Tag: fiction

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Hana lives a quiet life in Minnesota and likes it that way.

Yet when she becomes aware that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows her past has come to pay an unwanted visit.

Thirty years ago, Hana was someone completely different. She was a teenager growing up in war-torn Bosnia, and her name was Nura Divjak. When her entire family was murdered before her eyes, Nura was thrown into a war she did not want, and a side of her emerged in ways no one could foresee.
Now her past is coming, and the only way to survive is to bring Nura back. No matter what the cost.

A long-time fan of Allen’s books, I was excited to get my hands on this book and purchased it this past May at the Words by the Water author event I helped the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library with.
Of course, as it often happens, the book went to my TBR stack and hung out there until this past month when the Bookies Book Club chose it for their November read. I have to say, I am glad I waited – reading this with a group of 17 ladies made for a much richer experience.

Admittedly, for myself, it was a heavier read than I was planning on. I’m used to a different style from Author Allen Eskens, and at first, I personally struggled engaging with the book. Let’s just say – Bookies to the rescue. After talking with a few of our members over the past few weeks and hearing things such as “I can’t put it down,” “I can’t wait to get back to it!_, “Usually when a book goes back and forth, I like one storyline better than the other, but in this case – I love both!”, as well as “The book is making me think of my own life and where I was at in the early to mid 1990’s and how different my life was…” And a personal favorite comment,
“This is why I joined this book club. To read books like this that I would have never picked up on my own.”

Last night (November 11th, 2025), 15 of us sat in the front room of my house to enjoy a glass or two of wine, delicious food ( we had both Sarma ( a Bosnian dish of cabbage leaves stuffed with beef and spices in a tomato sauce) and Burek ( Hana’s favorite dish – a dough filled patry with beef, potato, onion and spices) as well as so mnay other delicious dishes. The Burek was my attempt, and while it says to roll it in a pastry in a tube shape and then roll up, my dough did not bend well, so tube Burek it was 🙂

Overall – great discussion – very high ratings from the group – on a scale of 1 to 5, the average rating out of the 15 present was 4.75. A crazy high overall rating, and it honestly speaks volumes of positivity about this book. It’s nice to have an engaging read that is not necessarily the easiest, but is definitely a book to consider.
And yes, eventually, I too fell into the rhythm of the read and ended with a personal rating of a 3.75… it was very different than what I was expecting and took me a bit to get into (busy time of year for me too, and I know that contributes) – I am glad I read it.

Rated: 3.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes, and I recommend!
Read Author Again: Yes
Book Club Worthy: Yes! This is an excellent discussion book. Most of us were alive during the Bosnia war ( I was a young mom at the time) – it hits a little different when it is during your lifetime and you can recall where you were during that period of your life, as well as admittedly how little ( we anyway) knew about this war or how little we followed it.

Like Eskens? Be sure to check out The Life We Bury

The Husbands by Chandler Baker

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Nora and Hayden are married with one child. Nora, who is up for a partnership in her firm, is under a lot of pressure juggling her career, a child, a home, and all the things in between.
Hayden is a good husband, but does not pick up on the clues of his wife’s exhaustion. He goes to work and comes home to relax or go to the garage to work out, while Nora’s evening has just begun, with picking up their daughter, preparing dinner, reviewing her workload, and keeping up with the house. With Nora pregnant with their second child –

Something has to give.

Wth the new baby coming, Nora and Hayden are looking for a larger home to accommodate their growing family. They seem to find what they’re looking for in an exclusive suburban Neighborhood, just outside Austin, Texas. The area is called Dynasty Ranch, and Nora notices that the husbands in this area seem incredibly supportive, helping out happily with household chores, taking on duties with the kids so the wives can have a break, go out to lunch with a friend, or have a spa day – what is in the water here, and where can Nora sign up?

When one of the local residents, whose husband had died recently in a house fire, wants to hire Nora and have her file a wrongful death lawsuit, while not Nora’s area of expertise, it does create an opportunity to bring in a big client to her firm, which may very well sweeten the pot for her to make partner.
What could possibly go wrong?

