LiteratureLust.com
The action of The Briar Club starts in 1950 in a Washington, D.C. boarding house for women, owned by an uncaring, mean-spirited woman, Mrs. Nillson, who runs the house primarily on the back of her pre-teen son named Pete. World War II has ended, and seven women from different walks of life now occupy the rooms of The Briarwood House.
Vivien Li, an expert on China, is called to the White House. But so is Alice Li, a food blogger. Why? What in the world would Alice mean to a worldwide crisis? What follows is a fast-paced, wild ride as we discover secrets of Vivien's past and the connections her daughter might have to the global terrorist threat. Global leaders coalesce, and tempers flare.
It was fun. Charming. Interesting. Based on a true story. Who knew that I would fall in love with a cantankerous, 105-year-old narrator who is trying to write all of his story before his death, fighting off the staff of the nursing home where he lives when they tell him to stop? He resists eating. Doing physical therapy. Nothing, after all, is more important to Woodrow Wilson Nickel than recording…
You've probably heard of Louisa May Alcott. But have you heard of May Alcott Nieriker, the subject of Elise Hooper's novel, The Other Alcott?
Caro Claire Burke's 2026 novel, Yesteryear, is supposed to be about time trouble, but it's really more about gender roles, conservative religion, wealth, class, and the impact of social media on both influencers and influencees.
Theo of Golden is about an older, monied, kind, and sophisticated gentleman who spends a year in Golden, Alabama, getting to know the townspeople, settling into an apartment above his friend's legal consulting business, and frequenting "The Chalice," a local coffeehouse.
Birdie Calhoun, a 24-year-old, strong-minded, unmarried woman from Footely, Mississippi, goes to Oxford, Mississippi to beg her younger sister, Frances, now married into the wealthy Tartt family, for enough money to pay their taxes. The Depression has ground its heels into the working class, and everywhere, homes are being repossessed for taxes and unpaid mortgages, the Calhouns included.
The father of The Moonshine Women was Hiram Strong. Hiram was taught by his mother, Lidy, the old family tradition of making moonshine in the Ozarks. The liquor is what keeps the family alive, and it's known as the best moonshine west of the Mississippi, partly because Lidy always adds a secret ingredient. But tragedy strikes when Hiram's wife, Alta, falls out of the barn loft, heavily pregnant…
The back of the book flaunted a quote that I believe in wholeheartedly and made me want to read it more: "The right book in the hands of the right person at exactly the right moment can change their life forever."
Judge Stone is definitely a fast-paced, thrilling read, but it's not an easy or light because it deals with hot-button, divisive issues. Abortion. Racism. Religious fervor. Political power, abuses of justice, and the Ku Klux Klan.
Maybe my attraction to the rough and desolate Australian outback started with Colleen McCullough's novel The Thorn Birds, a book that captured my heart in the late 1970s. I was mesmerized by the idea of living in an isolated place, connected to the land but fighting with it daily to survive. The fictional sheep station of Drogheda felt like a real place to me, and I was heartbroken over the…
This book rocked me. Purchased because I'd heard others say it was good, I thought the book would focus on how names change people. That, my friends, is not truly what the story is about. It's not about how names change people but about how domestic abuse changes outcomes and imprints on people's names.
Unexpected developments happen to each member of the family throughout the week. As Willa says, "This week is proving to be very revelatory!" But with each event, Rocky is forced to confront her own memories and history, dealing with her painful past.
Ridgeline by Michael Punke is an awesome historical novel, a recap of the sad, fraught relations with the indigenous tribes, an education in battlefield strategy, and a brilliant example of writing from multiple viewpoints.
Patrick Ryan's 2025 novel, Buckeye, is a vivid slice of Americana during WWII, depicting small-town life in Ohio and shedding insight on the human condition.
Crow Mary is a compelling story with strong characters, an interesting plot, and a feeling of what it must have been like to be a Native American woman at a time when her world was irrevocably changing.
Robert May accepted the assignment for the giveaway Christmas story about an animal. His wife was battling cancer and died shortly after, leaving May to raise his four-year-old daughter, Barbara, alone, struggling under a mountain of medical bills. May’s employer encouraged him to turn the project over for completion by someone else. He refused, saying, "I need Rudolph...more than ever!"
A little old lady walks into Simon Latch's small-town law office, claiming she needs a new will because another lawyer in town has done some devious dealings in the law she had him update. Simon begins to understand why a colleague across the street may have adopted some unscrupulous tactics based on what this unassuming widow claims. She and her husband have lived very simply, frugally, for…
if you like the idea of giving a "good read" to someone you love, here are just a few ideas. I'm including a brief summary of what the book was about and a link to the full article where you can buy the book on either Amazon.com or Bookshop.org.
Imagine my delight when I saw an announcement of The Rainbow Atlas: A Guide to the World’s 500 Most Colorful Places. Taylor Fuller is credited as the main author, and six other travel and photography writers contribute to make this book an absolutely stunning tour of the globe’s most glowing, graphic, eye-popping vistas.