Back to the beginning… for me! A year ago, I participated in the Birthstone Book Covers meme — hosted by Leslie at Books Are the New Black — for the first time, and liked it so much that I’ve kept it going every month since.
And now, I’m back to where I started, ready for even more birthstone book covers! The challenge going forward will be to see if I can come up with NEW books to feature…
Want to join in this fun monthly meme?
The rules are simple:
Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. Have fun!
August’s birthstone is peridot. According to the American Gem Society:
Though peridot is widely recognized for its brilliant lime green glow, the origin of this gemstone’s name is unclear. Most scholars agree that the word “peridot” is derived from the Arabic faridat, which means “gem;” however, some believe it’s rooted in the Greek word peridona, meaning “giving plenty.” Perhaps that’s why peridot was, according to lore, associated with prosperity and good fortune.
Peridot is the rare gem-quality variety of the common mineral olivine, which forms deep inside the Earth’s mantle and is brought to the surface by volcanoes. In Hawaii, peridot once symbolized the tears of Pele, the volcano goddess of fire who controls the flow of lava. Rarely, peridot is also found inside meteorites.
Peridot’s signature green color comes from the composition of the mineral itself—rather than from trace impurities, as with many gemstones. That’s why this is one of few gemstones that only comes in one color, though shades may vary from yellowish-green to olive to brownish-green, depending on how much iron is present.
First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers created by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here’s how to join in:
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page.
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first.
Finally… reveal the book!
Today’s line are from a contemporary romance that’s been sitting on my TBR for a few months now:
Of the many psychological tricks Layla Bailey had played on herself in preparation for this — only her second trip ever to her favorite… well, was it better to say, former favorite? onetime favorite? nostalgic, painful, heartbreaking favorite?… city in the world — typing positive affirmations into her translation app was possibly the most personally embarrassing.
So what’s the book?
The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn Published 2026 454 pages
Synopsis:
A woman tests the limits of her so-called amicable divorce when she flies to Paris for the destination wedding of her former sister-in-law, only to butt heads with the deliciously gruff best man, in a poignant and romantic novel from Kate Clayborn.
Physician Layla Bailey has spent over a year telling herself she’s moved on from a painful but amicable divorce from her college sweetheart. Staying friends with her ex seemed like the mature thing to do, but when Layla is invited to her former sister-in-law’s destination wedding in Paris—where Layla once spent her own romantic honeymoon—she knows her commitment to maturity might be her worst enemy…especially since her ex isn’t attending alone.
The only thing that could make the week more difficult is getting through it without the distraction of the wedding…. But when what Layla thought was a harmless conversation about the choices of her younger self leads to the bride getting cold feet, Layla finds herself facing down the groom’s mysterious, taciturn best man, Griffin, who will do anything to make sure this wedding happens.
Since she broke it, Griff demands she help him fix it. Going along with his plan to alleviate the engaged couple’s doubts seems like Layla’s best chance at maintaining a good relationship with a family she once called her own. But as she learns more about the past heartbreak that’s driving Griff to help his friend, she gets closer and closer to confronting the true depth of her own pain…while finding herself more and more willing to risk it all again for Griff.
I’ve been on the fence about picking this up, mainly because it’s longer and seemingly a bit heavier than I tend to prefer when it comes to romance reading. If you’ve read this book already, do you recommend it? And if not, does this sounds like something you’d enjoy?
Title: Theo of Golden Author: Allen Levi Publisher: Atria Books Publication date: October 3, 2026 Length: 399 pages Genre: Contemporary fiction Source: Purchased Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden. No one knows where he has come from…or why…
His name is Theo. And he asks a lot more questions than he answers.
Theo visits the local coffeehouse, where ninety-two pencil portraits hang on the walls, portraits of the people of Golden done by a local artist. He begins purchasing them, one at a time, and putting them back in the hands of their “rightful owners.” With each exchange, a story is told, a friendship born, and a life altered.
A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another.
Theo of Golden is one of those books that seemed to come out of nowhere… and then turned up everywhere. The book has been on the New York Times bestseller list (combined e-book and print) for 38 weeks as of now, and has been selected by countless book groups (celebrity and otherwise) around the world. A debut novel, this gentle story showcases kindness and caring; it’s easy to see why it’s captured so many hearts.
