July Books

 

The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor -- When her dad is put in a memory care home, Katie decides to have his stamp collection appraised and meets Benjamin. Benjamin finds one stamp of interest and the two follow the story to Wales and later Germany soon after the wall is removed. This book alternates between 1989 Katie and Benjamin, and Austria in 1939 when Kristoff is commissioned by the Nazis to make stamps. Good story! 

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager -- A new book from the library that I had on my Holds list for awhile because it was On Order. A fast read, good suspense novel. I liked it although I liked it slightly less when it took a bizarre twist. Still, I enjoy this book about the mid-thirties, widowed actress Casey Fletcher, who is hiding out at her family's lake house in Vermont after her drinking gets out of control. Casey drinks and drinks and drinks, but also watches the family across the lake because their house is all glass on one side. Oh, also she rescues a lady Katherine from drowning. I enjoyed this one!

The Second Husband by Kate White -- After Emma's husband is murdered, she remarries a kind, thoughtful man who is unlike her first huband. Truth be told, Emma wasn't that sad that her first husband died, but she never would have killed him - or paid someone else to do it. But when the case is reopened, Emma and her second husband, Tom, are looked at - how did they meet? how soon after the first husband was killed? Is there anything strange about this? Pretty good story if you like these types of books.

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson -- I've had this book in my garage for a couple of years now. Seems I got it from a little free library, but it smelled musty and smoky so I left it out there. I don't like reading books with strong smells, especially must and smoke. Thankfully when I noticed it a couple of weeks ago, it smelled fine so airing it out in my garage for two years worked!  Back in the 1990s, Bill Bryson went on a tour of several areas in England, Wales, and Scotland. He walked quite a bit of the time, though he took public transportation to various places that were too far to walk to. I think he has an updated book from a more recent trip back to Great Britain. I should get it to compare the two tales especially since this one is fresh on my mind. 

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani -- My mom liked this book so I decided to read it. It's about a Toscan family "Now," but also about certain family members a generation or two before, in the time during World War II.  Matelda has grown old, and is telling her story. The story really of her mom Domenica, and her Scottish father whom she never knew. Pretty good book.

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner -- Vivien, Grace, and the new worker Evie work at a bookshop in England with a handful of men who dominate the positions of power in the workplace. Shocking, I know. This was an OK book. I liked parts of it quite a bit (some subtle humor especially with the rules starting each chapter) while other parts were rather wordy and not that interesting. 

The Lost Night by Andrea Bartz -- The mystery was pretty good, but I really didn't enjoy much of this book due to the language, partying lifestyle. I'm so glad I missed out on all that by my sheltered upbringing. Lindsay can't remember the details surrounding her friend Edie's death. It was ruled a suicide, but some of the gang think it was a homicide. Lindsay realizes she was so drunk that she can't recall her whereabouts that night ten years ago. Thus, she tries to figure out what happened.

When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley -- Min is an American with Korean ancestry on his mother's side. After living in both California and New York City, he decides to travel to Seoul where he meets Yu-jin eager to escape her small town for a school in Seoul. The book alternates between Min in the "now" vs. what led up to Yu-jin's death, reading her side of the story. Pretty good.

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout -- This is a book about Lucy Barton, a writer introduced to readers in a previous book which I have not read yet. I remembered liking this author pretty well so when I saw this book on the New Books shelf, I decided to read it. Lucy tries to help her former husband, the father of her two daughters, as he goes through a rough couple of years. Cute in a folksy kind of way.

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen -- Avery is no longer a therapist as she lost her license due to her unconventional ways, however, as a consultant, she gets results and earns a hefty fee. When Marissa and Matthew come to her, she finds that they came under false pretenses, and she has a bit of a struggle figuring these two out. Are they being forthright or still telling lies and keeping secrets? Fast-paced, pretty good story.

Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman -- A story mostly from the perspective of Minna Bernays, the sister of Anna Freud. When Minna loses yet another job, she comes to live with her sister, her sister's husband (the scientist/doctor Sigmund Freud) and their six children. Although she resists for a while, she and Sigmund have a growing attraction and he's not the least bit bothered by such things as guilt. An OK book.

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham -- The twenty-year anniversary of her father's conviction in the disappearances and murders of teenage girls is coming up, and Chloe Davis experiences some terrible flashbacks when it starts happening again. A pretty good mystery/thriller-type book.

