Breathing Under Water by Jacqueline Friedland

BREATHING UNDER WATER by Jacqueline Friedland received a starred review from Booklist and Kirkus called it “a touching novel about unexpected connections and found family.”  It is the first book in a while to really grab my attention, and I can readily see book groups finding so much to discuss. Chapter narration alternates between Berry Selinger and McKenna Jamison, two caring women from different generations with a host of issues to face. Berry is an assistant principal hoping for a promotion and trying to balance her career with supporting her sixteen-year-old son, Leo, who is autistic. McKenna is a scholarship college student who relies on her coach and swim team as her grandmother’s dementia worsens. Readers will be surprised by the workplace sabotage, marital strife, anger management issues, and homelessness which also feature in the plot. Yes, it is a lot for either one to handle and the stories intersect when McKenna begins teaching Leo to swim. He really is the pivotal character and obviously dear to Friedland who says her own mother taught her that “every child deserves to be seen, to be challenged, and most of all, to be respected and understood.” BREATHING UNDER WATER is about perseverance, self-reflection, and acceptance, as Berry says, “I don't see the trials and tribulations only as hardships. I can now see the ways they've led to profound growth, making us stronger, more resilient, and ready for whatever comes next.” 

Mom Needs A Moment by Cassidy Freitas

MOM NEEDS A MOMENT by Cassidy Freitas explores “How to Stop Your Reaction Before It Starts... and Become a Calmer, Happier, More Connected Parent.” Dr. Freitas is a licensed family and marriage counselor and host of the weekly Holding Space podcast. In chapters titled Traumas and Triggers, All the Feelings, Being in the Moment, etc., she writes here about emotions related to being a parent, especially a Mom. Freitas is excellent at describing the range of reactions: “A hypervigilant part trying to anticipate every need before it exploded into chaos; A perfectionist part desperate to keep it all together; A wounded part still aching from past moments when asking for help led to disappointment or shame. ... All I knew was that I felt broken. And alone.” Admitting her own concerns and needs regarding motherhood, she writes about magic in the margins: “These are the spaces where your body can exhale and you can come back to yourself, where you can remember that you don't have to live in constant reaction mode, that you have choices. … They allow me to slow down, to notice, to be present.” In a calm and helpful way, she offers insights regarding the difficulty of changing patterns based on generational cycles that show up in everyday parenting. Understanding her audience, she provides notes at the end of each chapter, with “major themes, tools, and actionable next steps described.” Reading MOM NEEDS A MOMENT will benefit Moms, caregivers, and grandparents alike. 

The May House by Jillian Cantor

THE MAY HOUSE by Jillian Cantor (The Hours Count) is a book about sisters and the week they spend together each year (“‘It’s my favorite day of the year,’ she called out. ‘May day!’”) at their Grandmother Vera’s house on the beach at Coronado Island near San Diego. The story is sometimes confusing because it skips around in time and shifts focus between Julia (the eldest, obsessing over rules and scheduling), Emily (big-hearted middle sister struggling to find a purpose in life) and Nora, (the youngest, pursuing an acting career despite opposition from their widowed father). Over thirty years, they experience personal and professional upheaval, including marital problems, parenthood for some, and an unrequited crush on next door neighbor, Nate, a local surfer. Given the sisters’ lack of contact during the year, THE MAY HOUSE is somewhat like the Alan Alda rom-com, “Same Time, Next Year,” providing opportunity for readers to judge the choices being made and to observe the characters’ growth. Still, they do care about each other: Julia muses, “Her sisters. She would never love anyone in quite the same frustratingly wonderful way that she loved Emily and Nora. They'd bickered their whole lives. But being sisters always transcended everything else. Their shared history, their shared trauma, their shared DNA. It was all irreplaceable.” Cantor drops plenty of hints about a not-so-secret secret that eventually emerges and propels the sisters forward, embracing the many blessings they have.

