The Satisfaction Café by Kathy Wang

Publisher: Scribner

On Sale Date: July 1 2025

Pages: 352

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Joan Liang is a woman from Taiwan who has moved to California. She marries a man named Bill, an older, wealthy American man who she gets to children with. During her marriage with Bill she truly questions if she fits in with his family, who truly are opiniated about Asian woman and in particularly her, as Joan was married before with an abusive man. She sometimes struggles also with motherhood, as Bill is almost always away for work, and she is mostly on her own in the grand expansive house.

Later on in the story, Bill sadly passes away due to illness, and even more later in the book Joan opens the Satisfaction Café. Altough this is also the title of the book, the café part only plays a very tiny part in the book.

Most of the story is about the Joans daily struggles in life, and later on, the struggles in life of her two children. Mostly this is the overal tone of the book, and more or less the whole storyline, and the opening and managing of her Satisfaction Café truly didn't add anything specific to the story or made a change in Joan's life. 

The end of the story takes a tragic turn though as Joan is getting dementia, that was more or less besides Bill passing away the only two mayor plot twists. So this is also why I have mixed feelings about this book. The storyline didn't have enough plot development or twist, turns or changes to stay interested as a reader in the character of Joan. I think a better title of this book would have been '''The life of Joan before and after the opening of the Satisfaction Café.

I truly expected more of this story, and this is not a book that I particularly recommend.

My Train Leaves at Three by Natalie Guerrero

Publisher: One World

Expected On Sale Date: July 15 2025

Pages: 256

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Xiomara is a twenty-something half Puerto-Rican and Dominican woman who lives with her mother in Washington Heights. Xiomara is a musical theater singer and dancer, but as she is not in a musical, she works at Ellen's Stardust Diner in New York, beside her work in copy and print shop, where she has to work with her terrible bos Alek.

There is a shadow over her life since her beloved younger sister Nena died a few years ago, something Xiomara and her mom will never get truly over.

When she gets the chance to audion for famous producer Manny Santos who is producing a musical on Broadway, she auditions in the hope to finally to sing on a real stage again. There is also a new coworker at the print shop, Santi, and something starts between Xiomara and him. But then he dissapears all of a sudden and her abusive boss Alek tells Xiomara that Santi has a girlfriend already. 

Her audition process with Manny goes well, he praises her and gives her the feeling she is the only true candidate for the leading part. But soon Manny, who also gives her money for no reason, wants more from Xiomara then just singing at the audition and invites her to his apartment, which leads to an innapropriate relationship, and where  in the end Xiomara also doesn't  even get the part in the musical, as Manny is doing the same tric with many other girls who also auditioned for the part, and a girl who also works at the same diner as Xiomara eventually gets the part. Then Xiomara leaves her work at the diner at the print shop, to find a better job for herself, at a school teaching musical theater classes, where she earns more than ever, and finally gets rid of the landlord who was after her and her mom, because they where months behind in paying rent.

Xiomara is woman who lives in New York, struggles with the dead of her sister, and with work and her relationship with men, especaily in the last part she makes a not so wise decision not to say no to Manny, who really felt like an abusive kind of sick man who uses her. Some points in this book where quite raunchy and nasty and explicit, which might not be everyones cup of tea. Xiomara truly felt to me like a girl who is in her twenties, but sometimes still act like a teenager, also because she has trouble landing the job she wants in a rough city like New York.

I liked most of the story of this books, but there where also parts that I disliked or that didn't add much to the story. It doesn't have a lot of plot twist, the storyline is mostly about Xiomara and her daily struggles in life. It is a good inbetween coming of age novel, but nothing more than that.

Dirty Kitchen; A Memoir of Food and Family by Jill Damatac

Publisher: Atria

On Sale Date: May 6, 2025

Pages: 256

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

In Dirty Kitchen, author Jill Damatac describes her own family history as an undocumented immigrant from the Philippines in the USA, while also describing the colonial history the Philippines has with the USA, while also sharing some mouth watering recipes.

