We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence
Becky Cooper
We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper is a memoir spanning continents and centuries, from Cooper’s memories of going to Harvard in 2009 to a dig in Tepe Yahya, Iran, in 1968. Although I’m not typically a true crime lover, the excellent writing and Cooper’s eventual connection between the murder and the Me Too movement kept me captivated.
Buy on Bookshop.org ↗If you liked this, try…
★ 5The Correspondent
Virginia Evans
The protagonist of this beautiful novel is a 73-year-old woman processing her life — and regrets — through letters. It’s poignant but not saccharine, specific but universally appealing. I dare you not to cry.
Tom Lake
Ann Patchett
An older woman tells her daughters about the summer she spent performing alongside — and falling in love with — a now-famous actor. My friend Anna said her husband adored this book just as much as she did — impressive, considering he typically reads business non-fiction.
★ 5Whistler
Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors for a reason; I couldn't put this down.
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage
Belle Burden
Belle and her seemingly perfect family flee COVID to their gorgeous Martha’s Vineyard home. Abruptly, her husband of two decades tells her he’s no longer in love and leaves. I first mentioned this book in January, and since then, multiple friends have told me they finished it in one session.
★ 5Raising Hare: A Memoir
Chloe Dalton
A woman finds a newborn hare and, against the odds, ends up raising it. Gentle, patient, unexpectedly moving nature writing.