Life: A Love Story by Elizabeth Berg

LIFE: A LOVE STORY by Elizabeth Berg (The Story of Arthur Truluv and others) has a beautiful cover and expresses some truly wonderful and universal sentiments. Berg introduces readers to Flo, a widow in her nineties. Flo has received a terminal diagnosis and in an effort to wrap up her affairs she crafts a lengthy letter to Ruthie, the now grown woman who, as a young child, was her neighbor and almost a daughter. Flo tells Ruthie “You can do with my things whatever you like but I just think you should know why they are not just objects, but pieces of my life that point to something bigger than my life. I'll tell you what, a rubber band is not just a rubber band, as you will come to see.” Filled with wisdom, this letter includes many memories and meaningful stories (“an autobiography in things”), particularly about Flo’s marriage to Terrence (“She never would have predicted that he would be taking care of her long after he was gone. Yet he is.”), and one which might provide some guidance for Ruthie’s own troubled relationship. Even though this novel is almost a monologue from Flo, it is engaging and thought-provoking, totally enjoyable. I also liked the references to older books and songs (e.g., Mrs. Mike and Jesse) and a comment from Flo’s new friend, Teresa, who says, “You know, I had a patient once tell me that the best index he had to his mental health was whether or not he looked up at the sky every day.” LIFE: A LOVE STORY is a March 2026 LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection and received a starred review from Booklist (“The prolific Berg has a huge following, and this is the author at her heartwarming best.”). Highly recommended.

Genius at Scale by Hill, Tedards, and Wild

GENIUS AT SCALE by Linda A. Hill, Emily Tedards, and Jason Wild is an in-depth, thoughtful look at “How Great Leaders Drive Innovation.” The authors’ credentials are impressive: Hill is the Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School (HBS); Tedards is a graduate researcher in organizational behavior at HBS; and Wild is he former Global Vice President of CEO Co-Innovation and Customer Engagement at Microsoft. Together, they essentially use case studies and real-world examples to talk about Architects, Bridgers, and Catalysts effecting change in their organizations. Some of the companies and groups mentioned are P&G, Pfizer, Mastercard, Delta Airlines, as well as food organizations in Africa and Italy and the Sampark Foundation which promoted educational advancements in India.  

GENIUS AT SCALE is very accessible, with differently sized helpful headers, a conversational tone, and a focus on individuals and their stories. Much of this necessitates a new way of thinking, like Mastercard’s emphasis on a Framework to Grow, Diversify and Build in the “World Beyond Cash” or P&G’s increasing recognition that “the product economy was shifting to an experience economy.” The authors note that “as much as leaders would like to plan their way to innovation, their job as architects is to help their teams and organizations act their way instead,” referencing a vivid descriptor from previous research: “it's like shifting from leading an orchestra to a jazz ensemble: while their sheet music provides some guardrails, the musicians have to improvise, listen, and adapt to each other as they perform.” Another chapter looks at the establishment of the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi, stressing the importance of continuous learning and adapting to local practices, needing “to create an environment where all caregivers could be ‘contemplative and creative rather than reactive problem solvers’.” While reading, I found many insightful comments like when the Sampark leadership opined “If you launch a decision as an initiative, people wait for it to fail. If you launch it as an experiment -- indicating that you will reverse it if it doesn't go right -- people participate in shaping it. They own it.” The authors and those they studied repeatedly point out how critical it is to have a “foundation of shared purposes and values -- a sense of community." GENIUS AT SCALE is clearly extensively researched with notes comprising at least ten percent of the book; there's also a helpful index and the online bibliography contains a list of over 700 books and articles.  Highly recommended.

