The Overbooked Bibliophile

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ “What wouldn’t you do for life? What wouldn’t you do for love? What wouldn’t you do for freedom?” As the story begins we meet Violet Wilde, an up-and-coming rock star, who wakes up in a strange cabin, dazed and confused, with no immediate recollection of how she got there. The cabin is well-maintained, with a well-stocked refrigerator (strangely enough, it’s packed with her favorite food items), a box with clothes and other necessities, and a burner phone that is programmed to dial a single number with a note with specific instructions. Locked inside this strange cabin, with bars on its windows she realizes that she is in a secluded area and there is no way for her to escape. As per her captor's instructions, she has to figure out her connection to the person whose number is programmed into the phone within one week to secure her freedom. “Maybe you do deserve your lives.” After ignoring multiple missed calls from an unknown number, construction worker Bud Atwood lis

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I can picture the eyes poring over the last of the books, weighing their value, their health, color, musculature, and the state of their spines, meanwhile the books are in a state of shock as they feel the ground vanish out from under them.” The Last Days of Terranova by Manuel Rivas (translated by Jacob Rogers ) revolves around a family-owned bookstore in Galicia, Spain that is facing closure and the property to be handed over to real estate developers. As the story begins, we meet Vicenzo Fontana in 2014 as he broods over the imminent closure of The Terranova Bookstore, that has been in his family for decades, the fruition of his mother Comba’s dream to own her bookstore - the plans for which started taking shape in 1935. Her father, Vincenzo’s grandfather, worked very hard, in his lifetime, to make her dreams come true. Finally in 1946, she opened the store, marrying her husband Amaro the following year. The story of the Terranova Bookstore and its owners is inext

 My Rating: 3.5⭐ “There are plenty of people in the world I don’t dislike, some of whom I almost like; on the other hand, I almost hate some of those whom I don’t dislike, too. But how many people did I truly love?” The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami is a quiet slow paced story that is in turn funny, thought-provoking and insightful. A slice of life story that focuses on the owners and the employees of a second-hand shop in Western Tokyo ( no antiques, please!), the story is narrated in the first person by our protagonist, Hitomi, an employee of the shop who embarks on a complicated on/off relationship with her colleague Takeo, who comes across as socially awkward and difficult to read resulting in confusion, anxiety and heartbreak for Hitomi. After a brief introduction ot the shop, the larger part of the narrative is divided into different segments, each featuring an item that is either being acquired or sold in the shop. As the narrative takes us through the daily working of t

 My Rating:  3.5⭐ “ She wanted to live out the remainder of her life on her own terms.” At the beginning of the novel, we meet eighty-one-year-old Bernice Byrd Hart, a retired librarian, in her home in Savage Crossing, Arkansas. Widowed for over two decades, she lives alone and her daughter, Sarah, married and settled in Atlanta, insists on her mother moving to Atlanta to be closer to her, even building a home adjacent to her own for the same purpose. Bernice is troubled by the idea of having to move to Atlanta even though she is in the process of decluttering her home (with a book by Marie Kondo as a guide on how–to) before her impending move. Despite her advanced age, Bernice is active and keeps busy in her community and church –group and despite her loneliness, she enjoys her independence. “Sometimes you won’t know where you’re going until you get there.” She packs her bags, withdraws her savings, and with her car “Miss Fiona” and her cat Dolly Parton proceeds to “run away” to a cab

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  (  The Book: 4.5/5;  Audiobook: 5/5) Eddie Flynn, con man/hustler/lawyer, can’t seem to stay away from trouble. This time he is coerced to defend David Child, a tech entrepreneur who is accused of brutally murdering his girlfriend, to protect his wife Christine, a lawyer employed with the prestigious law firm Harland and Sinton, from being framed for financial fraud. Christine unknowingly signed incriminating documents and law enforcement has zeroed in on her and she could take the fall for financial crimes being committed by her employers using the firm as a front. Unbeknownst to David, software developed by him for business purposes is being used for the firm’s illegal practices. David is the key to deciphering the encrypted data that could implicate those truly responsible and using Christine as leverage, a covert branch of law enforcement blackmails Eddie into representing David, hoping to negotiate a plea bargain for David in exchange for David’s cooperation in un