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Set on the water in Rhode Island, DOLLY ALL THE TIME by Annabel Monaghan is the perfect beach read escape. In an almost too good to be true romance, we meet Dolly Brick (now in her 30s) who used to tease her sister with tales of becoming a princess and riding off on a horse with a gentle man. After helping a local (and wealthy) businessman, Stewart Whitfield, fix a tire on his car, Dolly is offered a platonic contract to act as his girlfriend for the summer. As a single Mom (and underpaid teacher who helps at the family fish store), she agrees. Of course, Dolly and Steward develop feelings for each other, and he even takes her thirteen-year-old son, Gus, under his wing. No relationship is totally “smooth sailing,” though, and the appealing characters struggle a bit with expectations from themselves and well-meaning friends and family. DOLLY ALL THE TIME is a Hall of Fame LibraryReads selection for May 2026 and received a starred review from Kirkus (“a charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth”), plus praise from authors Catherine Newman and Beth O’Leary. Enjoy!

The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung

THE LAST MANDARIN by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung is a stand-alone political thriller. In this novel, modern day terrorist attacks are occurring simultaneously all over the globe and a Chinese dissident, Vivien Li and her food-blogger daughter, Alice, are drawn into a mystery which even leading intelligence agencies are struggling to decipher. As readers would expect from Penny (Inspector Gamache series), there are numerous plot twists and surprises. She and Fung (an award-winning Canadian journalist) also convey the political intrigue (e.g., betrayal by supposedly loyal staff) and behind the scenes maneuvering (including a unique back channel for communications), in a manner reminiscent of writers like Allen Drury or Gore Vidal. Library Journal says, “this book is character-driven and nuanced,” and Publishers Weekly calls THE LAST MANDARIN “an eerily plausible nail-biter.” Louise Penny herself writes, “This is the story of political intrigue but it is, at its heart, about that relationship. About the wounds the struggles the need to connect with the parent.” Enjoy the rapprochement and the adventure!!

The audiobook is narrated by Eunice Wong who does an absolutely excellent job. A favorite scene is the online gathering of the experts from several countries and Wong’s ability to use her voice and convey their biases and country of origin.  Barnes & Noble and Abe Books each recommend more authors/titles in this genre. Looking for a political thriller in movie form? Try these suggested by IMDb.

Mother Tongue by Sara Nović

MOTHER TONGUE by Sara Nović (Girl at War and True Biz) received well-deserved starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. Nović uses this memoir to share her experiences, reflections, and research about being deaf and the deaf culture. In an effort to teach and inform others, she is willing to be vulnerable, resulting in a poignant tale. Nović explores related history (e.g., Nazi eugenics and Alexander Graham Bell’s campaign against American Sign Language) as well as the prejudice she encountered when trying to adopt a deaf son from another race. The tone is not academic, but the vocabulary often is, in MOTHER TONGUE, a moving and educational work.

Moonlight Murder by Uzma Jalaluddin

MOONLIGHT MURDER by Uzma Jalaluddin is her second Detective Aunty novel and I found it even more enjoyable than the first, although also a bit slow-paced in parts. Kauser Khan, the main character, is an older widow whose heritage is Muslim and South Asian. She lives in Toronto where her son (Ali, then 15) was killed by a hit and run driver eighteen years ago. The story revolves around her belated investigation of his death and the more recent death of another young teen, Qasim, close friend of her granddaughter, Maleeha. As the beautiful cover illustrates, the culture of the tightly knit community in the Golden Crescent neighborhood of Toronto is integral to the story and Jalaluddin brings to life secondary characters like Kauser’s daughter; old friends May (“Who knew that a shared love for Louise Penny and the Public Library would lead to a friend for life?”), Fatima, and Nasir (also a potential romantic interest); the local police; and several high school students, including the brother, Kamal, and the best friend, Joquiem, of Qasim as well as some of his teachers. The dual mysteries (“Two parallel stories, separated by decades and circumstance, linked by place and community. Both deaths assumed accidents. Both with unanswered questions about motive, story, and intention…”) offer suspense and surprise. Kauser is an appealing character who relies on her faith and also still grapples with grief (“It felt good to make plans for the future. It felt good to feel capable of thinking beyond the next few days. She had lived her life in survival mode for so long, wrestling with the ghosts of death, loss, and grief, … but she could feel something shift inside her now, at last.”). Read this series in order as you anticipate the next title.