Theo, who never provides more than his first name, is an 86-year-old man of Portuguese descent who arrives in Golden, Georgia (roughly modeled on Columbus, Georgia) and settles in. He wanders the town, observing the shops, the main street, and the river, exchanging pleasantries and greetings with the random people he encounters. When he stops by The Chalice, a local coffee shop, he’s stunned by the pencil-drawn portraits that line the walls. As he soon learns, a local artist has created these portraits, each one showing the face of a Golden resident. For Theo, the portraits are revelatory: In each, he sees hopes, fears, dreams, pains, and purpose. He admires how beautifully the artist has captured the individuality of these 92 people.
And thus, Theo’s mission is born. Learning the portraits are for sale, he decides to purchase them one by one and gift them (as a “bestowal”, as he comes to think of it) to the people they portray. Via handwritten letters, he reaches out to the various portraits’ subjects, asking them to meet him by the fountain at the center of town, where he gives them their portraits and spends time in conversation, learning who each person is and what their inner lives are like.
As Theo spends time in Golden, he connects with people from all walks of life, and listens with an open heart as they tell him their stories. Through Theo, strangers become friends, and he leaves behind a sense of connection and caring wherever he goes.
Theo of Golden is, first and foremost, a book about kindness. It’s a soft, sweet sort of story, but it’s never sappy or dull. Theo seems like someone we’d all want to know. He doesn’t push or intrude; he offers sincerity and is ready to listen and give his time, and that’s what so many of the people he encounters truly need.
I enjoyed seeing Theo weave connections and leave joy in his wake, and his acts of generosity and kindness truly change lives. The plot may feel a bit meandering at times, but it’s building toward something, and by the end, the various threads and hints all come together.
I have just minor quibbles about this book. First, Theo is a man of wealth, who chooses not to share anything about his business or properties or how he became the person he is. He’s able to use his money to change lives, which is lovely, whether it’s shown by way of covering medical bills or buying special gifts or other acts of generosity. This is all beautiful… but part of me wondered how Theo’s acts and encounters might have turned out if he didn’t have such wealth to pave the way.
My other quibble relates to the ending, where we finally get substantive answers about Theo. It’s wonderful in its own way, but also feels a little out of the blue. I can’t say more, but in some ways, it seems a little too neat and tidy. But maybe that’s just my inner curmudgeon peeking out!
I was charmed by Theo of Golden, and wanted to know more. Here’s an article about the real life coffee shop that was the inspiration for The Chalice! Also, check out this book-related guide to Columbus.
Theo of Golden is a lovely, uplifting read. I don’t often go for books that sound overly sentimental, but something drew me to this novel, and I’m so glad to have read it. The book’s messages about kindness, love, and community are something I think we all could use right about now. Highly recommended.
Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Bookish Places I’ve Visited with the prompt: Share all the cool places you’ve been that are bookish or tied to books! This includes neat libraries, book stores, places featured in books, places inspired by books, author homes/places they’ve stayed, etc. You can also share your bucket list of the bookish places you’d like to visit someday. (submitted by Susan @Bloggin’ ’bout Books)
Here are nine places I’ve been that have some connection to books — plus one that I really want to get to:
Note: Images from online sources are credited; uncredited images are from my camera roll.
1. Forks, Washington: A road trip last summer took me through the Olympic Peninsula, and I totally fangirled out over the Twilight-ness of it all.
2. Oregon Shakespeare Festival: I love everything about the annual festival in Ashland, Oregon, and hope to make it an annual tradition.
3. New York Public Library: Iconic! Need I say more?
5. Harry Potter World at Universal Studios: Okay, sure, this is mainly based on the movies… but close enough!
6. Muir Woods: This national monument, just a quick drive from where I live, is one of my favorite local destinations, and has the added bonus of being an important site in the world of the October Daye series. Every time I visit, I hope to catch a glimpse of Toby and Tybalt. Hasn’t happened yet, but I can dream!
