June Books

 The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao -- Kathryn is a postdoc chemist at Harvard, not very well liked amongst her peers, but she has an amazing boyfriend who appreciates her nerdy brain and enjoys that she knows a lot about the origin of idioms. When Kat decides to surprise Tucker mid week (not their usual days to see one another), she is in for a huge surprise: he's...proposing to someone else! What!?!  Come to find out, Tucker is a serial cheater with not just one, but a couple more girlfriends on the side. And when Kat, Olivia, and Elle find out about each other, they hang out and become friends. Pretty cute, quick read. 

Faithful of Heart by Tracie Peterson -- Book one in A Minnesota Legacy series, this was decent. Nothing special, but not terrible. It was a quick read on a day when I didn't have another library book.  Judith's grandfather was estranged from his son after the elder Mr. Ashton didn't care for his son's life choices. But when his heart is giving him trouble, he wants Judith to spend time with him so he appeals to her fundraising for widows and orphans. Thus Judith travels from her home in Philadelphia to Minnesota where her grandfather has built up the area and become very rich. 

Last One Out by Jane Harper -- Five years ago Sam disappeared on his 21st birthday, and each year since then his parents Griff and Ro plus his sister Della gather to remember him. This year is different as the mine has expanded and more people are gone. Ro (short for Rowena) is still looking for answers as to what happened to her son. 

The Alphabet Sleuths by Laura Jensen Walker -- Four older friends - Atsuko, Barbara, Claire, and Daphne - pool their talents in order to solve crimes - and possibly hide them. Pretty cute, quick read. 

The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman -- When Scott wins a trip to Fripp Island, Lisa suggests asking her childhood best friend Poppy and her family to join them. This book explores the points of view of the husbands and wives, plus the children: Rae, Kimmy, Ryan, and Alex. Pretty good. 

Want to Know a Secret? by Freida McFadden -- April runs a YouTube channel about the secrets of good baking. She also is puzzled by the neighborhood dynamics once Maria, Sean, and Owen move next door. Why is Maria, once so friendly, giving her the cold shoulder? Why is Sean avoiding her sweet treats? And why is her best friend Julie turning on her? 

How the Story Goes by Andrew Forrester -- When his wife Helen dies, Whit is shocked to discover from her lawyer that she wanted him to complete her beloved books series. Whit is an author, but he writes a totally different genre from the popular books his wife wrote. He decides to ask Merritt for help.

The House of Hidden Letters by Izzy Broom -- Skye is eager to leave England, so when she wins a lottery to buy and restore a house in Greece, she is ready for the adventure. She meets the locals and other lottery winners. Also, they discover some of the history of the island as it pertains to World War II. 

Killing Me Softly by Sandie Jones -- Freya and Charlie seem to have the best marriage until the night an accident changes everything for them. They suddenly move from London to a small village to start a new life. Freya makes a new friend Tess, yet finds herself hiding her outings with her. 

The Lumber Baron's Wife by Lynn Austin -- This story follows Hannah, the doctor's wife, and her friend Kate, who marries a lumber baron as the two live in the same town in Michigan. In modern times, Ashley tries to find out more about these women. 

Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer -- I thought this book was going to be about that "trend" in some households - hearkening back to those years when women willingly stayed at home, prepared made-from-scratch meals, all while bringing several children into the world. And it kind of starts out with that. Camille wants to be a trad-wife influencer on social media. She has her "king," Graham, who enjoys coming home to a spotless house, delicious meals, and a beautiful wife. When Camille struggles to get pregnant, she makes a deal with an... angel (or the devil), and soon after, Sweetheart arrives - and she's a very different baby!  Oh wow...I really wasn't expecting this type of book. As the blurb on the front of the book says, "Surprisingly tender - and stunningly stomach-turning." (credit to Clay McLeod Chapman for that.)  I kept reading because you have to see how a book like this ends, but yeah, I was kind of amused at how bizarre this book was. Maybe it's typical reading for some, but not me! 

The Star Society by Gabriella Saab -- This book features Ada and Ingrid, sisters who had been separated by the war, who reunited in the US where Ada is an actress and Ingrid works for the government. This is during the Red Scare era when the FBI targeted those they thought had favorable views of Communism. 

Too Close to Home by Seraphina Nova Glass --  A car bomb that kills someone, a bomb threat at school, a missing lady: not the typical life people expect in an affluent lake community. This is told from the perspectives of Andi, Sasha, and Regan, three friends who live there and are looking for answers. Easy read. 