The old adage, When something is too good to be true, it probably is, is perfect for this book.
There is a lot of fun here. I enjoyed Nora and could appreciate what she was dealing with – and I found the supporting characters to be well developed- I could picture the neighborhood and these strong women with doting husbands.

A definite refreshing page turner, I wanted to know what was going on in this interesting little neighborhood with a Stepford Husband vibe.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes – Author of The Whisper Network ( also good)
Read Author Again: Yes
Book Club Worthy: Yes! SO much to unpack here – the roles of husbands and wives in a marriage, wages between women and men, the old idea of a woman’s place, sharing personal stories on relationships, your own, your parents, your grandparents – how the roles have changed.

House of The Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Thank Goodness for Book Club ~Sheila

A Curse. A mysterious Death…or two. A Haunting. The sins of one generation layer upon the Pyncheon family as they navigate the legacy of the family’s and a home, violent past.
The grand house ( which does exist) is built on a piece of cursed land – cursed by the previous owner when he refused to sell to Colonel Pyncheon.

The Colonel has his ways and scoops up the property to make a grand home, but it seems the curse may have landed correctly as the Colonel dies the day the home is finished. And so it continues – curses, greed, sins, and secrets …

Where will it all end?

This was selected as our October Classic read for the Bookies Book Club. Admittedly curious about the book, as a few friends and I toured this estate in 2022 while in Salem, and always a fan of a good mystery, I was ready to dig in.

Then I opened the book…

Oofta. It read like a textbook. Between the book and I downloaded the audio as well, I slugged my way through this heavy read of lofty descriptions of the house and the colors …
And well… I was so curious about where the book club would land on this.


As we neared the book club date, I was hearing from some of the members that they had given up on it, one opted for the movie instead, and some never got a hold of the book… so I was really wondering what the book club would be like.
Well, we met last night, and actually, it was a nice discussion. For those who finished it, while admittedly a windy read of over detailing, they were able to pick out the story and get to the heart of the book, bringing my flat rating of a zero ( seriously… nothing in this book stuck with me) to a 1 rating, and an appreciation of what makes this book work.
A few of the Bookies had read The Scarlett Letter (also by this author), stating that the writing of that book was easier to digest.

Overall Bookies rating from those who finished was 2.25 – now bad when you consider an average read is a 3. The review definitely gave me more of an appreciation for the book. And as always – the Bookies bring a little something something to the discussion, including a few that dressed the era ( well played!), the gingerbread men cookies as sold in Hepzibah’s shop, fruits and fresh bread, cold cuts, cheeses, and crackers, and more. If this group knows one thing to be true, we can pretty much make a good time out of anything. 😀

And for those interested, a few pics from the House of Seven Gables Tour in 2022:

Have you read this book?

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

I found this one… relatable ~Sheila

Tova Sullivan, now in her 70s, has been the evening cleaning woman at Sowell Bay Aquarium for the past two years. A widow as well as having lost her 18-year-old son thirty years ago when he disappeared from his boat, Tova’s coping mechanism of choice is to keep her mind busy.
While the aquarium at night is not all that exciting, Tova finds herself becoming more and more interested in Marcellus, the Giant Pacific Octopus, whom she has caught more than once attempting (and succeeding) to get out of his tank during the night hours.

No one would ever imagine exactly how smart Marcellus is, but Marcellus knows things… he knows how to read people. He may be old, but he is whip smart and picks up on Tova’s heartache and the chapters in her life she can not quite close with so many unanswered questions. As Marcellus pieces together what happened to Tova’s son, he must use every skill he has to unearth the truth before it is too late.

“Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.” – Remarkably Bright Creatures”
— Shelby Van Pelt

Honestly, I dragged my feet on this one.
While fellow readers shared over the past few years how amazing this book was, I could not wrap my head around a talking octopus… and was not sure how much suspended belief I could pour into a book like this.

I know I know… me? The Queen of Imagination and What Ifs, struggling with what I thought the book was going to be like. Believe me – I’m disappointed in myself too.

FINALLY… while looking for that next read/fix, I decided to give it a try. So glad I did…. for naysayers such as myself in this particular instance – knock it off. It’s not so much that Marcellus is talking; it’s that we know his thoughts. It’s actually a brilliant idea by the author to write a book from this perspective.

