I just finished Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith, and it is now one of my top books of the year. A few years ago, I loved this author’s book, The Unsinkable Greta James, a novel about a young woman healing from grief while on an Alaskan cruise. Her new book is more intricate in plot and character development, and it left me in tears. If you’re looking for a story about “family returning to family,” then give this a try. More comments in the GoodReads review here.

A popular theme is books featuring “family finding non-blood family” (think Remarkably Bright Creatures), but in this case, “family finding family” is an apt theme explored in books such as Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s The Nest, Hilma Wolitzer’s The Interestings, and Catherine Newman’s Sandwich. Additionally, fans of Jennifer Weiner and Laura Dave may want to consider this book.

If you are a Tyler fan, you will love this short novel about Gail Baines, who not only gets fired from her job but also has to deal with her ex-husband, who shows up on her doorstep (with a foster cat in tow) and needs a place to stay while attending their daughter’s wedding. She is also grappling with a bombshell secret about her daughter that may prevent the wedding from happening.

If you’ve read this author, you will understand how good she is at creating everyday, flawed, awkward, and quirky characters who are never comfortable in their own skin, and this is no exception.

BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall appeared on my radar when it debuted on the NY Times bestseller list this week, along with several reviewers raving about it. At first, I was turned off by comparison to Owens’s WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING (which I hated), but really, it’s nothing like it. Taking place on an English farm in the late 1960s, it is a gorgeously written story about love lost and the tragic fallout when that past love reappears. It is very moving and twisty, and while the main character, Beth, may annoy you with her actions, her husband, Frank, is the book’s star, and the ending is weep-worthy.

Readers who like literary fiction like Ann Patchett, Tracey Lange, Elizabeth Strout, Charlotte Ng, and Jodi Picoult may want to try this. It definitely has a place on my best of 2025 list.

I understand that Dave Barry’s humor is not everyone’s cup of tea, but when I need a good laugh, I turn to his books and/or old columns (he retired from writing weekly columns years ago). So I was excited to read his forthcoming memoir, CLASS CLOWN: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass–How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up (coming in May), a subtitle I can relate to.

Well, it was fun—not quite the hilarious romp I expected—but it was fascinating to see how he went from being a newspaper journalist to a humorist and learn about some of the events he participated in. Despite the lack of tears-inducing laughter, I ultimately enjoyed his well-written story and would recommend it as a “feel-good” memoir.

It incited me to bookmark many of his books in audio for future listening, although I’ll have to make sure not to listen to them when in public or driving a car (once, I nearly drove off the road from laughing so hard). And I’ll probably reread one of my favorites, DAVE BARRY’S BOOK OF BAD SONGS.

For a good laugh, read his column here about staying in an NYC City, which he dubbed the “Hotel Shpennsylvania.”

I’m going to post the books I’ve mentioned on my Facebook page, so expect several posts to arrive in the next few days.

I read the 31st book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, and it was great fun. I had just about given up on these about five books ago as each plot line followed the same worn format (Lula being annoying, cars getting blown up, Grandma going to viewings, the continuing dilemma of whether Joe or Ranger will end up in Stephanie’s bed), but then I picked up DIRTY THIRTY, which ended on a cliff hanger, and I couldn’t wait to read NOW OR NEVER. The cliffhanger wasn’t resolved until the end, and whether Stephanie’s choice of who to marry is wise remains to be seen. If you decide to read these, they are best in audio.

The responses to my query about keeping my blog have been mixed, but so many were positive that I’ve come up with a solution.

I will continue to post on all three platforms (Facebook, Goodreads, WordPress Blog), but here’s the deal to make it easy for you:

[For those who don’t want to wade through the explanation below, here is the TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)].

1) If you aren’t on Facebook, continue getting my blog via email.
2) Following my Facebook page means you don’t need to subscribe to my blog.
3) You can just do Goodreads, but sometimes, I post a lot of titles at once with no annotations.

Whatever I read will be posted on Facebook and duplicated on my blog, so if you follow my Facebook page, “robinsbooks,” there is no need to subscribe to the blog. However, if I create a more extended “theme” blog post, I will post the link on Facebook so you won’t miss any of my pearls of book content. You can then “unsubscribe” to my blog so you won’t receive emails (you can do this by clicking on the link at the bottom of the blog email, or I can take care of it for you).

