My Friends

Here’s my experience with Fredrik Backman, the prolific, beloved Swedish author. Meredith recommended him, and I loved A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. I tried to read but gave up on Anxious People and Beartown. I wanted so badly to love My Friends, but I really didn’t. I didn’t abandon it though. I plodded my way to the bitter end even though every step of the way I found it overblown and overwhelming. 

This one-star review on Goodreads says it best. Something similar to when you over-highlight parts of a text. When everything is highlighted, it’s impossible to discern what has significance. This book tries so hard to be deep and ends up feeling shallow.

I actually polished off the resolution of My Friends on the plane to Puerto Rico for Sue and Bonnie’s excellent adventure to Vieques Island. The book redeemed itself briefly at the end and turned out to be a great entry point for my “Medicare-year-birthday-celebration" with my dear high school friend. Vintage1961. 

Strange Pictures

Strange Pictures by Uketsu is strange indeed. Even more mysterious is the author’s bio: “UKETSU only ever appears online, wearing a mask and speaking through a voice changer… His innovative ‘sketch mysteries’ challenge readers to discover the hidden clues in a series of sinister drawings… They have sold nearly 3 million copies in Japan since 2021. Uketsu‘s true name and identity remain unknown.”

In my opinion, the author’s premise and marketing strategy are brilliant, but the execution of the plot, not so much. That said, I had to rate it 4 stars because I—slow reader extraordinaire—devoured the book, making quick work of it in 11 days. In places where it became graphically descriptive, I choked a little on the details. Over all it went down smoothly, but undoubtedly will leave me with a bit of heartburn.

The story’s strong start devolved into a jumbled mess of “tell” not “show”, and the pictures lost their relevance by the end. Truthfully, the pictures alone would never have led me to solve the mystery. Luckily, I didn’t need to since it was so intricately spelled out by the author in the second half of the story. Could be that something was Lost in Translation here. In any event, while I find Japanese philosophy fascinating, their literature sure is deranged.

Final score: A+ for originality. C- for implementation. 

The Book of Fire

The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri held my attention for about a month but clearly didn’t compel me to quickly zip through it to the end. It was kind of a slow burn for me, a leisurely and worthy bedtime companion during the month of January. Maybe it helped me assimilate into the post-holiday bleakness of the coldest winter I've encountered in years.

People magazine aptly describes the book, “A tender depiction of loss and healing that raises questions about guilt and blame in the age of climate change.”

I really liked the authenticity of the characters in this book, especially the sweet wife and mother, Irini Diamandis, who narrates the story. When a devastating fire rips through their village in present-day Greece, Irini is introspective about the many hardships they face as she is called to hold her family together.

The disaster has brought changes to their way of life and Irini ponders the complexities of human response to tragedy. “Was it Aristotle who said that man is a political animal? Not that we are all born to take an active interest in party politics, but it is in our nature to live in a polis, a community.” Deriving assurance from a reliance on social connections, is one of humanity’s greatest gifts.

Before the fire, Irini reflects on the highs and lows of life and the history of her ancestors. “Over the decades and centuries, there were many joys and many losses that could be peeled back like the fine translucent layers of an onion.” After the fire, she works to remain positive in the midst of so much devastation. “Yes, maybe, life will get better. I will focus only on the things still living; I will ignore the darkness and the deadness that surround them.” Most importantly, she uses all of her resources to mend and strengthen her relationships with her husband, Tasso, and daughter, Charo.

When I finished the book, I needed to reread the beginning. It turns out the plot device of shifting from past to present throughout was a bit confusing for me. I did gain better understanding of the events after reading the first few chapters a second time.

Reviewing the portions I highlighted on Goodreads reminded me how much I appreciated the themes of survival and rebirth. There is something deep within this novel about human connections, us-versus-them mentality, and rising above it all to embrace our own strengths and tolerate the differences of others. There is also a genuine respect for the environment, humanity, and cultural and familial bonds. These threads combine to create a pleasant experience inhabiting the inner thoughts of the main character, Irini, whose sincerity and integrity are endearing.

Lefteri also wrote The Beekeeper of Aleppo which is more well known. Maybe next winter I’ll find refuge in this story, immersing myself into the lives of a Syrian beekeeper and his blind wife.

