Lucci's List: Best of 2019

I read and reviewed 87 books for Lucci's List this year. Here are the top ten I would recommend to my readers. If you have suggestions for me to read and review in 2020, please contact me! Happy New Year of Reading!

BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR:

"To the Survivors" by Robert Uttaro is an empowering and engaging memoir of a rape crisis councillor.

The clarity and sensitivity in Uttaro's writing style is unique. He has included interviews, poems, interviews with survivors, his own feelings and experiences as a councillor, as well as survivor's stories in their own words. His genuine depictions of real people are honest and unsentimental, allowing the people to exist as individuals.

There is a Christian religious tone throughout the book, but it is not preachy or posed as a necessity to healing, forgiving, or growing.

Uttaro has managed to create a book that will speak to everyone, without piles of impersonal statistics or drawn out judgement. The focus is on giving survivors a voice, as well as the survivor's loved ones. "To the Survivors" is in fact for everyone, as we all need to be aware of the impact that sexual abuse and violence has on our communities.

I was blessed to meet Robert Uttaro at the New England Authors Expo 2018 in Danvers, Massachusetts. His demeanor was gentle, and I immediately sensed his devotion to his cause.

SELF-HELP/INSPIRATION

"Great Idea! And...Helping others learn to see the beauty in your ideas" by Deb Wild is a clearly written resource.

This workbook is a fun, inspiring, clear, guide to becoming a better leader and an expert at sharing ideas. It is also a self-guided tool to improve your personal communication style.

Meant for professional managers, this book offers valuable insights in general for those people hoping to promote respectful dialogue and conversation.

I had the pleasure of meeting Deb Wild at her book launch in Waltham, Massachusetts, and her joy of sharing ideas was warm and genuine.

POETRY:

"Too Soon We Forget" by Al Wenckus, Sr.

Al Wenckus, Sr. is a Waltham author.

Real poetry for real people. "Too Soon We Forget" by octogenarian Al Wenckus, Sr. is a poetic journal of familial love, grief of lost friends, appreciation for caregivers, and awe of nature.

Wenckus has a gift of telling a story through poetry that people from all walks of life will relate to. He has mastered the use of a surprise ending. His lucid sensory details transport the reader to vivid destinations, both real and surreal.

Tears, chuckles, clutched breath... "Too Soon We Forget" invokes all the qualities that make us human, connecting readers through communal emotion.

I am blessed to know the poet, and his genuine devotion to his family and community strongly shows in his words.

"Lament of Midnight" by Ashley Grant

I was lucky enough to meet the poet at an arts event over the summer.

"Lament of Midnight" by Ashley Grant is a collection of poetry melded with two short stories.

The poetry is anguished and painful, focusing on themes of disconnect and a desire to find a place in society.

This short poem is an example of the imagery and action used in Ms. Grant's honest and creative writing style:

"Sleepless"

The cogs in my head

Spin away endless hours

Until my bearings are lost

To this relentless binding power

The short stories are written with intricate and fantastical flair, yet with precise clarity.

"Poor Dolly" is an allegorical tale of child abuse. Through a doll's eyes, we see the slow treachery of abusive adults in a young child's life.

"A Tortured Procedure" is part Frankenstein, part Dracula, and all spooky horror with a sci-fi twist.

This is an excellent book for fans of Stephen King or Christina Rossetti.

NOVELS:

“All About the Benjamins” by Zev Good

“All About the Benjamins” is a novel about family dynamics when a widowed father comes out of the closet. From the first line, it is obvious that this story is brutal, loving, and honest. “The first time Joel Benjamin had sex with a man, he expected it to leave a permanent mark, something he could point to years later—like a scar, or a tattoo—and recount how he’d gotten it and who’d given it to him.”

After hiding his sexual orientation from his family throughout his 36 year long marriage, Joel desires to reconcile his secret life with his open life. This leads to self-doubt, pain, and crisis. How can he claim to be honest when both lives he has lead are true and false. He looks back at his life as a father and husband, and sees where he fell short of his duties. Pretending to be straight his whole life caused him to deny his loved ones his whole self. The guilt and fear Joel feels in anticipation of revealing his truest self builds up until he is unwittingly exposed.