Jill's family history is not easy. Her family moved from Manila to the US in 1983 when jill was nine years old. She grew as an undocumented immigrant  in America and with all the troubles that come with that, while her family did everything to become legal US citizens, it seems like the system was against them becoming legal, and they never reached the legal status they strived for. Meanwhile, Jill also struggled with her abusive father, who frequently beat her up badly for no reason at all, this was truly heartbreaking to read, even as the terrible homelessness, sexual abuse and hunger Jill experienced.  Jill tells everything very honestly and as it is in this memoir. It is raw and honest and true. And as a reader you truly only get deep respect for her, her determination to succeed as an immigrant, it totally leaves you speachless. After trying so long to become legal citizens without any progress, she decides to leave the USA in 2015 with her British husband who she met in New York, which truly is a new and better chapter for her in her life, and as a reader, I truly wanted Jill to have a happy life after all.

I honestly think this is the very best book that has come out this year. The book is so real and honest, you seldom find a memoir that is so open as this one. The book is moving, sad and  beautiful at the same time, and more actual than ever. Many undocumented immigrants are deported as we speak, while trying to become legal US citizens. This book shows how hard undocumented immigrants work to become legal, and the failures of the system and the sad dissapointment that follows, this can go on, as is shown in this book, for years and even decades.

The book also shows the deep colonial and racial elements in society that still take place now; When Jill's mother tried to work at a bank, she was harshly told that, because she was from the Philippines, she only was allowed to work in certain fields, like nursing or cleaning or domestic work. When Jill was in college, teachers didn't believe that she written work herself. My mouth truly fell open at particular moments, as I didn't know some of the racial and colonial things Jill described, so I truly also learned a lot from this memoir, also things why Spam is so popular in Asia (I never heard of the dish Spamsilog, but it sounds good! )

As I said earlier, this is by far the best book of this year by a fantastic author!

Lost Family by Katherine Williams

 

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

On Sale Date: June 11, 2024

Pages: 274

2020; Ben Griffiths is at a work meeting when one of his coworkers, Melanie, tells him she has an old picture of a man who looks just like him. In the same period, his grandmother passes away, and Ben travels to north Wales. Together with his parents, they take care of her house and belongings, which include old but beautiful paintings, which where painted during World War 2, in the same location of the picture of his coworker. What is the connection between the two?

Back in France in 1939, Amelie Maurois is a seventeen year old woman who loves to paint, and is actually quite good at it, she wants to become an artist, and is accepted in the art school of her choice in Tours. But her plans are shatttered when the Germans invade France. Not knowing that her sister and her husband are also active in the resistance, she is asked by a friend to use her art skills to forge documents to help people escape to Spain. The work is not without danger, as her sister sadly also discovers and doesn't make it out alive . Amelie she also gets involved with a British  resistance agent, who lands with his parachute just in front of her in a field one day. They later become lovers and he helps her escape to a safe place. But will they survive the war?

I found this book very thrilling and very moving. The storyline was set up very well, and the characters where also very good and believable. Some parts will just give you the cold chills, as there are some very scary moments between Amelie and the nazi's that where formerly people she knew from school. Her neighbors suspect her of bonding with the nazi's, while what she truly does is wanting to help people in the resistance, this all leads to some scary situations. It was truly tragic that her father, sister and her sister's husband didn't make it out alive, and Amelie had to take care of their young daughter. Which leads to the story of Ben, who was the grandson of their daughter and I loved how the two stories connected in the end, and how the story was wrapped up was also quite good!

The Passengers on the Hankyu Line by Hiro Arikawa

Publisher: Berkley Books

On Sale Date: June 3, 2025

Pages: 256

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

The Hankyu Line is a train line in Japan that really exists, and that connects the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. In this novel, the author takes the reader on her on the train, and we meet a cast of characters that step on and off the train.

We meet a young man, who sees a woman with a Mickey Mouse tote bag, who visits the same library as him frequently and who always seem to borrow the books he want to read so he always misses out on them. In this book, the woman and he start talking and dating.

Then there is the woman who just returned of a wedding from a coworker friend. Not knowing that where a white bridal dress is not good etiquette at the wedding. She boards the train in a sad mood, and we read about her background and why she is so sad.

Then there is the girl who boards the train with her abusive boyfriend. During the ride she is more and more convinced she can't tolerate his behavior anymore, and leaves without him.

