The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey

Title: The Love Story of Missy Carmichael

Author: Beth Morrey

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Maybe you've heard of the concept of "found family"? This is about "found community"; about a bunch of people who just refuse to let Missy Carmichael go! Missy is a private, self-conscious woman whose children have moved out and moved on with their lives, and she doesn't have many people whom she regularly interacts with, much less whom she could call friends. One day, she stumbles into a situation and embarrasses herself thoroughly, but discovers that she is suddenly surrounded by a group of people who simply won't let her excuse herself and disappear. This is a story for the times that you are convinced that you are unlovable, or have been left behind in your life, as it proves again and again that the best love stories just might be ones that help you to rediscover your love for yourself!

- Katrina

Check out The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey @ the library!

Making Piece by Beth M. Howard

Title: Making Piece

Author: Beth M. Howard

Genre: Memoir; food memoir

When the author receives news that her husband has died, she decides to make and share pie as a way to deal with her grief. A journalist, she packs up her RV and, together with a filmmaker friend, interviews pie experts at various stops. Her journey eventually takes her to the American Gothic House, which she then rents and where she opens her very own pie stand. While this is another memoir born of economic privilege and the author can't resist overstuffing her story with pie metaphors and similes, you will root for her and appreciate her message of connecting through food. Several pie recipes are included.

- Sarah

Check out Making Piece by Beth M. Howard @ the library!

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Title: Black Cake

Author: Charmaine Wilkerson

Genre: Fiction

Two estranged siblings must come together when their mother dies. She has left behind a recording that begins with the story of a Caribbean swimmer who flees the island under suspicion of murder. What the siblings learn from the recording will reshape how they think of their past and their family. And when it is all over, their mother asks that they share her famous black cake "when the time is right."

Following multiple timelines and voices, Black Cake is a journey through one family's history and how one woman's choices shape that family. As with most books with multiple voices, one storyline was more engaging than the others, but this was still a wonderful story of family and left me wanting to try the titular black cake.

- Beth

Check out Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson @ the library!

Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson

Title: Meet Me at the Museum

Author: Anne Youngson

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Have you ever had a pen pal? Most of the pen pals we hear about are children, but this story is about two adults who have never met, and is told through the letters that they exchange. They discuss their lives (they live in two separate countries), their jobs, their kids and grandkids and spouses. Their exchanged words help both of them take another look at events that they are living through, and to reconsider what they each want from their lives and the role they have chosen for themselves. This is a quick read but left me thinking about the story well after I finished!

- Katrina

Check out Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson @ the library!