"Every week, they began with an invocation: I am a reader, I am intelligent. I have something worthy to contribute."

This is the invocation Harriet starts every book club session she conducts in the prison.

* * * * *
Reviewing the book is almost the last part of my process - after that it gets archived back on shelves that only pass by me if there are mentions, or cross-references that have turned up in my latest hunt and scramble. Knowing that, especially on new reads that have burrowed deep within me, I drag my feet (fingers?) on the review. . .this has been one of those. I love this book. Don't be surprised if it floats to the very top in the 2024 wrap-up.

There are three narrators in this tale: Violet, Harriet and Frank. There are a bundle of other great characters, but these make sure the three-legged stool supporting this comforting and hopeful book will uphold a questing reader. Its message is a gift that hit me straight in the heart. Terrible happenings surround everyday life, and how we muck through it is meaningful; this author's statement is powerful - it's ok to take it all in, the good, bad and ugly - all at once, and keep breathing, give yourself space, and . . .yes. . .pick up a good book and read it slowly. Nothing more from me on the storyline. I urge you - do yourself a favor and read this book.

I will say this - this is a book about how reading the wisdom of others however they present it - fiction, poetry, non-fiction - however it is done is a worthy resource for gathering hope, help and healing. A worthy tool, an effective remedy, a value builder and a significant solace. An antidote to Everyday. The good ones and the bad ones. And the awful ones. An enhancement for Everyday. The best ones. Those filled with ennui.

Books/Reads presented (it's possible I missed one here or there - please let me know if you find one - I'd be pleased to correct my list):

Scar Tissue
To Kill a Mockingbird
Of Mice and Men
The Great Gatsby
Ethan From
Franny and Zoey
Catcher in the Rye
Spoon River Anthology (I now have my own copy on my bedside table - it will be my 2025 morning read)
The House on Mango Street
Wuthering Heights

Poems of William Butler Yeats, including:
When You Are Old
A Prayer for My Daughter

Poems of Maya Angelou, including:
Phenomenal Woman

All the stars, with their own bookmarks at my favorite spots. . . .see quotes below.

*A sincere thank you to Monica Wood, Mariner Books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #HowtoReadaBook #NetGalley

This book surprised me. I wasn’t sure I would like it but I did. I loved the role books played in making connections between people, empowering them and helping to stave off loneliness. A quirky group forms an unlikely friendship and it is heartwarming. And I love the birds!

I worked on this title directly for work so I cannot provide a review without bias. That said, I absolutely LOVED this and would recommend it to anyone who asked.

Really enjoyed this book. My book club chose it for our monthly pick. The story was well told and was about 3 main characters and how their lives intertwined around the love of books.

A story about guilt, kindness, second chances, and the power of books, How to Read a Book follows three characters as they cross paths and become an unlikely support for each other. This was a lovely read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MarinerBooks for a free copy of #HowToReadABook by Monica Wood. All opinions are my own.

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways. This book is a hopeful story about second chances, found family, forgiveness and the magic of books. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley ane the Publisher for this Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved this so much. A bookstore is the main setting in this beautifully written story of forgiveness, found family and the power of stories.

This short but powerful novel is about three characters - Violet, Harriet, and Frank. We first meet 22 year old Violet where she is serving time in prison and is in the prison book club 60something volunteer Harriet runs. Violet runs into Harriet in Portland, ME after her release, and both of them encounter Frank at a local bookstore - but he also has a connection to the crime Violet was in prison for.

This book is under 300 pages, but really packs an emotional punch - it’s about loneliness and connection, guilt and forgiveness and redemption, and about the power of books and literature too. (Plus some fascinating stuff about African grey parrots). The characters are flawed but sympathetic and really come to life, and the writing is just lovely. I’d say this reminds me of an Ethan Joella book - and if you know my taste, you know that’s a big compliment. I also read and loved Monica Wood’s book The One in a Million Boy, but this book was even better, and one I’ll continue thinking about. Looking forward to discussing with my book club!

4.5 stars

There are three points of view in this story. The most important POV, Violet's, begins as she sits in her book group in prison. Violet is young, she's serving time for something that she takes responsibility for, and she's also smart and sensitive.

The woman who runs this reading group, Harriet, is the second POV. Harriet went back to school later in life and became a teacher. She has retired but wants to do something to help and has hit upon the book group idea for women in prison.

Finally, Frank, a retired man who has found a place for himself as a handyman at an independent bookstore and who is tied to Violet by her crime. We didn't get as much of Frank as the other two but that's probably fine.

I liked all of these characters. They all had flaws but were all generally good people who could be compassionate to others and who wanted to find a way to a life with meaning. These three all end up knowing each other and spending some time with each other despite the ways in which their relationships began. I ended up caring about them.