The Mountains We Call Home by Richardson

THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME by Kim Michele Richardson is a work of historical fiction subtitled “The Book Woman's Legacy.” It continues the excellent series which began with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, followed by The Book Woman’s Daughter. This time, readers find Cussy Mary, a young woman whose skin appears blue due to genetic factors, in jail for marrying a white man, Jackson Lovett. It is the early 1950s (prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Loving v. Virginia) so the partners are separated and imprisoned. This is a hard book to read at first as Cussy works long hours in the prison kitchen and laundry, amidst harsh conditions. Eventually, she and the readers find hope and some respite as she is assigned librarian duties and begins to transform life for other inmates through literacy and the escape that books often bring. Concerned with freedom and bodily autonomy, there are many sad aspects, including talk of lobotomies, a botched death sentence, and threatened abortion. This title is a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection and for interested book groups, a Reading Group Guide is included which also explores rural vs. urban life and several social issues. Library Journal describes THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME as “a deeply satisfying companion novel … exploring injustice, belonging, and the transformative power of literacy with compassion and grace.” Kim Michele Richardson is herself passionate about literacy and has honored the Pack Librarians by founding an initiative called Courthouses Reading Across Kentucky, establishing Little Free Libraries across the state.

Does My Child Need Me to Lead or to Follow?

DOES MY CHILD NEED ME TO LEAD OR TO FOLLOW? by Claudia Schwarzlmüller is an international best-seller which covers “A Radically Simple Way to Parent Children from Infancy Through Age 6.” Schwarzlmüller is a child psychologist with over twenty years of experience. Her tone is wonderful – calm, compassionate, nonjudgmental, and definitely striving to represent the child’s viewpoint. For example, in the Your Toddler section, she describes behavior which is SO familiar (e.g., a toddler “loves taking things out and putting them away”… and “needs to repeat behaviors many times in order to learn … repetition is the name of the game”). She discusses thinking and playing (when a child “learns about objects by putting them in his mouth, banging them against something else, studying, turning, rubbing, or throwing them”), as well as feelings and relationships, movement, and speech. To me (a relatively new grandmother), the insights Schwarzlmüller offers are spot-on, valuable and actionable (e.g., she lists a series of play schemas and what your child learns from practice like Positioning (a sense of length, height, distance), Transforming, Connecting, Enveloping, Transporting, Dividing/Scattering (geometry/math, quantity, shapes, volume), Sorting, Filling, and Orientation). She writes about allowing your child to lead (“give them the freedom to try things out and as much free time to play as possible”), but also notes, “Children need to find their bearings and to feel safe. You are the missing partner in this social dance if you don't assume your role in moments of leading. Your child is searching for balance between moments of leading and moments of play, just like the rest of us.” Additional parts of the book deal with Your Baby, From Toddler to Preschooler, From Preschooler to Kindergartener to First Grader, plus introductory material, a list of references, and further reading suggestions. Publishers Weekly called this text “a valuable resource for parents of young children [in which] research-based insight meets practical guidance.” I heartily concur and I am highly recommending DOES MY CHILD NEED ME TO LEAD OR TO FOLLOW?

THE MIXED + MULTIRACIAL GUIDE TO WELLBEING by Namalee Bolle is subtitled “Navigating Family, Identity + Healing.” Bolle divides the text into three parts: Unpack, Discover and Thrive. She describes her own history (British born of Sri-Lankan and Dutch-Jewish heritage) and that of other multi-racial people as she encourages readers to reflect on their unique situations. It felt at points as though this text was more about therapy-type exercises and less about actual research findings (of which there may not be many). However, I did gain insights from reading about children who are multiracial – as she says, they are racially different to both parents. That may seem obvious, but it is worth pausing and contemplating that idea along with how difficult it is for all of us to find our identities as adolescents and how these children must learn to recognize/accept that “I am this and this and that.” I plan to look into the children’s books that she recommended (e.g., The Truth about Dragons) and also to watch 1000% Me, an HBO/Max documentary. Overall, an interesting starting point for more discussion and research.

