Tara Westover’s memoir, Educated, tells her story of growing up in the mountains of Idaho with her family who are survivalists. Her father is stockpiling food and ammunition to prepare for the end of the world. Her brothers and sister do not attend school as the father mistrusts anything to do with the government. With the help of her brother Tyler, Tara takes the ACT and attends BYU. She then goes on to further her education but remains conflicted about leaving her roots in Idaho. Educated is a compelling read and the author has an important story to tell.

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A. J. Finn is wrote a thriller that has captured the book world. A Woman in the Window is about child psychologist Dr. Anna Fox who is also agoraphobic. She sits at her apartment window and observes her neighbors and sometimes takes photographs.  A new family has moved in across the street who has captured Anna’s attention. What occurs and what Anna sees makes for a page turning thriller.

Weird and really wonderfully written with evocative descriptions, this book is filled with engaging if not quite likeable characters. A satire, this book shifts between lightness and sincerity. It may not be everyone’s taste, but this tale — about a woman who takes a job as “Emotional Girlfriend” for a famous actor as part of his project to take all of the different roles played by a girlfriend and hire different women to take them on — sure was mine.

This book explores ideas around celebrity, having personal connections after trauma, and what it means to be living in what you feel is a broken body, and again, does so with absolutely gorgeous sentences.

Reviewed by Pam

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A thrilling story of survival and coming to terms with one’s background and biology, this book tackles tough subjects while maintaining a breakneck pace of readability. The unique voice of the narrator captured this evocative, brutal, and believable story of a woman, on the hunt for her father, who had abducted her mother as a teenager and kept her captive for more than a decade. Now, her father has escaped from prison, and our narrator is the only one with the wilderness skills and personal connection to track him down.

I am not normally a thriller person, but this book grabbed me right from the beginning and kept a tight hold until the very end.

Reviewed by Pam

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Is our society toxic to our own happiness?  Why do soldiers in war-torn countries have less incidents of PTSD than our own?  Sebastian Junger (A Perfect Storm, Fire, A Death in Belmont), draws conclusions based on his experiences in Middle Eastern war zones and tribal societies.  The reader comes away with a better understanding of why in a society with so many resources, we fail to heal our most vuneralbe compatriots. Fascinating!

In Picoult’s latest novel, race relation is explored. Ruth Jefferson, an African American labor and delivery nurse at a CT hospital is ordered by parents of a newborn not to touch their baby. The parents are white supremacists, thus Ruth is dismisses from the baby’s care. What follows is a nightmare for both Ruth and the parents and the hospital. This is a very compelling read with strong plot and characters.

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Another funny read from Elinor Lipman, On Turpentine Lane is a light and delightful story of a woman, her new house, the mysteries that come with it, a bad boyfriend and a great coworker. What elevates this book above a cozy tale is Lipman’s characteristic cultural insight and wit. Elements of mystery and romance keep the plot moving. Perfect for someone looking for some warmth and brightness at the end of a cold New England winter. (There’s also a cameo recognizable to local readers: all of that snow from the winter of ’14-’15 snowpacalypse.)

Reviewed by Pam.

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