Library Loans

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Tilda is Visible by Jane Tara
Published by Crown on February 25, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

A woman starts to disappear—literally—in midlife, and only then begins to discover herself in this winning novel that will speak to anyone who has ever felt invisible.

When Tilda Finch is diagnosed with invisibility—a condition that strikes mostly women of a certain age wherein they simply start to disappear—she's not overly surprised. Tilda has felt invisible for years. She's fifty-two years old, her husband left her for a younger woman, and while she has two terrific adult daughters and a successful business, she often wishes she had pursued her true passion, photography. Instead, she puts inspirational messages on merchandise, and while she doesn't believe in most of the quotes, she's thankful her customers do.

Tilda has never really recovered from her divorce. Or, if she's honest, her childhood. Tilda's past has taken a toll and she's lost sight of the woman she had always wanted to be. And even though she's bumped into perhaps the most handsome man she's ever met, if he wasn't blind (yes, truly blind) he would see the truth, which is that she's a middle-aged woman, not in her prime, and that he's way out of her league.

Soon Tilda discovers there are support groups for women just like her. But after attending one and seeing how resigned the women are to simply fading away, she decides there must be a better way. She is introduced to a controversial therapist who is a leader in this burgeoning field and decides she has nothing to lose by trying her methods out.

The therapist makes Tilda realize that in order to reappear, she must face the trauma of her past and rewire her brain in the way she perceives the world—and herself.

In a world where women are conditioned to not like what they see in the mirror, where the voices in their heads endlessly critique their faults, Tilda Is Visible shows us that we can't expect the world to see us properly if we can't first see ourselves.

Tilda had been a wife and mother, but now in her 50s, she found herself disappearing. This was the story of a woman's fight to be seen, not only by others, but also by herself.

Being the exact same age as Tilda, I understood what she was going through. It's not easy being an aging woman in a culture where people spend a lot of time, energy, and money to hold onto their youth. I loved the first part of this book when Tilda was first disappearing and working through her diagnosis.

There were four stages to invisibility
-Stage 1 - being overlooked for a promotion at work, etc
-Stage 2 - appendages disappear
-Stage 3 - loss of limbs
-Stage 4 - full invisibility

This story could have been sort of somber, but it had big injections of humor while not downplaying the issues at hand. Though I appreciated all the work Tilda put into "seeing" herself again and becoming visible, some of it dragged a bit. But Tilda did enjoy some really wonderful and touching moments throughout her journey, and I was all in on her romance.

I’ve discovered that I’m a force of feminine resilience, the creator of my own story, and a woman whose worth doesn’t diminish with age. —Tilda Finch

Tilda Is Visible was a fantastic story made even better with a great cast, wit, humor, and keen insight. It was wonderful taking this journey with Tilda where I cheered for her all the way.

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Every Tome, Dick & Harry by Elinor Lipman
Published by Harper on February 25, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

From one of the most beloved comedic writers of our time comes a charming, laugh-out-loud tale of love and criminality, a pitch-perfect romantic comedy from the author of Ms. Demeanor.

Taking over her parents’ estate sale business is more than Emma Lewis bargained for. Coming from a long line of estate liquidators has its challenges but Emma was completely unprepared for the people she would meet. Pimps, prostitutes, crooked cops, art thieves? Should she turn down potential clients in need of decluttering just because they are shady and proud of it?

No.

A girl must make a living—and it could be more fortuitous than she ever imagined . . .

When Emma's parents decided to retire, she was pulled back into the family business organizing estate sales. When a large home was put on the market, she believed this will be the big one, but as she worked through the sale, many secrets were reveals.

This was over the top fun! There was no shortage of antics or shenanigans. There was also no shortage of quirky characters, most of whom won my heart.

Frank really stood out to me. A retired English teacher who lost his wife to freak accident and rented a room from Emma. I adored the friendship that developed between them, and the way they encouraged and supported each other as they both dipped their toes back into the dating pool. It was an unlikely friendship which is my favorite kind, and there were a plethora of warm and fuzzy moments shared between them. 

Overall: Silly and sometimes chaotic, this story made me laugh out loud while also being utterly charming.

Have you ever been to an estate sale?
Let us know in the comments!