There are definitely some flaws in the story too. The women in Frank's life (his wife and daughter) were written pretty unsympathetically. I suppose we needed to not be on their side in order to be on Frank's, but the author's compassion to her characters definitely did not extend to these women and that was a missed opportunity. I might have liked Frank better if the women in his life were more multifaceted than being self-centered and dramatic.

Violet gets a job working as a research assistant with African gray parrots. I might have rated the book a bit higher based on this alone. I like birds and am somewhat familiar with just how smart and charming they are, and the author nails this. I wanted more of the birds and less of Violet's boss Misha.

Unfortunately Violet wants more of Misha than she or he should really get, and these choices were a low point of the book for me. I know that Violet is young, but ugh.

Overall I was impressed by the book and would try another by this author.

This is an unusual story of a woman, Violet, who went to prison for killing a woman because she was driving drunk. While in prison she joins a book club and becomes friendly with the leader, Harriett. After her release she becomes a patron of Harriett's book store. She meets Frank, the handyman and discovers he is the husband of the woman who died. The story is about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives.

This is my second book by this author and I did enjoy it. I was leaning towards 4.5 stars, but then realized that although I liked the story, it was gripping enough to go to that level. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I want to write this review before I lose the happy high I am on. Any book that has the words "book" or "library" or "bookstore" in its title immediately gets my attention, a fact I'm sure that publishers and authors know. So I went into reading this without having even looked at the synopsis, with no idea what to expect. Wow, I love, love, loved this book! It was so much more than I expected. I listened to the audio (which was excellently read) and when I realized I was coming to the end I was screaming inside my head, "no no no!" I had come to care about these characters and I wasn't ready to let them go. To be fair, the author gives a very satisfying conclusion, but I still wanted more!

The book opens with Harriet, or "bookie" as her book club members call her, leading a book discussion in prison. She has become invested in these women's lives and gains a lot of pleasure in trying to pick a book they will enjoy, and they're a tough crowd. Harriet is one of the three points of view we get in this book. The others are Frank, a retiree who does a little work in the bookstore Harriet frequents, and Violet, one of Harriet's book club members who is released from jail after serving time for vehicular manslaughter. These three lives will intersect, and their joint story is wonderful, but it is in their individual stories that we really get to know them as people.

There are so many themes in this book, I am going to suggest it to my book club. Themes of redemption, forgiveness, and are we forever stained by our bad choices? I came to love these characters, especially the flawed but determined Violet. And Harriet was a joy! I am in her age group and I wanted to drag her off the pages to be my new best friend. She was kind, and strong, and funny! I love funny dialogue and there was plenty of that, especially between Harriet and Frank. It was subtle humor, the best kind in my opinion.

The characters were what really made this book for me. Chapter 14, when Violet starts her job and we are introduced to her Russian scientist boss, perfection! He was such a funny, well drawn character. Vicky, Violet's sister, was infuriating, yet the author managed to make the reader still feel for her. Caroline, Frank's daughter, who was absolutely infuriating! I wanted more on her. I wanted her to get her comeuppance. Sophie, Harriet's niece, so strong willed and opinionated but ultimately likeable. It has been a long time since I've read a book with characters that I literally cheered when they entered the pages of the story.

And I can't write this review without mentioning the parrots, African greys, that Violet helped tend. They were so beautifully described, and were funny and endearing. I loved them and what a unique touch in a story! I immediately spent an hour googling youtube's of smart parrots after finishing the book!

In conclusion, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone! It will make you laugh, and it will make you happy in the best way! People are good! We are in this together! I loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley, Monica Wood, and Mariner Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

I loved this book at first but as it continued it slowly lost its magic. Great story and wonderful characters, but the ending was just not satisfying to me.

How to Read a Book features two of the things I love most in my reading: found family and the power of books.

Violet, imprisoned for vehicular manslaughter, experiences a life-changing book club in prison. When she gets out, her family has abandoned her, but her book club leader Harriet (affectionately known as Bookie) steps up as a new family of sorts. And so does someone you’d never expect.

This book is about forgiveness, second chances, and the impact reading can have on our lives.

I was recommending this book to friends before I even finished it, which I don't think has ever happened to me before.

This book was so lovely, so warm, and so redemptive. I love a feel-good story, and this is definitely one of those.

Not without sorrow, it follows the path of Violet, who is in prison for vehicular manslaughter. While inside, she joins a book club led by a sweet older woman named Harriet.

Harriet makes literature come alive for the women of her book club and the fact that she leads a group of inmates with such care and effort is delightful to read.

The story follows Violet after her release from prison and also includes the way she accidentally meets the widow of the victim of her car accident.

It is an emotional and beautiful story about second chances, what it means to be loved, and learning that things are not always as they appear.

A truly sweet and beautiful book, I recommend it 100%!

