Kate’s 2¢: “The Drowning Woman” by Robyn Harding

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“The Drowning Woman” by Robyn Harding

NOTE: There is a plethora of
in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the
title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book
is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about
what she’s read. In her opinion…

  
Brittany Wilkerson and  Henriette
Zoutomou did a good job of narrating this story 
from Hazel’s and Lee’s POVs. 
Becoming homeless could happen to anyone, and there are more ways than
one of drowning.

A few take-aways:

–His humanity has been usurped by
his need for drugs.

–I couldn’t protect myself or my
belongings (living in my car).

–When you saved me, I knew we were
meant to find each other.

–I listened to all her ugly
secrets, helped her plot her escape, and now she’s treating me like a beggar.

–Physical connection lowers
stress, hightens compassion…the night with Jessie transforms me.

–The thumb drive feels like a
bomb.

–Both of us were weak then…but our
relationship meant a lot to me

From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

www.robynharding.com

Robyn
Harding (born c. 1969 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)[1] is a Canadian
crime writer who has written several bestselling novels.[2] Her notable works
include The Drowning Woman, The Perfect Family, The Arrangement, Her Pretty
Face, and The Party.

Personal
life[edit]

Harding is
the adopted daughter of Robert and Margaret Harding.[1]

Before
being a novelist, she worked as an advertising executive for seven years.[1]

Career[edit]

Harding
published her first novel, The Journal of Mortifying Moments, in 2004. In an
interview, Harding stated: “Over the years I’d attempted to write deep,
literary novels but I never got very far and they were never very good. When I
decided to try my hand at humor and came up with the concept for The Journal of
Mortifying Moments, it flowed much more smoothly.”[1]

She was
nominated for the 2018 Arthur Ellis Awards for Best Novel for The Party;
however, this book lost to Peter Robinson’s Sleeping in the Ground.[3]

She wrote
the screenplay for the comedy film The Steps.[4]

From
NLS/BARD/LOC:

The
drowning woman DB122935

Author:
Harding, Robyn

Reading
Time: 9 hours, 42 minutes

Production:
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by:
Brittany Wilkerson, Henriette Zoutomou

Subjects:
Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction

“Lee
Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets-no one ever
does-but when her restaurant fails, and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves
her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her Toyota Corolla. In
Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to lay low and plan her next
move-until early one morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the
ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface, but instead of appreciation,
she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to
die, that she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in
her own home. Lee has thwarted her one chance to escape her life. Out of
options, Hazel retreats to her gilded cage, and Lee thinks she’s seen the last
of her, until her unexpected return the next morning. Bonded by disparate but
difficult circumstances, the women soon strike up a close and unlikely
friendship. And then one day, Hazel makes a shocking request: she wants Lee to
help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her, but Lee soon learns that
nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she
was”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York :
Hachette Book Group, 2023.

Take
Action On The drowning woman

Kate’s 2¢:  “Elevator Pitch” by Linwood Barclay

“Elevator Pitch” by Linwood Barclay

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Johnathan McClain did a great job of narrating this story that will resonate with those who have to use elevators to get from home to work and back again. Actually, I use elevators infrequently, but I’m sure going to think twice before I enter the little car.

   As writers, we are encouraged to have an “elevator pitch” ready to explain the new novel we’re working on, to sell it to whoever will listen. This book takes that advice to another level.

   Yes, I enjoyed this book.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

linwoodbarclay.com

Linwood Barclay (born 1955) is an American-born Canadian author, noted as a novelist, humorist, and (former) columnist. His popular detective novels are bestsellers in Canada and internationally, beginning with No Time for Goodbye in 2007.

Biography[edit]

Linwood Barclay was born in Darien, Connecticut, son of Muriel and Everett Barclay. His father was a professional illustrator who moved his family to Canada in 1959 where he had accepted a job with William R. Templeton Studios in Toronto. In 1966 the family purchased a vacation campground in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, which they ran for about five years until his father died from lung cancer when Barclay was sixteen.[3]

Barclay recognized his interest in writing detective fiction at an early age, inspired by the works of Ross Macdonald, who had grown up in Kitchener, Ontario.[4] After graduating from high school Barclay studied literature at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, where one of his teachers was the noted novelist Margaret Laurence. While attending university, he began a correspondence with Macdonald that proved inspirational for Barclay. They met once, at which time Macdonald inscribed one of his books to Barclay: “For Linwood, who will, I hope, someday outwrite me”.[4]

