Absolutely loved this book by Wendy Moore. No Man's Land is the story of two female doctors who founded and ran an all- female staffed military hospital. Astonishing and groundbreaking medicine during the horrors of WW I.
The Everlasting by Katy Simpson Smith is a brilliant work which tells the story of four characters, each dwelling in Rome during a different century. From a Christian child martyr to a contemporary scientist performing field work in Rome, they each are faced with personal conflicts and tests of faith and morality. The Devil himself provides occassional commentary.
Here is a book of stories about people facing challenging circumstances and how they manage them. Some require physical toughness, others mental prowess, and some simply require faith and belief. The last story confused me at first, but it is based on an actual artist. Daniel Mason penned A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth. A satisfying read.
Everyone knows Stephen King. But even though he appeals to a broad audience, I think his writing is deceptively simple. While many readers just want horror, I find his ability to understand and depict fundamental human nature is unmatched. If It Bleeds is a story collection with classic King horror/ supernatural, but not heavy handed. I love King's books from Audible.com because they are so brilliantly performed. Will Patton is a particular favorite. He recorded the Mr. Mercedes series which was a spine tingling delight.
Angie Kim came to America with her parents from South Korea at age 11. She spoke no English. As she herself states, in true South Korean fashion, she was Law Review at Harvard Law School a decade later. She worked as a prosecutor before turning to writing.
Miracle Creek is her first book. Really a courtroom drama, it presents mutiple story lines leaving the reader unsure of where blame truly lies until the very end. But the bigger question is what would we do for those we love, particularly our children. The Audible version has an illuminating author interview at the conclusion.