While Marcellus is who we get to know first in the book, rightfully so, as you have to know Marcellus and his capabilities for the rest to fall into place, the book is also about Tova, and some of the other people we meet who work at the Aquarium.

I don’t want to say too much as this story unfolds beautifully in ways that are best discovered on your own. This book is worth all the praise you may have heard – READ IT or LISTEN to it ( the voice of Marcellus is fantastic!)
Netflix will have a film adaptation of this book coming in 2026 – but do not miss the experience of the book.

Rated: 4.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: No – this was her first book
Read Author Again: She is writing a second book around the same topic with other creatures, and I am interested
Who Should Read This: YOU! Anyone and everyone… It’s a beautiful story that I think touches us all a little differently, as there is so much in this book to reflect on
Book Club Worthy: Yes! Great topics, on love and loss, doors that open where we did not know doors existed, so so much….


Bookies Bookclub – Hail Mary Review

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

On September 9th, our Bookies Book Club met at a lovely location to discuss our book selection, “Hail Mary” by Andy Weir.

This was a different selection for us, as, other than a few of us having read The Martian (also by Andy Weir), sci-fi would not typically be considered a go-to genre.
What came out of this discussion was what I had hoped for -while yes, the scientific formulas could be skip-worthy for those who read the book, and a little “spacing out” (pun intended) for those of us who went the audio route when the formulas were discussed, we came out of this discussion with an average rating of 4 out of 5 overall.. Some of us a higher and a few lower out of the 15 os us in attendance.
It was a fun evening of talking about Ryland, our protagonist, and his encounter with Rocky, our space buddy, and all the happenings before, after, and in between.

As always, we love to pull things from the book to enhance our discussion/experience. A great spread of a tasty fruit pizza, lasagna, dried pineapple (space worthy!), salad, and more – we also had a few things pulled from the pages of the book:

Day 1 Meal 1 package ( the space meals Ryland had each day) – Squeeze Yogurt Packets
Breakfast Burritos – Ryland’s last earth meal
Me Burgers – (LOL) – spoiler alert for those who have not read the book, so I will leave this one be
Space Suckers – cuz. Why not?

If discussing this book with a group, here are some questions that we enjoyed:

1) Stratt had a hard role to play – did you agree with how she did things? Did she have a choice?
2) Ryland’s career as a teacher serves him well. What are some of the skills he was able to bring to the mission due to his past?
3) The book is Sci-fi, but also more. What other genres could this be labeled as?
4) What lessons do Ryland and Rocky’s friendship teach us
5) With the back and forths in the book, present time, and memories of the past as Ryland pieces together how he got to where he is – did that flow well? Was it a good way to write this book?
6) There is a lot of HUMOR in the book and great quotes – are there any that made you laugh out loud, and if so, which ones?
7) Why did they name the ship Hail Mary?
8) Did the book grab you right away, or did it take a while?
9) What did you think of Ryland’s final choice? What would you have done?
10) Would you recommend this book to a friend?
11) If you enjoyed this book and have not read The Martian, would you do so now?
12) The Movie is coming in March 2026 – is this something you would go to?

My review: Hail Mary
My review: The Martian
My review: Artemis


The Stranger In Her house by John Marrs

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Connie connects with a local non-profit to help with odd jobs around her mother, Gwen’s home. As Gwen has dementia, Connie tries to balance her life with the time she spends with her mom and the pursuit of her career. While Connie pops in to check on her mom and to help with cleaning, some of the bigger jobs, such as yard work and home repair, are too time-consuming, and she is grateful for Helping Hands’ mission to send volunteers to assist with chores for the elderly.
Paul, a volunteer from Helping Hands, is kind, easy to talk to, and easy on the eyes, and her mom seems to like him.

But things change quickly as Paul comes to Gwen’s more often than needed, making Connie feel a little awkward, almost like she is intruding when she comes over to help with cooking and cleaning. And Gwen, too, is changing; she dresses up more, wearing makeup and laughing… laughing like Connie has not heard in years. When Paul finds himself between homes, he moves in with Gwen and begins to shut Connie out, both figuratively and literally.

