June 2025 Book Marks
What kind of reader are you? I love to ask people how they read. Some want a hard copy to turn pages, others love the portability of an e-book (my sister swears her Kindle is a midnight marriage saver) There’s the audio book lover, who can focus on a story and multi-task a rote activity like driving or running on the treadmill.
I’m a “hold it in your hands” kind of book reader. I love flipping around and finding passages, circling a great quote or turn of phrase. I can “double the pleasure” with a good audio book and stay focused for long stretches. A good narrator makes all the difference. No matter how you like to consume stories, books are great companions. Here are a few to kick your summer off in style.
Fiction:
What We Leave Behind by Sue Halpern
When high school senior Melody Marcus’ adoptive mother is killed by a boulder in a freak car accident, she’s even more convicted that she doesn’t want to know about her birth parents. But with genetic testing so easily available, she may not be able to hide from her DNA, and buried secrets begin to threaten everything. Enter Candace Milton, a successful woman in her 40’s whose own parent’s unhappy marriage has left her with a deep desire to avoid attachment. A chance encounter with a friend of Melody’s father will force her to reimagine who she is and what she might become. This engrossing novel asks the age-old question of nature versus nurture. Is it how we’re raised or is identity hard-wired? Get ready for an exploration of love, family, loss and relationships.
Fiction:
The Fire Concerto by Sarah Landenwich
Clara Bishop was a rising star in the classical music world, a beautiful pianist whose life changed ten years ago when she was trapped in a concert hall fire. Scarred on her face and hands, her injuries have robbed her of her passion and as the story begins, she is tending bar in Austin, Texas, somewhat estranged from her family. Her musical mentor, “Madame,” was a ruthless teacher who was as responsible for her demise as her success. Clara learns she has died and has left her a mysterious metronome with a secret message as an inheritance. Clara begins to suspect it was once owned by famous composer, Alexander Starza, and it’s been missing since he was murdered in 1885. As she works to put the pieces together, she uncovers important facts about the past, all of which could allow Clara the opportunity to find her old self.
Fiction:
The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick
Deep in the California desert, an incredibly private and somewhat mysterious healer has created an experimental treatment center to short cut the pain of grief and loss. The concept is that people can “sleep through” their pain and suffering and wake up on the other side. But there’s always a catch when something sounds too easy. In order to participate, you must agree to accept the various risks involved. In the vein of “The Wizard of Oz,” we meet and follow four strangers (and a little dog) in the Midwest as they make their way to the Poppy Fields. Each of the individuals has their own version of suffering, which is slowly revealed as they travel toward the facility, hoping to meet the enigmatic founder and understand some truths about life and loss.
Fiction:
Closer by Miriam Gershow
The sleepy little town of Horace, Oregon is a powder keg. And the fuse is lit when a black student is taunted in the school library by a group of white students. Told through a series of sharp vignettes, the novel rotates around between very real characters who are wrestling with short and long term repercussions during the Obama years and into the early days of Trump’s candidacy. The feeling of change is in the air, from the school’s guidance counsellor to a parent trying to protect her son, and to Lark, a struggling student. This patchwork quilt of personalities and complexity is a tale of love, loss and resilience that holds a mirror up to society and the way one action can impact a broader community.
Fiction:
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
This book transported me back to 1962 in Maine, when Indigenous workers from Nova Scotia travelled south as families to seasonally pick blueberries. Four-year-old Ruthie, part of a Mi’kmaq family, mysteriously vanishes one day while her family is working. Her older brother Joe is the last person to see her sitting on a rock, eating blueberries. Her disappearance ripples out to affect everyone in the family in different and disturbing ways. The story’s focus turns to a young girl named Norma, growing up as an only child in an affluent family with an absent, overprotective mother. She cannot shake the crazy dreams of something just beyond her conscious that she feels connected to, and Norma spends decades trying to uncover a secret. The story moves between the different perspectives of the children in the family, offering a heart-rending depiction of the era’s struggles, racism, and the power of family bonds.
Non-Fiction:
Murderland – Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser
The Pacific Northwest has produced an outsized number of notorious killers and deviants, including Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, the Night Stalker and more. This Pulitzer Prize winning author uses literary journalism to look at the history of serial killers in the region, connecting dots on a potential confluence of factors, from American culture, violence and capitalism to the destruction of the environment. One of the most compelling arguments is the prevalence of industrial pollution and weather. Factories, many belching toxic smoke and lead, (leading to mental health issues) were commonly located on rivers, or bodies of water. The wealthier townspeople tended to live on the western side of town, because wind patterns blew the chemicals to the east. That kept them out of the constant stream of polluted air. This is a fascinating book with good detail on these heinous killers.
Thriller:
Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
Mrs. Blossom has won the lottery by finding a ticket on the ground in a parking lot. Up to that point, she’s been the kind of woman who blends into the background; a widow, a devoted grandmother and someone who has always struggled with her weight. After her husband dies, she decides to take a river cruise through France and begin living her life. All of this takes an interesting turn when she meets a younger man on the flight to Paris, and much to her amazement, sparks fly. A mere 24-hours later, the man is dead and she learns he might have been engaging in something illegal. Why was the man was killed? And who seems to be following her now? And why do all these attractive men continue to flirt with her? Lippman weaves a good story with characters that come to life off the page.
Thriller:
The Expat Affair by Kimberly Belle
There’s a scenario in which diamonds are definitely NOT a girl’s best friend. When Rayna Dumont comes to Amsterdam for a fresh start after a divorce, she wakes up in the apartment of wealthy diamond dealer Xander. There’s catch, someone has murdered him in the bathroom while she slept. The details are fuzzy, but when her social media starts blowing up with comments about a sexy picture she posted in his bed, wearing a very expensive diamond necklace, it’s time to snap out of it. Especially since she learns there are millions of dollars of diamonds missing from his safe. Willow Prins is another American in Amsterdam, married to Xander’s former boss and the heir of a diamond house. Her marriage, strained and sliding south, is probably a result of her husband’s cheating. When she and Rayna are both sucked into the underside of the diamond market, they will need to find the truth to stay alive. But who can you trust in a city where you are always going to be the outsider, the expat? A fast paced and informative read that keeps you guessing.
These are books I genuinely love and am thrilled to recommend to my friends. These are Bookshop.org affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Alternately, if you prefer to rent books at your local library or buy from your local bookstore, I very much support that!
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