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ As the story begins we meet Wendy, who has just committed a felony, an “ art heist”, and is hiding out in the attic of the house she shares with her Gran who raised her. As the narrative progresses, Wendy, who loves writing poetry and learning new words, takes us through the sequence of events that has led to her present state. Unemployed after her love for using big words lands her in trouble in her call-center job, she finds herself alone and depressed, not quite motivated to search for a job. Her friendship with Catriona, “Cat”, proves to bring a breath of fresh air into her life. Socially uncomfortable, with only few friends and lonely, Wendy finds a fast friend in Cat, an aspiring artist and ex-colleague who is also struggling, with whom she has fun (and gets into trouble) and can share her fantasies, stories and poetry, her insecurities and her fears. Wendy is quirky and endearing and her worldview is unique – partially influenced by her inability to socialize on a

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “How many children had this happened to? How many children were like me, floating like plankton in the wide ocean? I thought how tenuous the links were between mother and children, between friends, family, things you think are eternal. Everything could be lost, more easily than anyone could imagine.” Twelve-year-old Astrid Magnussen spends six years of her life in and out of foster homes (six foster homes and a state-funded home for those “returned”) after her selfish, manipulative mother, Ingrid, a free-spirited poet, is sent to jail for killing her lover. Astrid’s feelings for her mother are conflicted. While her memories often take her back to happier times spent with her mother, Astrid cannot help but blame her mother for her present state and all the pain she has had to endure. In intermittent letters and the few visits with her mother in prison, Astrid recognizes her mother’s inability and unwillingness to comprehend the impact her actions have had on Astrid, to t

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5 - for the book ; 5/5 for the audio narration) When con man–turned-lawyer, Eddie Flynn, finds himself strapped to a bomb and forced to represent Russian mob boss Olek Volchek boss in a murder case, he has to rely on his instincts, reverting to tricks of the trade of the old life he has left behind and his friends (past and present) and former allies to help him save his ten-year-old daughter who is being held hostage by the mafia and ensure that justice is served. Narrated from the PoV of Eddie Flynn in the first person as the events take place in the present day, we are also given plenty of insight into Eddie’s past life, how he became a lawyer and a recent case that significantly impacted both his professional and personal life. While it might not get points for originality ( the stereotypical Mafia boss and his cronies, in-fighting and gang wars and the overused “Do-as-I-say–or-your-family-dies” trope), Steve Cavanagh’s The Defense is an engaging action-packed l

 My Rating:  3.5⭐ Set in the fictional Midwestern town of Vacca Vale, Indiana,  The Rabbit Hutch  revolves around the residents of a run-down apartment building, once ambitiously bestowed the French name, La Lapinière Affordable Housing Complex, by the philanthropist who funded its development. But now after the Zorn Automobile factories are long gone, the city is one of boarded storefronts and abandoned buildings- one of the many “dying cities” in America, the apartment building is more commonly referred to by its English translation “The Rabbit Hutch”. The story begins with what we can make out is an act of violence being committed in apartment C4. The narrative takes us through the preceding week and the events in the days leading up to that fateful night. The story predominantly centers around eighteen-year-old Blandine Watkins, recently aged out of the foster care system, a high school dropout and employed in a local diner, presently sharing apartment C4 with three young men, all

 My Rating: 4.5⭐ “My Ruin: All roads lead back to home.” A cryptic message left for struggling photographer Morgan Mori, at the site of her destroyed workspace in Chicago, leads her back to her hometown, crime-infested Black Harbor, Wisconsin where the “city’s grim atmosphere gnawed on people’s morals”. Back home, Morgan is hired by the wealthy and influential Reynolds family to photograph the family Christmas party. The Reynolds family has its share of mystery and scandal surrounding them, ever since Clive Reynolds, disappeared twenty years ago without a trace. Everyone suspected his wife Eleanor of killing him for a hefty insurance payout - a crime that was not proven. However, Morgan finds the Reynolds family to be pleasant and welcoming. After the party, Morgan, stops at a gas station and witnesses a cop being shot to death by a masked assailant. The cop, Brix Garrison, before drawing his last breath seems to recognize Morgan, which perplexes her. Morgan remains haunted by her horr