Book of Forbidden Words by Louise Fein -- Charlotte is a printer in Paris asked to print a troublesome book. Four hundred years later Milly discovers the code and is able to read what Lysbette wrote that got her killed. 

The May House by Jillian Cantor -- Three sisters - Julia, Emily, and Nora - visit their grandmother Vera one year every May, and when she dies, they keep up the tradition. This book follows them through the span of about 40 years of visits. Pretty good. 

I Did Not Kill My Husband by Linda Keir -- This whole book is basically Cara being chased by the police and is told from both her perspective and Sheriff Jordan's perspective. It was a quick, pretty fun read! 

When We Were Brilliant by Lynn Cullen -- Wasn't sure I'd like this at first, but eventually I found it a pretty interesting look at Eve Arnold the photojournalist who befriended Marilyn Monroe. The novel is narrated by Eve mostly in light of "you" (Marilyn Monroe).   Here is a website the author mentions in the acknowledgments. In the book Eve mentions many interesting assignments. I'm glad to get a glimpse of a few of those online! 

The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh -- Carrie is a surgeon with the NHS - well, she took a six-year break after having twins - and she's going back if they'll let her. Years ago she was married for a few hours before her Swedish husband Johan was taken by Thai police. When he told her to forget about him, she went back to England heartbroken, always wondering what happened. 

May Books

The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox -- Ana Leigh is a kindergarten teacher taking a summer break to her great aunt Cora's house in Bitter End. Come to find out Bitter End is now part of the Roan Mountain community in Tennessee so that's neat for me because I've been there. In fact, the hike at the top of Carver's Gap is among the prettiest bald hikes that we enjoy. In Bitter End, Ana meets Marilyn and Sam plus the couple who have a wedding van, and her summer turns into finding more history about her family plus joining some of the gang on their hikes and looking for birds. Pretty cute story. 

The Perfect Fake by Barbara Parker -- My mother in law died three months ago, and she left a few bags of books in her spare bedroom closet.  My FIL is getting rid of a lot of her stuff so I took the books. I already donated several of them to the Friends of the Library book sale, but I decided to keep a few to read between library books. This is the first and it was OK. Tom is on probation and asked to recreate a map that was damaged. To do this he has to travel overseas which is against his probation terms, but who cares, right? 

The Fair Weather Friend by Jessie Garcia -- When a popular meteorologist is murdered, Carol and her niece Olivia do a bit of sleuthing to find out who might have done it. This book alternates between several voices, and was a quick read. 

All the Little Houses by May Cobb -- This book ended so abruptly that I was glad to see the author mention a sequel. Perhaps then I'll see more about what happened to Nellie, Jane, Jackson, Ethan, and all those folks in a small town in Texas. 

No One Would Do What the Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah -- DNF; I tried, but just couldn't get into the suspense of a dog having to go on the run due to false charges of the dog having bitten someone.  

Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer -- Eliot deals with his wife's upcoming death as she has "three to six months" left after her cancer spreads. Although it was different from my experience with my mother in law, it still brought back memories of those last three weeks with her. 

North Carolina Quakers: Spring Friends Meeting by J. Timothy Allen on behalf of Spring Friends Meeting; This is one of those Images of America books that I found at our local library. Recently I've been enjoying finding information about Andrew's family as looking through his mom and others' pictures and papers, made me curious about the Andrew, Zachary, and McBane families. They were Quaker settlers in the Snow Camp and Eli Whitney areas of southern Alamance County. I was thrilled to find this book as it mentions a bit about each of those families.  It is mostly told through images, but they have some informative and interesting captions. 

There is a membership list c. 1900 that showed some of the very people I'd been researching recently including Arka Zachary whom I've realized must have been a teacher in the area. I've got several pictures that were in her collection - probably passed down to her niece Verna Andrew Whitsell who lived with Andrew's family for a couple of decades before she died in 2000 at age 90. Unfortunately I don't know if Arka (also known as "Aunt Zach")'s stash of photos include one of her. I have so many great pictures, but 90% don't have any identifying information - ugh.  Also in this book I saw a map of the southern Alamance area near Spring Friends and its mother "church" Cane Creek Friends Meetinghouse, and I saw a JW Andrew listed nearby. I'm pretty sure that is Andrew's great-grandfather, Julius Weldon Andrew. It shows how close the various families lived to their meetinghouse (the Quakers tend to use this term instead of church.) 

