From the fictionalized horror of Ray Bradbury to an Agatha Christie crime novel, to the unforgettable history of a Holocaust survivor, this was a month full of unsettling stories.

Week 1: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

One word: Bleak.

This classic New England tale details a life in which hope is just a waste of time.

Revisiting Ethan Frome turned into a match of memories, as both Gary and I read it as high-school class assignments long ago.

I remembered there was a lot of snow – and a sledding accident. Gary remembered that much as well – plus a pickle dish.

Gary won.

Week 2: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

So creepy!

Ray Bradbury is one hell of a writer! And hell is what this sweet small town turns into when a sinister carnival comes to town uninvited.

Two neighbor boys – best friends – know that time is running low as they try to figure out exactly what is going on and how to stop it.

Week 3: Night by Elie Wiesel

This is a tough one. Seeing in the news these past months that some who oppose vaccine mandates have drawn a situational parallel to the Holocaust, I felt it was time to read Night.

But those who would wear a yellow star in modern times and defend the use of a Nazi salute in a school board meeting can’t possibly understand the true depth and meaning of the phrase never forget.

The raw testimony that Wiesel’s book offers should not be ignored, especially in these times.

Week 4: How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill

This book’s subtitle tells the author’s story in ten words: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else.

Oh, brother – what a jerk he was! A hot-shot marketing guy has got the world on a string … until he doesn’t. Although he doesn’t humble himself to say exactly why he lost his six-figure job (other than aging out), there are plenty of humbling moments in this memoir.

His marriage over, his attempt to go it on his own a failure, the author stumbles into a job offer at a local Starbucks and learns to appreciate the little things and the little people.

Humble Mike is a lot more likeable (and relatable) than big-shot Mike. His stories about how he got there – and his flashbacks to his life working for “the man” – are worth reading, even for this retiree.

Bonus Book 1: The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

Read this book.

And not just for the porcine-pun perfection! The true story of Christopher Hogwood – who seems to channel Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web – is charming, heartwarming, endearing, yet never saccharin.

Bonus Book 2: Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

Did you know sales of Agatha Christie books are topped in sheer numbers only by Shakespeare and the Bible?

The reference to pigs in the title has nothing to do with farm animals torturing famed Christie detective Hercule Poirot. It is he who tortures us, as he sings the nursery rhyme in his head while he works his way through the five witnesses to a murder from 16 years prior.

The murder of an artist has been long solved. But when his young daughter comes to age, she wants to marry knowing the facts about her mother’s part in the crime. She commissions Poirot to get to the truth. As per usual, neither Christie nor Poirot is (sorry) a boar.

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