Please know that if you plan on just following my Goodreads posts, I post my current reading and everything I want to read, including forthcoming books over the next year. I don’t always annotate my “Read” titles, so if you want to really know how I feel about a book, it is best to subscribe to the blog or watch Facebook.

I hope this makes sense, but my not making sense is a specialty, so that’s nothing new.

OK, so I know I have been bad about keeping up this blog, but I do have good intentions! In fact, my current intentions are so good that I want to get a few posts going, but I need to know if there is still anyone who cares. The issue is that I need to relearn how to create posts, and I’m not sure it’s worth the effort. I am posting my current reads on Facebook and Goodreads, but I’m sure there are a few followers who might want a blog post.

So, please reply to me at robins books at gmail dot com or make a comment below. Here are a few recent books I enjoyed for your attention.

Yes, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been here but thought I’d get the reading ball rolling with postings I started on Facebook and Instagram, based on the books I lug home each week from the library. It’s a mixture of titles I had put on hold and some that called my name from the library shelf. As I peruse them, I determine if they should be added to a future TBR (to-be-read) list. So without further ado, here is this week’s post.

Book Snacks from the Library Stacks

THE WISHING GAME by Meg Shaffer. Goodreads reviews have been positive and glowing, saying this homage to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a lovely feel-good story and that’s always a good thing. For sure on the TBR list.

THE WAGER: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann. A compelling true sea story taking place in 1742. Fans of Grann’s previous works (KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON and LOST CITY OF Z) will want to try this book, perfect for the beach. Definitely on the TBR list.

COMMITMENT by Mona Simpson. I picked this up based on Simpson’s first book, ANYWHERE BUT HERE, which I loved when it came out years ago. A future maybe.

SUCH KINDNESS by Andre Dubus III. This is the newest book by the author of HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG and it appears to follow the trope of a down-and-out character who does what they can to survive in life. Maybe I’ll read when I’m in the mood for a Willy Vlautin read-a-like.

FIFTH AVENUE GLAMOUR GIRL by Renee Rosen. I’m a massive fan of “biofic” novels – that is, fictionalized biographies of famous figures. This is based on the rags-to-riches story of cosmetics giant Estée Lauder told through a friend’s lens. Similar authors are Fiona Davis (all set in NYC) and Paula McLain, or for another novel of glamourous lives, watch for Gill Paul’s BEAUTIFUL RIVALS, based on the rivalry between Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden. On the TBR list.

REVENGE OF THE SAGUARO: Offbeat Travels Through American’s Southwest by Tom Miller. It’s always good to read something by a local author, and this could fill the bill. Added to TBR list.

YOU NEVER KNOW by Connie Briscoe. Almost 30 years ago, I read SISTERS AND LOVERS by this author and enjoyed it, but I haven’t read another book by her since. This domestic suspense novel with multiple twists will surely be on my future TBR list.

THE SEASIDE LIBRARY by Brenda Novak. I am a fan of books set at the beach, and how can one go wrong with this title AND the cover. It could be a good readalike for Nancy Thayer and others who set their stories near the ocean.

THE MARRIAGE ACT by John Marrs. A “what if” futuristic novel: “What if marriage was a law? Dare you disobey”? Reading this with THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Margaret Atwood might be interesting but scary. For sure, on the TBR pile.

WONDERFUL TONIGHT by Pattie Boyd. This is a fascinating memoir by the former wife of George Harrison and Eric Clapton. I read it years ago, but I wanted to give it another quick read. Let’s face it, didn’t most women my age want long blonde hair, to live in England and hobnob with the Beatles when we were teens back in the 1960s?

THE LIBRARIANIST by Patrick deWitt. This is the low-key story of a retired librarian in Portland (OR) whose life is changed when he helps a confused woman back to her assisted living facility. My librarian friend, Kim McGee, said this, “Fans of Ann Patchett’s reflective writing with a dollop of THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY and unique characters of Fredrik Backman will immediately become immersed.”

That’s it for this week. Stay tuned for another stack of snacks next week.