The Moonshine Women by Michelle Collins Anderson

Beginning in 1912 and continuing through the Prohibition era, THE MOONSHINE WOMEN by Michelle Collins Anderson is a work of historical fiction set in rural Missouri that was chosen as an Indie Next pick for April 2026. The family saga revolves around the Strong sisters: Rebecca who loves nature and working on the farm; Elsie who is looking for love and a chance to escape to an easier life; and “Shine,” the youngest, who despite her impulsive personality and fiery, red hair, is the most talented at crafting moonshine with her father, Hiram and grandmother, Lidy. Rural life is especially difficult during the Depression, and, after a tragedy, these young women expand their operation to Hot Springs, Arkansas, a vacation spot for mobsters (Al Capone makes an appearance or two) and other wealthy customers. The sisters still suffer setbacks but stay strong (“who they were deep down, that core of pure obstinance and determination”) while also learning to depend on others (“enlarging your circle didn’t dilute love, but miraculously multiplied it”). Anderson has thoroughly researched this era: pointing, for example, to when “the government feared that female bootleggers outnumbered their male counterparts five to one!” She provides a useful list of Sources, some, like this, with online links, plus Discussion Questions for Book Groups. For interested readers, Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls is another fictional work which also deals with Prohibition and has strong female characters; it received multiple starred reviews.

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.

Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

NOBODY’S BABY by Olivia Waite is a short (144 pages) novella set in space. The baby is a total surprise as people traveling on the spaceship for hundreds of years are not supposed to be able to have children. The main character, a detective named Dorothy Gentleman, has a nephew who finds the baby and wants to raise it with his partner. Their reaction to the whole situation is heartwarming in itself, as are Dorothy’s efforts to untangle the legal status of a being who is not supposed to exist. NOBODY’S BABY is a LibraryReads selection for March; that’s where I first heard about this second book in the series (after Murder By Memory) where “Becky Chambers meets Miss Marple.” Kirkus described NOBODY’S BABY as “a gentle charmer of a SF mystery that surprises as it satisfies” and Booklist gave it a starred review. Enjoy!

Lake Effect by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

To be published in early March, LAKE EFFECT by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney is a multi-generational story with a Rochester, New York setting. I loved the many local references like Sibley’s or McCurdy’s department stores and several restaurants as well as the Lilac Festival. With a story that focuses mainly on the last third of the twentieth century, D'Aprix Sweeney also subtly weaves in historical details like Mr. Bubble (loved that!), Lollypop Farm, and the new concept of personal computers and the “undo” button for mistakes. She writes about cooking, Weight Watchers, divorce, Xerox corporate strategy, growth of supermarket chains, the AIDS epidemic and much more… all against a framework of two intertwined middle-class families, the Larkins and the Finnegans. I could readily picture them going to church on Sunday, socializing, and raising children in a close-knit town where so many folks worked for Kodak or Xerox (like Sam Larkin). Finn Finnegan pursues the family business, updating and expanding the local grocery chain (shades of Wegman’s?). But both their marriages are unhappy and changes impact them, their spouses (Nina and Honey), and their high school age children, Clara and Bridey (Bridgid) Larkin and Dune and Fern Finnegan. Subsequent events track the life choices of that younger generation (particularly the relationships between mothers and daughters), with a poignant ending. Overall, I would recommend this novel, but caution readers that there are some explicit scenes, including the rape of a fifteen-year-old girl. LAKE EFFECT received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus (“An inviting family drama with the warmth, interest, and edge readers love in Sweeney’s work.”), and Library Journal. Marin Ireland performs well as the audiobook narrator. 

