The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan -- Every year three
friends spent a week in a hotel in order to connect and discuss a book.
Most years they meet in the summer, but this year they postponed their
gathering until December. Elaine usually chooses something in the city
and definitely not cute and Christmassy so Claudia and Anna are
surprised when she chooses a quaint inn in rural Vermont decked out in
Christmas finery. They soon find out why, but I won't tell you here.
Pretty cute story though maybe a bit too much dialog for me at times.
What's funny is that this book was written by a lady living in London
and though the book is mostly about American women, it's peppered with
what I consider Britishisms.
For
instance one of the ladies was crying so her friend pulled out a pack of
tissues. Take the "lot," she told her friend. In my experience, an
American would be like "here, take them all" or "keep the whole pack."
Another was talk of a bookmark being a good stocking filler rather than
what I've always heard, a stocking stuffer.
Also,
there is the constant lack of "that" such as a sentence like: "Now I
checked Delphi is okay, I will check on the guests." Though we are known
for dropping extra letters like "u" in color, neighbor, and labor, we
add words like "that." (I would write that sentence more like, "Now
that I checked that Delphi is okay....")
Also, someone said "reckon***." Hahaha. And "Shall we do this?" instead of the more American, "Do you want to do this?"
As the story involved the ladies going to a local book shop, there was much talk of "cookery books," too.
*** I'd give "reckon" a pass if these were Southern friends, but Northeastern ladies.... nah!
The Women by
Kristin Hannah -- I enjoyed this look at the Vietnam war through the
eyes of Frances "Frankie" McGrath who served two years there as a nurse.
First the reader gets a glimpse of what life was like over there, and
then as Frankie returned to the US where she was spat upon and flipped
off, and where she struggled to survive the mental anguish that memories
of Vietnam gave her. Good story!
Just a Regular Boy by
Catherine Ryan Hyde -- When Remy is five, his dad takes him to a remote
property where they can mostly live off the land and be free from all
that's happening in the country. All goes well (kind of, but not really
because that is a strange way to live) until one night when Remy's
father doesn't return from his hunting trip. Meanwhile Anne is a foster
mother who loves a challenge. She wants the children most people would
pass over. Good story!
Beyond That, the Sea
by Laura Spence-Ash -- Scared about bombs dropping in London, Reg and
Millie decide to send their eleven-year-old daughter to America to live
out the war years. She lives with Ethan, Nancy and their two sons Wiliam
and Gerald. Beatrix fits in age right between the boys, and she's the
girl Nancy always wanted. Bea loves her new family and the experiences
she has with them. Meanwhile Reg and Millie miss their girl and see her
growing up through pictures and read about her adventures in letters. A
good story.
Don't Look for Me
by Wendy Walker -- Molly is driving home from her son's football game
when her car runs out of gas just a few yards from the station.
Unfortunately it's closed due to a hurricane coming through the area.
When someone stops his pickup truck and offers her a ride, Molly
accepts. Molly had been thinking she might just run away from her
family. After all, her husband seems to prefer someone else, her
daughter hates her, and her son ignored her even though she traveled
several hours to see him. Pretty good.
In Bitter Chill
by Sarah Ward -- Decades after two young girls went missing and one
stayed missing while the other returned, the police are looking into
that case again due to some recent developments. Rachel is the girl who
returned, now she's a woman who looks into family histories. Connie and
Sadler are detectives looking into the case. Pretty good.
First Lie Wins
Ashley Elston -- Evie Porter is on assignment, cozying up to a
boyfriend. Hey, he even invited her to move in with him! Only problem
is that Evie Porter doesn't exist. She's on assignment from "Mr. Smith"
to infiltrate her target's world. But then things get interesting...
The Lace Widow
by Mollie Ann Cox -- A bit of historical accuracy mixed with a made-up
mystery involving Eliza Hamilton only a couple weeks after her husband
was buried. When her son, Alexander Jr., is accused of murder, Eliza
seeks information to clear her son's name. An OK book.
