What Sandy is reading

Sandy Says:  Although some of the present events in The Storyteller can seem incongruous, Picoult obviously researched the Holocaust with depth and sincerity for this latest novel. Her portrayal of the events in Minka's life was heart wrenching and disturbingly detailed. The novel begs the question: Is it possible that the potential for both good and evil exists within each of us? As the story unfolds, the line between these two dichotomies blurs enough to make even the most introspective reader wonder what lies beneath.

Sandy says: : If you layer the futuristic world of The Handmaid’s Tale over the classic the Scarlet Letter, you get the gripping tale of Hannah Payne. Tried and convicted of murdering her unborn child, she faces her transgressions and comes out bolder & stronger. Although the story borrows heavily from Hawthorn’s classic, its unique twists will surprise even the most devout literary critic.

Sandy Says: What happens when a couple desperately in want of a child moves to Alaska to follow other adventuresome dreams? With an abundance of snow and a free evening, they build a “snow child” to fill their loneliness, of course. Sprinkle a little magical realism on top of their desolation and you get a wistful story about an impish little fairy who touches the lives of all whom she encounters. Ivey paints a portrait of Alaska that is bleak and bright at the same time. This contrasting view leaves the reader wondering why in the world Jack and Mabel persevere when their hopes are continually dashed. It also leaves you wondering why you don’t just migrate to Alaska yourself. The Snow Child is enchanting!

Sandy says: If Pam Houston isn’t speaking to you in her latest fictional memoir, then you probably aren’t listening. Her relatable tales about men with her metaphorical & literal travels resound ever so lightly even for this un-traveled homebody. Pam’s contents shift from place-to-place, her heart beats in many different domains and her life ebbs and flows right out of the pages of her latest book.

Sandy Says: War II changed lives- whether it was the lives of the idealistic soldiers running off to be heroes or the young women who waited for them. Ellen Feldman, in Next to Love, expertly illustrates the romanticism and destruction of war through the perspectives of Grace, Milllie and Babe. Although long-time friends, these women each experience war and its aftermath so differently that you wonder how they can remain friends when the fallout settles. But they do. They stand by one another, support one another, rescue one another and cry with one another.       Feldman's novel is a portrait of friendship and love, tragedy and triumph, heartbreak and healing. Not since The Help have I been so moved by a group of women. 

Sandy Says: Patti Callahan Henry’s latest novel, recreated from her own family’s experience, is both heartbreaking and heartening. Since the day Kate gave up her baby, she has never been able to fill the empty space that Luna left in her soul. Unable to commit to her current boyfriend, she reconnects with her baby’s father, hoping to “close that chapter” in her life and move on. But when their long lost daughter finds Kate’s family on Facebook, she finds that the chapter she was intending to close is truly just beginning. If you are a fan of Kristin Hannah and her emotional tomes, you will feel right at home in the pages of Callahan Henry’s latest.   

Sandy Says: Set in the classical-music backdrop of Boston, Daphne Kalotay’s novel Sight Reading tells the story of three friends who are forever intertwined. Hazel and her conductor-husband Nicholas arrive in Boston hopeful for a new start. They aren’t expecting their relationship to crumble. In the middle of their anguish, they find that what tears them apart- their love of music and their desire to surround their child with the love of a family- ultimately has the power to bring them together.