 I want to give a huge shoutout of gratitude to my friend Myrna for looking up several interesting bits of information for me, and posting some things to several family members' pages at Family Search. A neat thing is that Myrna found out that she is related - very distantly, but still! -  to Andrew through his Zachary side.  That would be his maternal grandfather's mother's** side.  The common ancestors, sisters Elizabeth and Mary, trace back to Thomas Call (1597-1676) and his wife, Bennett Harrison (1599-1643) who were from Kent, England.  Whereas Myrna's ancestor, Elizabeth, went to Massachusetts; Andrew's ancestor, Mary, went to Virginia. Thank you again for your kindness and help, Myrna!

**  Andrew -----> Sarah ---->Jim Andrew ----> Nannie Iota Zachary 

Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmaker -- I finally read Itchy Boots' book telling about her reason for starting her journey that began in the Netherlands and India where she bought Basanti, her first motorcycle for traveling to various countries as a filmmaker.  She shared a few things about her life that we didn't know from watching her on YouTube. I bought this last year for our anniversary, and I just read it this month due to having other books to read from the library.  

Little Promises: Hope and Encouragement from Our Daily Bread compiled by Dave Brannon -- Andrew's dad is in the midst of purging things his wife had around the house. She had a lot of baskets, and he hates trying to vacuum around all the stuff on the floor. One basket near her chair had some devotionals and I decided to keep a few to read through. This was one of those. As the title suggests, this booklet contains sayings and verses meant to give hope and encourage folks.  So many are worth pondering. Here are a few I've come back to in recent days.

"Focusing on who God is rather than on what we think He should do will guide us to joy and satisfaction in Him." -- Jennifer Benson Schuldt  pg. 108

"Whatever storm we encounter today, we can be confident that all is not lost. Our Pilot can handle the storm. He will get us home." -- C.P. Hia pg. 109

"Stop and take a breath. Tune out the distractions, put away the restlessness, and reflect on the wonder of God's faithfulness. Get some real rest."  -- Poh Fang Chia pg. 78

Such a Clever Girl by Darby Kane -- I remembered liking her past books more than I appreciated this one. Hanna, Marni, and Stella unite to find out what happened years ago when several of the Tanner family went missing.  Now that their patriarch Xavier has died and the troublesome Audrey is back in town, they try to figure out what they are willing to tell others. 

Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict -- An interesting look at Egypt around the 1920s when there were uprisings as the Egyptians wanted their independence from the English. Lady Evelyn joins her father and Howard Carter on archaeological digs. She's most interested in finding Hatshepsut's tomb. 

24 Hours by Greg Iles -- A doctor and his family are targeted in an elaborate kidnapping plot. Will, Karen, and Abby try to survive the evil of Joey and his accomplices.  This is one of the books from my MIL's stash. It was published in 2000 so it was kind of neat to read how things were back then and see how some technological things have changed in the last 26 years. 

The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown -- This book took me a while to read because I've been focusing on some family tree research and sorting, looking through library books pertaining to Cane Creek Friends (family research on Andrew's side) and taking pictures of old photos and letters to send via text to Andrew's cousins,  plus watching WNBA games in some free time where I'd usually read. But this book was pretty good. It alternated between the times of King Henry VIII which is where Elizabeth Barton lived, and modern times when a researcher of Elizabeth Barton's life is at a workers' retreat in England. 

All Booked Up by Melody Carlson -- Riva is contemplating the sale of her home when she meets Windy who proposes that Riva take in boarders. Then Riva can keep her house and it will help those who need affordable housing. When she has four ladies living in her house, Riva enjoys the camaraderie yet it's still tough ... especially when Kitty comes into the mix. 

The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffman -- A mystery about twenty-two missing ribeyes (yes, really!)  that features chapters on the busser, server, host, and other people who work at Aunt Orsa's Italian-ish restaurant. Different, but a cute, quick read. 

April Books

 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! 

March Books

 The Red Letter by Daniel G. Miller -- Another book featuring private investigator Hazel Cho. After the success of the case presented in the first book of this series (see last month), Hazel's expanded her company to include an assistant or two. Hazel and her team are asked to help a young man who was arrested for murdering a local priest. This book involves the poison one gets from puffer fish as well as people receiving red letters with Bible verses. There was a section in chapter 31 and 32 that brought me to tears as Hazel went through a great loss, and it just hit me hard as we traveled to the mountains on the first day of the month. 