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout -- This book is the intro book to the one I read a few days ago about Lucy Barton. She referred to some of this stuff in her second book so it was good to read the fuller picture though her story isn't that exciting to me. Still, I did put book 3 on hold as it was listed as one the library has On Order. These books are easy to read quickly.

The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain by Bill Bryson -- Since I recently read his first book about his travels in Britain, I decided to read this updated version from his trip through Britain about twenty years later. He revisits some places as well as going to new places. I enjoyed some of the commentary and learned some things. I may try to read more of his books in the coming months. I looked Bill Bryson up online and Wikipedia said that he retired from writing books in October 2020.

The Club by Ellery Lloyd -- This book was just ok. I finished it because I wanted to see what happened at the end, but it felt a bit too much like other books I've read. Celebrity guests at an exclusive, invitation-only island and not-very-nice, entitled personalities. It's like an island full of Trumps! Told in alternating voices of Jess who was just made Head of Housekeeping; Nikki, the long-time personal assistant to the boss, Ned Grooms; Annie, the fixer and schmoozer; among others.

Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen by Alison Weir -- Finally finished this series about the wives of Henry VIII! I didn't know much about this queen and her story was pretty interesting.

A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley -- A few weeks ago, Andrew came home with a couple of library books, but this one was put second or third to a couple of others. But when Andrew finally read it, he read it quickly and stated that I'd like this book so I decided to read it before returning it to the library. Saroo tells the story of living his first few years in India, and how he got left at a train station, fell asleep, and terrifyingly ended up in the bustling city of Calcutta. He was five years old, in a dangerous city, and couldn't figure out how to get home!  Eventually Saroo was adopted by Australian parents and grew up in Tasmania. When he was a young adult, he discovered Google Earth, and it became a goal for him to figure out where he came from. Could he find his home village? Could he find the mother and siblings he lost that day?

Margot by Jillian Cantor -- Margie Franklin works as a secretary at a law firm owned by Jews. She, however, is not living "out loud" as a Jew due to her past. Unbeknownst to, well, everyone else, Margie is actually the older sister of Anne Frank. Yes, this is a tale imagining Margot somehow escaping and making her way to the United States during the era when her sister's diary was published by her father and made into a movie! 

I'll Be Seeing You by Robin Lee Hatcher -- A story alternating between Brianna of modern times who is getting information about her great-grandmother's life during World War II. Parts of the story are Daisy (the great-grandmother) sharing her story, and parts are Brianna going out with friends. Pretty good.

The Shadow House by Anna Downes -- This book was OK-decent, but I didn't like that the mother and teenaged son cursed at each other. I mean, I guess that's reality for many perhaps most, but still. Single mom Alex flees her second baby's father to live in an ecovillage in Australia. There she meets a mostly-welcoming community, but then weird stuff starts happening and there's talk of a witch in the woods.

Someone Is Watching by Joy Fielding --  Bailey is a young, confident private investigator when one night changed everything. Soon Bailey is housebound, showering often, and walking around her house looking for someone hiding. Also, she's peeking out her apartment window watching the man across the way as he does bizarre things. Luckily, her half sister Claire comes around to help out, bringing her sixteen year old daughter, Jade.  Pretty good story.

June Books

 

The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly -- Lily Nicholls is one of the last groups of ladies presented to the Queen. Rumor is that this might be the last Season for such outdated practices, and Lily's mom and grandmother want her to drop out of school in order to be presented. Think of the possibilities of finding a good match:a rich husband and then the babies! Only is this the life Lily wants? As she makes friends with other debs, attends parties and balls, Lily discovers more about her past. Pretty good story.

Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir -- Third in the Six Tudor Queens series; this book has just over 550 pages so another long read, but pretty good. I know a lot of this is made up because the author wasn't there to hear the dialogue and see what truly happened, but it was good to learn more about this wife of Henry VIII. I have two more books left in this series since I started with book 6 (Katharine Parr) and have now read books one through three. Oh, the reason I think she said Jane was "the haunted queen" was due to how Anne Boleyn met her demise. Andrew kept seeing the title and asked me about this haunted lady.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid -- Monique is shocked when her boss tells her that the famous Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo wants only her to interview her for an upcoming piece for their magazine. When Monique meets with Evelyn, Evelyn wants to share her whole story in a biography and agrees that Monique can write this tell-all, but only after Evelyn dies. Pretty good story.

