Quick Lit November 2024 Archives

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

by Deesha Philyaw

Some stories in this collection are quick five page reads, and others are closer to 40 pages—all of them make you feel like you're right there in the main character's life. These stories are about love, sex, relationships, work, mistakes and successes. Each story explores the unique predicament of one character, but they flow seamlessly from one woman's life to another, thanks to Philyaw's evocative prose and rich detail. I read my favorite story “How to Make Love to a Physicist” twice through because I loved it so much. Janina Edwards narrates this fabulous collection.

Olympus, Texas: A Novel

by Stacey Swann

This spellbinding dysfunctional family saga set in small-town Texas puts a modern spin on Greek tragedy, full of fistfights and firearms. Everyone knows everyone else’s business in the fictional town of Olympus, especially when it comes to the notorious Briscoe family. The clan is “a walking collection of deadly sins,” and due to patriarch Peter’s philandering, his children populate several households in town. When prodigal son March returns home after a years-long exile imposed after sleeping with his sister-in- law, he sets a devastating chain of events in motion. Though the story spans a mere six days, several lifetimes’ worth of secrets are revealed in that time, and the ensuing consequences to the family and their town are irrevocable. Ovid’s Greek myths are relentlessly violent, and while Swann’s are less so, they do contain depictions of domestic abuse and violent scenes.

Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir

by Dolly Alderton

From the publisher: "The wildly funny, occasionally heartbreaking internationally bestselling memoir about growing up, growing older, and learning to navigate friendships, jobs, loss, and love along the ride. When it comes to the trials and triumphs of becoming an adult, journalist and former Sunday Times columnist Dolly Alderton has seen and tried it all. In her memoir, she vividly recounts falling in love, finding a job, getting drunk, getting dumped, realizing that Ivan from the corner shop might just be the only reliable man in her life, and that absolutely no one can ever compare to her best girlfriends. Glittering with wit and insight, heart and humor, Dolly Alderton’s unforgettable debut weaves together personal stories, satirical observations, a series of lists, recipes, and other vignettes that will strike a chord of recognition with women of every age—making you want to pick up the phone and tell your best friends all about it."

Wild Game: My Mother, Her Secret, and Me

by Adrienne Brodeur

From the publisher: "On a hot July night on Cape Cod when Adrienne was fourteen, her mother, Malabar, woke her at midnight with five simple words that would set the course of both of their lives for years to come: Ben Souther just kissed me. Adrienne instantly became her mother’s confidante and helpmate, blossoming in the sudden light of her attention, and from then on, Malabar came to rely on her daughter to help orchestrate what would become an epic affair with her husband’s closest friend. The affair would have calamitous consequences for everyone involved, impacting Adrienne’s life in profound ways, driving her into a precarious marriage of her own, and then into a deep depression. Only years later will she find the strength to embrace her life—and her mother—on her own terms."

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

by Michael Finkel

This story of French thief Stéphane Breitwieser's unmatched eight-year crime spree almost defies belief. In his meticulously researched tale, Finkel lays out how and why Breitwieser carried out more than 200 thefts of fine art worth over a billion dollars from 1994 to 2001, nabbing works from museums and galleries in France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. This was interesting, if not exactly emotionally resonant. In fact, the bit that intrigued me most was Finkel's almost passing reference to how Breitwieser has more in common with bibliomaniacs than with his fellow art thiefs—I would have loved to have heard more about that! I listened to the audio version, narrated by Edoardo Ballerini. 5 hours 39 minutes.

Weyward

by Emilia Hart

I'm happy to share this is our January 2025 MMD Book Club selection! I knew it was a great pick when I devoured the audiobook in two days and came away with both a deep feeling of readerly satisfaction and an urge to talk about what happened with my fellow readers. This layered story weaves together the narratives of three different women in the same family, over a timeline that spans five centuries. In the 1600s Altha is accused of being a witch for her knowledge of natural remedies and the healing arts. In the 1940s Violet is coming of age during WWII in a home where men are all-powerful and women are feared, though her own mother is absent, having died mysteriously when she was young. And in 2019 Kate is a young professional in London who is feeling increasingly isolated and imperiled due to her increasingly disturbing relationship with her boyfriend. Though living in different eras and facing different circumstances, Hart shows us how these women are fundamentally alike and share a deep spiritual connection that will ultimately save them. Weyward reminds me a little bit of Sarah Addison Allen and a whole lot of Kate Morton, two authors I love. I'm excited to read more from Hart—but first I'm excited to reread Weyward for Book Club and discuss it with the author in January!

Quick Lit November 2024