June 26, 2026
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Four friends spend the last summer of their childhood together, taking refuge from their brutal home lives, giving each other a reason to dream, to love, to go on. One of the teens paints a picture that turns out to be a true work of art. Twenty-five years later, another teenager with a desperate background is determined to discover the story behind the painting.
An old ocean pier, a place to make memories
January 4, 2025
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
A holiday (sort of) short story by the author of A Man Called Ove. A bit more melancholy than most of Backman's writing. But that doesn't really matter since I read everything he writes.
September 5, 2022
The Winners by Fredrik Backman
The wheel of fortune has turned again, putting Beartown on top and rival town Hed on the bottom. A devastating storm leaves the two towns more dependent on each other than ever before. The death of a long-time Beartown resident brings characters back to Beartown, but more than one beloved resident will die.
Benji comes back from his wanderings, still lost. Maya travels home from music college, still dealing with the rape of two years earlier. Star player Amat returns home after a disastrous trip to the NHL draft and falls into the bottom of a bottle. Matteo, a lonely neglected teen who isn't involved in hockey, wanders the towns, primed to do something terrible. Mumble, Beartown's star goalie, is carrying a heavy load of guilt. Tess, the daughter of a Hed firefighter, falls in love with Bobo, Beartown's assistant coach. Head coach Elisabeth Zackell recruits a new player and has plans to resurrect Amat and also his career. Maya's parents may or may not be getting a divorce.
Add in the men in back from Beartown, the trash bandits from Hed, and a group of crooked politicians and businessmen. Mix in a scandal that is brewing over the Beartown club finances that the editor of the local newspaper is trying to expose. Combine all ingredients and stir briskly but carefully - it's going to be messy.
Fredrik Backman has written a wonderful conclusion to his Beartown trilogy. I cried more that once. You forget that many of the characters are so very young, but have suffered so much already. Backman understands about regrets, the need for redemption, and the hopes, dreams and fears that we all share as humans. Wonderful writing.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.
December 18, 2020
When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald
Zelda is a young adult who is on the spectrum and diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome. She lives with her brother Gert. Zelda is obsessed with Vikings to the point of dressing like a Viking and carrying a sword. Her goal is to live a legendary life based on Viking values. When she learns that Gert has resorted to some illegal activities and questionable companions to support them, she determines that it is up to her to save Gert and herself.
This one wasn't for me. I had a problem getting into this book since it was hard to relate to the characters. There are a lot of positive reviews but I found Zelda to be a difficult narrator. When narrators are on the spectrum, I always wonder how accurately the author is portraying them. The author addresses a number of controversial topics including a long section on how Zelda wants to have sex with her boyfriend who is also on the spectrum, and how developmentally delayed young adults still have the same desires and needs as other young adults. I do love the cover art.
July 23, 2020
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
On the day before New Year's Eve, eight people attend a viewing of an apartment that is for sale. Each person has their own reasons for being there, ranging from the mundane to the bizarre (including a guy wearing a rabbit head). They are eight strangers, until a bank robber bursts into the apartment waving a gun, and suddenly they become eight hostages. As they begin to talk to each other, they realize that they have more in common than it first appears. But as the situation progresses and the police surround the building, the eight anxious people are forced to decide how they will move forward (in more ways than one).
Although not as good as Backman's A Man Called Ove (but seriously, what could be?), this is a novel filled with the author's signature wit and exploration of complex human relationships. It's also a sort of "locked-room" mystery that keeps twisting and turning on itself, and just about when you think you have the story figured out, you find out that you're wrong. The characters are ALL unreliable witnesses (except maybe the young policeman Jack) and probably the worst hostages ever. Although there are themes of depression and suicide that run through the book, don't let that stop you from reading it, because Backman ultimately delivers a story that is heartwarming and life-affirming. Probably one of the best books of 2020.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in return for a review.