Parenting Anxiety by Meredith Elkins

PARENTING ANXIETY by Meredith Elkins is about “Breaking the Cycle of Worry and Raising Resilient Kids.” Elkins, a clinical psychologist, a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and the co-program director at the McLean Anxiety Mastery Program (MAMP) at McLean Hospital, is well-regarded in her field. She draws on her work and education as well as her personal experience as a parent. Elkins appeared recently at a FAN (Family Action Network) session where she was interviewed for an hour by a local school superintendent. There, she repeatedly pointed to the idea that well-intentioned attempts to “protect” children can instead foster an environment where anxiety is allowed to thrive. As in her book, she encouraged parents and educators to approach, rather that avoid, uncomfortableness. Other chapters explore concepts such as Overparenting, Exposure Therapy, and “Finding Your Way.” At the end of each chapter is a helpful set of bullet points “to take home with you.” Over the years, we have commented on numerous books dealing with anxiety, particularly as relates to teens, although Elkins’ work applies to children of all ages. A glossary, list of resources, and notes make up over ten percent of PARENTING ANXIETY and there is also a lengthy appendix which covers “Decoding Diagnoses.”

Deeper than the Ocean by Mirta Ojito

DEEPER THAN THE OCEAN by award winning author Mirta Ojito is beautifully written. The story takes place in two time periods, contrasting a tale that is set in the modern day with one that begins in the early years of the twentieth century. It is a story of family, of secrets, and of thwarted love. In 2019, Mara Santander, an investigative journalist, is mourning her husband: “What I needed, what I wanted was life assurance, the guarantee, in writing, if possible, that he would live as long as I did, that his side of the bed would never be pristine and that my hand would always find his in the dark. He laughed off my fears and hugged my worries away. Now, of course, I'm grateful for his foresight.” She eventually travels to the Canary Islands in search of information about her great grandmother, Catalina. Married to one man and in love with another (“my love for you is higher than the sky and deeper than the ocean”), Catalina experiences the heartbreak and trauma of an ocean storm and eventually rebuilds her life in Cuba which is where, many years later,  Mara emigrated from (“What do you do when you can’t stay, and you can’t go back?”). DEEPER THAN THE OCEAN is a very moving debut novel, where “hope … could be even more heartbreaking than grief,” and is recommended by USA Today for “fans of Isabel Allende, Julia Alvarez, and Kristin Hannah.” The settings are beautiful, the culture is exquisitely shared, and the emotions are complex. 

The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber

THE FORGET-ME-NOT LIBRARY by Heather Webber is a LibraryReads selection for November 2025 (“Perfect for readers who want a cozy, magical read to soothe away the troubles of the real world.”). Library Journal says THE FORGET-ME-NOT LIBRARY is for readers who enjoy “Stephanie Perkins, Fannie Flagg, and Karen Hawkins.” To that I would add authors like Katherine Center, Ruth Hogan, Susan Mallery, Karen White, and Susan Wiggs. This novel is a tender story of friendship, found family, small town-community, and second chances. The main characters are Juliet, a young nurse who has lost some memories due to an accident, and Tallulah, a recently divorced young mother of two sweet girls, Katie June and Mary Joy. Juliet’s car breaks down in the enchanted town of Forget-Me-Not, Alabama, where Tallulah works in the local library and lives with her eighty-year-old grandfather. Romance is on the horizon for both women, and they bond over caring for the girls and some of the town’s older residents with their wise sayings. Truly gentle and delightful.

Wreck by Catherine Newman

WRECK by Catherine Newman continues the story of the wonderful characters readers met in Newman’s bestseller Sandwich. Once again, middle-aged Rocky is dealing with all that life imparts for her family, including husband Nicky, grown children Willa and Jaime, and her newly widowed father who is temporarily living in the in-law apartment in her backyard. As Newman says in her author notes, it is that father who gets “all the funniest lines,” but every character, especially Rocky, contributes to the humor and wisdom that Newman’s story conveys. I love, for example, how Rocky contrasts herself with her husband: “His personality is very cross that bridge when you come to it. Mine is very apply to engineering school in case there's a bridge that might need crossing but it hasn't been designed yet.” By including daily events and an underlying sense of anxiety about mental and physical health as well as some ethical employment issues, Rocky and her family touch all of us in a memorable, relatable way. WRECK is a LibraryReads selection for October and received starred reviews from Kirkus (‘’Newman excels at showing how sorrow and joy coexist in everyday life.”) and Library Journal (“A welcome return …. Here’s hoping for more …”). Highly recommended.

