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The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. It’s the story of a man who moves his family to Newfoundland and how he comes to terms with the loss of love and the chance of finding it again. I loved it and want to see the movie, but I can’t find it free anywhere.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick. Every adult in the world mysteriously receives a box with a string in it, and the box says that the string tells you the length of your life. Of course people go nuts, divide into us and them, make it political and so on. A lot of parallels to what is going on in the world today, but also really made me think about the time we have here and how best to use it. Great book.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. It’s about an elderly woman who works in a Pacific coast aquarium where she meets a remarkably bright octopus who can do some pretty impressive things. Is he smarter than people? You decide. Loved it.

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. The story of a south Boston girl who goes missing and her mother, who will not give up until she learns the truth about what happened. Reminded me a lot of Lehane’s Mystic River. I liked it a lot and can’t wait for the series, which will be on AppleTV+. In addition to being a novelist (he also wrote Shutter Island and Gone Baby Gone), Lehane has written for The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, Mr. Mercedes, and a bunch of other good tv shows. Love his writing.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. She is one of my favorite authors but this was not her best. It’s the story of a young woman who spends the summer working in a theater group in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and falls in love with the wrong guy. B-

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. This book got a lot of buzz and good reviews but I didn’t love it. It’s a satire of the publishing industry and, given the recent kerfuffle over American Dirt, it’s timely and topical, as it deals with a young woman who has questionable standing to write the book she writes. I hated the main character and never got past it.

Trust by Hernan Diaz. The most interesting thing about this book was the structure, which I think Kitchop explained in her review. It was clever, but the story didn’t really grab me. I did learn a thing or two about high finance which … doesn’t really interest me, lol. I liked it well enough, but I really don’t get the Pulitzer.

I just started The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab. It’s about a young woman in the early 1700s who makes a deal with dark forces to escape a marriage. She becomes immortal, and the story switches back and forth (so far anyway) between exactly how that happened and her life in modern day NYC. I think I’m going to really like it.