Books & Banter

Plot Twist: The Universe Just Picked Our November Book for Us!
While hunting for this month’s read, I stumbled upon a déjà vu moment - a book with the exact same cover as a previous Nov pick (The Authencity Project). Coincidence? Nah. It’s a sign. Either we’re destined for a great read, or the literary gods are messing with us. Either way, I’m taking it as a cosmic nudge.

A charming, deeply moving novel about second chances, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories.

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher.

Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest.

Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland - their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.

This book illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.

288 pgs
Up Lit/Contemporary

• Sara Josepha Hale Award (2024)

An uplifting love letter to the transformative power of friendship and proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect . . .

In one of the most famous (and mysterious) paintings in the world, three tiny figures are on the beach. Most people don’t even notice them. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the landscape and sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers seek refuge from their difficult home lives by spending long summer days together. They tell jokes, they share secrets, and they commit small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to thrive.

And out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, of unknown origin, that has ended up in Louisa’s care. Determined to learn the secret behind it and to decide what to do with it, Louisa embarks on a cross-country journey to that seaside town. But the closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes.

What happened to the three boys?

438 pages

Warning: Side effects may include texting old friends, hugging your parents, and side-eyeing your neighbors less . . .

Ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference. A reminder of the power we all hold.

In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun, friendship and fulfillment.

But Hubert is lying.

Something has made him turn his back on people and the truth is, day after day drags by. And he hardly sees a soul.

So when his daughter announces she's coming to visit, Hubert faces a race against time - to make his real life resemble his fake life before he's found out! How hard can it be to make new friends?

Life is certainly beginning to happen to Hubert Bird. But with the secret of his earlier isolation lurking in the shadows, is he destined to always be one of the lonely people . . . ?

368 pgs

🎶 Playlist Pairing: Bob Marley’s "Redemption Song" (for Hubert’s arc) + The Beatles’ "All the Lonely People" (obviously).
🏆 British Book Awards - Shortlist (2021)
🏆 Romantic Novelists' Association - Outstanding Achievement Award (2021)
🏆 Audie Award Nominee (2022)