7. Salem, Massachusetts: Connected to so many books, and I found the small park with the names of the witch trial victims incredibly moving (despite being hemmed in on all sides by so much witchy kitsch)
8. Powell’s, Portland, OR: This immense bookstore is just as amazing as everyone says! I was so happy to finally get a chance to visit last year.
9. Florence, Italy: I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Florence during college, and read The Agony and The Ecstasy immediately before the trip, then planned my sight-seeing around checking out as many Michelangelo masterpieces as possible.
10. Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, UK: Finally, one from my bucket list! I don’t know when this will happen, but someday, I absolutely want to get to this Jane Austen landmark!
My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.
Life.
Not much new to report! It was a hectic workweek, but a lovely weekend. Books, walks, and family time… all good!
What did I read during the last week?
The Postcard by Anne Berest: A powerful, important book. I’m so glad my book group chose it for our discussion this month. My review is here.
Enormous WingsbyLaurie Frankel: A startling premise is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of this lovely, engaging, and thought-provoking novel. Highly recommended! My review is here.
The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Susan Patterson and James Patterson: I stumbled across this book while looking for a new audiobook on Libby… and since I needed a “book about a book club” for a reading challenge, I decided to give it a try. A nice bookish escape. My review is here.
First Test: Protector of the Small (graphic novel) by Tamora Pierce, adapted by Devin Grayson and Becca Farrow: I’ve had this book on my shelf for a while now, and found myself in the mood for a quick trip to Tortall this week! I’m glad I read it, although it left me wishing there was a follow-up available, and also in the mood to think about rereading one of the Tortall series from start to finish.
To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage: I’m glad I finally read this absorbing book, about a Cherokee woman’s quest to become an astronaut while learning about herself and her family. Not sure yet if I’ll be writing a full review, but I did find it very interesting.
Pop culture & TV:
I watched My Brilliant Career on Netflix, and loved it! With just six episodes, it’s a quick binge, and so well done. The show is an adaptation of the Australian classic by Miles Franklin (which was one of my Classics Club Spin books earlier in the year). Don’t miss it!
And having finished that series, I finally jumped on the bandwagon (very, very late) and watched… Heated Rivalry. I would have sworn that a hockey romance would hold zero interest for me, but I’m forced to admit that I was wrong! I was hooked right away, and loved the characters. I still don’t think I’d be interested in the books… but feel free to try to convince me otherwise.
Fresh Catch:
One new book this week:
I bought this lovely edition of The Time Traveler’s Wife, and I’m looking forward to getting the matching edition of the upcoming sequel in October.
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
I haven’t quite decided what to start next, since I just finished a book late Sunday. As of now, I’m leaning toward one of the remaining books from my summer TBR:
The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
We’ll see — it’s possible my mood will take me toward something else entirely.
Now playing via audiobook:
My Imaginary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows: I’m always happy to return to the world of the Jane/Mary books. This book focuses on Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace — with a bit of magic thrown in. I just started this audiobook over the weekend and haven’t gotten very far yet… but so far, it’s a lot of fun.
Ongoing reads:
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe: My book group’s classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 76%. Coming up this week: Volume 4, chapters 1 and 2.
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier: My spin book! Here’s my post about the results. This is my 2nd spin in a row to land on a du Maurier book… and I’m very happy about it. The due date is October 4th… which means I probably won’t start just yet, so I’ll leave it here as a reminder until I’m ready to dive in.
Title: The Mother-Daughter Book Club Authors: Susan Patterson & James Patterson Narrators: Many! Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Publication date: April 20, 2026 Print length: 352 pages Audiobook length: 7 hours 35 minutes Genre: Contemporary fiction Source: Library Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
The Mother-Daughter Book Club is Susan and James Patterson’s new novel, the follow-up to Things I Wish I Told My Mother—the New York Times bestselling, book club favorite praised novel.
“An entertaining book … As friends talk books, hopes, dreams … and dishy revelations … it’s romantic love—both old and new … that drive[s] the story forward.” —Kirkus Reviews
Between their busy lives and their far-flung residences, the Mother-Daughter Book Club—four longtime college friends and their five daughters—more often discuss the books on their nightstands via 2 a.m. texts than in-person meetings. And maybe it’s just as well, after what happened at their last get-together …
So it’s an emotional reunion when they finally gather again, this time on the spectacular shores of Italy’s Lake Como. Sightseeing excursions, reminiscing fueled by “Como-politans,” and a hint of vacation romance all build toward the book club’s trademark “Night of Secrets.”