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana features eight interconnected stories revolving around the residents of a low-income high-rise residential building in Harlem. The ownership of Banneker Terrace has recently changed hands. With gentrification knocking on the door, the new owners intend to renovate the units hoping to attract a new crowd. As the rents are slated to rise, the existing tenants struggle to keep up with payments or face having to relocate to smaller units. Those who are behind on their rent are being served eviction notices. The first story, “Rent Manual”, revolves around a single mother, Mimi, who juggles two jobs to make rent and care for her little boy whose father, Swan resides in another unit in the building. In another story, “The Okiedoke”, Swan celebrates the release of his friend from jail but finds himself in a dilemma when the celebration involves swindling another person. Swan’s mother “Ms.Dallas” also holds two jobs – as a par

My Rating : 4.5⭐ “We are women who live needing nothing, needing no one. We are women who live in full connection with our mother earth. We will never betray her.” Nineteen-year-old Starling has spent her life living off the grid with her mother traveling across the country in their camper van. Once part of a community of travelers, it has been a while since she and her mother have been on their own. As the story begins, we find them living in their van parked deep in the woods. Starling’s mother ,Mar, is an artist whose paintings and artwork are often bartered for necessities. Though they have friends in the outside world and a community of fellow travelers that they have left behind, Mar is unwilling to be a part of any community, her fierce independence, preference for isolation and need for personal space override her social needs. “This was Mar’s idea of heaven, a space under the trees with no one else for miles.” Starling misses the friends she made in her “tribe” and is often te

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Can you experience nostalgia for something that hasn’t happened? We talk of ‘regrets’ about the course of our lives, when we are almost certain we have taken the wrong decision; but one can also be enveloped in a sweet and mysterious euphoria, a sort of nostalgia for what might have been.” The story begins with a late-night mugging that eventually lands the victim, Laure Valadier, a gilder by profession, in the hospital. Bookstore owner Laurent Letellier comes across an abandoned handbag on his routine coffee run, discarded on top of a garbage bin. Upon searching through the contents he finds a cornucopia of items (not surprising since most of us ladies carry our own little universe in our bags) but nothing indicating the identity or contact details of the owner. Among the contents, he does find a red moleskin notebook, a dry cleaners receipt, a key ring and a signed copy of a Patrick Modiano novel (I felt a bit jealous here!). The story follows Laurent as he tries to

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐ “There had been seven residents present and none of them were angels.” Danny Wells, a violent offender and resident of a probation hostel that houses high-risk offenders released “on licence” to serve the remainder of their time in the community, is murdered in cold blood in the common area of the hostel. Jeanette Macey, the Senior Probation Officer who manages the hostel is informed in the middle of the night by her Probation Service Officers. The malfunction of the surveillance equipment, a result of neglect on the part of the service officers in charge, has worked in the murderer’s favor. But in a house full of criminals, one can only expect that law enforcement wouldn’t have to look too far to find the culprit. Ripley House Approved Premises or Ripley House has been a cause of concern for the local community ever since it opened two years ago. The presence of high-risk offenders in the neighborhood prompted the formation of a neighborhood watch led by sixty-eight-year

My Rating: 4.5⭐️ “People tend to feel happy when spring arrives, especially after a cold winter. When spring begins, however, cannot be pinpointed to one particular moment. There is no one day that clearly marks when winter ends and spring begins. Spring hides inside winter. We notice it emerging with our eyes, our skin and other senses. We find it in new buds, a comfortable breeze and the warmth of the sun. It exists alongside winter.” “clang-dong” Welcome back to Café Funiculi Funicula, where patrons can embark on a journey into the past and/or future as long as they follow a list of rules among which is that nothing done in the past would impact the present or the future and you must return to the present before your coffee gets cold! “If it is not possible to change the present no matter how hard you try while in the past, then why bother?” A question that defies rational thought but the answer of which lies in the hearts of those who are grieving for the people they have lost, reg