And then there is the young girl who boards the train with her grandmother. The granddaughter truly wants a dog, and discusses this with her grandmother.

During the story, the characters see each other on the train, or notice each other, or start talking with one another.

The Passengers on the Hankyu Line is a very charming and cute  new novel by the the author of the Traveling Cat Chronicles. You truly can imagine the train, the surroundings and cities in Japan where the train passes through in the story. But the focus of this novel are the characters. Some of the characters are more developed than the others. The characters of the young man and the woman who love going to the library, and the young girl and her grandmother where the characters that had the most depth and development and who where the most interesting. The characters of the university student who leaves home for the first time and the woman in the bridal dress, and the girl who leaves her abusive boyfriend felt more like side characters. I really liked that the characters noticed each other on the train.

Overall I truly liked this new novel by Hiro Arikawa that truly takes you abourd a train ride in Japan!

A Perfect Day To Be Alone by Nanae Aoyama

 

Publisher: Quercus Books UK

On Sale Date: May 9, 2024

Pages: 160

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Chizu is a twenty year old woman who always lived with her mother. But when her mother moves to China for work, she has to move in with a distant relative she barely knows; 71 year old Ginko. She moves in in Ginko's simple home in Tokyo where she gets a room and has to learn to live with Ginko, her two cats, and the noisy trains that passes by the house frequently.

Four seasons long, she lives with Ginko, and her live is changed for ever.  Chizu takes on different jobs and starts a relationship. Her mother also returns to take her back home and Chizu, after some struggles, finds her place and indepence in life.

A Perfect Day To Be Alone is a perfect read for everyone who loves Japanese fiction. The story is short, and altough very specific plot twist are not present in it, it is a nice and entertaining read about a young woman whose life suddenly changes and who tries to find her place in life. Altough the character descriptions where a bit thin and short, you could imagine them well and they where relatable.'

Overall, I liked this short Japanese story!

Last Chance in Paris by Lynda Marron

Publisher: Eriu

On Sale Date: January 30 2025

Pages: 288

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Last Chance in Paris is a novel with a cast of different main characters in which the chapters alternate. 

Claire and Ronan are on a romantic weekend break from Ireland to Paris. A weekend that should save their troubled marriage. During the story and time in Paris, the reader gets to know more about their background and why their marriage is in trouble. Yeva is a teenager from war torn Ukraine, who fleds to Paris. She has to care for her younger sister who fled with her, and she doesn't have a job, so she is in a survival mode to find money and food for them both, while she truly misser her papa back in Ukraine.

Mireille Delasus is a woman in her seventies from Dijon, and whose husband Rémy passed away some time ago. We meet Mireille when he is about to travel to Paris by train. What she is about to go to Paris for remains a bit unclear though during the story, and it seems that she is lost a bit in life and in memory.

Dan is an American law student who is temporarily living in Paris on his study break. Harry is a famous Hollywood producer who has come to Paris to overthink his life, which was quite tumultous.

At firsthand, I thought that all the characters had seperate storylines, who would later on in the story cross paths in Paris someway. This does happen at some very tiny moments in the story, but further on, the characters stay in their own storyline and do not meet or get a connection to each other. This made the story feel very thin and somewhat odd, because all the storylines in itself are also very thin and one dimensional too. The whole point of this story? I wouldn't know, and I wonder if the author had a certain point to work towards too which was hard to find in this story. From al the different characters, Claire and Ronan where the most believable and realistic characters who had the most depth. Harry..I truly didn't understood his character, and his story added nothing to the book, which also counts for Dan who has the smallest and thinnest character and storyline in the book. These where two chatacters you wouldn't miss if they where left out of the story. The story of Mireille and Yeva where sad, but they where characters that had also very small storylines with a lot of loose ends and no real conclusion. They where all characters you don't start to care about as a reader.

This is a book I truly expected more from and which I not particularl recommend.

Blog Tour; spotlight on The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson

 

The Busybody Book Club is the new cozy mystery by author Freya Sampson, is published by Berkley, and is in bookstores from today on!