These friends, and sometime rivals, are close readers—of novels, memoirs, and of each other. But as the years and the distance cast shadows and doubt, confidences and sympathies turn into surprising revelations.
The Mother-Daughter Book Club is a sun-drenched ode to lifelong friendships and the joy of sharing books… and if that cover doesn’t make you want to run away to a beautiful lake for the rest of the summer, well, I guess you’re not me!
This light book introduces us to four best friends, together since college, and their assorted daughters, now all in their twenties. The friends — an opera singer, a lawyer, a minister, and a fitness instructor — lead very different lives, but share deep bonds that they’ve cherished across the years. A tragic accident at the last gathering of the MDBC (Mother-Daughter Book Club) has kept them apart for three years, but now, they’re reuniting at a gorgeous villa on Lake Como for a weekend filled with good food, sunshine and hiking, book chatter, and their traditional sharing of secrets. The question is — will the secrets bring them closer or drive them all apart once again?
The overall tone is light and cheerful. Even when we learn of painful experiences, the setting and the banter between friends keeps the narrative from getting too dark. There’s always a yoga session or delicious dessert or tarot reading to break the tension.
It’s the relationships that make this book feel so heart-warming. The friends have been through a lot over the years, but they’ve always cared for one another and provided shoulders to cry on and cheerleading through the ups and downs of careers, marriages, and motherhood. The mother-daughter bonds are all flavored in different ways, but convey a closeness that feels special, and the friendship between the daughters likewise shows a foundation of affection and support.
The book made me yearn for an immediate summer vacation where I could indulge in gourmet meals, sinful desserts, and glasses of Prosecco (preferably while staying in a luxurious lakeside villa)… but beyond the escapist fantasy, I also enjoyed the way all of these women, with such different lives, share a love of books. If it doesn’t exist already, someone really should put together a list of every book mentioned in The Mother-Daughter Book Club. There’s something for everyone!
The audiobook is lots of fun, with a different narrator for each of the main characters. They all do a great job bringing these varied personalities to life. Helpfully, every chapter is identified by both character name and relationship status, such as “Mariella, mother of Zoey” or “Merry, daughter of Grace”. It can be tricky at first to keep the names and connections straight (the print edition includes a list of characters, which is handy to have as a reference while listening to the audiobook).
What this book lacks is a true sense of stakes or drama. There are fun moments between characters, great descriptions of scenery and food, and hints of darker secrets… but really, everything just moves along nicely and there’s nothing terribly urgent about it. Yes, there are more serious events and a big reveal (which is telegraphed far in advance) that are emotional for the characters, but the book itself doesn’t go much beneath the surface — possibly because with so many characters to juggle, there’s no time or space to go deeply into any one person’s issues. This is truly a pleasant book, and I liked it… but it doesn’t really rise much above the description of “nice” for me.
If you’re looking for an easy-going summer escape, this might be a good choice. I don’t regret picking this one up, but I can’t exactly call it a page-turner.
Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
Title: Enormous Wings Author: Laurie Frankel Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Publication date: May 5, 2026 Length: 304 pages Genre: Contemporary fiction Source: Library Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
From the beloved New York Times bestselling author Laurie Frankel, an exuberant and timely new novel
At seventy-seven, Pepper Mills is too old to be a stranger in a strange land. She didn’t choose the Vista View Retirement Community of Austin, Texas—that would be her three grown children—but when she grudgingly moves in, she not only makes new friends, she falls in love. Then the exhaustion, vomiting, and confusion start. She fears it’s cancer, dementia, a stroke. But a raft of tests later, the news is even more shocking: She’s pregnant.
As word gets out, everyone wants a piece of her: the press and paparazzi, activists and medical researchers, belly-rubbers and rubber-neckers all descending on Vista View while Pepper struggles to determine her next move. Soon she has some hard decisions to make—and some she’s not allowed to make.
