The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! What a great book. Hawthorne, the main character, is a high school girl who feels like she’s always on the outside looking in.

When Lizzie Lovett goes missing, Hawthorne can’t believe that anything bad happened to her. Lizzie was the beautiful, popular, girl who had everything several years ahead of her in high school and one of the members of her older brother’s popular clique.

In trying to make sense of what could have happened to Lizzie, Hawthorne inadvertently starts walking in her footsteps. With the idea that she could have become a werewolf, she tries to learn more about Lizzie by taking her open spot as a waitress in a diner in the next town. Eventually, she befriend’s Lizzie’s boyfriend, Enzo.

Through all of this, Hawthorne is derided by her peers and struggles with her sense of self. Such a great story with effortless dialogue and endearing characters. Loved it!

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The German Girl: A Novel by Armando Lucas Correa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book! A deeply moving family saga that tells the story of Hannah, a young German Jew from the second World War and her great niece, Anna, a young girl who lost her father (Hannah’s grandson) in the Twin Towers on September 11, 2011.

Much of the book was Hannah’s story which Anna was so drawn to. Hannah left Germany with her family on the St. Louis on route to Havana where they had bought residency visas. As the ship full of nearly 1,000 Jewish passengers sailed closer to Cuba, it was learned that Cuba didn’t plan to accept the entire passenger list and, in the end, less than 30 passengers disembarked for their new lives in Cuba. Hannah and her mother were among those who settled in Cuba. Her dad and best friend were sent back. Her dad ultimately died in Auschwitz.

Although their situation seemed dire through the entire book, I grew to love this cast of characters. Excellent book! I hope to read more from this author.

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Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. The funny thing is, sometimes I read the blurb describing the book and think I won’t like it and end up loving it. This book surprised me as it’s told first through the eyes of a black person.

The book is about racism, very topical for today.

Ruth is an accomplished labor and delivery nurse with 20 years on the job in the same hospital. She’s the widowed mother of a 17-year-old son, Edison. She’s worked her whole life to be successful. Her mother was a maid until her death and her sister lives in the projects. She wants better for herself and her son. Her son is also a high achieving student-athlete on track for college.

When Ruth is removed from a baby’s care by his white supremacist parents, she finds herself monitoring him after his circumcision because she was the only one available to do it as the unit was short-staffed. When the baby starts having difficulty, Ruth is torn because of the parent’s wishes and her training and desire to be a good nurse. She tries to help the baby but he ultimately dies. The parents bring suit against her.

The book covers the trial through her eyes, the eyes of her attorney who is learning what it’s like to see things through Ruth’s eyes, and the baby’s father.

The book is very thought provoking and an excellent story. The characters are wonderful and there are twists and turns you don’t see coming. I highly recommend this book.

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A Shoe Addict’s Christmas by Beth Harbison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! I’m a big Beth Harbison fan but not normally a Christmas book fan but I’m glad I read this one. It was so cute!

Noelle works for an upscale apartment story and finds herself unexpectedly locked in during a snow storm on Christmas eve. She’d been so busy working that she didn’t realize that snow had started falling heavily and that the store had closed and everyone had gone home. After checking in with her boss and assuring him she’d stay safely there all night, she settles in. She shops and as she’s trying on a nightgown to wear for the night, she hears a loud crash.

When she goes into the shoe storage room, she finds an old woman, Charlie, who claims to be her guardian angel. Noelle is suspicious but over the course of the night, Charlie takes her through her past to see where she could have made choices that would have been happier.

This story is cute and like A Christmas Carol. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a sweet, holiday read. 🙂

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The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book! Funny, crazy, loveable.

The Wangs are a rather disfunctional, rich Chinese family living in LA. Charles, the dad, has made his fortune in cosmetics but made bad business decisions and ends up losing everything but his family. His wife Barbra, oldest daughter, Saina, youngest daughter, Grace, and son, Andrew.

Saina, is an adult, a respected artist that has had some business troubles of her own and has moved to an out of the way town in New York. When he realizes everything is gone, Charles loads up Barbra, Andrew and Grace and they head on a cross country trip to get to Saina’s house.

Ultimately, Charles has plans to regain family land in China that was taken over by the Communists. Charles grew up in Taiwain and has never set eyes on the land but feels it’s his destiny.

What follows is a madcap adventure of the four, and sometimes three, of them driving across the USA. In the end, after all of their troubles, the family draws close.

This is a fun book and I’d have finished it way earlier but I had trouble getting a copy in a format that I could easily read. Excellent book! Highly recommend. 🙂

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