After graduation with an English literature degree from Trent, he could not sell any of his novels so he found work on a number of local newspapers beginning with the Peterborough Examiner.[3] He subsequently moved to the Toronto Star in 1981. In 1993, following the death of Gary Lautens, he began to write a thrice-weekly humour column for the paper. He also released podcasts of his articles and published three collections: Mike Harris Made Me Eat My Dog, Father Knows Zilch: A Guide for Dumbfounded Dads, and This House Is Nuts!. Between 2004 and 2007, while still writing his column, he published four mystery/comedies, all featuring a sleuth named Zack Walker who works as a newspaper columnist by day. The books were published in the United Kingdom and were modestly successful.[4]

His break came in 2007 when he published No Time for Goodbye. A runaway bestseller in the UK, it quickly sold a million copies there and elsewhere.[4] He took a one-year sabbatical to promote his novel and he had planned to return to the Star in September 2008. On June 28, 2008, he wrote his last column, announcing his retirement from the newspaper. His 2012 novel Trust Your Eyes was a finalist for the Crime Thriller Book Club Best Read from the UK Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards.[5] At the time of its publication, it was announced that Trust Your Eyes had been optioned by a Hollywood studio. Barclay made the cover of Variety Magazine because of the bidding war it had caused between Universal Studios and Warner Bros.[4][6][3] Eric McCormack had planned a script for a film version of No Time For Goodbye, with himself starring. The project never came to fruition.[7] A French TV adaptation titled That Night, was made in 2023. The series appeared on TF1 Television in France on April 23, 2025.[8][9][10]

Barclay lives in Oakville, Ontario, with his wife of more than three decades, Neetha, with whom he has two children – Spencer and Paige.[3]

From NLS/BARd/LOC:

Elevator pitch DB96405

Author: Barclay, Linwood

Reading Time: 12 hours, 55 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Johnathan McClain

Subjects: Psychological Fiction, Suspense Fiction

Four people board an elevator in a Manhattan office tower, each pressing a button for their floor, but the elevator proceeds, non-stop, to the top–then plummets to the bottom of the shaft. When it happens again the following two days in other skyscrapers, chaos erupts. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.

New York : HarperCollins Audio, p2019.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Brutal fortress DB127616” by Leslye Penelope

“Brutal fortress DB127616” by Leslye Penelope

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

    James Shippy and Caroline Sorunke did a great job of narrating this other-worldly novel. Once I let go of my expectations and relaxed, I enjoyed this narrative arc with shape shifters and all sorts of other creatures, some bent on evil, but the good ones win in the end of this third book in the series.

Featured snippet from the web

She was born in the Bronx, not long after the birth of hip hop, but left before she could acquire an accent. Equally left and right-brained, she studied film production at Howard University and minored in computer science. This led to a master’s degree in multimedia and a career in website development. She’s also an award-winning independent filmmaker, co-founded a literary magazine, and sometimes dreams in HTML.

Leslye is an alumna of VONA/Voices and Hurston/Wright Writers Workshop. She has spoken and taught at conferences and festivals around the country including the Baltimore Book Festival, Romance Writers of America, Writers Digest Annual & Novel Writing Conferences, and the Historical Novel Society.

Her podcast, My Imaginary Friends, is a journal of her publishing life, perfect for readers and writers alike. Leslye lives in Maryland with her feline dependents.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Brutal fortress DB127616

Series: Bliss wars

Order in Series: 03

Author: Penelope, L.

Reading Time: 6 hours, 56 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Shippy, James, Sorunke, Caroline

Subjects: Fantasy Fiction, Romance

“To become the queen my people need, I’ll have to risk everything. As the Nimali princess, I’m expected to become a dragon shifter. I’ve already failed once, another failure threatens my life and the fate of everyone I care about. But the world outside my pampered existence is deadly. All my careful plans fall apart when I’m attacked by vicious creatures. The man who saves my life transforms into an impossible beast. His power is beyond belief. His touch ignites a fever beneath my skin. He thinks I may be destined for him and locks me away in his fortress. My people are depending on me. I must escape his prison, but each day brings him closer to capturing my heart. To free myself from this curse, I have to walk in darkness. Trapped alone in this brutal world devoid of civilization, battling the terrifying creatures determined to destroy it, I’d begun to lose hope. Then I find her. I can’t let her go without knowing if she’s the one I’ve been waiting for. The one who can free me. Her haughty princess act conceals a liquid heart. She shines a light into my solitude and awakens a deep well of desire within me. But an overwhelming force threatens this land with total annihilation. Saving the world requires sacrifice. But now that I have her, the world could burn for all I care.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

United States : Spotify Audiobooks, 2024.

