Fave Reads | Book Chatter

I Cheerfully Refuse
By Leif Enger
Grove Press, 9780802162939, April 2024. 336 pp.

The Short of It:

Some books just stop you in your tracks. This is one of them.

The Rest of It:

Rainy and Lark live just off of Lake Superior. Their marriage is pretty wholesome. She is a lover of books and runs a small bookshop. Rainy is a little rough and tumble in appearance but a musician and a romantic at heart. The two are happy, and live a simple existence.

Their lives take a nasty turn after taking in a boarder. Kellen is a strange one. Young, but existing on what is essentially laughing gas. He keeps strange hours and is on the secretive side. The world is slowly changing and Lark and Rainy continue to ponder where this young man fits in.

Then, the unspeakable happens. Their lives are turned completely upside down, Kellen the boarder is gone, and a horrible tragedy is left behind. Did Kellen do this? Did someone else?

Completely bereft, Rainy prepares his small boat and hits the open water to find that elusive thing. Happiness? Peace? But the world is not the same. Towns are overrun by thugs and bullies. Abandoned towns are left with these odd statues taking up residence. What is going on? Some people are fending for themselves, weapons in hand. Others use the downward spiral of the world as an opportunity to take advantage of the weak.

Rainy is at a complete loss until he accidentally runs into a young girl by the name of Sol who needs his help. Sol is like Pippi from Pippi Longstocking! Full of spunk and with a natural tendency to survive. She is the breath of air that Rainy needed and the two form an unbreakable bond.

This story is full of adventure on the high water. Enger puts the reader right on the boat. The sailing terminology, the cold spray when the weather takes a turn, their hunger as they figure out how two can eat with supplies that were hardly enough for one. There are bad guys, a form of “treasure” that makes Rainy and Sol a target, and then there is beautiful music and lovely words from the one book that Lark cherished, a book titled I Cheerfully Refuse.

What a wonderful book!! I cannot sing its praises enough. I laughed and cried. Literally. You will be choked up. It’s slightly dystopian but mostly adventure with plenty of hijinks. Rainy and Sol will forever live in my mind.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Remarkably Bright Creatures
By Shelby Van Pelt
Ecco Press, 9780063204157, May 2022, 368pp.

The Short of It:

Delightful.

The Rest of It:

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. ~ from the publisher

I am not a fan of magical realism but when it’s done well? I can’t help myself. Tova, a lovely woman working at the aquarium befriends a large Pacific octopus. He escaped and got tangled in a bunch of cords so Tova came to his rescue. You see, Marcellus, is quite the adventurer. He escapes his enclosure nightly, gathers little things here and there but he has a secret that he’s been trying to share with Tova but she hasn’t quite caught onto it yet.

Tova is happy cleaning the aquarium and she enjoys her nightly visits with Marcellus and company, but after her brother dies, she begins to ponder her next step. Should she move into a retirement home? After spraining her ankle while tending to Marcellus, she comes to the conclusion that although she has friends, she doesn’t have anyone to care for her when that time comes. Life is nothing but a bunch of decisions, isn’t it?

Interwoven into this story is also Cameron’s story. A young man, unemployed and searching for the father he’s never known. Without any real ties, he heads north to look for his father. Luck is not on his side though. His bag is lost at the airport and inside it, the only chance he had at making a little money. Penniless, and desperate he calls his aunt, borrows more money and invests in a run down camper. Thinking, hey, at least I can live in it.

Although Cameron is used to living by slim means, he desires more. He desires a more stable life, and he hopes his father can be a part of that. What begins as a quest for an inheritance becomes something much more. While trying to make a living, he meets Tova at the aquarium.

Between the loss of Tova’s son Erik, the loss of her brother Lars, and the entrance of this young, wayward boy, Tova takes a liking to him and the two form a bond.

This is a beautiful story. There was one part where Marcellus’ secret hits me and I gasped. Out loud. Gasped. Nearly shed a tear. What a wonderful story! I had heard great things about this book but the magical realism turned me off. Boy, was I wrong. I ADORED this book. It will be on my fave list for sure but you all need to read it! It’s been out for a long time but hey, just pick it up. Trust me.

Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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