Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
#literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, domestic fiction, family drama, feminist literature, fiction humor, literary fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury #literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, domestic fiction, family drama, feminist literature, fiction humor, literary fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Bonnie Garmus has created characters that mock convention. Elizabeth Zott defies authority, not on principal, but on practicality. She sees the world through safety goggles while her male counterparts just wish she’d put on the rose-colored glasses, form-fitting Donna-Reed dress, and sell the canned soup on Supper at Six. But everything in Elizabeth’s world boils down to science – including making her coffee at home with a Bunsen burner and turning her home kitchen into a lab. You’ll fall in love with her dog, Six-Thirty, one of the most astute and intelligent four-legged narrators in fiction today; Mad, her precocious daughter, who reads Nabokov at the age of five, and interrupts show and tell to ask her kindergarten teacher how she can join the Freedom Fighters in Nashville; and her friend and neighbor Harriet, whom after watching Elizabeth stand up to injustice, finds the courage to leave her alcoholic and abusive husband.

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Groundskeeping by Lee Cole
#literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, literary fiction, sense of place, Sense of Place Fiction, Southern Fiction Lin Salisbury #literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, literary fiction, sense of place, Sense of Place Fiction, Southern Fiction Lin Salisbury

Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

GROUNDSKEEPING is about that messy time in young adulthood when you are deciding what to pack up from your old life to bring into your new life. Cole’s writing belies that of a debut novelist. His characters are complicated and nuanced; their relationships are messy and there are no easy answers. Just like in real life.

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The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
#literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, family drama, feminist literature, historical fiction, immigrant experience, literary fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury #literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, family drama, feminist literature, historical fiction, immigrant experience, literary fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

From the award-winning author of WHEN THE EMPEROR WAS DIVINE and THE BHUDDA IN THE ATTIC, comes a slim, powerhouse of a novel about loss of identity. In shifting points of view, Julie Otsuka gives us an intuitive look at what it means to lose someone you love to dementia. Brilliant, reflective, compressed, nuanced, empathetic, and global yet intimate, THE SWIMMERS tells the story of a group of obsessed recreational swimmers and what happens to them when a crack appears at the bottom of their local pool.

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The Leopard is Loose by Stephen Harrigan
#literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, historical fiction, literary fiction, sense of place, Sense of Place Fiction Lin Salisbury #literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, historical fiction, literary fiction, sense of place, Sense of Place Fiction Lin Salisbury

The Leopard is Loose by Stephen Harrigan

In Stephen Harrigan’s big-hearted coming-of-age novel, LEOPARD IS LOOSE, five-year-old Grady’s tranquil world is upended when a leopard escapes from the nearby zoo. It’s 1952 and Grady and his 7-year-old brother Danny live with their widowed mother, Bethie, in a two-bedroom backyard apartment across a small patch of yard from her parents and siblings. For most of Grady’s life, the family compound has created a sanctuary where they could each heal from the devastating trauma of the war.

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The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
#literarynovel, #native voices, Black Lives Matter, character driven fiction, domestic fiction, family drama, literary fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Minnesota interest, Native American Authors, Native Voices, political fiction, race, sense of place, social justice Lin Salisbury #literarynovel, #native voices, Black Lives Matter, character driven fiction, domestic fiction, family drama, literary fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Minnesota interest, Native American Authors, Native Voices, political fiction, race, sense of place, social justice Lin Salisbury

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

Erdrich has written another masterpiece. THE SENTENCE is a compelling read that serves as a time capsule. Maybe one day we will look back and remember the Summer of 2020 – not just as a period of loss and trauma – but as the antidote to it. E.B. White famously wrote that a writer must not only reflect and interpret the world but must also sound the alarm. THE SENTENCE does just that.

