Contemporary Fiction and a Thriller: Sunday Salon

 Books to be published April 2025: two reviews

Where Do We Go From Here?  by Nick Alexander, April 23, 2025

Source: ARCs from NetGalley, Bookouture

Genre: contemporary women's fiction, family drama

I enjoyed this family drama involving nurse Wendy, her husband Harry, and her two kids, Toby and Fiona. Wendy discovers a remote off-grid eco-cabin in France, outside of Nice, and books it for six months following the tensions with her husband and children during and after the Covid crisis, plus her need for some serious alone-time. 

I loved seeing how Wendy copes with the changes in the winter weather that makes her have to be creative and proactive to survive in her rustic cabin, which uses solar panels on the roof for electricity. Heating is from a wood stove that she has to keep feeding with logs to keep herself warm. Her only help comes from the mail deliverer, Mason, who will deliver groceries that she can't get herself from walking to the local bakery/grocery. Her nature walks in the hills and the descriptions of the hills and forests that calm her down is refreshing. 

Seeing how this solitary time and experience helps Wendy come to terms with herself, her alcoholism, and her family life is a rewarding reading experience. 

What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon, April 10, 2025

Source: ARCs from NetGalley, Penguin

Genre: romance, contemporary fiction

Ellie from London and Ash from Wales, both twenty-year-olds,  meet while traveling in Europe and spend three days together. They fall in love and arrange to meet at a certain day in Madrid. When Ash doesn't show up in Madrid, Ellie spends the next several  years trying to forget him. As they had not even exchanged their last names or family details, Ellie can't reach him, and he hasn't used her number to call her. 

A certified gardener six years later, Ellie works as one of the staff on the vast estate of a Welsh family mansion tending the formal and informal gardens and orchards. I loved the descriptions of the gardens, the gardening itself, the varieties of flowers and bushes on the vast grounds. Needless to say, she meets Ash again while she is there. This romance has a few tropes including lovers-enemies and mistaken identities. 

The ending is less romantic, in my opinion, and the new lifestyle of the two people doesn't fit with their personalities, though this is a happy together-again ending.

Currently reading

Gravewater Lake by A.M. Strong, Sonya Sargent, March 1, 2025, Thomas & Mercer

Genre: psych thriller, suspense, Vermont

I've just started reading this thriller and am loving it so far. It involves a woman who finds herself at the edge of the lake with bruises and a bump on the head. Problem is, she doesn't know who she is and her amnesia doesn't allow her to figure out what happened to her. Her rescuer, Gregg, is becoming suspicious to her too, although he says he doesn't know who she is. 

The book only averaged 3.5 stars on goodreads, but I'm hoping it's a least a four for me by the time I finish reading. 

What are you reading this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

Books: Cats and their Humans, Fictional and Real

 Fictional and Real Cats and Those Who Meet Them

I'm a dog lover myself, but I see so many books about cats and their importance to their humans that I had to list a few. Japanese authors in particular, seem to love and respect cats as not only good luck, but having a mystical presence.

Here's a recent novel by American writer, Anne Tyler

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler, Feb. 11, 2025; Knopf, NetGalley
Genre: family dynamics, contemporary adult fiction

It took the reappearance of Gail's ex-husband Max with his cat to soften her heart over the next three days in June, when Max showed up to attend their daughter Debbie's wedding to her fiance, Kenneth. Gail at first didn't want the cat in the house, but the cat took a liking to Gail and slept with her in her bed at night. Max also slowly eased his way back into his ex-wife's heart, even though the ending seemed ambiguous as to their future.

I liked that their daughter Debbie did not want to make the same mistake her parents did in their marriage. Forgive and forget seems to be Max's motto, echoed by Debbie. 

I was surprised by Gail's admission to daughter Debbie about the reason for her divorce from Max those many years ago. And Gail, as the story's narrator, admitting that soft hearted Max would never hurt anyone he loved.

An unusual look at a marriage that was, and a marriage to be. The book gave reason to think about family dynamics on another level.

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi
Published Feb. 4, 2025; Penguin, NetGalley

Genre: magical realism, death and loss

I enjoyed reading about twenty-year-old Kotoko Niki visiting the seaside town of Uchibo to have a "remembrance meal" for her brother at the Chibineko Kitchen. Kotoko feels responsible for the untimely death of her older brother who had risked his life saving her from a car accident on the street.