Synopsis; Having recently moved from London to a small Cornish seaside village, Nova Davies started a book club at the local community center, but so far it’s a disaster. The five members disagree on everything, and to make matters worse, a significant sum of money is stolen during one of the meetings, putting the much-loved community center at risk.

Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when he disappears and a dead body turns up at his house. But the book club has their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove Michael’s been framed, while romance reader Arthur believes there’s a mystery woman involved, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play. 

While trying to locate Michael, solve the murder and recover the stolen money, each of them has their own secrets to protect. But despite the danger closing in, they won’t rest until they’ve cracked the case and gotten everyone safe at home with a book, where they belong.

This is a book not to miss!

Happy Families by Julie Ma

 

Publisher: Welbeck Fiction

On Sale Date: February 18th 2021

Pages: 226

Amy is 34 year old woman, who always wanted to be a doctor. She leaves her career  behind though after she got a call that her grandfather, Ah Goong, had suffered from a fall in one of the shops in the Welsh village where she grew up, and where her parents run the Chinese Takeaway Yau Sum. Ah Goong is admitted to a care home for the elderly, Amy moves back into her parents' apartment above the takeaway, while her parents move out. Why she left her career in the city behind is not very clear.

Her father TC Li and Ah Goong are not on speaking terms anymore with each other for the past thirty years, even when they lived both in the same small apartment This because of a secret that is revealed in the end of the book. We also learn about the troubled past of Amy's mother Joan, because the women who took care of her when her own parents couldnt, has passed away and has left Joan as a benificiary in her will. Now Amy has to look after her grandfather and after the Chinese takeaway. Shifting between past and present, the book gives a glimpse of her parents and grandfather, who came from Hong Kong to the UK, and how their lives impacted hers. 

Happy Families is a book that is not like any other book. The story is not a very fast one, but what it lacks in speed, it makes it up in the story with many layers. The characters lack a little depth and stay one dimensional, but as a reader you can truly picture the family of Amy in your head.  I found the plot twist in the book good, as the secrets in the family where revealed very slowly, this truly kept me interested as a reader. This is a book that truly focuses on the dynamics in Amy's family too. I liked it that also the past of Amy's parents and grandfather was shown and that it shifted from present to the past in alternating chapters.

I  found this a very original book, that I certainly recommend reading!

A Change of Habit by Sister Monica Clare

 

Publisher: Crown

On Sale Date: April 1, 2025

Pages: 336

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Sister Monica Clare is the Sister Superior at the Community of St. John Baptist, an Episcopal convent based in New Jersey, and a spiritual counselor specializing in religious trauma, mental illness, and addiction.

In this moving memoir, Sister Monica Clare tells her story of how she became a sister. Her story starts with a troubled childhood. Her father Clyde was a very violent man who terrorized the family, especially her mother. As a child, she saw the movie The Nun’s Story starring Audrey Hepburn, which sparked an interest in her to become a nun.  Before becoming a nun in 2012, she was married, and she worked as a photo editor in L.A. and performed in an acoustic rock duo and an improv comedy troupe. But her true calling in life kept calling stronger. 

Sister Monica has a beautiful way of telling about her life before she became a nun, with jobs that paid the bills , while she was also in a unhappy marriage. She tells what it takes to become a nun, which seems an easy step, but actually is not easy, as it takes years and many offical rites of passage to become a nun.

It was very moving to read her way to become a professional sister, while she was also worried she would never reach that level. In the end she is even voted for to become a Sister Superior, and she also tells us what it is like to live daily as a nun. I found the end part, just like the rest of the book, very moving as she was called to work ministering in New York City to poor and homeless people at St Mary's. 

I found this book very beautiful, like many of us, Sister Monica Clare found it difficult in life to fit in, something that is recognizable for many people, just as coming from a difficult childhood with a parent that isn't suitable to be a parent, in this case her father. When she truly felt she belonged, it reminded me a bit of the musical Sister Act, wherein Deloris sings about her sister community who always got her back and where she truly is home.  I found it so beautiful to read that Sister Monica Clare found her true belonging and reached what she wanted in life. Overall I found this a beautiful and very personal memoir, that is also entertaining and fun to read, and I truly recommend reading it!!