The Lifeguards by Amanda Eyre Ward

THE LIFEGUARDS by Amanda Eyre Ward is by a local Texas author and has an Austin (Barton Springs and Zilker Park) setting. The story revolves around the title characters - three fifteen-year-old boys - and their parents. Sadly, none of the adult characters are especially likeable and everyone makes poor choices again and again. A body is found, bringing suspicion onto the trio and soon both police and lawyers are involved. The sense of entitlement and false friendship is almost nauseating; unfortunately, it is not unique to Austin and this could have taken place in any affluent, privileged community. What are we modeling for our children when they seem wiser than the parents? The adult insecurities and immaturity are captured perfectly and Ward adds an extra twist before quickly resolving the plot. This is the second novel I read by her and they seem to have a dark, menacing aspect, although I found The Same Sky to be more issue-oriented.

The Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream

THE PECULIAR GIFT OF JULY by Ashley Ream is a charming novel which deals with the idea of family, “everyday magic,” and belonging. The story takes place on Ebey’s End, a small fictional island community near Seattle that is reached by ferry. It is into that interconnected, caring community that July, a fourteen-year-old girl is plummeted after the death of her adoptive mother. Somehow July seems to instinctively know what others need… whether it is Anita, the lonely middle-aged retail grocer with whom July now lives, or Mack, Anita’s eccentric and garrulous father, or Jim, the librarian caring for his disabled sister, or Chet, the local pastor and his teenage son, Malcolm, or Carol and Doc, a couple dealing with being unfaithful to each other. Reading about everyday events allows for developing affection towards July and the island’s inhabitants, making the contrast with the fast-paced and surprising ending even more evident. THE PECULIAR GIFT OF JULY received a starred review from Booklist (“readers will face the dilemma of consuming this book as quickly as possible or limiting pages to slowly savor.”). Ream writes distinctively; here are just a few quotes to recall:

·        “It was raining outside, a heavy drizzle that started in October and marched with head down and shoulders hunched right through April.”

·        “It had taken her an hour to cook dinner. It took almost no time to eat it, sitting alone at the kitchen table.”

·        “But knowing you should say something and knowing precisely what that something might be we're two different kinds of knowing.”

·        “She had a hard time remembering most of what happened during that time period it was like the film in her brain had been corrupted, leaving staticky bits that were almost never things you would want.”

·        “Two months ago, she'd been thinking of getting a cat for company, and now her life felt like an elevator with people coming in and in and in until she was pressed into the corner with nowhere to go and not enough air.”  

The Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang

THE SATISFACTION CAFÉ by Kathy Wang is a LibraryReads selection for July and was recently recommended by Ann Patchett on a PBS NewsHour feature (see video below). However, I found the story evoked feelings of loneliness and sadness. The main character is named Joan and although she is from Taiwan, she eventually moves to California and becomes the fourth wife to an older, wealthy white man. It feels as though she is constantly denying herself and suppressing her feelings in order to “fit in.” No one is very welcoming; why does she bother? The book moves slowly, although it covers several decades, with her own grown children eventually confronting many of the same issues about belonging and following rules. The title reflects her dream: “Joan wished there was a place she could visit to feel less alone: a restaurant with very friendly servers, perhaps, where she might order a bowl of spaghetti and casually surrender her insecurities. When she was little, she used to daydream of a place she named in her head the Satisfaction Café, which had friendly employees and nice food and pretty toys; even as a child, Joan’s imagination had not stretched to fantastic outcomes but, rather, a reasonable amount of happiness.” That feeling proved elusive and instead of peaceful contentment, a melancholy atmosphere pervades the story. Those who prefer a feel good story will be disappointed.