The more Joel comes to terms with his need to share his sexual identity, the more he sees the similarities between himself and his progeny. Things he never noticed before because he was too distant; lifelong relationships that could have been strengthened if he had been more present; memories that would have been more than vague recollections without emotional meaning. He is in turmoil. He realizes that if he had been less afraid of how his family would react to his sexuality, and if he had trusted them to accept him for who he is, then maybe all of their lives could have been fuller. The lack of familial intimacy he experienced was caused by his own reticence to be strong, to be his own defender, to accept and celebrate his own heart.

The characters in “All About the Benjamins” demonstrate the rawness of exposing your inner workings to the people who would presume to know you best. The family structure and interpersonal relationships feel real. With all their faults, flaws, idiosyncrasies, and failures, they each value the same things. They want to be together, even when they can’t figure out how to be there for each other. I found myself liking them, and empathizing with them, on a personal level.

Zev Good has created a powerful tale that any family can find relatable. The balance between personal independence and finding your place in a family unit is tenuous and must be adjusted throughout life.

“All About the Benjamins” can wreak havoc on your heart like it did mine! The characters, the earnesty, the twisty family ties... Get it on Amazon and ugly-cry-thank me later.

"Boston Metaphysical Society: A Storm of Secrets" by Madeleine Holly-Rosing is a steampunked mystical tale of an alternate timeline in which the government is run by houses of power, and Elizabeth Weldsmore is the catalyst for an adventure of espionage and hellfire.

Supernatural beings, historic Boston, and a revolution of the ages.

ALTERNATE HISTORY:

"The Muslim Prince" by Roger Ley

"The Muslim Prince" by Roger Ley is believable alternate history, written in clear modernity, with insights that are true to life.

This is a story of love and family, new beliefs and old habits, told with Ley's signature wit. Entwined with evident research, accurate historical references, and discerning language, Ley has presented a compelling "what if."

"What if Diana hadn't died?" This is the question answered in "The Muslim Prince."

In this novella, we begin on that fateful day, only in this version, it is unextraordinary. The beloved princess buckles up safely and encounters no dramatic mishap from relentless paparazzi.

Instead, she lives.

And so does the royal family, unchanged by a tragedy that never happened.

Regal Prince William marries well and continues the royal lineage with baby Prince James of Cambridge.

Through the eyes of young James, we see life in this alternate history, in which Diana Princess of Wales is happily married to Dodi Fayed.

"The Muslim half of his family was so much more interesting and exotic than the Windsors, who carried their history like a wet great-coat."

As James grows to adulthood, and governments gain interest in his Muslim allies, the British Empire develops counter-culture revolution that is fantastical yet believable.

What if she had lived?

SCI-FI/FANTASY

"Shard's Thugs" by Dexter Herron

"Shard's Thugs" by Dexter Herron is fast-paced and furious. Action, fantasy, adventure, and milk-through-your-nose comedy.

I recommend this book for mature readers over eighteen years old who like their princesses foul-mouthed and their goblins decidedly depraved.

STEAMPUNK:

"Ten Minutes Past Teatime" by Elizabeth Chatsworth is a steampunk novella for the ages! Time travel, Victorian aesthetics, Vikings, and a female scientist taking charge of a powerful adventure; what's not to love?

As if deciphering Irish brogues and drunken crew members weren't enough, Minerva must captain her time-travelling submarine to prove her worth in a male-dominated scientific society. She's survived her 40s; she can survive this.

Minerva's wit, dry humour, and assertive leadership make her a hero to cheer for. Even when she screws up. And even when she shows her softer side and falls in love with an equally fascinating female character. You can be tough AND loving!

I am a huge fan of steampunk and time-travel, and particularly enjoy sea stories. This book is one I wish I'd written! But even better to be able to read it breathlessly, and then immediately read it again because it is JUST THAT GOOD.

NOVELLA:

"When Angels Play Poker" by Maura O'Leary

Maura O'Leary is a Massachusetts author. I have been delighted to meet her on several occasions including literary events.

"When Angels Play Poker" by Maura O'Leary is a whimsical look at Heaven. Behind the scenes, angels watch over their earth-bound loved ones through a large TV-like monitor. There is a hierarchy, and the newly dead must complete mundane tasks in order to reach new levels.

The story focuses on one newly dead man who is given the task of watching over a woman named Maura. Through his eyes, a study in character takes place.

My favorite line is, "Jimmy was thrilled to be seeing his brother again, as well as Maura looking so happy, but it was difficult to focus on the upcoming event on earth when all he could think about was the poker game in Heaven."

This is a light, breezy read. People who are interested in the supernatural and angels will enjoy this book the most.