When Paul tells Connie that he can handle the cooking and cleaning, and there is no need for her to stop by, and when the locks to the house are changed, Connie desperately wants to reach out for help – but it’s his word against hers as Paul has put his charm on the neighbors as well, and has not done anything legally wrong. But Connie knows… something is not right, and she has a limited time to do something about it.

Have you read John Marrs? If you like the psychological twists of McFadden, I look at Marrs as the King of the double… no… TRIPLE twist. From my experience with his books, there comes a point where he has you, and you are blown away… and really the book – the story could end there and you would be all like…. “Damn….that was amazing” –
But wait, there is more!

Marrs, from my experience, catches you in the twist where something is revealed that changes everything….
And then…
Within the same book …
He does it again.
And sometimes…. again

The Stranger In Her House, while a bit out there ( a few too many – uhhh… that couldn’t happen) was still crazy wild to read because, honestly, in this world we live in – crazy crazy things DO HAPPEN…. even when we are dumbfounded as to how.

I did enjoy this book on audio… fully engaged in how this would all work out in the end, and not once, not twice, but even a third time surprised….

Well played Marrs.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Yes, I enjoy his style of writing
Who Should Read This: Fans of McFadden and psychological thrillers for sure, knowing that Marrs can be a bit darker (IMO). If you like your books to be crazy wild puzzles – here you go 😀


Beach Read by Emily Henry

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

A fun little romp – I laughed out loud many times- Sheila

January Andrews is the best-selling author of happy ending romance reads. She loves things to come together and end well, and her readers love her for it.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. His books are deep and insightful, and don’t always end well. His readership is massive.

When January finds herself in a beach house for three months trying to write her next read, despite the writer’s block that has her publicist checking it a little too often, she is shocked to discover that Augustus is in the Beach House next to hers – apparently suffering from the same thing.

One night, they make a pact. They will switch genres. January will learn how to write literary fiction under Augustus’ guidance, and Augustus, in turn, will write a rom-com. The first one to sell their book will receive public recognition from the other.

But bringing out the underlying reason that January needs things to end happily, and trying to get Augustus to lighten up and have some fun, may be a bigger undertaking than either of them bargained for.

Not my typical go-to read, but after finishing Wally Lamb’s new book that ripped me up in so many ways – I needed a palate cleanser, and this one, with a fun cover and a subject line I enjoy ( books that talk about books are almost always a plus!) was the one I picked up.

This book did the trick. Not heavy and appropriately titled, I enjoyed the fun engagement between the two protagonists… several times while listening, I laughed out loud.

“New phone… who dis?” 😛

If looking for an easy, enjoyable read, don’t hesitate to pick this one up.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: I have and recently!
Great Big Beautiful Life
Funny Story
Read Author Again: most likely 🙂



The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Corby Ledbetter has been a stay-at-home dad for the past 9 months. Since losing his job, taking care of his 26-month-old twins, Niko and Maisie, while his wife, Emily, worked, has become Corby’s world.

What starts out as an ordinary day turns into an unthinkable tragedy under Corby’s watch. As underlying secrets begin to be revealed, the family is shattered into a new reality.

Corby is sentenced to prison, where he witnesses unbelievable acts of cruelty, as well as glimpses of kindness – all the while not giving up hope that, if he just follows the rules, he will be able to return to his family and piece together a life again.


It is so hard to write a review when the first word that comes to mind is – Heartbreaking. But, Wally’s Lambs’ incredible writing here is so much more, and while yes, this one’s going to hurt…. There is also so much more – so much humanity, so much of honesty – it could be any one of us.

A split-second lapse changes the Ledbetter family forever, and what is packed into this page turner is everything one can imagine and written in such a way that you are right there with them – seeing all the sides, and the ways they are affected.

I would recommend this book to everyone, and at the same time, I know it is not for everyone. Topics of addiction, death, suicide, and rape are all here – some more pronounced than others, but in full disclosure, there it is. On the flip side of that, there is also hope, faith, remorse, and kindness.

