Eighth Detective. The setup is that a mathematician has determined that there are seven ways that a mystery can work, and he wrote seven stories to prove his thesis. An editor visits him on a remote island, and she plays our role: reading the stories to solve the puzzles. She provides an exciting twist to it all, showing inconsistencies and providing a puzzle of her own to delight readers. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Eighth Detective from amazon.com.

How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together

Nurture. The ground in which things grow plays a big role in how something thrives or withers. For a family, that ground is a neighborhood, community or town. In his book titled, How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together, Dan Kois describes the year he, his wife, and their two daughters spent living in four different places. Packed with candor and humor, Kois mines the ups and downs of family dynamics at play as they depart their home in Arlington, Virginia to spend three-month stints in New Zealand, Holland, Costa Rica and Hays, Kansas. The culture in each place supports the ways in which families live and interact with neighbors. If you’ve ever thought about packing up and living in a place different from what’s been familiar, you’re likely to find this book instructive and interesting. General readers can enjoy the vicarious pleasure and pain of how Kois and his family learned what nurture looks like in different places. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase How To Be a Family from amazon.com.

Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World

Momentum. Readers who enjoy twentieth century history meant for a general audience will enjoy Chris Wallace and Mitch Weiss’s book titled, Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World. There’s momentum and drama in this book that is structured starting four months before the atomic bombs were released on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I learned more about Truman’s decision-making process after reading this book, and the stories of the pilots and others made the account personal. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Countdown 1945 from amazon.com.

The Geometry of Holding Hands

Complications. Readers who enjoy Alexander McCall Smith’s Isabel Dalhousie series will love the 13th installment, a novel titled, The Geometry of Holding Hands. I kept waiting to understand the title, and it came at the very end of the book, so be patient. As always, there are ethical concerns that philosopher Isabel grapples with, and her musician husband, Jamie, offers love and clarity to all the complications that develop in this novel. Smith has the ability to present readers with domestic situations, add conflict and complexity, and leave us very satisfied with human nature by the end of the book. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Geometry of Holding Hands from amazon.com.

Strange Hotel

Memories. What triggers your memories? The unnamed protagonist of Eimear McBride’s novel titled, Strange Hotel, launches into a stream of consciousness recollection of her memories after she returns to a hotel room she had stayed in years earlier. Fasten your seat belt, and stick with the recitation of places, things and people that flow past rapidly, as happens whenever our memories are triggered. The journey with this novel won’t take long, it will often be strange, and by the last page one reaction might be like mine: that was really something. I’m just not sure what. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Strange Hotel from amazon.com.

The Revisioners

Heritage. We stand on the shoulders of the ancestors who came before us, many of whom we have never met, and whose stories we don’t know. Three strong black women are connected in Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s novel titled, The Revisioners. The first-person voices alternate from 2017 (Ava) to 1924 (Josephine) to 1855 (Josephine as a child) and back again. The characters during all the time periods face danger, react quickly, and plan for a better future. Sexton lets these women talk, and our job as readers is to listen to these mothers and understand heritage and act today based on what we learn from their strength and perseverance. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Revisioners from amazon.com.