Last day of another month and we are getting rain and wind from Hurricane Ian as it moves this way. Thankfully we live a good ways inland so we are getting nothing like other places did.
The It Girl by Ruth Ware -- Hannah is married to Will, a friend from Oxford who happened to be the boyfriend of her roommate when her roommate died. When her mom calls her at work to let her know a man who was put into prison for murder based on her testimony, has died, Hannah thinks back to the night her roommate and best friend died. This book is told in alternating BEFORE and AFTER chapters as Hannah thinks back to her time at Oxford, and her life now in Edinburgh. Pretty good.
Daughters of the Occupation by Shelly Sanders -- This book is inspired by true events, and tells of Jews in Latvia first when the Soviets invaded, then the Germans, and then the Soviets again. It alternates between the 1940s with Miriam and her family, and the 1970s when Miriam's granddaughter Sarah travels from Chicago to Riga in order to learn more about her heritage. This trip to Soviet Latvia is also a journey to seek an uncle who was left behind.
The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon by Linda MacKillop -- Eva struggles with her memory failing so her granddaughter Breezy takes her in. Only Eva wants her quiet home. She doesn't want all these troublesome students plus Mabel, the older lady who rents the upstairs apartment, to come by all the time. It's much too noisy in this new living arrangement! This book made me more weepy than I expected. I guess the flashbacks of good times and regrets plus Eva and Mabel's challenges just hit me on a day when my uncle's first birthday in heaven already made me a bit prone to tears.
That Night by Chevy Stevens -- After Toni and Ryan serve their prison sentences for murdering Toni's sister over a decade ago, the pair want to figure out what really happened because they were wrongly convicted! Pretty good story.
Where the Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen -- Josie Banks is from the East End of London and when her husband Stan is drafted and her house is bombed, she signs up for a move to the country. There she stays with a lady not known for her warmth and friendliness, but Josie makes the best of it. Good book!
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin -- Ava is a librarian in Washington, D.C. who agrees to an assignment in Lisbon in order to help the Allied war effort in that neutral country. Meanwhile Elaine is grieving the loss of her husband and joins the Resistance in Lyon. Not the most exciting, but picked up more about midway and was pretty good.
Outside by Ragnar
Jónasson -- A very quick read based in the author's home country of Iceland. Four "friends,"
Armann, Gunnlauger, Daniel and Helena get together for a hunting trip. A surprise blizzard has them breaking into an emergency shelter where a surprise awaits them. This book was told from each person's perspective and I didn't really like any of them. I guess Daniel was the best of the bunch.
Beach House Summer by Sarah Morgan -- I can see how this would be a nice beach read, and good for someone into Hallmark movies. I've never watched one of those, but I imagine they are like this book. Not a terrible book, but just not my favorite type. Joanna's celebrity ex-husband dies in a crash and the young lady in the car with him survives. Joanna reaches out to Ashley who really finds her voice the more you read.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson -- After Myrna read this book and liked it, I decided to get it from the library. After their mother's death, Byron and Benny meet to listen to a lengthy audio file their mother recorded with the help of her attorney. In it, she tells the story about a girl named Covey who grew up in the Caribbean (or West Indies as it was known back then). Covey was a splendid swimmer who ended up in Britain. Pretty interesting story!
The Lifeguards by Amanda Eyre Ward -- I was browsing the New Books last week and saw this book which I decided to try. Three fifteen year old Austin, Texas, boys have been friends their whole lives. Their moms regularly get together, and one night the boys come home saying that they need to call 911 because a body was found on the greenbelt that runs near their houses. A fast-paced, rather-fun read on these pretty, less-humid days.
Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare -- This was also a New Books find, and I wasn't sure at first if I'd keep reading it. I gave it another few chapters and ended up enjoying this murder mystery which takes place as Lena Aldridge travels from England to New York. She gets seated with a rich family and some weird things start happening - like the family patriarch being poisoned! Pretty good.
The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer -- Pretty good story about Sofie, a German lady who moves to Alabama after World War II because her husband was one of the brillant German rocket scientists who did much for the Nazi war effort...and the US wants that technology for themselves! While in the US, Sofie meets other Germans and deals with Americans not keen on the enemy living among them. The book also shifts back to years in Germany as the Nazis came to power. Another storyline involves Texan Lizzie and her brother Henry who helped liberate one of the extermination camps. Inspired by Operation Paperclip.
Fly Girl by Ann Hood -- A memoir from the author's years as a flight attendant. I enjoyed reading about her experiences in becoming a stewardess (as they were called back then), the application process, interviews, and training plus the flying. Pretty interesting!
Girl, Interrupted by Karin Slaughter -- Decades earlier a pregnant teen was murdered on the night of the senior prom. After her US Marshal training, Andrea is assigned a case in that area, and in her spare time (her assignment is guarding a federal judge), she asks around, hoping to figure out who murdered Emily Vaughn. Pretty good.
By Her Own Design by Piper Huguley -- "A novel of Ann Lowe, fashion designer to the social register." I enjoyed this story "told by" Ann. Interesting lady and so funny to see a lady called Tucky in it! I sent a picture of that to Andrew, my own Tucky.
Gilt by Jamie Brenner -- Pretty good story about two sisters, Celeste and Elodie, and the daughter (Gemma) of their other sister (Paulina, now deceased.) This book has to do with jewelry, the family business, and so forth.
The Echo Man by Sam Holland -- If you enjoy reading about a serial killer and the police trying to capture him, this book might be for you. Pretty good if not gruesome at times.
