This has been an eclectic year of recommendations, with more horror than I have ever read, but also more really sweet novels that are just heart warming, lovely, light reads.  This is one of the latter. Even the book cover reflect the soft care that I felt when reading it.

A group of intertwining stories set in Japan in which people unhappy with their lives find themselves at the library getting lists of books from the quirk, eccentric librarian, who also felts small knickknacks that she gives away.  The book lists always include a recommendation that seems unrelated to the inquiry, but ends up being part of the recipe people need to transform their lives. 

It is a fun and delightful concept book. I found it to be slightly longer than was necessary to make and develop the project, such that I finished the book a little bit bored in a way that I wasn't through most of it. Like binge watching a good show that has a simplistic formula, if I had read it more slowly, I might have found this to be an endearing and comforting quality.

Not not recommended.

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Louise Erdrich does not disappoint in this sweet novel about a book lover with complex relationships, searching for family, while being haunted by her past and the past of others. It is complex, but I was easily drawn into the layers of stories.

And what booklover does love a book that talks about books and drops the names of titles like they are celebrities? Set in a bookstore to a large extend, I particularly loved that this was perhaps the first novel to incorporate the pandemic into its storyline and it was done exquisitely, with such emotional detail. 
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I just really loved this story.

Highly recommend.

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​Following The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, I was not expecting to find myself in love with another sweet read.  A more traditional coming of age story about a teenager leaving home and finding his way in the world during the Great Depression, I found this story about a boy trying to survive anyway he can and to outrun his demons (and his criminal background) entrancing. 

I have been hating on these imagined historical fiction books lately (like The Frozen River, The Postmistress of Paris, The Pull of The Stars, Take My Hand), but this one feels different.  Perhaps because it is based on a little known historical event that I know absolutely nothing about… Perhaps because it was an historical event that wasn't filled with the weight of sexual assault, war, the Holocaust, or forced sterilization… Or perhaps because it was just better written… For whatever reason, I found it was easier for me to suspend disbelief here and to just really appreciate the story of man and a boy driving a pair of giraffes from a port in New Jersey to the San Diego Zoo in 1938. 

I appreciated how their backstories were unfolded over time, without it feeling like the author was holding back critical information and how there was no secret agenda to the tale.  It was just good storytelling, well written, about what turned out to be an interesting adventure.
Recommend.

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This is such an unusual and sweet book.  In many ways, it is a classic coming-of-age story, with self-discovery and coming to accept one's place in the world, but what makes this story so, so lovely is that the protagonist who is discovering himself and goes on a quest of sorts is 65 and facing mandatory retirement from the postal service where he worked since he was a teenager. 

The characters in the book are richly developed, even the peripheral ones. The plot is unusual, with just the right amount of foreshadowing and unexpected turns.  The writing itself has a clip to it that is charming. It sometimes feels like it is meandering, but then sort of wanders back to the point with just the right amount of description and prose.  I ended up just really loving this book.

Recommend.
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I didn't even know there was a genre of hockey romances and I certainly did not know that it was going to end up being a book genre that I would end up liking, but here we are.  This is, I think, the third book in the last few months that I am recommending in which there is a romance and there are hockey players.  And truly, who knew there was an entire genre of hockey romance in which consent and health reciprocal relationships was front and center?  This one also weaves in themes of the pull between traditional families with modern kids struggling to find a balance between the two, sexism in sports, and figuring out how to manage competing career tracks in relationships.  It was just a really unexpectedly fun, light romance.  Perfect bedtime or beach reading.

Recommend.
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Light romance with a heartwarming and feel good story, set against the backdrop of grief and family obligations, I liked it overall. The biggest issue with the writing was the dialogue--and I do love a writer who can write good dialogue.  I found the lack of flow in the dialogue a distraction from the rest of the writing, which, for what it was, was solid.  I think particularly in an audio book that if the dialogue doesn't feel genuine, then as a flaw it is really amplified.  Nevertheless, a fun little love story.

​Not not recommended.

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A really light, playful romance set in a snowed-in airport on Christmas Eve.  It is sweet and fun, nothing offensive (or even juicy), but nothing deep, either.  If you want something to read over the holidays without needing to put an ounce of emotional energy into, this might be for you.  

Not not recommended.

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I am a sucked for a time travel novel. This comes across as a silly, light romance told in a style akin to the classic When Harry Met Sally interview style. I did not love the over-dramatization of the audio narration, so it took me a bit to get over that and let myself relax into the story.  The plot was surprisingly interesting and unusual and far exceeded the quality of the writing.  As the solar flare induced worm hole horizon approaches and the future June reaches back in time to try to warn herself, the plot unexpectedly holds together, which is my favorite part of a time travel story.

​Recommend.

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This is a sweet, short anti-romance romance, where the everyone is with the wrong person and it takes some time for things to unwind themselves. Definitely on the cheesy side, but I can't say I didn't like it.  Soft recommendation that applies only if you are looking for sure a thing.

Recommend.

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Written as a series of letters between a food reporter and a fan as they develop and deepen a long term friendship, this book has a tender and sweet feel to it and that comes through in the writing. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of anything that really pulled me into the story in more than a "this is what I am reading right now" kind of way, nothing felt dramatic or tense or irresistible.  It was tame.  Lovely, but bland.

Not recommended.

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