I want to talk about this book. One of the best books I have read this year, and if you can give it a try – even though it is hard – I hope you do.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: Here’s a sad truth- I thought I had, but looking at his books this morning, I dont think that is true.
Read Author Again: Yes – looks like I have some catching up to do

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)Leave a comment

Looking forward to a week at the lake, long-time friends Julia, David, and Erika are eager to catch up and spend time together just like old times. Their Vermont lake homes are right next to each other.
This summer is a little different.

Julia and Erika knew that David was planning a remodel of his home, but they were not expecting this. The monstrosity he has built not only looks out of place next to his friends’ homes – it is so big that to see their once cherished lake views, they have to look through their windows – and through his.

But that’s not all that’s new with David this summer. He also brings along his new young nanny, Izzy, to watch his kids, as well as his new girlfriend, Fiona. Looks like it is not going to be like old times…

After a heated argument between David and Fiona, Fiona disappears. JUlia and Erika are beginning to wonder how well they really know their friend David, and Izzy – well, Izzy feels that things are right on track for her own agenda…

So…. full disclosure – I don’t know what I was thinking I was about to read – but this wasn’t it. It felt like the book started out one way – and then shifted into something else. As the book went on, it felt like it was trying too hard. Too many things to keep track of, too many directions – and drawn out.
A book I feel had great potential to be something, but in the end, I am not sure what that something was. It felt like it was trying too hard to follow in the footsteps of some of the great psychological thrillers, and in the end, I just wanted to know what happened, which also became distorted.
It’s a busy time of year for me, and I listened to this on audio. My brain may be too full of other things to fully appreciate this book – AND I have enjoyed this author before (although I just checked… no reviews) – so it could be a little bit me as well –
Would love to hear your thoughts. Have you read it?

Tom Lake by Anne Patchett

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

The stories of our past… that stay alive in our hearts. ~Sheila

In the Summer of 2020, Lara and Joe Nelson brought their three adult daughters to the family Orchard to be together during Quarantine. For Lara and Joe, it’s an incredibly rare opportunity to bring the girls home for an extended period of time. For the girls, Emily, Massie, and Nell, it’s a chance to get to know their parents beyond the roles of “mom and dad”.

While harvesting cherries, the girls prod their mom to open up about her college days and her acting career – more specifically, her time and her romance with the famous Peter Duke, who, years after that time on Tom Lake with Lara, went on to be an Oscar Winner.

While Lara lets her story unfold, she knows what she will tell her eager daughters – and what is hers to keep… but oh…. the memories.

To be honest, I was looking for my next good listen. I have spent too much time lately poring over previews of audio and, for one reason or another, finding it hard to find the snippets engaging… be it the start of the book moving too slowly, the narrator not grabbing me, whatever… I was browsing online lists of great listens and found Tom Lake among the highly recommended.- Narrated by Meryl Streep, I had to listen.

Tom Lake was a nice listen that really fits any season. Lara is our storyteller and the book narrator. When her girls are eager for the story of her connection to Peter Duke, Lara gives them so much more, knowing from the start what she will share and what she will not.

The narration flows between the present time of the family together and Lara sharing her college days, dreams of acting, and of course, leading into her meeting and getting to know Duke. It was a smooth read, a nice listen, obviously different (welcomingly so) from the twisty psychological thrillers I find myself often drawn to, as grab-and-go” reads this time of year.

Streep is the perfect narrator for this book, and makes it easy to picture this family on their orchard together during COVID, sharing stories…I have always said – not everything about COVID was bad… in some ways it brought us back to what is important.

I’m no stranger to Anne Patchett’s books, yet sadly, when I did a search through Book Journey, I found no reviews other than a Read-A -Long of Bel Canto in 2012 (and looks like I was the one who put it together!); however, I see no review of the book. That may call for a do-over.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: I hope to dig into more of her titles
Where Read: Audio – home and traveling locally
Discussion worthy: Yes – I think this book would make for a nice group discussion. Topics centering around COVID and how we spent our time and what you woudl consider good things that came out of it (IE – a renewed closeness to family, a time to slow down, learning a new hobby or engaging in one you had not had time for, sharing your past with your children- Yay or Nay