Sue’s Year in Books

What did you read this year?

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2024

19,708

pages read

books read

Sue Seligman

Shortest Book

pages

Longest Book

512

pages

Average book length in 2024

323

pages

Most Shelved

1,900,550

people also shelved

Least Shelved

208

people also shelved

Sue’s average rating for 2024

4.7

Highest Rated on Goodreads

4.82 average

Sue’s first review of the year

it was amazing

What can I say about Kristy Woodson Harvey, one of the founding authors of the Friends and Fiction page, a platform which brought authors and readers together during a challenging period in our history, and has never let us go? The community which was created by these women has grown by leaps and bounds, and has resulted in strong friendships (in person and online), and out of control TBR mountains. Kristy Woodson Harvey has played an important r What can I say about Kristy Woodson Harvey, one of the founding authors of the Friends and Fiction page, a platform which brought authors and readers together during a challenging period in our history, and has never let us go? The community which was created by these women has grown by leaps and bounds, and has resulted in strong friendships (in person and online), and out of control TBR mountains. Kristy Woodson Harvey has played an important role in the success of this group!
An amazing author of women’s fiction, Kristy is not afraid to take on new challenges in her writing. She has written the extremely successful four book Peachtree Bluff series (hoping for a fifth book….Kristy, are you listening?), along with her women’s contemporary work and an excellent historical fiction (The Wedding Veil..excellent). Now she has written what may be her best novel to date which is inspired by true family events and is written in a dual timeline format, set in a town close to her heart, Beaufort, North Carolina. This book will engage the reader from the first page to the last, and I guarantee that you will not want to bid farewell to these empathetic and unforgettable individuals. You will laugh and cry and “feel all the feels”, and you will not easily recover from your book hangover after you read the last page.
Have you ever been introduced to a novel by a prologue “written” by an inanimate object? Well, look no further, because the reader will be welcomed to the story by the viewpoint of a house on Sunset Lane in Beaufort, North Carolina. The house is speaking as an onlooker, a character who persuades the reader to pursue a story and meet the individuals who inhabited the rooms within its walls.
Keaton Smith is a young woman who lives in New York City, not far from her parents. When she loses her job and her boyfriend, her mother, Virginia, sends her to Beaufort so that she can prepare Virginia’s parents’ home to be sold. Keaton’s grandparents had presumably died in a mysterious car accident before she was born, and her mother and uncle could not bring themselves to return to the house after the tragedy. When Keaton and her dog, Salt (Kristy’s homage to her own dog) arrive in Beaufort, she encounters a community of quirky and interesting characters, many of whom had been friends of her grandparents, along with an adorable ten year old boy and his handsome, single father. The house is in dire need of renovating, cleaning and sorting through treasures, trinkets, and objects reminiscent of the 1970s, as well as photo albums and most importantly, journals written by her grandmother Rebecca Saint James (Becks). Keaton is thrilled at the prospect of getting to know her grandparents through these written records, and perhaps solving the mystery of their deaths.
This book is written in dual timeline, and the reader is introduced to Becks and her husband Townsend through the journals. We learn that they had married despite the opposition of their own parents, and created a life filled with love, happiness, children and friends in a new home. This couple seemed to have it all until their mysterious deaths. Will Keaton solve the question of how her grandparents passed away? Will Virginia be able to resolve her own feelings surrounding this difficult and confusing period in her life? Is Keaton able to successfully restore the home which was once the center of so much love, and ultimately so much tragedy?
This novel has all the requirements of a five star read…romance, history, emotions galore, friendship, character development..all against a well described and bucolic setting. I definitely want to visit Beaufort soon and see all the landmarks of this special town, and maybe a Kristy Woodson Harvey sighting! Please go to your nearest bookstore or library and get your hands on this fantastic book! Oh…and today, July 17….happy birthday Kristy!❤️💜 ...more