Enormous Wings is an urgent novel about female agency and bodily autonomy, morality and mortality. It’s about what happens when you don’t get to choose anymore. It’s about motherhood and family, sex and love and friendship, and how those bedrocks—even so late in the day—can still change, and then change everything.
The TL;dr synopsis of this book might just be: Pregnant 77-year old! But if you read no further than those few words, you’ll be missing out.
And yes, I’ll admit that it was exactly those click-bait-y words that caught my attention — but once I picked up the book, I realized that I was in for a delightful, nuanced, lovely reading treat, one that’s thoughtful and funny, quirky yet with pathos and urgency too.
Pepper Mills, age 77, reluctantly moves into a senior living community in her Texas town after a minor fender bender results in her adult children taking away her driving license. Pepper is a bright, lively woman, a retired English teacher who’s a stickler for grammar, and a devoted (and truly amazing) grandmother. She has not been, until now, dependent or restricted, and her entry into the world of senior living doesn’t bode well, until she meets the man next door. Moth (short for Timothy) is sweet and charming, and sparks fly almost instantly… something Pepper never expected after this many decades without any sort of romance in her life.
When she starts feeling woozy and nauseated several weeks later, she assumes it’s just part of the whole package of physical symptoms that come with aging — but eventually, a trip to the doctor reveals the shocking, no-way-this-can-be-true diagnosis: She’s pregnant. Aftre testing and more testing, the pregnacy is confirmed over and over again but, her doctor is certain, her aging body definitely is not equipped to sustain a pregnancy, and a miscarriage is expected any day now. Except it never happens.
Instead, Pepper finds herself stuck in the most absurd of situations. Obviously, she can’t possibly have a baby at her age. Except she lives in Texas, where abortion is not an option. And no, she doesn’t meet the definition of the loophole for saving a mother’s life — she doesn’t seem likely to sustain or survive a pregnancy, but she’s not actively dying from it either, so that’s that.
Dr. Blankman leaned forward from his corner. “Your mother is not in immediate danger. She’s not crashing or bleeding out. She’s not even in pain. She seems, in fact, to be having an entirely normal pregnancy.”
“She’s seventy-seven.”
“But apart from that.”
But apart from the eruption, how did you like living in Pompeii?
Pepper and her children plan a trip out of state to get her the care she needs, but she finds herself stuck without even that option once word of her condition is leaked to the media, turning her into an instant celebrity, with mobs of paparazzi parked outside Vista View tracking her every move.
Now, you may feel like the entire premise is ridiculous, but the book provides enough of an explanation (related to Pepper’s medical history) that I was willing to accept it. Is it realistic or medically accurate? Maybe not… but it was enough to satisfy me and let me enjoy the story without feeling the need to nitpick.
Pepper is an absolute gem of a character. I loved her intelligence, her humor, her devotion to friends and family, and her insistence on being treated like a person with agency. She may be older, but that doesn’t mean anyone has the right to infantilize her. The rest of the cast of characters is fantastic too. Moth is lovely as can be, Pepper’s children are interesting and involved and somewhat ornery at times, but totally in their mother’s corner. One of the most wonderful relationships in the book is between Pepper and her 15-year-old granddaughter Lola — their connection is funny and sweet and strong… and I couldn’t help laughing every time Pepper tried to decipher Lola’s emoji-based communications.
Seeing events unfold through Pepper’s perspective allows the narrative to retain her unique tone, which is often a bit sassy and wry, even as her experiences take darker turns. The extreme nature of Pepper’s predicament provides an interesting lens through which to look at the devastating impact of laws that have been enacted since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Enormous Wings centers an outrageous situation — a pregnant 77-year-old! — as a window into the lack of choice and agency facing any woman in a state that’s outlawed abortion access.
The title of the book is a call-out to a short story by Gabriel García Márquez, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, which Pepper thinks of as she’s confronted both by people seeing her as a miracle and those viewing her as some sort of freak:
People aren’t good at recognizing the hand of God in the aged or unsavory. We like our miracles gold and glowing, not gray, not noisome, not mortal.