The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony -- Such an interesting look at Irish women and their struggles before contraception was legal in their country. Really enjoyed this book featuring Maura and Bernie's friendship! 

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W. Ihli -- Imagine being a bus driver when your bus is detoured only to find out criminals forced you down this path. And you and the children are forced into an underground bunker while the criminals seek money.  This book is based on a true crime. 

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild -- Honor is desperate for another baby, and wants to find out if the surrogate they've chosen is pregnant. Meanwhile Tom is so tired of Honor talking about this topic. Can't you just enjoy Christmas with the lovely child you already have?!  When something life changing happens in Paris, Tom finds himself living for Henry - and looking for Grace. 

When I Kill You by B.A. Paris -- Elle was infamous in her young twenties so she changed her name to Nell and moved to another part of England. When she feels her past has caught up with her, she is determined not to be killed by her stalker. Thank goodness she has a few good friends, though she wonders if her boyfriend Alex is on the up and up. 

Seven Exes by Lucy Vine -- A more light-hearted book between a couple of thrillers. Esther is lamenting her lack of a partner while in a bar with her best friends. She sees an old copy of a magazine that mentions the seven types of relationships and realizes one of her exes fit each of them. She is determined to contact each of them to see if one of them was her true love that she let get away. 

The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall -- Audrey is a search and rescue expert intrigued with missing girls, including her friend Janie. Did Janie leave town to start new or did something happen to her?  Meanwhile Stranger is trying her best to break away from someone who is keeping her locked away. How many girls has this monster destroyed?

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson -- My library recently got this first book of the Jackson Brodie series - it's from 2005, but since it was listed as a New Book, I put it on hold. I read a book featuring him a couple years ago, and didn't know the backstories so it was nice to be properly introduced to him. Brodie is a former police officer turned private investigator. In this book he helps sisters Julia and Amelia who want to find out what happened years ago to their little sister; he helps Theo who lost his daughter Laura to murder; and he helps a couple other people with their own mysteries to solve.  

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins -- Geneva runs her parents' inn, and welcomes August for a stay as he interviews (in)famous local Lo (short for Gloria) about why she was accused of murdering her boyfriend, Landon, forty years ago. This book deals a lot with hurricanes, and what storms can hide. 

What Boys Learn by Andromeda Romano-Lax -- Abby is a counselor at a private school. She's on soft suspension when two girls are found dead. Meanwhile she is concerned about her son, Benjamin, and his possible connection to Izzy and Sidney. When a former professor, Dr. Campbell, makes her acquaintance at the pool, she asks him to talk with Benjamin. Pretty interesting book! 

The Whispers by Ashley Audrain -- Pretty good story following the perspectives of neighbors, Rebecca, the ER doctor who desperately wants a child; Whitney, mom of three who seems to have a lovely life; Blair, a wonderful mom who has a straying husband; and Myra, the Portuguese immigrant who has been in the neighborhood the longest. 

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett -- Stella and Desiree are light-skinned Black girls in a small town in Louisiana. When they finally leave their home for the big city, one decides to pass as white leaving her twin behind. This book follows their stories and their daughters Jude, who is very dark skinned, as well as Kennedy, who is fair-haired like her father. Interesting story. 

With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee -- Sara and her college roommates have this long-held tradition of playing a "killing" game. It starts around the first of the year, and this year Sara doesn't want to play. She thinks this tradition needs to be retired. When talking to her friends, they decide to do one final game because a decent amount of money is involved. I liked some parts of this book, but didn't really get this "killing" game and why it was even a thing. Heh. 

Served Him Right by Lisa Unger -- This book deals with flowers and herbs - medicine in the correct doses; poison if used differently. Vera is the older sister in charge of keeping tabs on her reckless little sister, Ana. When Ana's ex boyfriend dies and the detective (whom Ana met on an anonymous app) starts questioning them, Vera seeks to help. 

The Girl in HIs Shadow by Audrey Blake -- Nora is really good at medical procedures, but she lives in a place and time where it's illegal for women to do some of the things she's perfected. Thankfully she's a ward of a doctor who loves teaching her these things, but when another doctor joins the clinic, Nora isn't sure if he'll be okay with her doing these illegal acts of healing.  It's the second time I read this book. I thought the topic seemed familiar, but I'd forgotten so much of it that it felt like a new book..ha! 

