Hell of a Book by Jason Mott

 I had to read this book twice to really appreciate the writing since I was so caught up in the story. A never named, brilliant, but often hapless black author is on a book tour to promote his novel, Hell of a Book. Believed to be plagued by an overactive imagination, he struggles to account for the appearance of a young boy - so black he is called Soot - beside him in cab rides, in his hotel room, out of nowhere. Meanwhile, the lead story in the news of the day involves the death of a young black male - one of many victims of the senseless racist nature of today's society. How are these three individuals connected? Is it important that we know? Sometimes funny, sometimes intimate, it is mostly a meditation on what it means to be black and male in America. In an interview, Mott indicated that he kept waiting for someone to write the kind of book he thought needed to be written about the topic. When no one did, he decided to write a hell of a book.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

 Hazel and Flora Lea are just two of the many children sent into the English countryside to escape the London Blitz in WWII. As the older sister, Hazel takes her job of protector seriously but at the same time entertains Flora Lea with the imaginary world of Whisperwood where they can be heroes in the adventures Hazel creates. And then Flora Lea disappears. Believed to be drowned in the nearby Thames which they often referred to as a river of stars in their stories, Hazel is devastated. Twenty years later Hazel comes across a beautifully illustrated book entitled Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Believing this to be too much of a coincidence, Hazel embarks on a journey to see if her long lost sister could in fact be alive.  There are quirky characters and a bit of a surprise in the end but mostly a warm, hopeful read.

The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

 This is the story of the friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt, who would eventually be the First Lady of the USA, and Mary McLeod Bethune, whom Eleanor names as the First Lady of the Struggle.  They met in 1927 at a formal luncheon hosted by Franklin Roosevelt's mother. When many of the white women in the room refused to sit down with Mrs. Bethune, Eleanor is awakened to the realities of being black in America. This story of their friendship continues through 1945 following President Roosevelt's death and the beginning of Dr. Bethune's career as special consultant to the US delegates preparing to sign into existence the United Nations. In between we see their very public friendship demanding a hard look at the absurdity of segregation, encouraging logical discourse to move the needle on inclusion to various New Deal programs as well as the military, and promoting integration at the highest level of government hoping to shine a light on the need of change everywhere. But it is also about two best friends sharing the hardest parts of their lives as they try to correct some of the worst of American social policy.  It is historical FICTION so Benedict and Murray draw from their own intense conversations to give the conversations of these two very important women true voices. They were names I knew a little about from my pathetic knowledge of history but names that deserve so much more credit for our move toward a truly inclusive society.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

 As someone who loves New York City, I anxiously await every Davis novel. This one celebrates Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes.  In 1956, Marion Brooks is passionate about dance but headed for a conventional marriage. On a lark she auditions for the Rockettes and is selected. But NYC is in a turmoil because of the Big Apple Bomber and the police inability to find him. Enter psychologist Dr. Peter Griggs who is among the first to suggest that certain clues can lead to the kind of criminal profiling that might solve this crime. Thirty-six years later, Marion returns to the theater for a celebration of the Rockettes' 60th birthday and so much more. A wonderful mash of history and mystery.

Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King

 This sat on my shelf for years but watching The Medici series on Netflix finally inspired me to read it.  I am sure that King simplified the math and engineering, which is the book's focus, but still it mystifies me that with so few tools such magnificent architecture was possible. AND why now, with access to machinery even the genius Brunelleschi couldn't imagine, we build such sterile boxes (yeah I know energy, efficiency, inability to terrorize the masses to pay for things...).  This is a great slice of Renaissance history that celebrates the best minds of the time and gives hope that intelligence is still a human quality.

I have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

 In1995 Bodie Kane, graduated from Granby, a New Hampshire boarding school,  defiant, isolated, resentful of the life that landed her there. It is also the year her roommate was found dead in the school swimming pool and Omar, the Black athletic director was found guilty of her murder.   In 2018, journalist Bodie returns to Granby to teach a class in podcasting. Her own podcast is about women in film - mostly about what the male dominated Hollywood culture required of women to succeed in film. As those early Granby memories return, she becomes convinced that Omar did not commit the murder. Some of her students agree and a class project becomes a tangled mystery.  But Bodie brings so much more to the conversation - the MeToo movement, the confusion of cancel culture dynamics, how race stands in the way of truth. The "you" in the title is another teacher Bodie believes may hold the key to justice.  But maybe for the big injustices in the world, justice is hard to find.

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

 715 pages - an epic tale of 3 generations. In1900 a 12 year girl is sent to be the bride of a 44 year old widower with a young son. Her family is one of the St Thomas Christians who live in Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India.  They will grow to love each other and create the next generation. The cloud that hangs over each generation is the Condition - an unexplained family trait that leads to death by drowning. Each generation will suffer many great tragedies but always faith, family and the power of medicine allow them to prevail. Colonialism, the caste system, and India's independence are all shared as incentives for change.  Verghese's characters are so rich, you ache and rejoice with them. Of particular interest are the strong women that emerge from a culture which appears to require submission but relies on female strength and wisdom. I should have anticipated the ending but thankfully did not. I guess if you are only going to write one novel every 10 years, you ought to make it 715 pages worthy.