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Kate’s 2¢: “The runes of engagement” by Tobias S. Buckell and Dave Klecha

“The runes of engagement” by Tobias S. Buckell and Dave Klecha

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Doug Tisdale Jr did an excellent job of narrating this action packed story based on “Lord of the Rings” and “Dungeons and Dragons” video game.

   This was one of seven books on one cartridge sent to me by NLS. Once I settled in to accept the science of portals and the fantasy of the creatures the Marine squad, mostly comprised of geeks, faced. I enjoyed the story.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

tobiasbuckell.com

Tobias Samuel Buckell (born January 2, 1979,[1][2] in Grenada) is a Grenadian/British science fiction and fantasy writer.[3]

From his first sold short story, “The Fish Merchant”, in March of 2000,[4] he has written over a hundred stories, including novels, novellas, short stories, and collections, which have been written and translated into nineteen languages.[5][6][7] Across his writing career, he and his work have been nominated for several awards, including the WSFA Small Press Award, Nebula Award, and Prometheus Award. He has also made The New York Times Best Seller list in 2008 for his novel, Halo: The Cole Protocol, and additionally won several awards, including the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Award and World Fantasy Award.

In addition to his authorship, he has also been a judge for the World Fantasy Award,[8] a vice president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association,[9] an English instructor at Bluffton University,[10] and a Creative Writing instructor for the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA program.[11]

Early life and education[edit]

Tobias S. Buckell was born in Grenada in the Caribbean,[12][13] an island country in the West Indies and Caribbean Sea, where he lived on his family’s boat. Throughout his childhood, he and his family moved to live throughout the Virgin Islands (British and American between 1989 and 1995) until Hurricane Marilyn decimated his family’s boat house.

He and his family moved to Bluffton, Ohio when he was 16, where he eventually went on to attend and graduate from Bluffton University in 2000,[10] as well as Clarion Workshop in 1999. About that same time, he sold his first short story, “Fish Merchant”, to writer and editor Scott Edelman of Science Fiction Age, who assisted in its 2000 publication.[1] In addition to this first publication, another of Buckell’s stories, “In Orbite Medievali” won the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Volume 16 quarterly contest that same year, hosted by Ron Collins.[7]

Since then, in addition to where he posts his works on his own website,[5] his stories have appeared in various publications, including Writers and Illustrators of the Future, Nature, and Clarkesworld.

Identity, personal life, and activism[edit]

Tobias S. Buckell, though “white passing” in his own terms with Locus Magazine, proclaims his biracial identity. Through his involvement with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, as well as his office in it, he’s discussed his own identity, as well as further authorial diversity, at length; and in a similar regard, several of his works involve and incorporate the history and culture of the Caribbean.[1][7]

He has performed further advocacy in his own site-space through openness of his struggles with ADHD and dyslexia;[13] beyond these discussions, he has sought to provide his own experiences as a guide for others in his circumstances.[14]

Though not American,[3] he holds a permanent residence in Bluffton, Ohio, with his wife Emily, as well as their two daughters.[1]

Dave Klecha was born in Detroit and grew up in the Metro area, …

ISSUE 213 – JUNE 2024

INTERVIEW

FRIENDSHIP AND EXPLOSIONS: A CONVERSATION

WITH TOBIAS S. BUCKELL AND DAVE KLECHA

BY ARLEY SORG

Dave Klecha was born in Detroit and grew up in the Metro area, matriculating through five different school systems before graduating high school. He earned a BA at Grand Valley State University (near Grand Rapids, Michigan) majoring in history with a minor in Russian but studied a range of topics while there. “I was pretty much always a history major, and initially came to be much-disliked by one of my eventual mentors at Grand Valley because, quite innocently, I took his 300-level course on the Renaissance and Protest Reformation as a first-semester freshman.” Klecha studied Russian history in the graduate program at Indiana University until military deployment. “I was in the Marine Corps Reserves at the time, and my unit got called up for active duty in January of 2004, just three semesters in.”After his return, he started a business with his wife. “Me and academia didn’t get along anyway, as it requires one to hyper-specialize, and I’m much more of a generalist.”He’s also earned an acting program certificate from a studio in the Detroit area, and a Microsoft certification for his current career.

