September Books

 The Divorce by Freida McFadden -- Naomi is so unhappy with her husband! First he changes the locks on the house and tricks her into moving out. The nerve!  Now he's asking for a divorce and Naomi finds out he's got a new woman, Veronica. She wants to get back with her husband and be part of her son's life. What can she do to bring her family together again? 

The Unknown by Riley Sager -- Despite having only one commercial to her credit, Marin is chosen for a lead role in a new film. To rehearse for the movie, she and her fellow actors are taken to a small island two miles from mainland Vermont where strange and spooky things happen. 

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay -- The anniversary refers to each year on May 1 - and this book follows several years only on that date. There is a person who often kills on this date. This book follows Quinn and Jules who knew each other from high school study hall. Quinn goes into the Army after a brief stint in juvie. Later he becomes a private investigator because his leg is such that he can't go into law enforcement. Jules was doubly impacted by the May 1st killer, and she seeks to figure out who is terrorizing young women in the community.  

Her Father's Secret by Sara Blaedel -- I might have enjoyed this better if I had realized it was the second book in a series. I typically don't care to come into a series without knowing the background of people, but I didn't realize this until I had read quite a bit of Ilka's story. She's Danish and in Racine, Wisconsin, where her father ran a funeral home. Here in the US, he had married again and had two daughters. Ilka wonders why he left her and her mom - and was never in touch. 

Good Company by Kate Christensen -- Julia is back where she went to college, this time as a mid-fifties novelist who recently published her memoir. She's on a panel and meets people she knew from the past. This book is a remembrance of times she went through, and I can admit again that I'm so thankful I didn't go through some of those rites of passage many believe college students should enjoy.  

The Housewife by Natalie Barelli -- A quick read - Jodie is married to Dr. Roy Davies, mostly to figure out what happened to his first wife, Deb, who happens to be Jodie's sister. Jodie looks for clues, makes a friend or two, and finds she's more than just a housewife! 

Someone Else's Husband by Kimberly McCreight -- One of the best parts of this book is the flashbacks to a trip a couple of the main characters took when they met on a 10-day hike of Mount Kilimanjaro.  Frankie was the only woman on that excursion that included a group of men who were friends. A few months later, she ends up dead and the police arrest Richard for her murder. Meanwhile Gretchen, Richard's wife, is trying to clear her husband's name and find out what happened now - and on that trip. 

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke -- Natalie is an influencer living on an Idaho ranch, trying to maintain a certain image, checking her Instagram followers and comments, yet somehow she ends up going back in time to when things were really tough.  Is this a joke? What happened to her life? her modern conveniences? her children?

Time to Burn by Ellery Lloyd -- Phoebe  makes documentaries and in this book, she is behind the scenes with Inigo Frank, a man who offers trips back in time - only about 50 years back so as to not impact history quite as much - to those who can afford these extremely-expensive trips. She is approached by Lucian, a man who used to work for Inigo, a man who is now concerned about the impacts of time travel and explains to Phoebe about "glitches."   Pretty good story! 

Edmonia by Brianne Baker -- This is "a novel of a boundary-breaking American sculptress."  Although the author admits she had to fictionalize much of this book because details are scarce about many things relating to Mary Edmonia Lewis, it's still a good story

Jesus and John Wayne  by Kristin Kobes DuMez  -- "how white evangelicals corrupted a faith and fractured a nation;" A friend mentioned reading this book and I got it from the library and read it between other books.  Nothing overly surprising, but sad just the same. 

Nine Lives by Catherine Steadman -- Frankie and her cat Blue are the newest neighbors in a lovely London neighborhood. Blue returns one evening from his wanderings and Frankie is stunned to find a message scratched into his collar!  Frankie decides to employ the cat collar camera to see if Blue will return to the same person so she can help. 

He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox -- Beck is running her dad's farm which includes bees. She meets Fern, the girl staying with a relative at a nearby farm and Callie, the lady who is named in her dad's trust. Why did her dad name this stranger as part owner of his property? Read and find out.

Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard -- Ellie moves into her new house only to have creepy things happen. We learn some backstory about Erin meeting Jason and their life together before Jason meets Hannah. 

The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter -- This is a North Falls mystery fearting Sheriff Emmy who is on the way from burying her mom when she hears gunshots in the neighborhood. She and her sister Jude, who has been mostly estranged from the family for decades, work together to figure out who killed a retired police officer who seemed to be looking to escape an abusive marriage. 

The Break-Up Retreat by Camilla Sten -- Isobel travels to Himlafall Clinic where it's promised that Dr. Martina's techniques will help you in relationships. Isobel is a journalist wishing to discover the dirt, especially after she learned that a former client had disappeared. 

I also reread Aunt Viola's book (mentioned last month) and this time read it more intentionally and discussed it with Andrew's cousins, Jami and Dana. We had a sort of book club by text messages which was fun!