October was a very “okay” reading month for me. There was one book that will stay with me for a long time and will be among my favorites for the years. The others were good, enjoyable reads, but not ones that will make a favorites list. Three of the books fit into the mystery/suspense/thriller category and these usually are books that equate to a good reading experience, but not much more.
Here’s a brief summary and some thoughts of the books I read in November.
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
I had really high hopes for this book because of the previous books I’ve read by Colson Whitehead and loved!!! Harlem Shuffle landed a little flat for me, though.
This novel is set in Harlem (hence the title) in the 1960s and centers around Ray Carney, a furniture store owner, who is pulled into a secret life of crime. He ends up leading a double life as he battles an internal struggle between Ray “the striver” and Ray “the crook”. As he navigates this double life, Ray discovers who is really in charge in Harlem. Throughout the book, Ray is striving to avoid getting killed, save his trouble attracting cousin, take out revenge on those who have wronged him and grab his share of the big score while also maintaining his reputation as a family man and local furniture business owner.
I loved the setting of this novel and enjoyed Ray’s character, but it felt “jumpy” to me and I had a hard time keeping interest in the story.
The Neighbor’s Secret by L. Allison Heller
The Neighbor’s Secret is a neighborhood drama centered around a book club in a wealthy subdivision. Well, I was hooked and knew I wanted to read this at “book club”!
There was so much going on in this book and in this neighborhood that it was a little hard to keep up! There are secrets, there is family drama, there is vandalism, there is mom competition, there’s insecurities and gossip and there is murder.
This was very much a middle-of-the-road read for me. I wasn’t terribly invested in the characters or the outcome, but I did enjoy the reading experience and story overall.
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewel
The Night She Disappeared was another mystery/thriller read, but this one was much more compelling. I have enjoyed every book I have read by Lisa Jewel and this one did not disappoint!
This story is set in two different years, 2017 and 2019. In 2017, responsible nineteen year old Tallulah goes on a date, leaving her baby with her mother, and never returns. In 2019, mystery writer Sophie is walking in the woods near the new home she is sharing with her boyfriend when she finds a note that reads, “DIG HERE” and uncovers a clue to Tallulah’s cold case.
The pacing of this book is fantastic and definitely keep me reading, especially as it was drawing near a climax. I had a hard time putting it down and desperately wanted to know exactly what happened to Tallulah. The end was also satisfying.
Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena
The title of this novel, Not a Happy Family, is a huge understatement! This family has issue upon issue and everyone was keeping so many secrets from one another.
This story centers around the murders of Fred and Sheila Morton and their children who are automatic suspects. The violent and brutal murder occurs after a tumultuous Easter dinner in which all three adult children attend. Fred and Sheila live in an upscale neighborhood and are very rich, thus their children stand to inherit millions upon their deaths.
There was not one single likeable character in this book. Each of the main characters and even the supporting characters had lots of flaws and they were caught in lie upon lie. So much so, that it began to feel very predictable.
This book would have been a bit more enjoyable if it didn’t become predictable and if there was just one character to root for. The end was also not satisfying and the short epilogue didn’t redeem it.
Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang
I loved, love, loved this beautifully written memoir of an undocumented immigrant family from China. I know a book is going to be among my favorites when I can’t stop talking about it to my husband and sharing parts of it with him as I’m reading. That’s exactly what I did with this memoir.
Seven year old Qian arrived in New York City with her mother a couple of years after he father arrived in the United States to escape communist China. She is quickly overwhelmed with crushing fear and scarcity. In China her parents were educated and respected professors; in America they are “illegal” (a term that should never refer to people) and looked down upon by society.
In Chinatown her parents work in sweatshops and live in tiny apartments shared with other families, battling the hardships of poverty. Qian is shunned by her classmates and teachers alike for her limited English and eventually takes refuge in the library and among friends in the books she reads and falls in love with. Through these books, she learns to master the language and and finds delight.
Qian’s mother collapses in pain from an illness she has kept hidden for months out of fear of the cost of a doctor’s visit. Qian struggles to help hold her family together in the midst of so many struggles–emotional, physical and mental.
This is a coming of age story that revealed so much about our country and its prejudices against immigrants from a different perspective than I have heard before.
Qian’s story will stay with me for a long time.
Until next month—Happy Reading!!