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Gray Mountain by John Grisham. A lawyer who can’t find other work winds up in a legal aid type practice in Appalachia. I wish I hadn’t bothered. I went for the Appalachia but didn’t find much that rang true, and I found it hard to care about any of the characters. The only one I really liked wasn’t fleshed out, and the ones who were aren’t people I want to know. Blah.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Two women join the space program. One ends up in Mission Control while the other is on a spacecraft when tragedy strikes, which reminded me of The Martian. This wasn’t what I expected, but it was surprising in good ways and I liked it a lot.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman. I’ve been trying to catch up on some of his books since reading the Beartown trilogy. Backman understands so much about human nature, and this story of four friends who don’t have much but each other did not disappoint.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I have seen the movie and honestly don’t remember it, which did not bode well for the book in my mind, but I decided to give it a shot and I’m so glad I did! Ove is a grumpy old man who likes things his way and doesn’t take kindly to people who do things their way. This book is surprisingly funny. I’m talking LOL funny. I felt so good when I finished it. What a great character.

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano. A young boy is the only survivor of a plane crash and has to come to terms with injury, loss and grief. In flashbacks, we meet some of the people who didn’t make it. It sounds more depressing than it is, because young Edward is a survivor in every sense of the word.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. This is reportedly Barack Obama’s favorite book. It’s the about a minister who is reflecting on his life as he reaches the end of it. It’s about family and secrets and the lessons we learn from living. The prose is absolutely beautiful and worth all the accolades.

Right now, I’m back to Fredrik Backman and reading Britt-Marie Was Here, which is about a woman whose husband cheated then left and now she has to figure out how to get on with life. I’m liking it so far, despite the fact that Britt-Marie is pretty much begging to be slapped.

Next up is The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb. I’m waiting on a library hold, and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s been a long time since I read Wally Lamb.

As always, thanks for the book post, Pablo.