The House of Hidden Letters by Izzy Broom

THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN LETTERS by Izzy Broom is a dual timeline mystery set on Folegandros, a Greek island. The story moves back and forth between the 1940s’ local resistance efforts (of Stefanos, Katerina, and her sister, Leni) and more present day when Skye (fleeing an abusive relationship) and several other new residents are attempting to renovate the older houses with the help of contractor Andreas. Storms and excavations yield bodies and clues to the long ago past: “An antique blade buried underground, a bundle of letters sealed behind stone. Six houses abandoned since the war, with nothing and nobody to tell them why. There were secrets here. Secrets that someone had gone to great lengths to hide…. The past, it seemed had begun to reawaken.” It is a story of budding friendships, romance, courage, and the importance of community woven into a beautiful setting. The award-winning author’s acknowledgments suggest more adventures will follow.

Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis

JUDGE STONE by James Patterson and Viola Davis (narrator) shares the tale of the title character, Mary Stone, who draws the judicial assignment of overseeing a court case involving Bria Gaines, a local doctor, and the accusation that Bria has performed an illegal abortion on a thirteen-year-old, Nova Jones. The setting is a small town, Union Springs, in present day Alabama and feelings run high, often prompting recall of past traumas. Activists from both sides, including Klan members, convey their views (sometimes with violence) on this triggering and divisive subject. As Mary’s sister says, “Call it abortion, pro-life, pro-choice, women's reproductive health. Doesn't matter how you label it, there is no middle ground. None. Not here in Alabama. The issue fires people up. Makes them unhinged.” Even the governor and state officials try to convince Judge Stone to recuse herself. As expected, Patterson provides plenty of action, with a murder, a bombing, and other threats. JUDGE STONE received a starred review from Booklist. Readers who would like to listen to Viola Davis’ expressive reading can find a sample of the audiobook at this link.

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

LADY TREMAINE by Rachel Hochhauser is an impressive debut, containing a clever retelling of the Cinderella story, this time focusing on its title character, the stepmother. Twice widowed and impoverished, Lady Ethel Tremaine struggles to provide for her two daughters (Matilda and Rosamund) and ungrateful, detached step-daughter (Elin), constantly hoping that a fortuitous marriage will improve their fortunes. With its themes of motherhood (“The love of a mother does away with scales and measurement altogether; It envelops and understands and embraces what is cracked along with what is beautiful.”), social standing, resilience, and feminism, this title would be an interesting and discussion-provoking choice for book groups. LADY TREMAINE received starred review from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus. It is both a LibraryReads selection and an IndieNext pick for March.

Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips

STAKEOUTS AND STROLLERS by Rob Phillips is an award-winning debut mystery, with a cute cover that captured my attention. I was expecting something light and cozy and initially felt that this was a little too silly until I started to build affection for the characters and appreciation for what becomes a fairly complicated plot set in the Bay Area. The main character is Charlie Shaw, an ex-journalist, now newbie PI, married to his high school sweetheart and dad to a six-month-old daughter. His inexperience contributes to both hilarity and danger as he shifts from tailing a client’s cheating wife to trying to find the dysfunctional, missing father of sixteen-year-old Friday Finley, a runaway who has just lost her Mom. It seems that the missing Dad is involved (voluntarily or not?) in some shady dealings including gambling, crooked cops, and even murder. Solving this dilemma and supporting the troubled teen requires the involvement of Dwayne Powell, a retired police officer and Shaw’s boss. There will undoubtedly be more in this charming series, as Phillips writes, “This book, above all else, is about fathers and daughters and the space a little girl takes in her daddy's heart.” STAKEOUTS AND STROLLERS received a starred review from Library Journal.

 

The Star from Calcutta by Sujata Massey

THE STAR FROM CALCUTTA by Sujata Massey is the fifth mystery in the series  (see The Widows of Malabar Hill and others) featuring Perveen Mistry in 1920s India. Once again, the first female lawyer in Bombay is working a unique case, this time involving the moviemaking industry. Her client, Rochana, is a famous star originally from Calcutta and now in some danger as she and her new husband may lose their film company. Even Perveen and her friend Alice Hobson-Jones may fall under suspicion when a film censor is found dead after a screening they all attended. Massey offers suspense in an intriguing setting with likeable characters. THE STAR FROM CALCUTTA received a starred review from Booklist (“wonderful history-mystery read, filled with fascinating details both of the complexity of life in British India and of the workings of the 1920s film world”).