Isola

I’m not sure what to make of the book Isola by Allegra Goodman, but I disagree with the negative reviews on Goodreads, some calling it “annoying and boring." This is the kind of historical fiction that needs to connect the dots and fill in the blanks because not much is known about the life of the real person on which the story is based, and I think the author did an admirable job. I like books that make me think, and shed light on other ways of living and different times.

What is known about Marguerite de La Rocque de Roberval, I found to be riveting, and her experiences have been written about many times. Born into French royalty in the 1500s, she fell into challenging times upon the death of her parents. She became well-known after surviving abandonment on the Isle of Demons off the coast of Canada, a treacherous and fantastical place with a rich history of its own. You can read a fascinating summary on Wikipedia here.

In order to fabricate a sense of time and place for Isola, Goodman not only read about Marguerite, but she studied objects and paintings from the time period. In the Author’s Notes of the novel, she recounts learning about the life of Marguerite this way:

“In an illustrated children’s book about Jacques Cartier, I read a passage that stopped me short. It went something like this: In 1542, a nobleman named Jean-François Roberval sailed separately with colonists to meet with Cartier in what is now called Canada. Roberval brought along his young ward, Marguerite de la Rocque who annoyed him by having an affair aboard ship. Roberval marooned Marguerite and her lover on an island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence where she managed to survive for more than two years while fighting off polar bears.”

This is quite a tale for a woman to have lived through, especially in the 16th Century. Religion, duty, gender expectations, and class privilege mingle with the cold, harsh reality of daily survival during this period of time. Although the heroine’s inner thoughts and daily activities are full of melodrama and sentimentality, bordering on mawkishness, I believe this portrayal is true to the mannerisms of the times. 

The author’s writing style was also fitting. It transported me back to a different era. Nearing the end of the book, I began to wonder if I would even be able to write in this manner, with an old-fashioned flourish, like script from a quill. It might be fun to try!

Here is an example of the language used to describe Marguerite’s feelings of accomplishment having never had to perform household chores in the past but participating with the servants at her relative's home.

“Filling these packets and wood boxes, I felt a joy I had not known before. It was not love, and it was not comfort, nor was it mastery or beauty, but it was usefulness.”

And here, Marguerite contemplates all she has been through. “I have been alone, bereft, but I know now that in solitude we find our way, and in learning, and in God’s word.”

Finally, I love the Queen’s candor upon meeting Marguerite and hearing about her misadventures on the island.

“Those who know their faults are truly wise,” the Queen said. “And those who have endured the worst have most to teach. Do not say, then, that your story does not deserve retelling. Tell me, rather, how I might reward you for offering what you have learned.”

This is sage advice for any day and age.

A short YouTube video about Marguerite de La Rocque

Sapiens

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari was published in 2015. I was introduced to the book by a friend in the summer of 2025 and became enthralled with the content. Originally published in Hebrew in Israel in 2011, this is an ambitious book that seeks to answer the author’s childhood question, “What is the meaning of life?” 

Heady stuff. 

It took me two months to finish reading, but this thought-provoking book was well worth my time. In my defense, the book is long—I wonder how long it took to write it?—and I found it repetitive in several areas. In the author's defense, it's said that repetition lends itself to deeper learning. Much of the material presented is based on theories developed by historians and theologians during eons of research, but the author does a good job delineating the scientific facts he uses as jumping off points for his narrative.

There is a lot to learn about this topic, but unfortunately I had to skim through at least three sections that contained despicable descriptions of Sapiens' mistreatment of other animals. Humankind’s disregard for the well-being of other species is really driven home by this author, and it makes my heart hurt. Other juicy morsels of information within the pages also made my head explode. Reading about the origins of mankind has been quite an interactive experience for me!

Sapiens is structured around four principles coinciding with the progression of Homo sapiens. Part One: the Cognitive Revolution. Part Two: the Agricultural Revolution. Part Three: the Unification of Mankind. Part Four: the Scientific Revolution. Harari concludes his discourse with some thoughts about the future of the species. 

If ever there was a time for renewed optimism about humanity’s future, that time is NOW.

Edited 5/22/26 to add: 

I find all of this fascinating, and I’m in the process of weaving together bits and pieces obtained from this book into a much more nuanced essay about societal growing pains. Scraps of knowledge have been rattling around in my brain for months and connecting to everything else I absorb through my reading and in the news. They form the basis of my recent journaling, as I grapple with making meaning of current events and drop pieces into the giant jigsaw puzzle of life.