Hot Milk by Deborah Levy

Hot Milk follows Sofia and her mother, Rose, as they travel to Spain where they will see a new doctor who will hopefully be able to finally explain Rose's seemingly incurable illness.

Levy's writing provides deep insights into human nature and in this book she allows us into the mess that is Sofia's life. While in Spain, moving strangely as if in a haze through the hot, muggy landscape, she must navigate her depressing relationship with her dependent mother, all while encountering new people who also demand her attention.

This is a story, sure. But it is not light reading. Levy has drawn her characters and their every action with purpose, pointing readers to what underlies their motivations, insecurities and messiness.

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris

The Breakdown. It is certainly a title with double meaning. When Cass sees the car broken down in the rain on the way home one night, she stops but does not get out to help. The next morning, a woman is found dead inside that very car.

Over the next weeks, Cass starts forgetting things. She begins to question everything and wonders if she also forgot something she did that night she stopped by the car.....

I appreciated the story structure Paris used to put this suspenseful tale together. I didn't figure things out too quickly, but was carried along by the mystery and was pleased when the clues started to connect. 

This is an easy thriller I would recommend to anyone who likes this genre.

Toot & Puddle by Holly Hobbie

Friends, even those who live together, can be very different. Such is the case with pigs, Toot and Puddle. Toot wants to see the world; Puddle likes to stay at home in Woodcock Pocket.

 (Woodcock Pocket: I love saying that aloud. So satisfying in the mouth).

Holly Hobbie's pictures are stunning, which is why I fell in love with these darling pigs. Their understanding of the sorts of differences we find in each other - and embrace -  is a lovely picture of friendship for young children.

I fell for her earlier books - before they became more brightly colored and eventually a tv series. I will advocate for the originals as my favorites by far.









You can find more of the original-style adventures with Toot & Puddle here:

Big Sister, Little Sister by LeUyen Pham

I fell in love with Big Sister, Little Sister because I am a big sister and I have a little sister. This book captures so much of what that experience is like. 

Pham goes between their two perspectives both in simple statements and amazing pictures.

According to the big sister, she is always right and always looks out for her little sister.  However, according to the little sister, she is always right and she doesn't need looking after. It was fun to hear my boys (big brother, little brother) identify with these girls in their sibling roles.

Pham's style of illustrating gives life to all of the facial expressions and body language that accompany interactions between sisters. Or siblings, period.

If you are a sister or have daughters or know what it means to have/be a sibling, this book is a gem.

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Now that all three of my kids are older, I don't have the regular pleasure of reading picture books aloud.

I still love them.

Two nights ago I read Ada Twist, Scientist aloud to a friend's daughter,  three-year old Lily. I love that it encourages children to ask questions in order to understand their world. That's what a good scientist does, right?

As any good picture book should do, David Roberts' illustrations made Lily ask questions and look for clues in order to answer some of the questions Ada Twist asks within the story.

There are a fair amount of words (great vocabulary, too!) but even with Lily at age three, there was plenty to spur excellent conversation about the basics of what it means to be a scientist.





Andrea Beaty and David Roberts have other books about children pursuing career interests. Check out these titles as well:

Peace Like A River by Leif Enger

I only read Peace Like a River because a friend recommended it....even named his first-born after its main character, Reuben. Its soft cover art and even the title itself would not have drawn me to put it in my library bag on a normal weekly run.

Reuben, a pre-teen boy,  tells the story of how he, his father, and spunky younger sister all go on a journey to look for his older brother, who is on the run from the law.

I thought this book would be soft (like the cover) and perhaps too steeped in religious language (the title) to cover any grit there needed to be in a story involving death and law and love. While this story certainly errs on the side of "family-friendly" in terms of how it handled difficult themes, I was pleased that it still gave those themes the weight they deserved.

There are elements of magical realism that I struggled with throughout, but they become increasingly important to Reuben on their journey. I wouldn't add this title to my "best books" list, primarily for how the magical pieces are used in the culmination of the story (no spoilers, sorry).

Overall, I was glad to have read it. It was different than other books I typically choose in that it held onto an ideal worldview in the midst of tragedy. While this bothered me for much of the book, I still valued the story Enger shared through Reuben's eyes.

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney

The Girl Before is the perfect psychological thriller set in a world of incredible technological advances. This felt like an extended  episode of Black Mirror.

Emma and Jane both have just experienced traumatic things in their lives and so when the perfect house comes available, they jump at the opportunity to live within its safe boundaries.

Never mind the odd questionnaire that accompanies their applications asking them about their personal habits and what they would do in ethically challenging situations.

Never mind the long list of rules they must obey in order to live there.

Never mind that no one seems to live there for very long.

The book follows both Jane and Emma's experiences living in One Folgate Street...and what we learn about the house and its architect will shock and keep readers enthralled until the very end.