The Chibineko Kitchen meal comes with added incentive - the spirit of the deceased being remembered could be seen and heard for the brief moment the food stays warm on the table. Kotoko feels this meal is a way to apologize to her brother. There are a few other people who interact with their deceased loved ones at the remembrance meals.

Chibineko means "little kitten" in Japanese, and there is a little cat at the restaurant that is often present before and after the meals. When Kai, the son of the restaurant's owner, wants to close the kitchen after his ailing mother passes away, Kotoko seems to find purpose in helping Kai decide whether or not to keep the kitchen open and continue the remembrance meals.

A very cute story of death, loss, the afterlife, and remembrance. With a little magical cat in attendance.

She and Her Cat: Stories by Makoto Shinkai

Genre: stories, speculative fiction, magical realism 

I liked this story about the abandoned kittens and cats that are rescued or taken in and fed by several people, primarily women, in this book of four interrelated  stories. Some of the cats have lives of their own and find each other on the streets, confer together regarding their respective owners or benefactors, and somehow help their humans survive their crises and sorrows in life.

In parts heart warming, these stories of speculative fiction show how much cats as pets can mean to people in real life as shown in literature.

The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, February 25, 2025; Putnam & Sons; NetGalley

Genre: contemporary Japanese fiction, cats, short stories

I'm eager to get into this book to see how seven customers of a pet shop are helped by taking home a "blanket cat" for just three days. The cats are mysterious and somehow magical, so that the problems of the caregivers will resolve themselves after just three days with the cats in their homes. 

Clever and unusual idea for a book of short stories with the "blanket cat" theme.

A memoir

Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats by Courtney Gustafson 

Publication: April 29, 2025; Crown; NetGalley 

I'm amazed by the description of a memoir by a woman who moves into an old house in Poets Square in Tucson, Arizona and befriends a large group of feral cats.The street cats become her family as they "reshaped her ... empathy, resilience, and the healing power of wholly showing up for something outside yourself."

The stories she tells about the personalities of the 30 cats, on TikTok and Instagram, also helped her save her home. I don't yet know if she takes them into her home, though, but only feeds them in alleyways and wherever they show up. I'll find out when I read the entire book and also see how the author may differ from cat ladies we read about in the news who live in dismal circumstances with an overload of cats in the home.

Advance Praise

'Cats are mystical beings, bridging the spiritual and the tangible. Courtney Gustafson’s Poet Square is a book that helps us connect to this spiritual world, offering a bridge to the ethereal.' Ai Weiwei

What are you reading or watching this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday 

Sunday Salon: Rom Coms by Emily Henry

 

Funny Story by Emily Henry, April 23, 2024; Berkley
Genre: romantic comedy

I loved the plot premise, the exes of two people getting together as roommates and making things work. The first half of the book held my interest, but then the interactions between the two roommates, Daphne and Miles, both dumped by their lovers, becomes long and drawn out, when we already can guess the final outcome of this unlikely romantic involvement.

I think Funny Story could be cut by a third and still be an original and enjoyable romance. I know all the Emily Henry fans could disagree with me, but I'd love to see this romance as a shorter book. What did you think? 

Previous Books

Beach Read by Emily Henry, May 19, 2020; Berkley

The author says this book is about a writer's block. I read it as about a woman dealing with a recent breakup and a family death and a secret that she finds devastating.  It's also about a man dealing with a similar breakup and an equally devastating family past. They are both published authors who find themselves living in beach cottages right next to each other. 

But the romance is slow, very slow as the two get to know each other, taking their sweet time that is sometimes aggravating for the reader. They decide to swap genres and write a book the other would write. She a literary fiction novel with a dark bent, and he a romance.  How do they do? It's slow, let me tell you. But a rewarding read when the woman begins to theorize and philosophize about life,  while falling in love.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry, May 3, 2022; Berkley

I liked this bookish couple, Nora, a literary agent, and Charles, a book editor, who meet at a small out of the way town, the subject of a bestselling book promoted by Nora. There, in spite of their differences and their strange attraction to one another, they collaborate on a new book by Nora's best selling author, which draws them in close proximity.