Klecha lives in Rochester, Michigan with his family. “It’s a lovely small town in the broad fabric of communities that is the Metro Detroit area, and we like it here. Nice main street vibe, fun events, and I’ve started volunteering with our local Community Emergency Response Team.” He works as a Senior Supply Chain Consultant, specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, as well as at a consulting firm out of Montreal. He also takes to the stage when he can, and recently played Prince Escalus in a local production of Romeo and Juliet, and he enjoys set designing and building. “Haven’t written anything ever for the screen, but I have coauthored a couple of stage adaptations and that writing partner and I are always kicking around ideas for either new stuff or other adaptations we want to try.”

Dave Klecha’s first publication was short story “Refuge” in Subterranean magazine #4 (guest edited by John Scalzi). He also has four short stories coauthored with Tobias S. Buckell that appeared in notable anthologies and Clarkesworld, plus the 2016 short story “On the Wall” coauthored with John Scalzi for Baen anthology Black Tide Rising (edited by Gary Poole and John Ringo).

When he’s not acting, writing, working, or serving the country, Dave Klecha has many hobbies and interests, including photography, video games, comic books, working out, and more. The Runes of Engagement is his debut novel, coauthored with Buckell, due from Tachyon this month.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The runes of engagement DB123613

Authors: Buckell, Tobias S., Klecha, Dave

Reading Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Doug Tisdale Jr.

Subjects: Adventure, Fantasy Fiction, Humor and Humorous Fiction

“No one could have been prepared for the day when orcs, trolls, and dragons fell from portals in the sky. But now a very tough but not-quite-prepared platoon of Marines is trapped on the wrong side. The enchanting world looks like Middle Earth, but to the dismay of even the geekiest soldiers, is nothing like it. While the Marines fend off dangerous, improbable, and very rude assailants, their mission is to escort a Very Important Princess who could broker a crucial strategic alliance between worlds. What could possibly go wrong?”– From publisher. Strong language and some violence.

San Francisco : Tachyon Publications, 2024.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Poet in the new world: poems, 1946-1953: by Czesław Miłosz

“Poet in the new world: poems, 1946-1953: by Czesław Miłosz

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   This was one of seven books on one cartridge sent to me by NLS.

   Robert Hass’s voice is a low, raspy, almost monotone, which makes listening to these poems even more interesting.

   I think hearing the background of several of these poems in the introduction enables the reader/listener to more fully appreciate the depth of feelings, passions, understanding, and between the lines warnings.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Czeslaw Milosz was a Polish American author, translator, critic, and diplomat who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980.

Czesław Miłosz was a Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat. He primarily wrote his poetry in Polish. Regarded as one of the great …

   Regarded as one of the great poets of the 20th century, he won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature. In its citation, the Swedish Academy called Miłosz a writer who “voices man’s exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts”.[12]

Miłosz survived the German occupation of Warsaw during World War II and became a cultural attaché for the Polish government during the postwar period. When communist authorities threatened his safety, he defected to France and ultimately chose exile in the United States, where he became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His poetry—particularly about his wartime experience—and his appraisal of Stalinism in a prose book, The Captive Mind, brought him renown as a leading émigré artist and intellectual.

Throughout his life and work, Miłosz tackled questions of morality, politics, history, and faith. As a translator, he introduced Western works to a Polish audience, and as a scholar and editor, he championed a greater awareness of Slavic literature in the West. Faith played a role in his work as he explored his Catholicism and personal experience. He wrote in Polish and English.

Miłosz died in Kraków, Poland, in 2004. He is interred in Skałka, a church known in Poland as a place of honor for distinguished Poles.