SUE’S 2024 BOOKS

She's Up to No Good by Sara Goodman Confino

it was amazing

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra

it was amazing

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

it was amazing

All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore

The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin

The Best Life Book Club by Sheila Roberts

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles

All the Summers in Between by Brooke Lea Foster

it was amazing

The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

The Queen's Faithful Companion by Eliza Knight

The Genius of Judy by Rachelle Bergstein

it was amazing

Behind Every Good Man by Sara Goodman Confino

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly

it was amazing

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry

Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor

it was amazing

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

Sue’s last review of the year

it was amazing

A beautiful, lyrical, magical book for everyone who loves the creation of stories, the image of words, the importance of nature, and the power of humanity….Patti Callahan Henry has written an amazing novel that will live in my mind and imagination for a long time to come!
Patti Callahan Henry has been writing books for many years, ranging from contemporary women’s fiction through historical fiction novels about C.S. Lewis, the sinking of the Pulas A beautiful, lyrical, magical book for everyone who loves the creation of stories, the image of words, the importance of nature, and the power of humanity….Patti Callahan Henry has written an amazing novel that will live in my mind and imagination for a long time to come!
Patti Callahan Henry has been writing books for many years, ranging from contemporary women’s fiction through historical fiction novels about C.S. Lewis, the sinking of the Pulaski steamship, and most recently, stories focused on mothers and daughters facing challenges such as the effects of war, separation, generational conflict, tragedy and triumph..all set against a backdrop of of beautiful and magical scenery and nature. Over and over again, this author has proven herself to be a master storyteller who excels at bringing the reader to far away lands and gorgeous templates while never leaving their homes. Patti’s previous novel, The Secret Book of Flora Lea, was a masterpiece of character development, lyrical description, and impeccable research; I could not envision how she could improve on perfection. I was wrong! Patti’s latest book, The Story She Left Behind, has exceeded all expectations! Not only are the descriptions of the gorgeous tapestry of England beyond compare, but the character development throughout the novel just wraps the reader within the story of mother and daughter relationships, secrets maintained throughout generations, the impact of those secrets on the lives of the protagonists. All of these elements come together in the creation of an outstanding historical fiction novel!
“She thinks of the beauty of this place that she will carry with her, a place where fireflies decorate the nights and pine needles gather in soft beds, where sunrise tosses diamonds on the water, where minnows flicker silver on the river’s surface.” When Patti Callahan Henry lays the groundwork of her novels with spectacular imagery, intriguing characters, and the sense that that unusual and foreboding events are about to unfold, you can be assured that you are about to be enveloped in a world far different than what you might expect in a typical historical fiction novel. Patti’s books are anything but typical and I invite you all to experience this adventure.
The Story She Left Behind centers on a family of three generations of women and takes the reader on a journey from Bluffton, South Carolina all the way to England. The story begins with the disappearance of author Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham. Her husband and eight year old daughter Clara are left to deal with the trauma of her disappearance and the unanswered questions surrounding the situation. Although Clara and her father struggle to adjust to the impact of this difficult turn of events, they both create fulfilling, albeit, challenging lives for themselves. Clara becomes an art teacher and illustrator and she is a divorced mother of a mature and wise beyond her years daughter named Wynnie (named after her grandmother). In 1952, Clara’s life is upended when she receives a strange call from a gentleman in England who may have information about her mother. Clara and Wynnie embark on the journey of their lives, hoping to find answers to many unanswered questions, and in the process, open up their hears, minds and imagination in order to accept what is beyond the realm of their perceived reality.
There is so much to absorb while reading this novel. As always, a book by Patti Callahan Henry will always provide lyrical, magical and exquisite descriptions of time and place. I enjoyed reading about the physical settings and the historical events of 1952, especially the Great Smog of 1952, which I had learned about while watching the TV series The Crown. The character development is off the charts; the individuals just jumped off the pages and into my heart. I loved all of the individuals but Wynnie’s precocious and endearing outlook on life despite her many physical limitations resonated with me since I had similar issues as a child. Patti Callahan Henry has a unique ability to write stories which highlight women triumphing over tough challenges, and this book is no exception. The implicit importance of books and language, love and family, tragedy and forgiveness, secrets and acceptance; this book has it all! I highly suggest that you all go to your local library or bookstore and immerse yourself within this land of imagination and family. You will be glad you did! ...more

What did you read this year?

Sue’s first review of the year

Sue’s last review of the year

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