Haven't Killed in Years by Amy K. Green -- Gwen is startled when she arrives home and finds a box waiting for her. Inside is an arm! Yes, a man's left arm. Worse than that, the box contains a note with her real name on it. But Gwen's name was legally changed when she was 9 years old and her parents were imprisoned. As she races around trying to figure out who knows her secrets, she tries to figure out who to trust. And is she even trustworthy? 

What Happened that Night by Nicci French -- When Tyler is released from prison after serving nearly 29 years, he wants to reunite with the friends who were with him the weekend that changed everything. Beatrice agrees to host the event though she's not optimistic how things will turn out. What gathers is a bunch of middle-aged folks and, well, one of them winds up dead. Dang. 

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino -- Imagine being so desperate for a house - because you were outbid eleven times already - that you'd sink to stalkerish behavior. Well, meet Margo who does a bit of that while trying to secure the perfect house for her and her husband. Pretty cute book.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn -- The author starts with a note about this being the first book she's written while sober, and this story follows Meg as she checks into a luxury rehab clinic where celebrities tend to go. She's trying to find out what happened to her famous sister Haley. 

February Books

 Whispers at Painswick Court by Julie Klassen -- Anne is a surgeon's daughter who is hired as a nurse for Lady Celia. There she meets with friends from her youth and such. 

My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner -- A good story about Mimi who was on her way home when her baby daughter was stolen at a Philadelphia airport. The book follows Kit and Sabrina's stories along with perspectives from Sally and Mimi. I enjoyed Kit's travel to Japan to find out more about her origins, as well as Sabrina's perspective as the daughter of a single mother from China. 

Brush of Wings by Karen Kingsbury -- Final book in the Angels Walking series; It features all the characters from the first two books. Mary Catherine is headed to Uganda despite her health while Marcus wants her to marry him when she gets home. Meanwhile Lexy is struggling with her need to fit in the neighborhood gang. 

The Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn -- Holly is a forensic scientist called to the site of a wedding where she has to figure out who killed a bridesmaid. Meanwhile Adrianna is determined that her wedding will go forward as planned. 

The Orphanage by the Lake by Daniel G. Miller -- I enjoyed this mystery featuring 30 year old Korean-American, Hazel, who lives in New York City with her childhood friend-turned-roommate Kenny. Hazel is a private investigator hired by Madeline to find out what happened to her goddaughter Mia who disappeared from a children's home by Lake George. 

The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter -- Shelby is stunned when she finds out at her grandma's will reading that she left just under half the shop to her former boyfriend Gray. Is Gram trying to reconcile them from the grave? 

Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell -- I wasn't sure about this book when I plucked it off the New Books shelf at the library, but I enjoyed it! Lexie wanted to be a therapist, but time and money held her back. Instead she started working for a startup company focusing on bringing folks together for love. Her boss put her in charge of an interesting group: those whose scores deemed them as psychopaths...wow.  

A Murder in Paris by Matthew Blake -- Olivia is a memory expert in London who travels to Paris when her Gran has some issues with dementia and confesses to a murder after the last world war. Pretty good story. 

That's Not How It Happened by Craig Thomas -- Imagine writing a memoir about your life as a mom to a son with Down's syndrome, and that book being made into a movie. That's what this book is about, and it features the perspectives of Paige, the mom; Rob, her screenwriter husband; and her children Emmett and Darcy. I don't often find myself chuckling out loud while reading, but there were a few places in this book where I did find myself laughing. It has a lot of language (I don't care for that), but overall the book is good and different.

Blade by Wendy Walker -- I found this a fitting book to read just after I watched quite a bit of figure skating at the Winter Olympics taking place in Milano Cortina. Ana is now a lawyer who specializes in defending children accused of committing crimes. When she's called to help Grace at a skate-training facility in Colorado, it brings back memories of when she was thirteen and dropped off there to live as one of the Orphans. This book alternates between the present day and her time there. 

High Season by Katie Bishop -- When Nina was five she witnessed something that made a former babysitter go to prison for ten years. Twenty years have passed, and Nina is questioning her memories. Was Josie wrongly accused of killing Nina's older sister, Tamara, during that long-ago summer in France? 

The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage -- Lexi's life changed drastically when her father and brother were killed on a skiing trip. Suddenly her life in Tasmania - where she was halfway through a residency as a medical doctor - is no more. She is needed back in England where she has to decide whether or not to become the next in line to the throne! 

HBD, DBFIII! I<3U! 