Thank you to #Netgalley for this ARC of #howtoreadabook

One of my favorite books of 2024! I have been recommending this to all types of readers. This compelling story has a heart of gold. I loved all of the characters - Violet, Harriet, and Frank might be the main characters, but the secondary characters are just as amazing. I did not want this one to end. This book will give you all of the feels - you might even shed a few tears. Highly recommend! I can't wait to see what is next from Monica Wood.

3.5, but I round up.

This book was a heartwarming read. I really appreciated the characters and their interactions with one another, particularly the relationship between Violet and Frank, which was very paternal and made me feel happy for both of them.

Because I have not read the anthology mentioned in the book, the ending was a little out of nowhere and hard to relate to, but other than that, I loved this book.

After reading The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood, I knew I wanted to read anything else she wrote. I was so thrilled with How to Read a Book was published. I fell in love with the beginning of the book and the concept of Harriet leading a women's book club at a prison. As the story progressed, I enjoyed how Violet, Frank and Harriet's characters all grew and developed. They surprised me at times and frustrated me at times, all hallmarks of well written characters.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but was slightly disappointed with the ending. Perhaps it was because I wasn't ready to let go of the characters.

I hope that the author will continue to write books with memorable and unique characters because I will be there for that every day.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

WARNING: WARM AND FUZZY OVERLOAD IF YOU READ THIS (in the best possible way).

THIS IS YOUR VACATION READ!

This author was new to me. I loved this book so much that it made me look up her prior books (many awards!). This one is a sweet, tender novel with an escapist feeling and yet meaningful. This book defines heartwarming! I wanted to give it all the props and stars. After I finished and it stayed with me in thought, I realized it had a few issues, which I will recount at the end. But still, I would recommend it for many readers. However, if you like absolute realism and/or a touch of gritty, this would not be for you.

On the other hand, if you are a lover of books, you will enjoy how much this figures in.

This is, amazingly, the third book in a row I've read where a character coincidentally running into someone the character knew from elsewhere, was key to the storyline. In this case there are 3 main characters and they all wind up together in a bookstore in Portland, Maine…each knew one of the other ones but the story rests on the three beginning to braid their lives together.

Violet, young and just out of jail; Harriet, who leads a book group in the jail; Frank, whose wife was killed when Violet hit her car while drunk driving (hence Violet’s jail time).

Each chapter is titled with the name of the person who is the focus, of these three. Violet’s parts are in first person, Frank and Harriet’s in 3rd. I loved this approach. It made this easy-to-read book even easier.

Second chances is a big theme. Violet in her 20’s will find out about second chances after jail time by doing the right things. "I am a person trying to face my mistakes."
Harriet and Frank, both in their 60’s, will find out about second chances for happiness later in life.
So it’s a story of hope.

Forgiveness is also a big theme, and done in such an uplifting manner. Other themes include guilt, betrayal, aging, family, friends, handling mistakes, and much more. The author weaves a compelling story than meanwhile shows us that humans are messy, imperfect…but that we can forgive others and ourselves.

The book somehow balances the hard with the soft, the dark stuff with the lighter. Never do we get really bogged in the heavy things. But for example:

-The prison system is represented here as the horrible cruel mess it is, though we don’t get anything really gritty and dark.
-Frank’s mixed feeling about his wife dying.
-Questionable people such as difficult controlling adult children.
-Very questionable people such a crappy men manipulating women through sex appeal or other factors.
-Unforgiving families
-Extremely narrow-minded judgy people

But then we see the other side, and boy do we see it:

-The power of forgiveness
-The power of friendship
-The power of animals for healing…specifically here, the amazing African Grey Parrots! That was such a joy how these parrots heal the soul of Violet. (Great to see the endnotes explaining how the author got involved with these birds).
-The power of books
-The power of love

I don’t like to repeat publishers blurbs nor give too much story away, but let’s just say that watching how lives will be redeemed, and how the three characters will evolve together…was just pure pleasure.

Here’s where I had some issues:

-Violet getting involved with her boss Mischa was so clearly a big mistake. The power of lust, as well as how a lover can be a nurturing mother substitute (so well described!) made it a little more believable but not really…it just seemed so incredibly off that she would have feelings for this weirdo.

-Dawna at the end…just no no no. That was weird and creepy and seemed a big distraction from the story. I am not sure what the author was trying to do with that—bring back some “realism” so no one could accuse her of a sappy ending? It did not work.

-The other misstep by the author in my opinion, was so much emphasis on Spoon River Anthology. If one does not know the book, many of the points go over one’s head. Both the quotes from the characters as well as the meaning of the “meanwhile” part. I actually read this whole part twice and still didn’t get it.

Back to the good:
I so loved how the book ended, with the last chapter by Violet. Reminded me of the book Violeta by Isabel Allende (interesting, two Violets reviewing their lives). Beautiful and poignant and fills in all the blanks and questions of where everyone goes from here. Really well done.

I recommend this book. It helps to not be in a super critical mind mode when reading, but be in the mode for something soothing, that will feel like a warm bath on a cool night.

My great thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.