#thedialpress

The Homemade God: A Novel by Rachel Joyce

Pub date - 6/24/25

I love The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (an excellent book and the wonderful Jim Broadbent as Harold in the film) and was thrilled to receive an early copy of The Homemade God.

A beautifully written, deeply moving and poignant novel, Ms Joyce brings varying characters to life within the pages with such success that these evolving characters and the messages of this story will remain with you well after you’ve finished reading.

This was my second time reading the author, and I now have to read everything else she’s written. This is a definite recommendation.

Thank you to The Dial Press and NetGalley for the DRC

Isola: A Novel by Allegra Goodman 

Pub date - 2/4/25

I read this in a day. A sick day (our second respiratory ughhh in the past month). A cold day in December, when there was no snow but the ground outside was frozen. While I am safe and cozy in my toasty house, and I was grateful for all that I have while I read this. 

I had a difficult time not thinking about this story, about the beauty and heartwrenching pain the real Marguerite de La Rocque Roberval, her lover, and her childhood nurse went through. While the pacing was slower than I imagined such a tale would have, the story is one that will stay with readers. 

This was my first time reading Ms Goodman’s work, and after this one, I will read more.

Thank you to The Dial Press and NetGalley for the DRC

My Name is Venus Black Heather Lloyd

MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️ PUBLISHER The Dial Press PUBLISHED February 27, 2018

A grabbing and poignant family drama about love, forgiveness, redemption and moving on.

SUMMARY Venus Black is 13-years-old, a normal teenager, and a good student with a love for astronomy. But she commits a shocking crime that tears her family apart and puts them all in the media spotlight. Venus refuses to talk about what happened and why, other than to blame her mother. She is ultimately sent to prison. Shortly after her arrest, Venus’s little brother Leo who is developmentally disabled also goes missing. When Venus is released from prison at 19, and she starts over in Seattle with a new identity. She rents a room, gets a job as a waitress and helps take care of her landlord’s nine-year-old precocious niece, Piper, who makes Venus think about Leo. She misses Leo tremendously and is frustrated by not knowing whether he is dead or alive. Venus’s mother reaches out to Venus to make amends for events leading up to the crime, but Venus refuses to forgive her mother for her lack of support and her inability to find Leo. When new information about Leo’s disappearance comes to light the two must put aside differences to extend the search.

REVIEW My Name is Venus Black is an engaging chronicle of a family torn apart by a shocking crime and it’s aftermath. Venus, with her wild black curly hair and astute mind is endearing, as are all of the younger characters in this captivating story. Heather Lloyd has skillfully crafted a poignant, thoughtful and moving story that grabs your attention from the beginning—in the police station. With superb writing, and unique characters that propel the narrative, this gem of a debut novel is bound to entertain young and old alike.