Life in Europe[edit]

Origins and early life[edit]

Czesław Miłosz was born on 30 June 1911, in the village of Šeteniai (Polish: Szetejnie), Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire (now Kėdainiai district, Kaunas County, Lithuania). He was the son of Aleksander Miłosz (1883–1959), a Polish civil engineer, and his wife, Weronika (née Kunat; 1887–1945).[13]

Miłosz was born into a prominent family. On his mother’s side, his grandfather was Zygmunt Kunat, a descendant of a Polish family that traced its lineage to the 13th century and owned an estate in Krasnogruda (in present-day Poland). Having studied agriculture in Warsaw, Zygmunt settled in Šeteniai after marrying Miłosz’s grandmother, Jozefa, a descendant of the noble Syruć family, which was of Lithuanian origin. One of her ancestors, Szymon Syruć [pl], had been personal secretary to Stanisław I, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.[14] Miłosz’s paternal grandfather, Artur Miłosz, was also from a noble family and fought in the 1863 January Uprising for Polish independence. Miłosz’s grandmother, Stanisława, was a doctor’s daughter from Riga, Latvia, and a member of the German-Polish von Mohl family.[15] The Miłosz estate was in Serbinai, a name that Miłosz’s biographer Andrzej Franaszek [pl] has suggested could indicate Serbian origin; it is possible the Miłosz family originated in Serbia and settled in present-day Lithuania after being expelled from Germany centuries earlier.[16] Miłosz’s father was born and educated in Riga. Miłosz’s mother was born in Šeteniai and educated in Kraków.[17]

Despite this noble lineage, Miłosz’s childhood on his maternal grandfather’s estate in Šeteniai lacked the trappings of wealth or the customs of the upper class.[18] He memorialized his childhood in a 1955 novel, The Issa Valley [pl], and a 1959 memoir, Native Realm [pl]. In these works, he described the influence of his Catholic grandmother, Jozefa, his burgeoning love for literature, and his early awareness, as a member of the Polish gentry in Lithuania, of the role of class in society.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

a collection of Czesław Miłosz’s poetry, newly translated by Robert Hass and David Frick, that fills a gap in his English-language work by focusing on his time as a Polish diplomat in the U.S. and his subsequent exile in Europe. The book captures his grappling with post-war Poland, the Cold War, and his new American surroundings, exploring themes of exile, memory, and the role of the poet, and includes poems written before and after this crucial period

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Poet in the new world: poems, 1946-1953 DB129584

Author: Miłosz, Czesław

Reading Time: 3 hours, 32 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Subjects: Bestsellers, Poetry

“A new collection of work from Nobel laureate Czeslaw Milosz that includes previously untranslated poems written during his time in Washington, D.C. and his years in Europe before and after.”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.

New York, NY : HarperCollins Publishers, 2025.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Fire Exit” by Morgan Talty

“Fire Exit” by Morgan Talty

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   I down-loaded this book from BookShare™ and was digitally recorded. I’m not sure if this portrays a typical Native American’s life on and near the reservation, but it does highlight how blended families don’t always work out for the best.  This story does imply a happy ending will eventually happen.

   It is also available on NLS/BARD/LOC.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Morgan Talty (born 1991) is a Penobscot writer and an assistant professor of English in Creative Writing and Native American and Contemporary Literature at the University of Maine in Orono.[1][2]

Early life and education[edit]

Morgan Talty was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and lived there until he was six. He and his mother moved to the Penobscot Indian Nation in Maine, where he lived until the age of eighteen. He started studying creative writing in community college.[2] Talty graduated from Dartmouth College and the Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing.

Career[edit]

He teaches at Stonecoast[3] and at the University of Maine.[4] His work has appeared in Narrative Magazine, Granta, RED INK, and The Georgia Review.[5][6]

Night of the Living Rez[edit]

Talty’s first book, Night of the Living Rez, was published July 5, 2022 by Tin House Books.

Night of the Living Rez was widely covered by periodicals and literary magazines.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The book received starred reviews from Booklist,[16] Kirkus Reviews,[17] and Publishers Weekly.[18] Publishers Weekly named it one of the top ten works of fiction published in 2022.[19] It won the 2022 New England Book Award for Fiction[20] and was a runner-up for the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize.[21] A finalist for The Story Prize,[22] it won the 2023 John Leonard Prize, awarded by the National Book Critics Circle for a first book in any genre,[23] and was shortlisted the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.[24]

Fire Exit[edit]

Talty’s second book, Fire Exit, was published June 4, 2024 by Tin House Books.

Personal life[edit]

Talty is married and has one son named Charlie.[25]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Fire Exit: A Novel

Morgan Talty

9781959030638

2024

Contains images

Contains images

Read Now Add to Reading ListWord Download

Synopsis

A TIME, The New Yorker, ELLE, NPR, Harper&’s Bazaar Best Book of the YearWinner of the 2025 Housatonic Book AwardFinalist 2024 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and the 2024 Maya Angelou Book AwardShortlisted for the 2025 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature AwardLonglisted for the 2025 VCU Cabell First Novel Award, 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize, 2025 Aspen Words Literary Prize, and the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction&“Utterly consuming. . . . Fire Exit absolutely smolders.&”―Tommy OrangeFrom the award-winning author of Night of the Living Rez, comes a masterful and unforgettable story of family, legacy, bloodlines, culture and inheritance, and what, if anything, we owe one another.From the porch of his home, Charles Lamosway has watched the life he might have had unfold across the river on Maine&’s Penobscot Reservation. He caught brief moments of his neighbor Elizabeth&’s life―from the day she came home from the hospital to her early twenties. But there&’s something deeper and more dangerous than the river that divides him from her and the rest of the tribal community. It&’s the secret that Elizabeth is his daughter, a secret Charles is no longer willing to keep.Now, it&’s been weeks since he&’s seen Elizabeth, and Charles is worried. As he attempts to hold on to and care for what he can―his home and property; his alcoholic and bighearted friend Bobby; and his mother, Louise, who is slipping deeper into dementia―he becomes increasingly haunted by his past. Forced to confront a lost childhood on the reservation, a love affair cut short, and the death of his beloved stepfather, Fredrick, Charles contends with questions he&’s long been afraid to ask. Is his secret about Elizabeth his to share? And would his daughter want to know the truth, even if it could cost her everything she&’s ever known?

Details

Copyright Date

2024

Publisher

Zando

ISBN-13

9781959030638

Edition

N/A

Page Count

256

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Parenting and Family

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Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty

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Fire exit: a novel DB122119

Author: Talty, Morgan

Reading Time: 6 hours, 40 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Darrell Dennis

Subjects: Family, General Fiction

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“From the porch of his home, Charles Lamosway has watched the life he might have had unfold across the river on Maine’s Penobscot Reservation. On the far bank, he caught brief moments of his neighbor Elizabeth’s life–from the day she came home from the hospital to her early twenties. But there’s always been something deeper and more dangerous than the river that divides him from her and the rest of the tribal community. It’s the secret that Elizabeth is his daughter, a secret Charles is no longer willing to keep. Now, it’s been weeks since he’s seen Elizabeth, and Charles is worried. As he attempts to hold on to and care for what he can–his home and property; his alcoholic, quick-tempered, and bighearted friend Bobby; and his mother, Louise, who is slipping ever deeper into dementia–he becomes increasingly haunted by his past. Forced to confront a lost childhood on the reservation, a love affair cut short, and the death of his beloved stepfather, Fredrick, in a hunting accident–a death he and Louise are at odds over as to where to lay blame–Charles contends with questions he’s long been afraid to ask. Is his secret about Elizabeth his to share? And would his daughter want to know the truth, even if it could cost her everything she’s ever known?”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Portland, Oregon : Recorded Books, Inc., [2024]

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Kate’s 2¢: “Eileen” by Ottessa Moshfegh

“Eileen” by Ottessa Moshfegh

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Martha Harmon Pardee did an excellent job of narrating this weird, sad story for us, but Ican’t say I enjoyed the story.

A few take-aways:

–I did not like to sweat in front of people. Such proof of carnality I found lude, discusting.

–Nothing calls more attention to one’s odor than a fragrance meant to mask it.

–The delusions he suffered from were the most affective kind. Everyone played a role in his conspiracy theory.

–If I walked around in such a costume (my mother’s clothes) nobody would every see me.

–Mine was the only one whose pain was real.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ottessa Charlotte Moshfegh (/oʊˈtɛsə ˈmɒʃfɛɡ/;[1][2] born May 20, 1981) is an American author and novelist.[3] Her debut novel, Eileen (2015), won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and was a fiction finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.[4] Moshfegh’s subsequent novels include My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Death in Her Hands, and Lapvona.

Early life and education[edit]

Moshfegh was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1981.[5] Her mother was Croatian and her father an Iranian Jew[6][7] and both were musicians who taught at the New England Conservatory of Music. As a child, Moshfegh learned to play piano and clarinet.[4]

Moshfegh attended the Commonwealth School in Boston[8] and earned a BA in English from Barnard College in 2002.[9] In 2011, she completed an MFA in Literary Arts at Brown University,[9] where she also taught undergraduates, including Antonia Angress.[10] From 2013 to 2015, Moshfegh was a Wallace Stegner Fellow in fiction at Stanford University.[11][12]

Career[edit]

After college, Moshfegh moved to China, where she taught English and worked in a punk bar.[4] In her mid-twenties, she relocated to New York City, working for Overlook Press and later as an assistant to Jean Stein. After contracting cat-scratch fever, she left the city and pursued an MFA at Brown University.[4] During those years, she supported herself by selling vintage clothing, which she has described as mostly “tea dresses.”[13]

Featured snippet from the web

Martha has recorded approximately 3,000 audiobooks for which she has won national and international awards, was the voice of 9News Optimum Wellness program for 20 years, and currently teaches Commercial Voice Over classes at the DCPA.

Martha Harmon Pardee is a highly regarded audiobook narrator and actress known for her work in the Colorado theater scene and for narrating a wide range of audiobooks, often described as a “favorite reader” by listeners

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Eileen DB82873

Author: Moshfegh, Ottessa

Reading Time: 8 hours, 8 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Martha Harmon Pardee

Subjects: Bestsellers, Psychological Fiction

Eileen Dunlop looks back fifty years to when she was twenty-four. She lived with her abusive, alcoholic father and worked as a secretary at a juvenile correctional facility called Moorehead. Her life was an unrelentingly bleak routine until new counselor Rebecca arrived at Moorehead. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2015.

New York : Penguin Press, 2015.

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Kate’s 2¢: “An Echo In Time: A Novel” by Boo Walkker

“An Echo In Time: A Novel” by Boo Walkker

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   I enjoyed this story with its time jumps clearly marked and the thought provoking questions at the end of the book.

   A few take-aways:

–Family Constilations can be uncomfortable and sometimes scary.

–Lives have changed, if you open your heart and mind.

–The morphic field: Our past is alive inside of us…People no longer with us are a part of you.

–Knowing where you come from, is part of growing up.

–I went in search of a  cure for my sickness, but  turned out my sickness was the cure.

–She must ceize life and quit feeling sorry for herself.

–Doing the right things, the world seems to open up for you.

Featured snippet from the web

Amazon.com: Boo Walker: books, biography, latest update

About the author

Bestselling author Boo Walker initially tapped his creative muse as a songwriter and banjoist in Nashville, but a career-ending hand problem sent him scrambling to find another creative outlet. After a stint as a day trader in Charleston, he headed west to Washington State, where he bought a…

Boo Walker: books, biography, latest update – Amazon.com

A wanderer at heart, Boo currently lives in Valencia, Spain with his wife and son. He also writes thrillers under the pen name Benjamin Blackmore.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

An echo in time: a novel DB128303

Author: Walker, Boo

Reading Time: 16 hours, 2 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Elizabeth Rose

Subjects: Family, Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Romance

“Unable to catch a break in life or love as she approaches thirty, Charli Thurman sees red lights at every crossroads. And given the Thurman family’s tumultuous history, she knows things will only get worse, unless she can break the cycle and figure out where and when it all went wrong. Charli is skeptical when her best friend introduces her to a ‘soul reader’ who specializes in generational trauma. But during family constellation therapy with the guru, Charli experiences an inexplicable memory of terrible violence. Whatever happened in the past, it created an imbalance that’s still in the Thurman blood. When Charli’s research leads her to Winchester, England, she meets a charming pub owner named Noah, whose own family history is similarly twisted. As the mystery deepens around a damaged inheritance and a tragic death, Charli is resolved to find the truth and create the fresh start she has been hoping for her whole life.”– Publisher description. Some violence and some strong language.

Seattle : Lake Union Publishing, 2024.

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Kate’s 2¢: “A Matter Of Hive and Death” by Nancy Coco

“A Matter Of Hive and Death” by Nancy Coco

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Susan Ericksen did a nice job of narrating this cozy murder mystery. I think it would be a good idea for all pets – cats and dogs – to have an AVID chip under their skin.

