Anna O by Matthew Blake -- Ben is a sleep specialist tasked with - hopefully - waking Anna Ogilvy who was found asleep beside two bloodied bodies. And she stayed asleep for over four years. With the help of the nurse Harriet and his ex wife Claire, Ben seeks to help Anna and the minister of justice because Anna needs to be held accountable for crimes she most likely committed.
Huguette by Cara Black -- DNF; I read not quite half of this "novel of liberation" (think post-World War II), but didn't like it enough to keep reading.
More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen -- A book club of ladies who buy the books, but don't read them. Instead Polly, Sarah, Jamie, and Helen enjoy one another's company, their struggles (Polly realllly wants a baby) and such. Pretty good story about friends.
The Bookbinder's Secret by A.D. Bell -- Lily is a bookbinder who discovers a partial letter hidden in a book, and she's determined to find out more. She struggles with her father's debts, her job, her lovelife, and the fact someone else is just as intent on discovering these books - and that person is willing to kill for those pages!
The Secret Room by Jane Casey -- Last year I caught up with all the Maeve Kerrigan books in the library so that I was On Hold for the latest book which finally arrived for me this month. Maeve and her team are trying to figure out the murder of a lady who always booked a certain room in a nice hotel. Also Josh Derwent is in the hot seat when his It's Complicated girlfriend ends up in the hospital and accuses him of putting her there - yikes! Maeve does her best to find out the truth concerning Melissa's accusations. This book has a "the readers asked for this" kind of ending.
We Don't Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry -- As a child visiting her grandmother in Raleigh, Sydney finds old childhood dresses and a photograph of a teenage girl she never met. When she asked Grammy who the girl was, her grandmother said "we don't talk about Carol." Fast forward many years and Sydney is back in Raleigh cleaning out her grandmother's house with her mom and sister. This time, she delves into the mystery of Carol, her aunt who went missing at age 17. When she finds out a few other Black girls went missing around that time, Syd wants to revive the effort to find out what happened to them.
My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney -- Birdy returns to her childhood hometown when she inherits her grandmother's house. There she helps solve the mystery of Eden Fox and an imposter pretending to be Eden. Pretty good.
Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden -- A good revenge story, and a quick read. Debbie seeks to right wrongs done to herself and her family. Pretty cute.
The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear -- The book starts with Kezia anticipating her upcoming wedding to her best friend's younger brother Tom. Meanwhile the best friend Dorrit who now wants to be called Thea is teaching and also marching for women's rights. All of this as the first world war impacts their lives. As Tom goes to France to fight against the Germans, Kezia manages their farm. She makes up dishes "for Tom" as she writes him, and his fellow soldiers enjoy thinking of the dishes Kezia makes. Tom wonders if she's really eating all those things, or is this just Kezia's imagination.
It Should Have Been You by Andrea Mara -- In a fit of irritation, Susan sends a scathing text to her sisters' WhatsApp group about a neighbor, only to realize a bit later that she accidentally sent it to the whole neighborhood group. Though she deletes it, the damage is done as her post was screenshot and widely shared. When people are murdered Susan wonders if someone were trying to target her.
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James -- If you like stories about haunted houses, you might enjoy this book. Siblings Violet, Vail, and Dodie meet at their childhood house after their little brother Ben wants them to come back for him. Ben disappeared at age 6, twenty years prior, and the siblings have wondered about their beloved little brother ever since. Not my favorite.
Life: A Love Story by Elizabeth Berg -- Flo is 92 and has about a month to live, according to her doctor. She decides to write a letter to Ruthie, the girl who grew up beside her years ago. She reveals what certain things mean to her by telling stories of her marriage. Sweet book.
In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka -- Gus gets a job with her former friend's parents, walking their dog. Meanwhile Mary is out there somewhere, and Jean, the therapist, is suing Mary's parents for defamation. This book alternates between the court case, plus some two years earlier when Gus met Mary in Rome. An OK book.
HBD, SRFT! ;) LOL!