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Reeling by Sarah Stonich
character driven fiction, domestic fiction, family drama, fiction humor, literary fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Minnesota interest, Sense of Place Fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury character driven fiction, domestic fiction, family drama, fiction humor, literary fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Minnesota interest, Sense of Place Fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury

Reeling by Sarah Stonich

Stonich has a gift for revealing vulnerability in the most unlikely places. RayAnne’s first interview in New Zealand is with Ellie Mann, a tough-talking, tuna trawler captain who puts her to work throwing bait out the back of the boat. Donning a helmet with a visor to protect her from the fish frenzy that follows, RayAnne feels an unfamiliar squeamishness at reaching into a pail of live bait.

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Pencilvania by Stephanie Watson, Illustrated by Sofia Moore
Action adventure, character driven fiction, coming of age, family drama, fantasy, Middle Grade Fiction, Minnesota interest, Young Adult Fiction Lin Salisbury Action adventure, character driven fiction, coming of age, family drama, fantasy, Middle Grade Fiction, Minnesota interest, Young Adult Fiction Lin Salisbury

Pencilvania by Stephanie Watson, Illustrated by Sofia Moore

Watson has a keen understanding of childhood grief. Her shimmering descriptions of Zora’s artful world and the animals that inhabit it are brought to life by Moore’s illustrations. Zora’s pain is palpable and may be overwhelming for sensitive readers, but her fierce devotion to her sister Frankie, coupled with her courage in the face of grief, will inspire young artists and encourage readers who have faced similar losses and challenges. The message of the power of love and art to heal the brokenhearted will transcend all generations.

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Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
#literarynovel, Black Lives Matter, character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, feminist literature, historical fiction, literary fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury #literarynovel, Black Lives Matter, character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, feminist literature, historical fiction, literary fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

RED AT THE BONE is a compact novel of trauma and recovery, and all the messiness in between.

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Waterfall by Mary Casaova
character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, feminist literature, historical fiction, midwestern fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Minnesota interest, women's issues, Young Adult Fiction Lin Salisbury character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, feminist literature, historical fiction, midwestern fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Minnesota interest, women's issues, Young Adult Fiction Lin Salisbury

Waterfall by Mary Casaova

Mary Casanova shines a dim light upon the early treatment of mental illness, the infantilization of women in the early twentieth century, and drug addiction in the privileged class. Though heavy subjects, the novel treats all these things with a light hand, so readers who prefer their historical fiction to be unburdened by the darker aspects of the early twentieth century, should still find WATERFALL appealing. The story of resilience and resistance as told through Trinity’s experience may also appeal to teen readers.

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Are We There Yet? by Kathleen West
author interview, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, fiction humor, midwestern fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Minnesota interest, women's issues Lin Salisbury author interview, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, fiction humor, midwestern fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Minnesota interest, women's issues Lin Salisbury

Are We There Yet? by Kathleen West

Alice Sullivan has it all – two perfect children, a handsome and successful husband, and a booming interior design business – until suddenly, she doesn’t. In a conflagration of events, Alice learns that her second grade daughter, Adrian, is reading below grade level, her seventh grade son, Teddy, has been suspended for bullying another student, and her job is on the line as she ricochets between parent/teacher conferences and meetings with the principal. Alice’s husband, Patrick, is away on business all week long and only home on the weekends, but her mother Evelyn, a child psychologist, is on hand with advice and unfortunately, a long-held secret that threatens to further unravel Alice’s carefully curated life.

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The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
#literarynovel, character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, historical fiction, Sense of Place Fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury #literarynovel, character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, historical fiction, Sense of Place Fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

It’s hard to write about the Dust Bowl without tipping over into melodrama, and at times it felt as if the only thing moving the story forward was the next disaster. The relationships between the women in THE FOUR WINDS kept me invested. Elsa is a bit of a sad-sack, but her daughter Loreda is fierce and as she ages, she challenges Elsa to overcome her fears.

