The Correspondent

The Correspondent

By Virginia Evans

Dear Readers,

Do you ever write a letter? I mean truly write one…sit down with pen and paper, jot down your thoughts, seal an envelope, place a stamp, and send it off through the postal service?

I do. I did. I used to love writing thank-you notes, always including a photo from the moment we shared, hoping my words carried the weight of my gratitude.

I love hand-written letters…both sending and receiving them.

Last week, I moved. While packing up, I found a love letter dated June 26, 2000. Twenty-five years ago! I smiled as I read it, grateful I’d held onto it all this time. I’ll never throw it away. I adored his words…the way he wrote them, the penmanship, the spacing, the red ink. But mostly…I loved his words.

Then there’s Sybil.

She’s 72 when we meet her in the novel…crotchety and outspoken, intelligent and well-read, fiercely independent and beautifully flawed. She’s just learned she’ll gradually lose her eyesight. She’s made some devastating, life-altering mistakes and carries the weight of guilt. She tries to make amends where she can, but that isn’t always possible. Like the rest of us, she’s doing her best.

Sybil pours herself into her letters…her love, grief, regrets, humor, and hope. Her relationships unfold through correspondence with her brother, sister-in-law, children, old work associates, and, delightfully, literary icons like Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Some letters she sends. Some she doesn’t. The most haunting are those she writes to a shadowy figure from her past…never mailed, but full of ache.

One letter to a young correspondent reflects deeply on the immortal power of writing; others are hilariously blunt, layered with her sharp, salty charm. Evans crafted Sybil with brusque vulnerability…a woman brimming with opinions, keen advice, and blind spots about her own tangled truth. Through her letters, Sybil slowly peels back the layers of her heart. The book reads like a character study told through correspondence…a slow unraveling of what makes Sybil who she is.

I’ll sign off just as Sybil does in letters to a beloved friend: What are you reading?

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

 

Where the Forest Meets the Stars 

by Glendy Vanderah 

My book club friends would probably say I read this book simply because Jo is an ornithologist…an expert on birds…and I tend to choose books with birds on the cover or in the storyline. I didn’t even realize I did that until they pointed it out. Funny revelation.

The book itself is part contemporary fiction, part sci-fi…or maybe part soap opera, part fairy tale. Quick synopsis: a little girl lost from the stars, a woman reclaiming herself after illness, and a man burdened by his mind and family. Each of them discovers life and love in spite of their individual traumas. There’s a forest. A constellation. An alien girl?

Before she can return to her alleged planet, Ursa must witness five miracles. She latches onto Jo, an ornithologist and cancer survivor, who’s spending the summer doing research at a remote cabin. Concerned for Ursa’s safety, Jo allows her to stay temporarily. Jo also meets Gabriel, her reclusive neighbor, and soon the two are working together to figure out what to do about Ursa. A slow-burn romance develops between Jo and Gabe.

What follows is a series of domestic, lovey-dovey drama where the leads play house and play parents to Ursa, wrapped in a cliché love story that glosses over the fact that both characters have significant trauma and mental health issues to work through. There’s also a mystery element centered around uncovering the truth about Ursa’s past. She appears out of nowhere and resists every attempt to return her home. Instead of calling the authorities, Jo decides to take her in.

We’re never told definitively whether Ursa is truly an alien or if her story is a coping mechanism for her trauma—but deep down, we know. Personally, I think the story could’ve ended after she witnessed her fifth miracle and said she had to leave. If she had died in that moment, it could’ve closed with a haunting ambiguity: “Did the little girl just die? Or did she return to the stars?” That would’ve been powerful. But instead, we get another 50 pages of detectives unraveling the mystery, explaining every detail, and tying it all up with a happily-ever-after ending.

Ultimately, it’s a story about love in all its forms, and the healing process of broken hearts and broken lives. It’s about finding a way to live that allows for the acceptance of love. Broken people searching for healing, for something…or someone…to believe in.

Maybe love isn’t the answer to everything, but sometimes, love really is all you need.

Local Woman Missing

 

Local Woman Missing

By Mary Kubica

Local Woman Missing is a gripping psychological thriller that is intense and suspenseful.  It felt like a rollercoaster ride at times… filled with twists and turns.

“Behind every smile lies a story, and not all of them have happy endings.”

This quote from the book encapsulates its emotional depth. It’s a powerful reminder that beneath every cheerful facade may lie a hidden narrative…one shaped by pain, resilience, and complexity. The story urges empathy, highlighting that life isn’t always neat or fair, and not every tale ends happily.

