Our Books

The Boys: A Memoir of Family and Hollywood by Ron Howard and Clint Howard.-This is the life story of Ron and Clint Howard, child actors.  It is really a great story about their upbringing by very supportive and loving parents and the experiences they went through as child actors. 

The Measure by Nikki Erlick -About what would happen to our world if we were given the knowledge of the extent of our lives.  Very well written.

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng – A story about how a supposedly civilized community can ignore the most searing injustice due to fear mongering by the government.  Scary because it hits some truths.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry – set in WWII England, it is about the power of stories.  A woman who works in a bookshop uncovers a book that tells a story called Whisper Wood, which happens to be the story she made up for her 6 year old sister who disappeared as a child.

Forth Wing by Rebecca Yarros -An entertaining adventure filled fantasy that combines Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and the Hunger Games.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki – Story of the (Cereal) Post Heiress from early life in Battlecreek, Michigan to her death in 1973. She was not just fabulously wealthy but had savvy business sense. She understood that women wanted convenient and nutritious foods. She also built Mar-a-Lago and tried to gift it to President Lyndon Johnson.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett – If chosen, I suggest the audio version because it is read by Meryl Streep. This is a book about family, love and secrets. There are 2 stories that collide at the end. One the teen and professional theatrical life of Lara in the 1980s and her family during the Pandemic summer of 2020. It is set in and around Traverse City, Michigan. Now I want to visit Karen’s summer home!

 Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See – This is historical fiction focused on Lady Tan who lived from 1461-1554. I couldn’t help but think that the story occured when Christopher Columbus made his voyage to the West Indies. Lady Tan was a female doctor trained by her Grandparents. There is privilege/poverty, male dominance, mother-in-law issues, pestilence, wonderful metaphors, a mystery AND A TON MORE!

 Lessons from the Edge: A Memoir by Marie Yovanovitch 

Marie Yovanovitch was the Ukrainian Ambassador that got caught up in President Trump’s 1st Impeachment. Initially I thought her book was just about that episode in her life. IT ISN’T at all. It is about her immigrant parents, her early life in New England and her journey in the State Department. It is an amazing story. Lately when people ask me what non-fiction book I’ve read and would recommend … I always think of this book.