The Ballad of Hattie Taylor

Author: Susan Andersen
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2021
Pages: 400
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: In the small, bustling town of Mattawa, Oregon, the turn of the century offers a new kind of frontier for women: a vast and exciting range of possibilities - to a point. It's a time for change, and no one is more eager to embrace new paths than free-spirited outsider Hattie Taylor. If only she could embrace Jake Murdoch too.

Jack can't remember a time he was so confused. Hattie is off-limits. The provoking spitfire is under his mother's protection - his protection - and he has always belonged to another. But now, with the passing of his wife, Jake feels something shift between them. Frustratingly aware of Hattie as a woman, he struggles with new feelings, new questions, new desires.

But when a desperate decision born of good intentions turns out to have ugly repercussions, Hattie confronts a cruel reality she can no longer ignore: the truth of where women really stand and the actions men take to keep them there. To navigate her new world of tainted justice and privileged order, Hattie will draw on the strength of women around her - and Jake will learn what it truly means to support the woman he loves.

Review: This book is a challenge to review. I liked it, but it contains a lot of graphic sex, not all of it consensual. There are cringe-y moments, and there are moments that are completely sweet and endearing. Women are tough, and women have been under-estimated throughout history.

Tumbleweeds

Author: Leila Meacham
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2013
Pages: 480
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Recently orphaned, eleven-year-old Cathy Benson feels she has been dropped into a cultural and intellectual wasteland when she is forced to move from her academically privileged life in California to the small town of Kersey in the Texas Panhandle where the sport of football reigns supreme. She is quickly taken under the unlikely wings of up-and-coming gridiron stars and classmates John Caldwell and Trey Don Hall, orphans like herself, with whom she forms a friendship and eventual love triangle that will determine the course of the rest of their lives.

Taking the three friends through their growing up years until their high school graduations when several tragic events uproot and break them apart, the novel expands to follow their careers and futures until they reunite in Kersey at forty years of age.

Review: Full disclosure, while Leila Meacham is one of my favorite authors, I struggled three times prior to read this novel. I just couldn't get past the first chapter, for whatever reason. I decided 2022 was my year. 

For some reason, it clicked this time.

In typical Meacham fashion, this is a family saga, though it doesn't cover the breadth that Roses, along with it's prequel and sequel do. We meet the main characters when they are 11 years old. However, it wasn't until they turned about 18 that this novel really took off, and I was hooked.

It took time, but these characters worked their way into my thoughts throughout the day, always the sign of a good novel.

Sadly Leila Meacham passed away from cancer in 2021 with an unpublished manuscript. From what I've read, her family plans to release this novel as well, which I also cannot wait to read.

Send for Me

Author: Lauren Fox
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Company, 2021
Pages: 272
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Based on the author's own family letters, Send for Me tells the story of Annelise, a young woman in prewar Germany. Growing up working at her parents' popular bakery, she's always imagined a future full of delicious possibilities. Despite rumors that anti-Jewish sentiment is on the rise, Annelise and her parents can't quite believe it will affect them; they're hardly religious. But as she falls in love, marries, and gives birth to her daughter, the dangers grow closer. Soon Annelise and her husband are given the chance to leave for America, but they must go without her parents, whose future and safety are uncertain.

Two generations later in a small Midwestern city, Annelise's granddaughter, Clare, is a young woman newly in love. But when she stumbles upon a trove of letters her great-grandmother wrote from Germany after Annelise's departure, she sees the history of her family's sacrifices in a new light, leading her to question whether she can still honor the past while planning for her future.

Review: This is my favorite book of the year thus far. I started reading and was hooked on the first few pages, and I flew through it. I loved the story and I loved the way it developed. The format of this won't appeal to everyone, but it spoke to me.

Digging In

Author: Loretta Nyhan
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Amazon Publishing, 2018
Pages: 252
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Paige Moresco found her true love in eighth grade - and lost him two years ago. Since his death, she's been sleepwalking through life, barely holding on for the sake of her teenage son. Her house is a wreck, the grass is overrun with weeds, and she's at risk of losing her job. As Paige stares at her neglected lawn, she knows she's hit rock bottom. So she does something entirely unexpected: she begins to dig.

As the hole gets bigger, Paige decides to turn her entire yard into a vege
table garden. The neighbors in her tidy gated community are more than a little alarmed. Paige knows nothing about gardening, and she's boldly flouting neighborhood-association bylaws. But with the help of new friends, a charming local cop, and the transformative power of the soil, Paige starts to see potential in the chaos of her life. Something big is beginning to take root - both in her garden and in herself.

Review: I plucked this book off the shelf as I was passing through the library. I liked the cover, and it sounded like it had potential. I was drawn into this cast of characters in chapter 1. I could relate to the main character as a mom who's gone on remote control at work. Loved this novel.

Texas True

Author: Janet Dailey
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Kensington, 2015
Pages: 368
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: The cowboy who claimed her heart before taking off on a tour of duty, planning never to return. But Beau Tyler is back, and Natalie Haskell feels defenseless against the powerful pull of the brawny solider. Especially when she finds herself suddenly widowed and needing the shelter of his strong arms.

She's the hometown sweetheart. 

The girl Beau left behind but never forgot, despite his battle-scared soul. Now Natalie is the real reason he's staying on at the ranch, despite rumors that he was somehow involved in her late husband's death. Because something in Beau has stirred to life again - something he believed his painful past has destroyed. And not even wild horses can keep him from the woman he still loves.

Review: I felt myself rolling my eyes in the first couple of chapters since the story didn't seem to have much depth. Eventually Dailey found her groove, and the mystery was better than I had expected. There was zero character development and they were Texas ranch cliches. I don't know if I feel compelled to continue the series, but this wasn't the worst way to spend a day. 

The Museum of Rain

Author: Dave Eggers
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Sweeney's Publishing, 2021
Pages: 44
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Oisin Mahoney is an American Army vet in his 70s who is asked to lead a group of young grand-nieces and grand-nephews on a walk through the hills of California's Central Coast. Walking toward a setting sun, their destination is a place called The Museum of Rain, which may or may not still exist, and whose origin and meaning are elusive to all. 

Review: I liked this little book. It's so short that saying much about it will spoil it, but this is a sweet read.

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery

Author: Amanda Cox
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2021
Pages: 324
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Present Day. After tragedy plunges her into grief and unresolved anger, Sarah Ashby returns to her childhood home determined to finally follow her long-denied dream of running Old Depot Grocery alongside her mother and grandmother. But when she arrives, her mother, Rosemary, announces to her that the store is closing. Sarah and her grandmother, Glory Ann, make a pact to save the store, but Rosemary has worked her entire life to make sure her daughter never follows in her footsteps. She has her reasons - but she'll certainly never reveal the real one.

1965. Glory Ann confesses to her family that she's pregnant with her deceased fiance's baby. Pressured into a marriage of convenience with a shopkeeper to preserve the family's reputation, Glory Ann vows never to love again. But some promises are not as easily kept as she imagined.

Review: I loved the title of this book, and the cover art. The story itself was also compelling. Alternating timelines still aren't my favorite. This author packed a lot of family secrets and details into this novel. It's an intricate plot with new information being revealed at every turn.

The Heart of Spendid Lake

Author: Amy Clipston
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Nelson, Thomas, Inc., 2021
Pages: 352
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Brianna is the youngest of the three Porter sisters and the only one who chose to stay in the small town of Splendid Lake, North Carolina. She followed in her father's footsteps and became an expert boat mechanic, helping him run their small resort with cabin rentals, a convenience store, and a marina.

When Brianna's father unexpectedly dies, Brianna is steeped in grief and guilt - then left alone to clean up the mess. To make matters worse, a constant stream of real estate brokers begins marching through her property, offering to buy the family land. In particular, she keeps running into handsome real estate mogul Scott Gibson. 

As Brianna struggles to keep it all together, Scott finds his way into her heart. And as the two fight against their feelings, they might just find themselves forging a surprising and exciting new love at Splendid Lake.

Review: In need of a lighter read, the cover of this book called to me from one of the library shelves. It was exactly what I expect from this genre. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Olympus, Texas

Author: Stacy Swann
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing, 2021
Pages: 336
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: The Briscoe family is once again the talk of their small town when March returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms. Her husband's own past affairs have made her tired of being the long-suffering spouse. Is it, perhaps, time for a change? Within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. In the end, the ties that hold them together might be exactly what drag them all down.

Review: This is what I call a slow-burn novel. It's character driven and takes place over the course of one week. Family dysfunction, sibling rivalries and dynamics, and the impact of one person's decisions on those around him are at the center. This was a great start to my year of reading.

There are mythological elements woven into this story. For example, Mars, the god of  war is represented in the character named March. However, I never really got into Greek Mythology so many of these references were lost on me. I suppose if you have that background, you'd like this novel even more than I did.