Overkill
by Sandra Brown -- Though their marriage ended acrimoniously years ago,
Rebecca never wavered from wanting Zach to make end-of-life decisions
for her. Zach is stunned when his ex wife is left in a vegetative state,
and he is required to decide on her fate: remove the feeding tube or
keep it. Eban Clarke, the man who put Rebecca there, is up for release
though an ADA informs Zach that Eban can be retried for murder if
Rebecca is allowed to die. What a thought! I really kind of hated this
book, and not for this ethical dilemma; rather the ADA and Zach.
Nine Lives
by Peter Swanson -- Nine people are sent lists with nine names printed
on them: their own plus eight strangers. When one by one these
individuals are dying, police rush to figure out the connection and why
they've been targeted by a killer. Interesting story.
Die For You
by Lisa Unger -- Isabel tells her husband goodbye as he's off to work,
but he never comes home. When she goes by his workplace, it's ransacked
and many more strange things happen. What happened to Marcus, her
husband of five years? Not my favorite of hers, but not bad.
Last Night by
Luanne Rice -- Hadley is on her way to see her sister and niece during a
New England blizzard, but neither is there to greet her. Maddie left a
note that she had a quick meeting, but should be back soon. Hadley is
concerned about Maddie and CeCe, and goes to look for them only to
stumble over her sister who is lying dead in the snow. CeCe is nowhere
to be seen.
Bring Me Back
by B.A. Paris -- After Finn's girlfriend disappeared, he eventually
gave her up as dead and over time, met Layla's sister Ellen and asked
her to marry him. But then weird things started happening as tiny
Russian dolls were left on the wall outside their house, and Finn gets
emails from someone asking about a cottage where he and Layla once
lived.
The Fury by
Alex Michaelides -- Elliot Chase is a playwright telling one final
story: the story of his soulmate Lana and their last outing to her Greek
island. Along with Elliot and Lana are Lana's son and husband and best
friend, and, well, a murder happens.
Maybe Next Time
by Cesca Major -- Emma is way too busy, and once again, she's forgotten
the importance of this Monday, but she is too busy to rectify things
between her and her husband Dan. When the day ends tragically, she cries
herself to sleep only to wake up and have a fresh Monday where she
knows what happened the day before yet no one else does. It's Groundhog
Day in a book!
American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal by
Neil King, Jr. -- This journalist takes a walk from his home in
Washington, D.C., to New York City talking about people he met along the
way and interesting sights. I tend to like books like this, though this
one was a bit more boring than some. I really miss Tony Horwitz's books! He was great!
The New Couple in 5B
by Lisa Unger -- Rosie and Chad are stunned when Chad's uncle dies and
leaves them his Manhattan apartment worth a small fortune, but life in
this old New York City building is odd. First there is the doorman who
seems to always know what is going on because the apartments have
intercoms, and cameras are everywhere. Also, he's almost always on duty.
A good, fast read if you like this type of book.
Oath and Honor
by Liz Cheney -- A Memoir and a Warning ; I saw someone mention this
book on Facebook so I decided to check it out since my library had it. I
knew much of this, but I learned more about the January 6 committee and
the things leading up to the insurrection. Sobering read, especially
since Donald Trump, despite his numerous lies, is still so popular among
many Republicans. I don't understand his appeal. Blah.
The Murder List by
Hank Phillippi Ryan -- Rachel is a law student doing a summer stint
with the DA while her husband, Jack, is a defense attorney who despises
the lady Rachel is working for. This makes life interesting.
The Guest by
B.A. Paris -- After seeing a teenager die after an accident, Gabriel
and Iris take a trip to get away from things. When they come back to
their house, they realize their Parisian friend Laure has made herself
at home. It's fine; this is how close their friendship is, except Laure
won't leave, and after weeks, it's a bit much. Meanwhile Iris makes
friends with a new couple in town, who along with their gardener, make
up most of the cast of this story. Pretty good.