Nora's life is complicated by her continuing devotion to younger sister Libby, for whom she has made sacrifices that Libby is not aware of. Romance and family ties are inherent to the plot of this rom com and the themes are developed accordingly. The slow burn romance between Charles and Nora had me impatient and flipping the pages, however, and instead of prolonging the romantic suspense, the situation just left me wanting, like Nora, to flip to the end of the book to see if I liked the ending.

All's well that ends well, however, although I do wish the romance between Nora and Charles had been speeded up a bit.

 

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

A slow read for me that lost my interest. I flipped to the end and saw the problem in the relationship: the guy was afraid to be happy! (his words)  That helped to resolve this love situation.

Happy Place by Emily Henry, April 25, 2023; Berkley

The story is of former lovers, now barely friends, who must pretend to still be in love and engaged to be married! They are stuck with their best friends in a vacation home by the sea in Maine, and must share a room with a king sized bed, not twin beds. The suspense in the novel hangs on this trope - former lovers pretending to still be in love.

 
Most of the book details all the friends enjoying shopping, cooking, eating and drinking on their beach vacation, being together as an annual ritual soon to be broken when the vacation home is sold. The pretence of Harriet and Wyn leads to a predictable ending, but the reader does spend time on vacation with the group and wishing for a happy ending.

A light beach read, that has one main romantic suspense theme. I wished for a more diverse plot with more angles to the story.

I liked Beach Read and Book Lovers best, the first two of the author's books, and gave them four stars. The other rom coms that follow were three stars for me, but still enjoyable.

New Arrival

I just love that ring on the cover of the book. Wonder how it fits into the detective story? 

Hunkeler's Secret: Inspector Hunkeler #4 

by Hansjorg Schneider, April 29, 2025; Bitter Lemon Press, translated from the German original

Source: ARC from Meryl Zegarek, public relations

Retired Inspector Hunkeler is hospitalized in his hometown of Basil, Switzerland, when he sees a nurse administering a lethal injection to his friend in the next bed. Was it just a dream of his and should he seek vengeance? 

The book poses ethical questions: justice vs retribution as it also explores how wartime events shaped Switzerland's identity and the tensions between their financial security and moral responsibility during WWII. 

What are you reading or watching this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday 

Top Ten Tuesday: Rom Coms For Valentine's Day

 Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, sponsored by That Artsy Reader Girl.  Choose ten books for this week’s topic, "love,"  in honor of Valentine’s Day, which is this Friday! 

I have chosen ten rom coms I've reviewed or featured in the past.

Lost in Tuscany by Sophie Sinclair, June 14, 2024; BooksGoSocial

Genre: travel romance, contemporary fiction

A travel romance on an Italian bike tour.

Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst, August 16, 2022, St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: romantic comedy, women's fiction, travel

Lucia accepts a job in Rennes, France to renovate a 200-year-old hotel.

Seoulmates by Jen Frederick, January 25, 2022, Berkley

Genre: romantic drama, multi-cultural interest, Korea

When Korean adoptee Hara Wilson goes to Seoul to find her birth mother, she doesn’t plan on falling in love (publisher)

The No-Show by Beth O'Leary, April 26, 2022, Berkley

Genre: rom-com, women's fiction

About: Three women are unwittingly stood up by the same man they all consider their boyfriend. 

Crash by Tamara Lush, Jan. 24, 2023; Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group  Genre: rom com, contemporary fiction

This romance's rom com tropes: a fake engagement to fool the family; a bedroom with only one bed.

Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club by Roselle Lim

Publication: August 16, 2022; Berkley

Genre: rom com, romance, magical realism

Sophie tries to make it as a matchmaker in Toronto, to support herself and her elderly parents. 

Well, That Was Unexpected

by 

Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties

September 27, 2022; Delacorte Press

A humorous rom-com about a girl whisked from LA to her mother's native Indonesia. Trope: fake dating.  (publisher)

The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain by Kazuo Ishiguro, March 5, 2024; Knopf 

Ishiguro's 16 song lyrics are infused with a sense of yearning, melancholy, love, and the romance of travel and liminal spaces.