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Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
#literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, feminist literature, historical fiction, literary fiction, Sense of Place Fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury #literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, coming of age, domestic fiction, family drama, feminist literature, historical fiction, literary fiction, Sense of Place Fiction, women's issues Lin Salisbury

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

THE GREAT CIRCLE is a big book – not just because it is nearly 600 pages long – but because of the breadth of the subject matter – art, aviation, prohibition, noncomformity, war, isolation, connection – and the period it spans 1909-2014 – give or take a few decade gaps. There will be So. Much. To. Discuss. with your book group! Maggie Shipstead has a keen understanding of longing and what it means to be human.

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The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
#literarynovel, character driven fiction, coming of age, family drama, feminist literature, Sense of Place Fiction, Southern Fiction, women's issues #literarynovel, character driven fiction, coming of age, family drama, feminist literature, Sense of Place Fiction, Southern Fiction, women's issues

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The choices Stella and Desiree make, and the outcomes of those choices, reveal the ugly inventions of race and sex and class in America. Hobbled by those definitions, Bennett’s characters push and pull against them. Stella sacrifices family and true connection for a false identity. Desiree surrenders to her identity and sacrifices her dreams.

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Send for Me by Lauren Fox
#literarynovel, author interview, family drama, historical fiction, Holocaust Literature, immigrant experience, literary fiction #literarynovel, author interview, family drama, historical fiction, Holocaust Literature, immigrant experience, literary fiction

Send for Me by Lauren Fox

Powerfully conveyed through shifting narratives, SEND FOR ME is not a lament, but rather an ode to family and a love that transcends time and place. I recommend SEND FOR ME for fans of Kristin Hannah and Geraldine Brooks. Listen to my interview with Lauren Fox on Superior Reads, May 27 at 7:00 pm.

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Early Morning Riser
#literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, domestic fiction, family drama, fiction humor, women's issues #literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, domestic fiction, family drama, fiction humor, women's issues

Early Morning Riser

I cannot recommend EARLY MORNING RISER enough. EARLY MORNING RISER brims with love and hope and humor. Heiny redefines family in this enchanting novel and I felt my heart lifted from the heaviness of the past year. Her characters are complex and quirky – they’re your mother, your brother, or your neighbor – they are just like all those complicated people you encounter on a daily basis. Whether you live in a small town, or your village of people is in a big city, you’ll recognize them and after reading EARLY MORNING RISER, you’ll find the things that may have previously annoyed you, endearing. Heiny is like that – through her lens, you’ll see things differently.

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Brood by Jackie Polzin
#literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, domestic fiction, family drama, literary fiction, midwestern fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Minnesota interest, women's issues #literarynovel, author interview, character driven fiction, domestic fiction, family drama, literary fiction, midwestern fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Minnesota interest, women's issues

Brood by Jackie Polzin

BROOD brims with hope in the midst of grief and tenderness in spite of loss. “Life is the ongoing effort to live,” Polzin writes, “some people make it look easy. Chickens do not.” BROOD is an honest look at life, love, loss, and to some extent, chickens.

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Have You Seen Luis Velez by Catherine Ryan Hyde
domestic fiction, family drama, Feel good fiction domestic fiction, family drama, Feel good fiction

Have You Seen Luis Velez by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Hyde’s characters are often one-dimensional and her plots simplistic, but the relationship between a cast-off young man and a disillusioned elderly woman who has watched her neighborhood devolve into a place of bigotry and fear, is like putting a warm blanket over 2020. Could I look more hopefully into the face of 2021? Maybe -- if I let myself believe that the good people in HAVE YOU SEEN LUIS VELEZ exist outside of its pages.

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American Gospel by Lin Enger
#literarynovel, author interview, family drama, literary fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Sense of Place Fiction #literarynovel, author interview, family drama, literary fiction, Minnesota Fiction, Sense of Place Fiction

American Gospel by Lin Enger

AMERICAN GOSPEL will be out in October and is Lin Enger’s third novel. The plot revolves around the apocalyptic vision of an old man whose message resonates with a nation in turmoil. Like his other novels, Undiscovered Country and High Divide, AMERICAN GOSPEL flawlessly weaves together personal stories of fractured families with historical events resulting in a satisfying, yet surprising resolution.

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