All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown -- Janice
is excited when her husband's new pill is a Wall Street success and
their fortune is made! She's less thrilled, understandably, when she
can't get him on the phone and later gets a message that he's filing for
divorce. Meanwhile older daughter Margaret is running from credit card
companies wanting to get paid plus younger daughter Lizzie is dealing
with her own issues at school. Pretty good story.
Spare
by Prince Harry -- I saw this available online at our local library so I
put it on hold and started reading it on July 1 (Princess Diana's
birthday). In it, Harry tells his point of view on several things. Part 1
is more of his growing up, schooling and such. Part 2 talks a lot about
his military life. Part 3 is more about Meghan. I would enjoy reading
Prince William's take on all of this if he ever wrote a memoir...ha.
(Andrew is reading this book now.)
The Lindbergh Nanny
by Mariah Fredericks -- A book told from the perspective of Betty Gow,
the young Scottish woman who cared for Charlie Lindbergh until his
disappearance. Interesting perspective!
The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by
Ariel Lawhon -- I wasn't familiar with this story, but since I've read
other books by this author, I decided to read this one as well. It
delves into the story of what happened to New York Supreme Court Judge
Joseph Crater who disappeared in August 1930. This is told from the
viewpoints of Stella the wife, Maria the maid, and Ritzi the mistress.
The Last Ride of the Pony Express
by Will Grant -- "My 2,000-mile horseback journey into the Old West;"
the author and his two horses, Badger and Chicken Fry, travel the Pony
Express from western Missouri to Old Sacramento, California. Pretty
good.
A Most Intriguing Lady by
Sarah Ferguson -- This definitely wasn't the most intriguing story, but
it was OK. Lady Mary met Colonel Walter Trefusis who quickly became Tre
to her. While many women of her era desire to be wives and mothers,
Mary wants more.
The Friday Night Knitting Club
by Kate Jacobs -- Georgia Walker is a single mom raising a preteen
named Dakota. When her ex, Dakota's father, returns from France out of
the blue, he adds a huge wrinkle to their lives. Also, this book deals
with others in this Manhattan-based knitting club. Pretty good.
The Housemaid
by Freida McFadden -- I was first introduced to Millie last month, and
then I realized the library has another book about her which is where
she works for Nina and Andrew who is drop-dead gorgeous. Really, Andrew
could have had any woman he wanted as Nina is just...not as pretty and
put together as she could be. This alternates between Millie's first
months on the job, and later when Nina tells how this situation came to
be. Fast-paced book.
The Education of Dixie Dupree by
Donna Everhart -- I don't think I read the jacket to see what this book
was about, but having read this author before, I decided to read it
when I was at the library recently looking for a few books to check out.
This book made me cry more than once. Dixie is eleven years old, and
had to recently hand over her diary because it contained some evidence.
This story tells some of what Dixie experienced as her mom and dad's
marriage faltered, and as her mom became more distant and wanted to
leave in order to go home to New Hampshire. Meanwhile Dixie is concerned
about her father and their lives in Alabama. Then when something
happens to her father, Uncle Ed joins the family from New Hampshire.
Though this book made me cry, it also made me laugh a bit. First when
Dixie calls her grandma, "Granny Ham" as in Hampshire. Secondly when the
family is driving to visit NH, and they are driving on the Appalachian
Trail! (see page 216) Hahahahaha....even more funny is when an
18-wheeler is riding their bumper up and down the mountains. Right. On
the Appalachian Trail? Too bad the book's fact checker didn't realize
that it is a hiking trail that reaches from Georgia to Maine.
Can't imagine seeing a car on it, much less an eighteen wheeler! Haha!
(Also, cool fact since this book dealt with diaries somewhat...this
month I was rereading some diaries I kept when I was young, and some
things are quite funny while the details pertaining to my senior year in
high school are quite embarrassing at times. Ha!)
Stars Over Sunset Boulevard
by Susan Meissner -- This is the second book in a row with a main
character from Alabama. Unlike the previous book, this book takes place
in California as Violet has left her hometown in Alabama in order to be
in the secretarial pool for the movie industry. She meets Audrey Duvall
who is trying to be rediscovered for parts in movies, and the two
roommates have some interesting adventures. This takes place during the
filming of Gone With the Wind and thereabouts. Pretty interesting story.
The Girls in the Garden by
Lisa Jewell -- Grace and Pip are the new kids in an area in central
London. Their flat opens into a three acre private park where they meet
new families and make new friends, of sorts. There is the girl named
Tyler along with the Howes - who homeschool their three girls: Catkin,
Fern, and Willow. When something happens to one of the girls on the
night of her thirteenth birthday, the police ask questions about what is
going on in this private park. Pretty good.
A Little Ray of Sunshine by
Kristan Higgins -- Nearly 18 years ago, Harlow was a pregnant college
freshman who gave her baby to a loving couple. Today she runs her
family's bookstore on Cape Cod when she recognizes a man who walks into
her store, and - oh my! - the teenager with him. It's her son whom she
had named Matthew. Unbeknownst to his family, Matthew found his birth
mother and decided the family's summer-long vacation would be to Cape
Cod so he could meet his birth mother..and maybe hang out with her. How
complicated is that?
A Tender Hope by
Amanda Cabot -- The last book in the Cimarron Creek Trilogy; I just
figured I'd read this one since I've read the other two. In it Thea
leaves her home to be the new midwife in Cimarron Creek. Her friend
Aimee joins her for the adventure. There they meet Texas Ranger Jackon
Guthrie who is looking for the Gang of Four. Decent, in a low-key way.
The Locked Door
by Freida McFadden -- Nora Davis has created a good life for herself.
After being removed from her family as an eleven year old - well, her
parents were jailed so perhaps they removed themselves in a way. Now she
is a surgeon who enjoys an Old Fashioned at her local bar, and
reconnects with an old friend. When some bizarre things happen that
parallel her serial-killer dad's MO, she finds herself a suspect simply
because of her dad. A fast-paced thriller.
Yesterday's Tides
by Roseanna M. White -- I know I would have enjoyed this so much more
if I'd remembered all the characters from past books - plus maybe I've
missed a few books in her various series?? She mentions in the Author's
Note how she had interwoven so many people from different books, and,
well, I had a tough time recalling the details. That detracted from this
book for me, but otherwise the story was fine enough. It takes place
with two timelines - during the first World War and then the second.
Most of the story takes place on North Carolina's Ocracoke Island though
parts take place in Maryland and Europe.
How I'll Kill You
by Ren DeStefano -- Have I ever mentioned how Andrew often makes fun of
books that I read? I mean, the titles? He often makes a sentence about
it, and this title: whoa! So, yeah, these triplets have this pact where
they make men fall in love with them, and then take turns murdering
them. Nice book, eh? At least it was a fast read.
Zero Days by Ruth Ware -- When Jacintha "Jack" Cross gets home in the wee morning hours from her penetration security mission and finds her husband murdered, she is alarmed to realize the police suspect her. Instead of sticking around for the interview, she does what she does best: escapes and runs from the law. She has to find answers about who is framing her. Fast read.
Since it's only the 30th, I might finish one more book, but I can add that here if I do. For now, I'll go ahead and post this list! Can't believe it's almost the eighth month of 2023!
Aha! here's another one to add:
No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert -- My mom read this and said it started a little slowly, but that she liked it so I decided to read it as well. An interesting look at integrating schools in a more modern day. When one inner-city school district receives a failing grade, parents are allowed to transfer their children to schools outside their districts. Schools that are richer and much whiter. This book explores this happening in one Missouri school. Good story.