Illustrated by Italian artist Bianca Bagnarelli

The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao

Publication: January 7, 2023; Berkley

Part Pygmalion and part story of Icarus. Kyla, aspiring PR writer, tries to pass as a Singapore socialite. 

Bad Cruz

by 

L.J. Shen,

 published November 10th, 2021

Unlikely couple find each other on an accidental cruise. 

Are you joining the meme, Top Ten Tuesday ?

Reviews of Weike Wang's Three Novels, and Feature of a Memoir by Jon M. Chu, film director

Books by Weike Wang

 I read Wang's third novel, Rental House, reread Chemistry, and added my earlier review of Joan Is Okay. I gave them all five stars, as I loved the way the books are written and the stories told in an often whimsical style .

The books, listed in order of publication, seem to advance the progress of the immigrant women from one book to the other. 

Chemistry by Weike Wang, May 23, 2017; Knopf

The Chinese family in juxtaposition to Western culture, as well as family dynamics in general and how these affect children, their careers and their marriage choices.

The narrator of Chemistry doesn't identify herself by name. We know she struggles to enjoy her job as a chemist the way her boyfriend, Eric, does. He works in the same lab in New York and they live together. Though Eric proposes time and time again to her, she refuses to give an answer, until he has to leave for a university post in Ohio. 

The narrator muses about life, chemistry in everyday life, and gives us insights into her parents' marriage, their style of parenting, their high expectations of her, and how these affect her attitude to marriage, work, and love. 

The ending in relation to Eric is ambiguous, and leads the reader to only hope for the best.

Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang

Jan. 18, 2022; Random House


A seemingly stereotypical Chinese woman doctor in New York, hard-working Joan, lives in a high rise apartment bare of furnishings and creature comforts, in stark contrast with her older brother, a successful businessman who lives the American dream with his family in a mansion in the suburbs. Joan was born in America while her brother came to America as a young boy, and their lifestyles and attitudes are polar opposites.

But in her own eyes, Joan is okay. She likes the sparse, limited life she leads and does not miss the luxuries that her salary in America could afford her. An intimate look at the personality that is Joan, who resists change from her own comfortable lifestyle.

Written with humor and candor, and a look at two styles of immigrant lives.

 Rental House by Weike Wang

Published December 3, 2024; Riverhead Books

Keru and Nate seem to be opposites, yet they meet at an Ivy League college and land up getting married. Keru's well educated immigrant Chinese family is the opposite of Nate's rural American working class family, and the couple fit each other more than they fit into their own families.

The family dynamics play out in a shared family vacation at a rental house, with both sides spending time with each other, and then later visiting Keru and Nate at their home. The imbalance of their situation and their families leads Keru to take the lead in keeping everyone together. She felt she had to be always present to "right the course" and handle their families together.

"They would take better care of each other and their dog. The unit had to be protected and she would protect them. They were codependent, she and Nate. Without her, he lost grounding, but without him, she could be relentless and too focused."

An amazing solution to a situation full of contradictions and different life styles and expectations from the families of both sides.

Weike Wang is a graduate of Harvard University, where she earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry and her doctorate in public health. She received her MFA from Boston University. Her fiction has been published in or is forthcoming from Alaska Quarterly Review, Glimmer Train, The Journal, Ploughshares, Redivider, and SmokeLong Quarterly.

Currently reading 

Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen by Jon M. Chu, 

July 23, 2024; Random House

Description

Jon M. Chu, movie director of Crazy Rich Asians and Wicked, has written an inspiring memoir of belonging, creativity, and learning to see who you really are. Long before he directed Wicked, In The Heights, or Crazy Rich Asians, Jon M. Chu was a movie-obsessed first-generation Chinese American, helping at his parents’ Chinese restaurant in Silicon Valley and forever facing the cultural identity crisis endemic to children of immigrants. 

Growing up on the cutting edge of twenty-first-century technology gave Chu the tools he needed to make his mark at USC film school, and to be discovered by Steven Spielberg, but he soon found himself struggling to understand who he was. In this book, for the first time, Chu turns the lens on his own life and work, telling the universal story of questioning what it means when your dreams collide with your circumstances, and showing how it’s possible to succeed even when the world changes beyond all recognition.

What are you reading or watching this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves