Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a deeply moving novel about the resilience of the human spirit in a moment of crisis.

Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. The whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.

Review:

Jodi Picoult has written many books, but this is only the second of her novels that I have picked up.  Wish You Were Here, her latest novel, is about how the COVID Pandamic has affected everyone.  Her story centers around a couple, Diana and her boyfriend, Finn as they are about to leave on a dream vacation to the Galápagos Islands.  But, Finn is a doctor and he is told he needs to stay behind to deal with a new illness, CVOID-19.  Diana goes without him.  Neither of them realize that this will change their relationship forever.  As Finn battles to save patients in the hospital, Diana is stuck in paradise.  One would think that Diana got the better deal.  However, would you really want to be far away while your loved ones could be getting sick and dying?  

This was a really entertaining book that addresses the pandemic, head-on.  With wonderful characters and a huge plot twist, I could not stop reading this book.

What I Liked:

Addressing COVID Pandemic:

This is the first novel that really utilizes the COVID pandemic as a major part of the plot.  And, even though this began less than two years ago, it's a good reminder of how wild things were at the beginning.  Suddenly thousands of people in New York and Boston come down with COVID-19, but doctors don't know how to treat it. Hospitals are overrun, people are scrambling to find PPE, and everything is shut down.

In the novel, Diana's boyfriend, Finn, is a surgeon in New York, and needs to spend all his time at the hospital.  Diana, not realizing how this will affect the entire planet, goes on their dream vacation to the Galápagos Islands without Finn.  She is soon stranded on the Island, with no way to get a hold of Finn, and no way to get back to New York.

But, aside from all the inconveniences of the pandemic, the book really focuses on what it was like in the hospital for Doctors, Nurses, and Patients.  One of the characters in the story gets COVID and following their journey, from the brink of death to the recovery, is a stark reminder in just how terrible this illness it.

Characters:

After dealing with a childhood where her mother was unreliable, Diana wants to have a safe, predictable future.  So she passes on opportunities that are creative but not steady.  And although she loves her doctor boyfriend, he really only offer predictability, not excitement.  With her experiences during lockdown in the Galápagos Islands, Diana starts to rethink her life.  

She also must come to terms with her relationship with her often absent mother, a world famous war photographer.  Now that her mother has dementia, Diana tries to look past her childhood hurt, and see her mom as an adult, who had to make difficult choices.

I really liked that Diana used her experiences during the pandemic to take stock of her life.

Finn, Diana's boyfriend, is a doctor on the front lines of the pandemic.  The author does not make Finn out to be some kind of hero, but rather a man experiencing trauma.  No one goes into a career in medicine with the thought that they will treat hundreds of patients who won't make it.   We see Finn's frustration, exhaustion, and (not always positive) coping skills.  While his actions are understandable, he is also selfish in believing he's the only one having a tough time.

Plot Twist:

I will not give the plot twist away.  But I will say there is something that happens in the novel that was completely unexpected, and changes the narrative of the book completely.  Parts of the event were a little hard to buy into.  But, it certainly made me gasp!

Themes:

This book is really about how the Pandemic has forced each of us to assess what their priorities should be.  Are we willing to work at a job that doesn't fulfill us?  Are we willing to settle for predictable (and safe) relationships, or do we want to take more risks?  But most of all, this book make the reader think about keeping connections with our loved ones.  We just don't know what tomorrow will bring.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  November 30th, 2021

Author:  Jodi Picoult

Publisher:  Ballantine Books

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction

Page Length:  336 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This is a highly thought-provoking, and entertaining novel.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages, a young English soldier, Ulysses Temper, finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa. There, he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian who has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and recall long-forgotten memories of her own youth. In each other, Ulysses and Evelyn find a kindred spirit amongst the rubble of war-torn Italy, and set off on a course of events that will shape Ulysses's life for the next four decades.

As Ulysses returns home to London, reimmersing himself in his crew at The Stoat and Parrot -- a motley mix of pub crawlers and eccentrics -- he carries his time in Italy with him. And when an unexpected inheritance brings him back to where it all began, Ulysses knows better than to tempt fate, and returns to the Tuscan hills.

With beautiful prose, extraordinary tenderness, and bursts of humor and light, Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family, and a richly drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms.

Review:

This is a novel that grows on you.  While the first chapter, taking place in Italy during WWII, is charming, the next few chapters have various characters who I didn't initially love.  But that's one of the joys of Still Life, by Sarah Winman.  As with a still life painting, the seemingly simple characters reveal hidden depths as the novel progresses.  This book covers a long time period, with characters growing up, aging, and (sometimes) dying. This gave me time to get to know the characters, and appreciate how they change and grow over the years.  

I also loved this book because of how several characters decide to move from their predictable hometowns to unknown Italy.  I loved this, as I have lived in three countries, and hope to add a few more to my list in the future.  The idea of searching for a new life is appealing, and shows how resilient people can be, even out of their comfort zone.

What I Liked:

Characters:

The story mostly follows Ulysses, a young British man who begins the story as a soldier in Italy during WWII.  Although the circumstances are horrific, with death all around, Ulysses sees the beauty of classic works of art and of kind people he meets along the way.  When he returns home to England, he tries to reunite with his wife, and find a way to live a more quiet existence.  Much of what happens in Italy is Ulysses trying to find a way to live that is true for himself.  

The character of Peg, Ulysses wife, was harder for me to like, as she seemed initially  very cruel to Ulysses.  Peg's character is complicated with parts of her I hated, and many parts of her I loved.  She is fiercely independent, yet yearns for a man to whisk her away and take care of her.  She loves her daughter (named Alys), but knows she will be terrible with the day to day care of her.  So she lets Ulysses raise Alys.  Again, you want to hate that decision, initially.  But the author shows that this is actually the right choice for these characters. 

I also loved Alys, Peg's daughter.  We see her grow from a precocious toddler, to a lonely child among all the grown ups, to a sulky teen, and finally into a strong young person.  I loved her story arc!  She loves creating art and music.  She also is attracted to females. Thinking of the time periods where the story takes place, this was challenging for Alys to find her place in the world.  Like Ulysses, she takes a while to find a life that works for her.

Side Characters & Found Family:

There are many characters we are introduced to at the pub where Ulysses works and they all have endearing personalities.  There's the pub owner, Col, who's fiercely protecting of his developmentally disabled daughter, Ginny.  Cress, an older patron of the pub, always seems to have great advice.  And Pete, a piano player at the pub, is full of surprises.

All of these characters make up a found family for Ulysses, and Alys.  Like a family, there are loud, opinionated members, people who get themselves into trouble. But, these people look out for one another and would (literally) be the ones to call to bury a body, if the occasion ever arrives.

Impactful meetings: 

Ulysses has one of those personalities that people are drawn to.  As a soldier, Ulysses meets Evelyn, an older fellow British woman, who briefly shows him the importance of art.  He shows her the beauty of life, even in times of terror.  This makes quite an impression on both of the characters.  Over the course of the novel, they try many times to reconnect, often just missing each other turning a street corner!

Story:

The story starts during WWII and ends in 1979!  It covers Ulysses quest (as in the Odyssey) to find a place to call home.  But what really makes a home?  Is it the geographic area, or the people?  There a little bit of both in this story.  Ulysses really enjoys Italy.  Over time, the people in his section of Florence, are as dear to him as the ones he grew up with back in England.  But he also maintains his ties to his oldest British friends.  I loved how he was able to take chances, in order to live a more interesting, fulfilling life.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  November 2nd, 2021

Author:  Sarah Winman

Publisher:  G.P. Putman's Sons

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Page Length:  464 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This book grew on me.  Once you get to know the characters, you will love the little expat community they create.  A wonderful Historical Fiction novel.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Rich in its stories, characters, and imaginative range, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting is the novel that brought Milan Kundera his first big international success in the late 1970's. Like all his work, it is valuable for far more than just its historical implications. In seven wonderfully integrated parts, different aspects of human existence are magnified and reduced, reordered and emphasized, newly examined, analyzed and experienced.

Review:

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, by Milan Kundera was on my list of "classic" book I have wanted to read.  Maybe I am not sophisticated enough to "get" him, but his narrow view of women, and sexual relationships made this challenging for me to read. This is a shame because there were many profound insights and passages.  But, some parts of the novel were so repugnant, I had to lower my rating from five to three stars.

What I Liked:

Format:

The book is presented as a series of short stories that eventually tie together.  Some of the stories are more like fantasy, with strange things happening to the characters.  In other stories, the author uses the names of famous poets in place of the actual character names.  I loved his reasoning.  Kundera wrote this book when he was still an exile in France, and didn't want to use actual names of people he knows.  Therefore, he says, it's his story, and he can name the characters anything he likes!

Themes of Forgetting:

I really thought the author's point that the various Czech governments change things (street names, for example),  so that its citizens will forget the past (and accept the future) really resonated with me.  The erasure of names, languages, and cultural traditions is how a people are subjugated, as is the case with indigenous peoples throughout the world.  

Kundera also uses forgetting to discuss his relationship with his father at the end of his life.  Although he never explicitly says this, it appears that Kundera's father had dementia.  As he nears the end of his life, he gradually loses the ability to speak.  So, by forgetting, Kundera shows that someone can lose the ability to communicate.  This loss of expression is a loss of power.

What I Didn't Like:

Themes of Laughter:

Kundera's other major theme is that laughter is evil.  He seems to equate laughter in the bedroom as an emasculation of men.  He has several situations where men and women laugh in sexual situations.  When this happens, it kills the moment (for the man) and therefore it's always a negative.  This is a very narrow view of sex between two people.  

Other stories have people laughing at inappropriate times, such as at a funeral. I think he sees laughter as something humiliating, instead of an acknowledgement of the absurdity of life. 

Sexual Abuse Excused:

One of the recurring themes in this book is that rape is an essential part of eroticism for men.  Sadly, this may be true for some men.  But I refuse to believe that this is just part of the male DNA.  Rape, and rape culture, is learned.  Kundera's insistence that men are just like this excuses mens's behavior.  He is basically saying that men can't help it.  

He also has a story where a woman is sexually abusing children.  He says that the children are initiating the contact, and makes no attempt to place blame on the woman.  Again, it is excusing her behavior.  I almost put the book down, at that point, but it was close to the end of the book, and I felt that I needed to finish it in order to really judge it.

After I finished the novel, I did some research on the author. It's really no surprise that he vocally defended the notorious Roman Polanski who raped a thirteen year-old child back in the 1970's.  I think he truly feels that men forcing themselves on women (and children) is natural and just how things are.  This book was written in the 1970's.  I really wonder if his thoughts on this has evolved since then.

Triggers for Sexual Assault and Abuse

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

Release Date: 1979

Author:  Milan Kundera

Publisher:  Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Page Length:  313 Pages

Source:  Public Library

Format:  Paperback Book

Recommendation:  This book had many parts that were thought-provoking.  But I had a hard time with the viewpoint that sexual behavior, of any type, is natural and doesn't have consequences.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The squad you love is out of time. Prepare for the thrilling finale in the epic, best-selling Aurora Cycle series about a band of unlikely heroes who just might be the galaxy's last hope for survival.

Is this the end?
What happens when you ask a bunch of losers, discipline cases, and misfits to save the galaxy from an ancient evil? The ancient evil wins, of course.
Wait. . . . Not. So. Fast.
When we last saw Squad 312, they working together seamlessly (aka, freaking out) as an intergalactic battle raged and an ancient superweapon threatened to obliterate Earth. Everything went horribly wrong, naturally.
But as it turns out, not all endings are endings, and the te4am has one last chance to rewrite thirs. Maybe two. It's complicated.
Cue Zila, Fin, and Scarlett (and MAGELLAN!): making friends, making enemies, and making history? Sure, no problem
Cue Tyler, Kal, and Auri: uniting with two of the galaxy’s most hated villains? Um, okay. That, too.
Actually saving the galaxy, though?
Now that will take a miracle.

Review:

The end of a book series comes with mixed feelings.  We want to finally have all the character's problems resolved, but we're also sorry to see them go.  I have really enjoyed the Aurora Chronicles, but Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.  It has been a really fun series filled with diverse characters and lots of humor.  Listening to the audiobooks as been (mostly) delightful, as the voice actors who narrate are wonderfully expressive.  As I listened to the final book in the series, Aurora's End, I again loved the humor, the characters, and how it is wrapped up.  I was a little mixed about some of the sound quality of the audiobook.  Also, although this is an action series, the battle scenes go on for far too long.  This actually slowed the book down.  But, even with these caveats, I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a worthy finale to the series.

What I Liked:

Characters:

With six main characters, it would seem difficult to give each of them their due.  The book focused mostly on Tyler, Scarlett, Zila, and Fin.  I liked this because the other books were more centered on Aurora and Cal.  We learned so much more about how Zila thinks and why she is so reserved, in particular.  Zila is one of my favorite characters, and it was great to see her come out of her shell.  And there are major developments int the relationship between Scarlett and Fin!  Tyler shows a side of himself that is quite unexpected.  But as the story continues, one can see how this came to be.

Book Series Recap:

I so appreciate that then beginning of the book has a recap of what happened in the two previous books!  When you have book series, I often find that I need to re-read the previous books so I won't be lost when I read the next one.  But, the authors bring the reader up to date on what happened so you can jump into the action without thinking, "who was that person again", or "Why are they at that place"?  It makes the experience so much better.  I wish more authors would do this.

Story:

The story takes place over multiple timelines.  I think the authors did a wonderful job of keeping everything logical, so it was easy to follow.  Without giving too much away, the story shows some of the characters at different ages, and it's fun to see how they changed as they got older.

What I Was Mixed About:

Audiobook Quality:

While I enjoyed the overall quality of the audio narration, for some reason one of the voice actors sounded like they recorded their lines in a closet.  When Steve West (who plays Cal) spoke there were strange echos that were not part of the story.  Just the quality of the sounds made it clear to me that he recorded his part separately from the other actors.  Hearing Cal was something I was really look forward to.  But with the sound quality so off, it was all I could focus on.

What I Didn't Like:

Story: & Pacing:

The story meandered around with various battles, again and again and again.  Part of that was built into the structure of the book.  But beyond that, there were too many epic "Final" battles.  Some editing would have given the book a faster pace, which is what this novel needed. 

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  November 9th, 2021

Authors:  Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Genre:  YA Science Fiction

Audiobook Publisher:  Listening Library

Audiobook Narrators:  Kim Mai Guest, Jonathan McClain, Lincoln Hoppe, Donnabella Mortel, Jonathan Todd Ross,  Erin Spencer, Steve West

Audiobook Length:  15 hours, 6 Minutes

Print Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers

Book Length:  512 Pages

Source:  Penguin Audio

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  Even though the novel meandered around, there was still the signature humor and humanity in each character.  A worthy end to the sereis.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

TESTING DAY IS COMING.

The Genetic Wars that turned most of the planet into a wasteland are over. The so-called “dregs” (DNA regulars) and superpowered Supergenics now live separately from each other—the Supergenics in the shiny towers of Jupitar City; the dregs across the river in the squat concrete buildings of the boroughs. But some dreg parents bear Supergenic children; under repressive laws, they must be sent to live with their own kind.

THEY ARE GEN M.

To find these special few, every teen faces Testing Day. When her turn comes, socially isolated Caitlin Feral is determined to Manifest powers like the heroes in the comic book propaganda she loves. If she fails, she faces a lifetime of loneliness and drudgery in the boroughs.

How much is Caitlin willing to sacrifice to be a supergirl?

When she uncovers dark secrets, does she dare start another war to reveal the truth?

And…who will pay the price?