Featured snippet from the web

An Air Force veteran who rose to the rank of sergeant, Nancy is a member of an online group of female veterans—Military Women Who Have Turned Sword to Pen (RomVets.com). She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Nancy lives in Kansas and can be found online at NancyJCoco.com.

Nancy J Parra, Nancy J Coco – Nancy Coco

USA Today Bestselling Author, Nancy Coco AKA Nell Hampton AKA Nancy Parra is the author of over 35 published novels which include five mystery series.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

A matter of hive and death DB129422

Series: Oregon honeycomb mystery

Order in Series: 02

Author: Coco, Nancy

Reading Time: 9 hours, 10 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Susan Ericksen

Subjects: Cozy Mysteries, Animals and Wildlife

“For the picturesque town of Oceanview on the Oregon Coast, May brings blossoming fruit trees and the annual UFO festival. As Aunt Eloise tries out alien costumes on their Havana brown cat Everett, Wren is off to meet with a bee wrangler, her go-to guy for local fruit tree honey. But when she arrives, Elias Brentwood is lying on the ground amidst destroyed hives and a swarm of angry bees. The bees didn’t kill him, a blow to the head did. As blue-eyed Officer Jim Hampton investigates and the town is invaded by its own swarm of conspiracy theorists and crackpots, Wren and Aunt Eloise decide the only way to catch the bee wrangler’s killer is to set up a sting…”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Old Saybrook : Tantor Media, Inc, 2022.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Dancing On Broken Glass: A Novel” by Ka Hancock

“Dancing On Broken Glass: A Novel” by Ka Hancock

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Barbara Plude did a good job of narrating this emotionally charged book for us.

   Hancock used her professional experiences in nursing and knowledge of mental health to bring the characters and their dilemma to life. I really enjoyed this story. It is so much more than a romance novel. There are many springboards for discussions initiated by the story.

A few take-aways:

–The unknown I wake up with every morning is: Am I healthey today?

–To survive our diagnosis, we must understand it.

–…imagine a determined little swimmer would get through the knot.

–We pledge our imperfect selves to each other and vowed to form something bigger than either of us alone.

–…there will be times  when your dance will be on broken glass.

–Awful things happen and you just adapt.

–Death is the end and it doesn’t hurt, and if you’re not afraid, you can watch for it and be ready.

–Our bodies did the work, but it was our souls that cojoined.

The broken glass was symbolic of our marriage, but even more so of our love.

Featured snippet from the web

Ka Hancock has two nursing degrees and has spent most of her career working with psychiatric and substance abuse patients. She lives in Salt Lake City with her husband and has four children. Dancing on Broken Glass is her first novel.

Ka Hancock | Official Publisher Page – Simon & Schuster

Simon & Schuster

I’m a psych nurse by profession, a writer by passion, a raiser of responsible offspring by choice and determination, and I melt glass as a hobby.

Ka was born and raised in the shadow of the most spectacular mountains on earth. A lifelong learner, her expertise is in the field of mental health. She finds people–in all their various lifeforms–completely fascinating, and what motivates them even more so.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Dancing on broken glass: a novel DBC05560

Author:

Reading Time: 14 hours, 10 minutes

Production: Connecticut State Library, Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

Read by: Barbara Plude

Subject: Romance

Lucy Houston and Mickey Chandler probably shouldn’t have fallen in love, let alone gotten married. They’re both plagued with faulty genes, he has bipolar disorder, and she has a ravaging family history of breast cancer. But when their paths cross on the night of Lucy’s twenty-first birthday, sparks fly, and there’s no denying their chemistry. Cautious every step of the way, they are determined to make their relationship work and they put it all in writing. Mickey promises to take his medication. Lucy promises not to blame him for what is beyond his control. He promises honesty. She promises patience. Like any marriage, they have good days and bad days, and some very bad days. In dealing with their unique challenges, they make the heartbreaking decision not to have children. But when Lucy shows up for a routine physical just shy of their eleventh anniversary, she gets an impossible surprise that changes everything. Everything. Suddenly, all their rules are thrown out the window, and the two of them must redefine what love really is. Adult. Unrated.

New York : Gallery Books, 2012.

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