My next-door neighbor to the right is Tatum, and she is a HUGE reader. Conveniently for me, she works in our local book store. We are also in a neighborhood book club together along with about 10 other women in our association. She is the unofficial book club leader and we rely on her to schedule, host and pick the books for most of our meetings. She knows every book that is due to be released and she seems to have early copies of so many good reads (some of which land in my mailbox from time to time). So, to say that she is book savvy would be an understatement. Also, she and I have somewhat different tastes in literature. She likes a wide variety of genres and I gravitate towards the mystery/thrillers. I generally stay away from the WWII era, and she apparently digs it. We end up enjoying a lot of the same novels, but she reads everything, while I am more selective. So, I figured I would relinquish control and ask her to be a guest Book Blast contributor. Here is a group of nine recommended reads by my very astute and in-the-know friend, Tatum. You can thank her in person if you ever visit Barrett Bookstore in Darien, CT– she is the one with the annoyingly smooth skin.
Tatum’s Top Three:
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett never fails when writing about dysfunctional families, she is the queen of family sagas and this one is another success. The Dutch House is a story of siblings, Danny and Maeve Conroy, their obsessive connection with the house they lived in as young children and how their lives unfold over the years.
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
For fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, here is a moving novel about four orphans on the run from an abusive school leader. You will fall in love with the characters and their resilient spirit as they journey down the Mississippi River from Minnesota to St. Louis.
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout (released October 15th)
The long-awaited sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Olive Kitteridge, Stout addresses concerns of everyday people in Crosby, Maine. A wonderful follow-up!