Find out in Generation Manifestation

Review:

It's been a while since I've read a dystopian YA novel.  And the dystopian world of Generation Manifestation is pretty bleak!  Several books have explored the idea of what it would be like if super-heroes were real.  But, most don't go down such a dark road.  Would people with superpowers be selfless and work to protect others?  Or, would they simply pull a Loki and take over?

via GIPHY

This book encompasses many elements of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and the X-Men.  What ties it all together is the main character, Caitlin, and her two friends, Bradie and Normand.  I enjoyed the world-building, characters, and the story.  There were a lot of twisty surprises in the story that kept me guessing, and made this a page-turner. 

What I Liked:

World-Building:

Generation Manifestation is set in a world where there are Supergenic people with various supernatural powers, and Dregs who do not.  It's a bleak world where the supergenics, who should be heroes, are more like the oppressors.  While they do protect the Dregs from mutated animals, the price they set is too high.  Supergenics get to live in a utopian city, while the Dregs get, well, the dregs.  They live a life of subsistence and dream of one day manifesting into a supergenic.  The Dregs' society is organized by the Protectorate.  This is a police force made up of Dregs who are talented athletes.  They are superhuman, but without the superpowers.   They also seem to have a power trip and are feared among the Dregs.

The author put much thought into how the society of this world would function.  Once a child manifests, they are whisked away to Jupiter City to (presumably) have a wonderful life as a Supergenic.  If you don't manifest be age sixteen, you are considered a Dreg.  Dregs are then put on a career track for menial jobs such as farm worker, garbage collector, techie, etc.  Some Dregs who are very fit, are recruited into the Protectorate.  This is the only path where regular people get a  chance at a better life.

Characters:

Caitlin, the main character has desperately wanted to be a Supergenic all her life.  Kids are tested once a year, and if by the time they're sixteen, if they don't "manifest", they are considered dregs.  When she starts trying out vocational jobs, like farmer, and protector, she realizes just how much privilege the protectors have, and is instantly seduced.  This is so understandable, since she has lived in poverty and near starvation for most of her life.  And being a protector is as close to being a Supergenic as she'll ever get.  But there's also a big price to pay when you have to enforce brutal laws...

Bradie is another proctor recruit, and he and Caitilin  are instantly attracted to each other.  Bradie's older brother is already a protector, so it's natural for Bradie to walk in his brother's footsteps.  But Bradie also has a deep resentment for the Protectorate.  Can he start a revolution and still keep the love of his brother?

Normand is a boy at Caitlin's school how seems rather strange.  He mutters to himself, and is obsessed with technology.  Caitlin starts to hang out with him when he shows her a massive (and illegal) comic book collection. He understands Caitlins obsession with becoming a supergenic.  And he encourages her to use her artistic skills to help him write a comic book.  Normand is a very complicated character, with lots of secrets.  It was fun to find out there is so much more to his character beyond nerdy tech bro.

Story:

While the world-building reminded me a lot of the Hunger Games, I could also so influences of Divergent and the X-Men in the story.  I think the story is about finding your own way to be a super human.  Whether that is by being lucky enough to have superpowers, or just embracing each opportunity, the characters are living fast.  With such an authoritarian regime, it's no wonder.

The story itself is obviously the start of a multi-book series.  We get a lot of backstory about how the Protectorate came to be, and how their society is set up.  I liked that Caitlin is a morally complicated character.  She is not perfect, and has to own up to the fact that while Bradie is incredibly handsome, it Normand who actually gets her.  She fluctuated between using Normand, and actually becoming his friend.

I do wish that some of Caitlin's other relationships, such as with her mother and brother, could have been addressed.  Near the beginning of the story, the mom kicks Caitlin out.  And then we never hear from her family again.  Maybe this is something that will be part of the next book in the series?  I hope so.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  September 14th, 2021

Author:  Steven Bereznai

Publisher:  Jambor

Genre:  YA Dystopian Novel

Page Length:  248 Pages

Source:  Edelweiss

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  A fun, YA dystopian novel.  The twists and turns of the story made this a highly entertaining book.