I’d never encountered the Márquez story before, but Enormous Wings has made me curious enough to want to check it out.
Enormous Wings takes a hard look at how restrictive laws limit women’s ability to control their own lives, bodies, and futures. By having a woman like Pepper as the main character, the author is able to illustrate the absurdity and cruelty that women (and girls) subject to these laws must live through.
Beyond that, the book also provides some beautiful reflections on life and living, aging and dying, cherishing loved one, and being present through daily challenges and joys. I loved Pepper’s voice and her outlook, and had a wonderful time getting to know the funny, caring people in her life. Highly recommended.
Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers created by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here’s how to join in:
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page.
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first.
Finally… reveal the book!
Today’s FLF selection is from a book I recently added to my Kindle library (but haven’t started yet):
As the crowd screams, all Henri thinks is that he’s going to be in so much trouble when his parents find out. He closes his eyes, trying his best to undo what happened. Unwind his day. End up anywhere but here.
So what’s the book?
The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White Published 2026 350 pages
Synopsis:
Anneke has a complicated relationship with her father, Abraham Van Helsing—doctor, scientist, and madman devoted to the study of vampires—until the night she comes home to find him murdered, with a surreally beautiful woman looming over his body. A woman who leaves no trace behind, other than the dreams and nightmares that now plague Anneke every night.
Spurred by her desire for vengeance and armed with the latest forensic and investigatory techniques, Anneke puts together a team of detectives to catch this mysterious serial killer. Because her father isn’t the only inexplicable dead body. There’s a trail of victims across Europe, and Anneke is certain they’re all connected.
But during the years spent relentlessly hunting the killer, Anneke keeps crucial evidence to herself: infuriatingly coy letters, addressed only to her, occasionally soaked in blood, and always signed Diavola.
The closer Anneke gets to her devil, though, the less sense the world makes. Maybe her father wasn’t a madman after all. Diavola might be something much worse than a serial killer . . . and much harder to destroy. Yet as Anneke unearths more of Diavola’s tragic past, she suspects there’s still a heart somewhere in that undead body.
Title: The Postcard Author: Anne Berest Publisher: Europa Editions Publication date: May 16, 2023 (English translation; first published in France in 2021) Length: 489 pages Genre: Autobiographical fiction Source: Purchased Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Winner of the Choix Goncourt Prize, Anne Berest’s The Postcard is a vivid portrait of twentieth-century Parisian intellectual and artistic life, an enthralling investigation into family secrets, and poignant tale of a Jewish family devastated by the Holocaust and partly restored through the power of storytelling.
January, 2003. Together with the usual holiday cards, an anonymous postcard is delivered to the Berest family home. On the front, a photo of the Opéra Garnier in Paris. On the back, the names of Anne Berest’s maternal great-grandparents, Ephraïm and Emma, and their children, Noémie and Jacques—all killed at Auschwitz.
Fifteen years after the postcard is delivered, Anne, the heroine of this novel, is moved to discover who sent it and why. Aided by her chain-smoking mother, family members, friends, associates, a private detective, a graphologist, and many others, she embarks on a journey to discover the fate of the Rabinovitch family: their flight from Russia following the revolution, their journey to Latvia, Palestine, and Paris. What emerges is a moving saga that shatters long-held certainties about Anne’s family, her country, and herself.
The Postcard delivers an unforgettable, deeply impactful history of a family, told through the lens of a book described as “autobiographical fiction”. Written by French author Anne Berest, translated to English by Tina Kover, the book explores the author’s family history and their experiences before, during, and after the Holocaust. Anne Berest herself is a character in the book, as we follow her attempts to unravel a mystery related to the arrival of an anonymously sent postcard.
The postcard is slightly old, featuring a Paris landmark, and has only four words written on it: the names of Anne’s great-grandparents and great aunt and uncle, all of whom were murdered at Auschwitz following their deportation from France during the Nazi occupation. While the postcard is delivered to Anne’s mother’s address in 2003, it’s not until sixteen years later, spurred by an antisemitic incident at her daughter’s school, that Anne becomes consumed by the need to understand who might have sent the postcard, and why.