January Books

 The Mad Wife by Meagan Church -- Lulu is a 1950s housewife living the best life - or trying to. But the pressures of life get to be too much after the birth of her second child, Esther. When her husband tries to help, well...what do men know about the pressures of the stay-at-home mom? 

The Intruder by Freida McFadden -- Casey is hunkering down in her remote cabin in the woods when she thinks she sees a face outside. Later she finds a young teenager, Eleanor, who seems to be on the run. Alternating between Casey now, and Ella "then," this was a fast read on this pretty day in early January. 

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker -- A virus that puts its victims into a deep sleep runs through a small California town. This book explores how it affects certain people. I thought for sure this was written post-covid 19 pandemic, but it was published in 2019.

The Perfect Hosts by Heather Gudenkauf -- Jamie returns to Nightjar, Wyoming, as an ATF agent and is called to a ranch after a gender-reveal party ends in disaster. Meanwhile the hosts Madeline and Wes are questioned about why someone would want them or one of their guests dead. Pretty good. 

Heart.Life.Music by Kenny Chesney -- I saw this in the new books section when I was looking for other books, and thought I'd give this memoir a read. I didn't realize he was from the Smoky Mountains (near Knoxville, TN). 

Hell by Eitan Bar -- "Uncover the true meaning of 'hell' by studying it in its original context!" This book is written by a Jewish Israeli who believes in Jesus as his Messiah. He explains how people back in the day would have understood phrases and words that we've made into this doctrine of hellfire, especially the one with eternal conscious torment. I got this book for Christmas after my friend Marcus told me he was listening to it. I've discussed it a bit with him. 

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall -- Years after their parents were killed, sisters Juliette, Emma, and Daphne are still estranged, but when Emma and her husband return to the old home place, the sisters see each other again. Emma is still under a cloud of suspicion which makes Nathan wonder about this woman he married...naturally. 

Angels Walking by Karen Kingsbury -- Recently my mom was cleaning her closet and returned several books that she said I'd given her to read a few years ago. There were a few I didn't recognize as having read so before I give them away, I decided to read them. I used to read a lot of this author's books, but hadn't in several years. This is part of the Angels Walking Series. Tyler skipped college in order to play baseball professionally, but a shoulder injury leaves him in dire straits. His former girlfriend Sami, meanwhile, is living a good life in California. A sweet, clean, predictable book, with a good reminder about God's grace. 

The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell -- If you enjoy time travel and magical hotels, this book might be a good read for you. Eve discovers these magical keys that allow her to travel back a few decades. Not my favorite type of book. 

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf -- Allison is released from prison early due to good behavior, but getting back into the world is tough. She really wants to reconnect with her little sister Brynn. Meanwhile Charm is taking care of her stepfather Gus, and they remember the little boy they saved years ago. 

My Sister's Daughter by Liv Constantine -- This and the next one are thriller novellas, part of the same book (222 pages total.)  When Ashley's sister is killed in an accident, she takes her daughter into her household. Strange things start happening. Is Serena causing this or is her daughter Luna acting out of jealousy? 

Silent Echo by Liv Constantine -- When Charlotte's little boy is part of a tragic school accident, she can hardly cope. Several months later she sees a photo online and is convinced Sebastion is still alive, but in another state! 

Chasing Sunsets by Karen Kingsbury -- This is part of the Angels Walking Series mentioned above. It's a pretty easy read during these weird days of Andrew's mom being under hospice care and spending time with his family and some friends dropping by. I've read bits of it most days recently. Mary Catherine and Marcus were in book one of this series though the focus was on their friends Sami and Tyler in book one. Well, this story focuses on them...surprise, surprise. 

December Books

 Fragile by Lisa Unger -- When a local girl goes missing, folks wonder if Char has merely gone to New York City to escape small-time life. Maggie isn't convinced - and her son, Char's boyfriend, agrees. Pretty good story. It's funny reading this book which is about 15 years old and seeing teenagers post on Facebook. At one point Ricky urges his mom to get on Facebook to reconnect with her old friends, and tells her about "status bar updates" which is where they look for clues about Char after her disappearance. 

Beneath the Surface by Kaira Rouda -- Richard is a ruthless business leader and father. He invites his children and their spouses for a weekend on his huge yacht. Paige is frightened of being out on the water, but goes along because she feels it's hers and Ted's chance to get in good and become the head of the company. John and Rachel have similar plans. Pretty good. 

