Piglet by Lottie Hazell

I read the book review in the New York Times and was immediately interested to read the book. I put it on hold at the library and it took a while to come in, so others were as intrigued as I was.

It was not an easy read for me - but I really enjoyed it. This is a debut novel for this writer and in reading some of the reviews, there were people who thought that the ending was weak. I did not.  And it did not bother me that the reader never learns Kit's "secret" (what he reveals just a few days before the wedding.  We can guess, and really, does it matter?!?)

From Amazon:

An elegant, razor-sharp debut about women's ambitions and appetites—and the truth about having it all

Outside of a childhood nickname she can’t shake, Piglet’s rather pleased with how her life’s turned out. An up-and-coming cookbook editor at a London publishing house, she’s got lovely, loyal friends and a handsome fiancé, Kit, whose rarefied family she actually, most of the time, likes, despite their upper-class eccentricities. One of the many, many things Kit loves about Piglet is the delicious, unfathomably elaborate meals she’s always cooking.

But when Kit confesses a horrible betrayal two weeks before they’re set to be married, Piglet finds herself suddenly…hungry. The couple decides to move forward with the wedding as planned, but as it nears and Piglet balances family expectations, pressure at work, and her quest to make the perfect cake, she finds herself increasingly unsettled, behaving in ways even she can’t explain. Torn between a life she’s always wanted and the ravenousness that comes with not getting what she knows she deserves, Piglet is, by the day of her wedding, undone, but also ready to look beyond the lies we sometimes tell ourselves to get by.

A stylish, uncommonly clever novel about the things we want and the things we think we want, Piglet is both an examination of women’s often complicated relationship with food and a celebration of the messes life sometimes makes for us.

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Safak

I really enjoyed this book that we read in Book Club.  It taught me a lot about history and about trees and the whole plant/insect world.  Very good read!

From Amazon:

Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. In the taverna, hidden beneath garlands of garlic, chili peppers and creeping honeysuckle, Kostas and Defne grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns. He is a botanist looking for native species, but really, he's searching for lost love.
Years later a Ficus carica grows in the back garden of a house in London where Ada Kazantzakis lives. This tree is her only connection to an island she has never visited--- her only connection to her family's troubled history and her complex identity as she seeks to untangle years of secrets to find her place in the world.

A moving, beautifully written, and delicately constructed story of love, division, transcendence, history, and eco-consciousness,

Good Material by Dolly Alderrton

I really enjoyed this book and especially the final 20 pages, which really took a turn.  It was funny and told from Andy's point of view until the end, and then Jen took over the first-person narrative.  I had thought all along, up to that point, how odd it was that this female author was telling the story from the man's point of view.  

There's some real stuff to ponder in here about being female, having children, being in a relationship, etc.  Food for thought that many women think about but don't necessarily talk about.  At least not in my circles.

The Moment of Lift by Melinda

 

Read this with the book group.  Enjoyed it but sometimes it was a little too much.  More detail than necessary. But she has certainly made a difference in the lives of many oppressed children and women in the world.  Good to know that the Gates money has helped so many.

Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

 

I read about this book when the paperback was released and it sounded like a good "easy" read after some heavy hitters.

It was just OK. I had the audiobook so I could listen on my walks and it was a decent listen.  Nothing earth-shattering about it but enjoyable listening.

From GoodReads: 

Picture a lovely cottage on a cliff, with sloping lawns, walking paths, and beautiful flowers. It’s Gabe and Pippa Gerard’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Over the past several months, Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge.

Until one day, he doesn’t. When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral. . . .Did the victim jump? Was she pushed? And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate . . . lie? As the perfect façade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel. Because sometimes, the most convincing lies are the ones we tell ourselves.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

I really can't say enough about this novel.  I picked it up after hearing its premise:  

When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another in this thrilling page-turner, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis.

I'm thinking of a page-turner, a quick read, and a family portrait. It's so much more! And I learned so much! 

This book is an "exploration of neurodiversity and its effects on family dynamics with a mystery."  Eugene, the younger brother of the twin older siblings, "is autistic, nonverbal and has a rare genetic condition called Angelman syndrome."

There is so much to learn in this book, and it gives you a lot to think about, too. I highly recommend it! 

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

Synopsis:  from NYTimes:

It is 1962 and a Mi’kmaw family crosses from Nova Scotia into Maine to harvest berries as migrant workers. Once they arrive, everything falls into a summer rhythm, but one afternoon, the family’s youngest, 4-year-old Ruthie, disappears. Her brother Joe is the last to see her, which will haunt him for the rest of his life. 

I enjoyed this book, but would have liked more about the Native people.  Sometimes I felt like the author was trying to include "too much." (Dementia, mental illness,  infertility, etc.)  But overall, I did like the book and it kept me interested.