As she investigates, Anne is driven by questions surrounding her Jewish identity. She does not attend synagogue, knows practically nothing about Jewish holidays or rituals, and has no grounding in organized religion. And yet, she feels deeply that she is Jewish, and that being Jewish is essential to understanding herself and her family. Questioned by a woman she meets at a Passover seder, she has to consider whether her Jewish identity is something she claims only when it suits her, or if not, what does it actually mean in her life?
While the investigation into the postcard provides the framing of this novel, the family’s story provides the most compelling and devastating sections of the book as a whole. The Rabinovitch family’s journey, from Russia to Latvia to Palestine to France, is one of seeking a home and a place representing hope for the future. Anne’s great-grandfather Ephraim’s ultimate goal is French citizenship. As he settles in France with his wife and children, he files for patents and establishes a thriving business. His illusion of belonging is shattered by the advent of the Nazis, and the family’s sense of security is destroyed as edict after edict strips them of rights, freedoms, financial means, and safety.
The stories of Ephraim’s three children — Myriam, Noémie, and Jacques — are particularly powerful. All quite young at the time — in their late teens and early twenties — and what happens to each of them is tragic in different ways. As the sole survivor, Myriam could be considered fortunate, yet we see through the story of her life following the war all the ways in which she’s irrevocably altered and damaged by her experiences and her terrible losses.
I puzzled over this book being called a novel, and only stumbled across the “autobiographical fiction” label (which I’d never heard of before) after the fact. What I came to understand, after doing a bit more reading about the author and her research, is that while she’s portraying her family’s story based on archival documents and intensive research, she’s created scenes between characters to fill in the blanks and bring interactions to life, especially in cases where no living participants or witnesses remain to provide details. She’s also altered certain names of people and villages in France, in order to protect the privacy of descendants of those whose actions or inactions allowed atrocities to occur.
The Postcard never left my thoughts during the week I spent reading it, and even now, days later, it’s hard to shake the thoughts and images associated with this book. The first 40% or so is especially devastating. Yes, we’ve all read about this terrible, unimaginable time, but there’s something about the specificity of the details here that make it all seem new and fresh. Statistics tell us how many Jews were deported from France and ultimately killed; by focusing in one family, the author brings us into the personal nature of the experiences and makes us feel the nightmare they found themselves trapped in.
I’m not sure I have the words to do justice to this important, powerful, haunting book. I’ll close by sharing links to reviews and background pieces related to The Postcard:
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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Book Series I Want to Catch Up On (or series you’d like to start)
I generally start each year with a post about my series reading goals (here’s the version I shared for 2026), where I share my intentions regarding new-to-me series that I plan (or hope) to start. For today’s post, I decided to focus on the next books in series that I’m already involved with. Most of these are series that I’m totally committed to, basically just checking my calendar until the next installment is available — and a couple are series where I’ve read a book or two and feel interested in continuing, but perhaps a little less motivated to dive in the second I get hold of them.
In no particular order, here are the top ten next installments from series I’m reading — can’t wait to get to all of these!
1. October Daye by Seanan McGuire
Up next: A Divided Duty #20 in the series Release date: September 2026
2. Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire
Up next: A Song of Sugar Sparrows #12 in the series Release date: January 2027
3. InCryptids by Seanan McGuire
Up next: Pride and Poltergeists #16 in the series Release date: March 2027
(Yes, that’s three from three different series by Seanan McGuire!! Moving on…)
4. Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs
Up next: Steel Rain (no cover yet — this is an earlier book in the series) #7 in the series Release date: April 2027
5. Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong
Up next: Last Resort at Haven’s Rock #5 in the series (series finale) Release date: February 2027
6. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Up next: We Chase Shadows #2 in the series Release date: September 2026
7. The Marys by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows
Up next: My Imaginary Mary #2 in the series Published: 2022
8. Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Up next: Well Versed #5 in the series Release date: September 2026
9. Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Up next: The Neverfear #3 in the series Release date: September 2026
10. Detour by Jeff Rake & Rob Hart
Up next: Roundabout #2 in the series Release date: January 2027
What series do you hope to start or continue?
If you posted a TTT list this week, please share your link!
Bookshelf Fantasies 