  My Rating :3.5⭐ Set in the (fictitious) ski town of Last Word, Colorado, the story revolves around Ellie Christie, who along with her sister Meg owns and operates the only book shop in the town, Book Chalet which has been in the family for five generations. The bookshop is a destination of choice for local bibliophiles with its cozy reading nooks, shelves full of books, and, of course, the queen of the shop, Agatha C. Christie, the territorial Siamese who is quite popular in social media circles. “An active imagination was an occupational hazard of a life with books.” The Christie Sisters(any direct ancestral link to the famous author is yet to be discovered) are fans of murder mysteries. So when a mysterious man, who visited their bookshop in the middle of a celebrity influencer's book club meeting when a séance was being conducted ( as a reenactment of a scene from  the Agatha Christie mystery being discussed in the group), ends up murdered in a gondola with the Christie

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “There’s pleasure to be had in history. What’s recent is another matter and painful to recall.” ( from the story “Walk the Blue Fields”) Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan is a collection of seven stories revolving around the themes of loss, regret, missed opportunities, and loneliness. From forbidden love, unhappy marriages and child abuse to gender identity, infidelity and misogyny- these stories explore some of the most complex aspects of human relationships and behavior. The tone of most of these stories borders on melancholic. Few authors can depict raw human emotion with such eloquence as Claire Keegan. Keegan’s characters are real and relatable – in their flaws, in their virtues and their simplicity. At this point after reading so many of this author’s works, I associate Claire Keegan with her clear, elegant and dream-like quality of writing, vivid imagery and deeply evocative stories. I am happy to say that with this collection, the author does not disappoin

  My Rating: 3.5⭐ “Understanding and knowledge were wasted if one did not apply them to life.”  In 1943, Ava   Harper,  a librarian working in the Rare Book Room at the Library of Congress in Washington DC  recruited to work in Lisbon, Portugal,  a neutral zone during WWII to gather intelligence on the enemy from all available print media. When Ava lands in Lisbon, she finds that her job entails collecting as much as she can from magazines and newspapers but having to do so while navigating her way around Nazi spies and the Portuguese secret police. She also befriends many Jews who are waiting for onward travel Visas in Lisbon and learns more about the events that forced them to flee Europe as well as the hurdles involved in their onward journey. She is adamant that their stories and voices are not lost and takes the initiative to document as much as she can. In Nazi-occupied France, Helene Belanger ( under the assumed name Elaine Rousseau) joins the Resistance in Lyon after her husban

My Rating:4.5⭐ How We Disappear by Tara Lynn Masih is a collection of twelve short stories and one novella with a common theme of disappearance. Often those who disappear do so of their own accord, some are taken from their dear ones and some choose to reinvent themselves shedding their old lives. The concept of disappearance takes on many forms in these stories which are diverse in content, context, setting and characters. While we have a famous author whose 12-day disappearance made headlines ( “Agatha: A life in Unauthorized Fragments”) we also have a missing child who is found thanks to the skillful observation skills of a woman who specializes in identifying perpetrators from camera footage, a “professional recognizer” in the police department (”What You Can't See in Pictures”). A loner finds companionship in a ghost town tourist attraction in the Depression era (“Fleeing Gravity”).In “Delight”, a Puerto Rican shopkeeper find love and a sense of worth with a tourist in her bea

My Rating :⭐ Even though Lisa Jewell remains one of my favorite writers in this genre I have always maintained that  The Family Upstairs  is probably my least favorite among her books. Guess what? The Family Remains changed that and how! The Family Upstairs left me with some unanswered questions. I had hoped (Lesson Learnt: Be careful what you wish for!) that the sequel would answer those questions and redeem the previous book in my eyes. Were my questions answered? Yes! But to be honest, I think living with those questions would have been more satisfying than having to endure The Family Remains. I try not to DNF books out of respect for the author’s hard work, but this book really tried my patience. My buddy read with SabiReads (you can read her review  here ) was what helped me read through to the end. As the story begins, we see Lucy, Henry and Libby carrying on with their lives after the events in the previous book. A trip to Botswana to meet Phin is planned but falls through when