Count My Lies by Sophie Stava -- As soon as Sloane introduces herself as a nurse named Caitlin to the handsome dad at the park whose daughter is stung by a bee, she continues the lies. But she admits that's what she does. After she meets Violet, mom to Harper the girl stung by the bee, she finds a true friend - and she seeks to dress and look more like her new BFF. Meanwhile Violet takes it all in stride, with kindness and helpfulness even. But is Violet lying as well?  Pretty cool! 

The Women of Oak Ridge by Michelle Shocklee -- An interesting story about a "secret city" within the US during World War II. The workers in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, didn't know they were helping enrich uranium that led to the atom bomb being dropped in Japan. This follows the story of Maebelle as she left her coal mining community in Kentucky to get one of these better-paying government jobs. Thirty years later her niece Laurel returns to Oak Ridge to interview folks in the community about their experiences and thoughts on what happened. 

Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose -- I've liked the other three books from this author so I gave this a try despite it having zombies in it. Uhhhh, thankfully it was a pretty-fast read, and I skipped over a few paragraphs because zombies aren't my thing. Not sure I'll read a book two of this type. 

A Mother Always Knows by Sarah Strohmeyer -- Stella was ten years old when she left a cult. Her mother was murdered, and Stella was unsure who killed her. Years later her family's story is back in the news and Stella is looking for answers. 

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce -- Four siblings - Netta, Susan, Goose (short for Gustav), and Iris - gather with their 70-something father in a noodle bar where he tells them he's getting married to Bella-Mae, an artist who is younger than the four of them. (She's 27.) Later the siblings travel to their family's villa on an Italian island where they discover more about Bella-Mae, each other, and themselves. 

The Unveiling by Quan Barry -- I heard this author interviewed on an NPR program so when I saw her book in the library, I decided to read it.  I enjoyed the trivia about Antartica, but I didn't really love the main character Striker who is scouting film locations. She's the only Black person among several white folks...except for Hector who is brown. Maybe I just didn't understand the book all that well. It wasn't terrible, but not one I enjoyed.

The Bachelorette Party Camilla Sten -- Tessa doesn't want to attend the bachelorette party for a childhood best friend, but when she hears it will be in a place where four friends went missing ten years ago, the possibility of solving a mystery ... well, suddenly she's OK with going to this event. She's always been a true-crimes fan, and now she needs to redeem herself so maybe she can figure out what happened to Matilda and her friends ten years ago. 

In the Time of Five Pumpkins by Alexander McCall Smith -- another story featuring Precious and Grace and other loveable characters from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. 

The Fault Between Us by Stephanie Landsem -- This was an interesting way to learn about living near and working at Yellowstone National Park in the 1950s and the Hebgen Lake Earthquake. The author draws upon real-life stories her mom and aunts shared about their experiences there. I enjoyed the upbeat message as well since I tend to read a lot of thrillers with less-than-upbeat themes. A couple of things I wanted to save for my own reflection: From the discussion questions on page 341: "Do you sense God's love through the wonders of nature?" and also from the last page of the story, "Courage arose out of fear, faith emerged from doubt ... and hope transcended despair" and as well as "...what they'd been given in their darkest moments. Holding on to hope." (pg. 336)

The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards -- Six friends from 1999 are brought back together 25 years later when the professor who tasked them with creating a new dating site, died and one of the couples hosts a dinner party. This book goes from now to back then telling the story of Lily, the genius who writes the code, as well as the narrator, Will, and the other pals, Rohan, Sophie, Georgina, Theo. Pretty good. 

The Highly Effective Detective by Richard Yancey -- First book in the Teddy Ruzak series...he's a pretty likeable guy, but I'm not sure I'll read more of these books as he's a bit too wordy for me at times. We'll see. He is hired to find who killed six goslings (yes, really), but that leads to something more serious. 

I Can See in the Dark by Karin Fossum -- This book is translated from Norwegian so it was kind of cool learning a bit about Norway just by the setting of the book. Riktor is a nurse in a care home for mostly elderly people. He has a fascination with death and he is a bit of an odd fellow. One day a police officer shows up and arrests him for a murder at the care home. Riktor maintains his innocence. 

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten -- A mystery/thriller concerning Eleanor who has prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize a familiar person's face, and her grandmother Vivianne's secret house. She travels to this remote location with her boyfriend and a lawyer and her aunt Veronika shows up. Weird stuff happens. Pretty good.