Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline -- While I appreciated learning
some Sicilian history, the fast pace due to short-ish chapters, and bits
of humor, this book was chaotic and not a favorite. I wasn't sure how
all these storylines tied in, and they did in the end somewhat, but I
much prefer this author's contemporary books. Eventually I'd like to
watch these videos from the author's trip to Sicily. I find the history kind of interesting, but the book just wasn't as great.
The Rooster Bar by
John Grisham -- I got this from a Little Free Library at Southport over
a year ago, and started reading it recently when I had finished all my
library books and it was closed for Memorial Day. Three law school
students realize they are so far in debt and their degrees from a
bottom-tier school hold no guarantees of lucrative jobs - shoot, just
over half of Foggy Bottom Law School students even pass the bar! So
Mark, Todd, and Zola decide to just practice law without finishing all
that. Bizarre!
With My Little Eye
by Joshilyn Jackson -- In order to avoid a stalker who has been
harassing her, Meribel Mills and her daughter Honor move from Los
Angeles to Atlanta where Meribel can continue her acting career in her
home state. She broke up with her boyfriend before leaving LA, but finds
out he is open to moving to Georgia to be with her. Meanwhile, she
meets her neighbor Cooper, and Honor makes her first friends in Georgia,
Sheila and Xena. Pretty good.
Code Name Edelweiss by
Stephanie Landsem -- This book follows Liesl Weiss who loses her job
with MGM. In desperation to provide for her mother and children, she
takes a job with the Jewish lawyer Leon Lewis who has watched Adolph
Hitler's rise to power and influence spread to the California German
community. Pretty interesting story.
Only the Beautiful by
Susan Meissner -- An interesting look at eugenics in the United States,
specifically California. Rosie is left orphaned and later finds she is
pregnant which means she is sent to live in an institution where women
are sterilized. Meanwhile Helen is in Austria as a nanny to a little
girl born with deformities. Yet the Nazis don't want crippled people to
be a burden on society.
Where Coyotes Howl
by Sandra Dallas -- I really enjoyed this story of Ellen who answered
an ad for a needed teacher so she left Iowa for Wyoming. She was
thinking lovely mountain views would greet her, but instead she arrived
in the prairie part of the state. Nevertheless, she's determined to
stick it out, and meets Charlie, a cowboy who is infatuated with Ellen
from the get go. This book follows their life together as they marry and
seek to become ranchers.
The Weird Sisters
by Eleanor Brown -- I liked this in some ways. Rose, Bean, and Cordy
(ok, ok, Rosalind, Bianca, and Cordelia) grew up in a small college town
where their father taught ... something Shakespearean. The family
constantly quotes lines from Shakespeare to each other. Anyway, the
girls are adults who find themselves back home, living together once
again. Rose is trying to decide what to do about her wedding and where
to live afterward; Bianca is wondering how her life in New York City led
her back to this place, and Cordelia is wondering whether her days of
living on the road are over. An OK book.
A Borrowed Dream by
Amanda Cabot --
book two in the Cimarron Creek Trilogy; until last month, I'd last read a
book by this author in 2017 and when the book last month mentioned
Cimarron Creek and some backstory, I realized I had only read book one
of this trilogy - and that was nearly 6 years ago. Because of this, I
had forgotten most of the characters' stories, but this was still an
easy read and a decent book. Catherine is a school teacher trying to
help the new girl Hannah who arrived in town recently with her father
Austin. Meanwhile Austin is trying to keep his past a secret as he and
his little girl flee from some unsavory characters.
I'll Be You
by Janelle Brown -- Sam and Elli are twins who acted in a few shows as
teenagers, but have struggled some post-stardom. Sam wanted to keep
acting, but found being an adult twin actor without the twin, a
difficult transition. Elli never enjoyed acting and wanted to go her own
way. The girls each tell her side of the story. Pretty good.
Two Wars and a Wedding
by Lauren Willig -- Betsy is such a great character. I love how she
stands up for herself in a world that thinks women should be librarians
rather than out on an archaeological dig. Why not both? This book is
based on two women during the time of the Spanish-American War. You'll
find Betsy in Greece, Cuba, and on a ship en route to New York. Pretty
good story.
The Housemaid's Secret
by Freida McFadden -- A fast-paced story about Millie who was hired by
the Garrick family - the husband actually since his wife is always
locked inside the guest bedroom supposedly because she's got a chronic
illness. When Millie believes Wendy is being hurt by her husband, she
tries to help.
One Last Secret
by Adele Parks -- A pretty interesting mystery-type book told from the
perspective of Dora, an escort/sex worker in London. When one of her
clients asks her to pose as his girlfriend during a trip to southern
France, Dora feels she can do this one final job before she quits the
business to marry her best friend, Evan.
I Was Anastasia by
Ariel Lawhon -- Anna Anderson reveals her current status and tells her
story - flashbacks to when her family was taken as prisoners in Russia
and later when she made her way out of her country. Oh, and yeah, she's
trying to prove that she truly is Anastasia Romanov. Is she?
Red Letter Days by
Sarah-Jane Stratford -- After Phoebe is subpoenaed for her
supposed-Communist ties, she travels to London where she meets Hannah
and writes scripts for a new television show written and produced by
people blacklisted in Hollywood. A pretty interesting look at this
shameful time in US history.
Hang the Moon
by Jeannette Walls -- After her involvement in a coaster wagon accident
that knocked out her little half-brother, eight year old Sallie Kincaid
is sent to live with an aunt "for a little while" that turned out to be
until her stepmother died nine years later. Then the Duke (her father)
sends for Sallie to take care of her younger brother Eddie. What follows
is a host of complicated family things alongside the era of Prohibition
in the US. Decent story.
Blackberry Winter
by Sarah Jio -- When Seattle gets a rare May snow, Claire, a features
reporter, is assigned a story based on an old May snow which she finds
involved the case of a missing three year old. Alternating between Vera
and Daniel of 1933 and Claire of today, this book was a fast, easy read.
The Saints of Swallow Hill by
Donna Everhart -- I learned a bit about turpentine farms in this book
featuring Del who has a harrowing time with a bunch of corn and Rae Lynn
who leaves her home after her husband's untimely death. Pretty good
book.
Don't Wake Up by
Liz Lawler -- Dr. Alex Taylor had a horrible thing happen to her at her
own hospital, but when she makes her claim, no one believes her! And
why would they? The things she says happen: there is no physical proof
on her body. Is it all in her head? Pretty good thriller/mystery type
book.
