Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Lake Effect by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney


I enjoyed reading this, and expecially enjoyed because if was set in Rochester! But as I write this post now, 4 - 6 weeks after finishing the book, I realize I don't know what happened to Clara in the end! I guess I have to borrow it again!

From Amazon, a summary:

It’s 1977 and an air of restlessness has settled on the residents of Cambridge Road in Rochester, New York, a place long fueled by the booming fortunes of Kodak and Xerox and, for some, the mores of the Catholic church. When Nina Larkin is given a copy of The Joy of Sex by her newly divorced friend, she can no longer dismiss the nearly nonexistent intimacy of her marriage. Just as her oldest child, Clara, is falling in love for the first time, Nina finds herself longing for the forbidden: a midlife awakening. An intoxicating fling with a prominent neighbor brings Nina a freedom she never thought possible—but also risks the reputations of both families and unravels Clara’s world, just as she stands on the threshold of adulthood.

Years later, Clara, now a successful food stylist in New York City, has never been able to move past the long-ago scandal. Drawn back home by the pull of a family wedding and wrestling with her own demons, she makes a pivotal decision that turns her life upside down. Written with Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s signature humor and insight, Lake Effect is a wise and probing look at love and desire, mothers and daughters, loss and grief, and what we owe the people we love most.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman


I just loved this book! It was almost like a series of short stories, linked by common characters.  The book starts out as the youngest of three aging sisters is dying. She is a spitfire! Her sisters are each unique personalities, too. and the tone is sharp, witty and humorous, even though one of the sisters is on her deathbed.

The book proceeds chapter by chapter, or should I say, story by story, elaborating on the family dynamics of this Jewish family from Brookline, MA.

It's poignant and funny and sad and beautiful. I highly recommend, especially if you are Jewish! So much Jewish culture in this book.