This book explores themes of loss, family dynamics, trauma, and the dangers lurking beneath seemingly ordinary lives.

Shelby Tebow vanishes late one night while out for a jog. Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, disappeared shortly thereafter, just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen. 

Fast forward 11 years, and Delilah shockingly returns, sparking renewed questions as to the true nature of all three disappearances.

Throughout the story, the characters face various challenges and traumatic experiences, yet they all display a remarkable ability to bounce back and find the strength to keep going. This resilience is portrayed as an essential quality that helps them cope with their circumstances and ultimately find closure.

The book explores the discovery of long-buried secrets and their role in the plot. It serves as a reminder that even seemingly ordinary lives can hide dark secrets, and that these secrets can have far-reaching consequences.

The book shows the power of community in times of crisis. As the investigation unfolds, the community bands together and supports one another, forming a tight bond that tends to unravel the mysteries surrounding the disappearances. 

There are plenty of secrets in this neighborhood, and plenty of suspects to choose from

This book is a masterclass in psychological suspense. It’s not just about solving a mystery…it’s about understanding the people behind it. Honestly, I thought I had figured it all out before I was halfway through the book.  But then in the last 100 pages…it turned out I knew absolutely nothing.

In the end…it felt like a good whodunnit.

Let Them

 

Let Them

Mel Robbins

Are you someone who reads self-help books? I try...but usually don’t finish them. I follow Mel on Instagram and have listened to a few of her podcasts. After seeing this book constantly advertised, I spotted it at Goodwill and couldn't pass it up.

Honestly, it felt like it could’ve been an email. That said, I appreciated her vulnerability…especially the way she shared her family dynamics and real-life struggles with such honesty.

At its core, the book reminds us that we alone are responsible for our successes and failures, our happiness and misery. It’s all about reclaiming your power by focusing on what you can control…especially your response to life’s challenges.

There were insights on how to handle change, improve relationships, and manage the need for control. While none of it felt groundbreaking, there were a few solid reminders to stay grounded in yourself and your own choices.

The “Let Me” aspect of the “Let Them” theory is where things get interesting. That’s what shifts you from emotionally checking out to becoming an empowered player in your own life. The theory invites you to stop letting others dictate your reality. Let them…whoever they are…think, do, and feel what they want...and you keep being you.

We’ll always face unpleasant situations. “Let Them” happen…life isn’t fair. But “Let Me” choose how to respond.

I do think the concept holds power. Ultimately, it feels like a reframe of boundaries…not as tools to control others, but as commitments to yourself. It’s a call to let go of what isn’t yours to fix and to step up for what is.

Would I recommend this book? Maybe. It felt repetitive at times, and parts were a bit obvious. But hey…Let Her do her thing. Let Me let you decide if it’s worth your time. Because at the end of the day, YOU are in charge.

LET THEM! 

LET ME!

Broken Country

 

Broken Country

By Clare Leslie Hall

The Book... What a Wild Ride

When I finished the last page, I just sat there in silence. I couldn’t move. I texted my book club: THE BOOK!!!...because honestly, I didn’t have the words. It was too much. I felt emotionally wrung out.

This story was a rollercoaster. A heartbreaking love story layered with pain, drama, and devastation. Every decision rippled outward. Beth, were you even paying attention?

We're all flawed humans stumbling through life. But when I shut the book, I was stuck between rolling my eyes and trying not to judge. Can you really love two people? Why didn’t Beth tell Gabriel? Why was Gabriel’s mother so awful? How did Frank forgive so easily…and why did he take the fall for Leo? And Beth…how does she live with herself?

Set in the haunting beauty of the English countryside, the story unfolds in dual timelines. Beth’s peaceful life with her husband Frank is shattered by a single gunshot…aimed at her first love’s dog. Gabriel’s sudden return unravels everything. Long-buried secrets claw their way to the surface, forcing Beth to confront the choices that shaped her path.

This book hits every note: grief and loss, love and betrayal, family drama, a tangled love triangle, coming-of-age moments, and a murder trial that draws out the gossiping locals. It’s part sweeping romance, part legal drama, part baffling mystery…and that final twist? I closed the book with my mouth hanging open. I never saw it coming.

Maybe the title speaks to the countryside fractured by tragedy. Or maybe it’s the country of Beth’s heart…shattered beyond repair.

All in all, it’s messy, wild, emotionally draining…and I think…it’s absolutely worth reading.