Did You Miss Anything?

We have almost ended that time of year when book reviewers publish their “best of 2024” books. If I were to list these books from the NYT or the Washington Post or Goodreads, you would notice many of the same books on all of the lists. You could send me your list of the best books of 2024, and many of them will be repeats. So, in an attempt to do something a bit different, I will take a few books from a list published by BookBub and entitled “33 Hidden Gems You Might Have Missed in 2024.” BookBub, December 13, 2024.

The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl, by Bart Yates, is the memoir of 96 year old author and historian Isaac Dahl. He tells his life’s stories in the form of 12 different meaningful and transforming days during his 96 years. If you had to tell your life story in the form of 12 different days, what would those days be? Interesting question, don’t you think?

The Night of the Storm, by Nishita Parekh, is a mystery that begans as immigrant Jia Shah and her son shelter from an approaching hurricane at Jia Shah’s sister’s home. And then someone turn up dead? How?This story is a locked-room mystery with an undercurrent commentary on the immigrant experience.

How to Age Disgracefully, by Clare Pooley, is a book that will make us laugh. A woman named Lydia takes an innocuous job at a Senior Citizen’s Club. Soon, however, she finds herself immersed in a shady plot to save the club from being demolished. People called the book “An uproarious romp.”

The Woman with No Name, by Audrey Blake, is an historical fiction set during World War II. The main character Yvonne is in England having survived the Blitz but ready for something different. Becoming a spy is different, isn’t it? That’s what Yvonne does, actually, and she operates deep in the heart of occupied France. This story is based on a ‘real’ person!