It’s been a few weeks since my last book report and this one brings an eclectic mix of suggestions and mentions.

I’ve been working through several intense books in researching my own –  and, at times, this is reflected both in the heavier books I suggest – when I find a great one to share – and also in the lighter reads that I enjoy to clear my head. ❤

First, an absolutely fantastic book, recommended by my friend Beth at book club – and loved by several other of our fabulous book club ladies – is Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead.

Y’ALL.

This novel won a Nobel Prize for Fiction in 2023; it is that good.

It deals with the ongoing crisis of poverty, the broken foster care system, and the pervasive opioid epidemic in Appalachia in a novel that is also inspired by Dicken’s David Copperfield.

The story is told in first person, through the eyes of Demon, as he is growing – and you just root for him through the whole book.

Second, if you enjoy audiobooks, this is hands down the best one I have ever listened to as well – and many other people have expressed the same thought. The narrator’s performance is amazing – and I could not stop listening.

I can’t say enough good things about this one. ❤

On a much different note, I am also going to suggest this next one as an audiobook if you enjoy them – but read it either way: Betty White’s If You Ask Me.

I particularly loved the audiobook because it was read by author and it was pure joy to listen to this short book of Betty’s observations on life in her voice, especially now that she is no longer with us. ❤

My next suggestion is much heavier – but it was truly a wonderful book: Esther Safran Foer’s I Want You to Know We’re Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir.

Growing up in a family haunted by the Holocaust – with many family members killed and her father lost to suicide in the post-war years – Esther painstakingly traces her family’s history – before, during, and after the war.

So much of this story is gut-wrenching, especially as the author is searching for the name of her sister that lived before she was born, one that her father never spoke of. His first wife and young daughter had been murdered in the Holocaust and it left him devastated; she actually only learned of their lives serendipitously to know to search at all.

.She is also searching for the Christian family that hid her father at great risk to themselves and saved his life.

Throughout this book, she tells of the absolute horrors of the Holocaust – the inhumanity of the murderers, with acts so evil that I can’t shake some images from my mind’s eye (nor should I – millions of innocent Jewish people died this way).

What makes this book even more touching is that it is so deeply personal – it is her family’s story – and it is very well-told.

I highly recommend this one. ❤

Finally, ending with a light suggestion, I happened to check out and thoroughly enjoyed Reese Witherspoon’s Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits.

It is – as described – a joyful look at Southern living with memories of her family as well as recipes and plenty of tips for all the holidays and social occasions that we love here in the South.

It is just a lovely Southern lady book. ❤

Now I’m off and onto my next book report reads – as well as my writing work ❤  (and a few rest days for the gnarly spoonie fatigue that has me right now).

Wishing you all happy reading. ❤

Be well, everybody. Take care of yourselves and each other.

Grace and Blessings.