The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane -- A thriller-type book; pretty easy read. Elisa is convinced that her brother in law, Josh, is a killer. Why else would he have a wife who died "accidentally" and now his fiancée is missing and he doesn't seem all that upset about it? Enter Rachel...the new girlfriend. Can Elisa protect Rachel from her brother in law? Meanwhile, why is Josh gaslighting her, making her feel off-balance? Pretty good, fast read.

Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger -- At the urging of her friend Jax, Wren makes a profile on Torch, a dating app. She has a type, and it's not the men posing shirtless in front of sports cars. She meets Adam in a bar, and they quickly become inseparable until the evening they were supposed to meet and he doesn't show. Instead she gets a text about his having to leave and he's sorry. Wren thought they were a good match, and wants answers. Later when she looks for his Torch profile and social media pages, they are gone. What happened to Adam? Pretty good book except she makes some really stupid decisions. And this book makes me so happy that I never had to rely on apps for finding a love match.

Things Past Telling by Sheila Williams -- A nice break from the thriller-type books, this tale of Maryam starts with her as a young girl some place in Africa where she is taken by slave traders and journeys across the ocean. It follows her few years working for a pirate in the Caribbean and later as an enslaved young woman in the South. Interesting story.

The Collective by Alison Gaylin -- Camille's daughter died after a frat boy left her outside in the cold after he raped her. Five years have passed and Camille is still so, so angry. After she becomes a bit of a local sensation, she's invited to join a group of angry mothers bent on revenge. They meet on the dark web and fantasize about how to bring their children's killers to their ends. A pretty good - if rather dark - story!

The Next Ship Home by Heather Webb -- I got this book for my birthday and decided to read a few of the books I have already at home. Francesca and her sister Maria are recent immigrants from Sicily who meet Alma, a German-heritage American, who works at Ellis Island.  Alma befriends the sisters and looks out for them. Other stuff happens. Pretty good book.

A Short History of Humanity by Johannes Krause and Thomas Trappe -- I saw this book while we were at Barnes & Noble earlier this year, and I got it for my birthday. This was an interesting look at how people moved from one place to another and brought their ways of life (farming, for instance) and how eventually DNA changed so we could process grains and other carbohydrates rather than the meat from the hunters and gatherers who just as easily ate grubs and snails. I liked the part about dogs (pg. 67), different grains (p. 70), the meaning of "blue eyes" (pg. 76), "very, very old relatives" re: Europeans and those in what is now the Americas (pg. 101), immune systems as pertaining to vaccines (pg. 181). I stopped jotting down page numbers after that as the rest of the book dealt with interesting things like diseases and pandemics somewhat. I like the authors' conclusion: "One thing that seems clear is that - pandemic and social distancing aside - dogmatically insisting on social, cultural, and physical isolation within our nations is a dead end. The world has never been that way. The journey of humankind will carry on. We will find our limits - and we will not accept them. Through the journey of our genes, we know that humans are born travelers; we are made to wander." (pg. 237)

The Runaway Jury by John Grisham -- I found this paperback at Southport when we were there in late April, and I finished my library books recently and figured I'd read some books I have here at the house. This book is about a Big Tobacco lawsuit where the industry is sued for the early death of a long-time smoker. There is wheeling and dealing and following and downright wrong stuff happening behind the scenes with the jury. Whew! Pretty interesting story if you like legal cases and jury drama.

Sacred Time by Ursula Hegi -- I got this book from a little free library at Southport, I believe, and it was OK. Anthony is 7 years old when his Aunt Floria and her twin daughters move into their house because Floria's husband has to spend time in prison and she can't afford to live in her old place. One of the twins, Bianca, wears her Superman cape, and thinks she can fly. Belinda, the other twin, has issues with her sinuses. The book deals with Anthony, his mom Leonora, Aunt Floria and devotes a chapter or two to each, in various decades. Not a favorite.

Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait by Alison Weir -- I'm continuing this series about King Henry, VIII's wives. This was an interesting look at his German wife and their brief marriage. I only have one book left since I started with book 6. Except for Author's Notes, these books end with these ladies' deaths so it was interesting learning a bit more of the story since Anna was the last of Henry's wives to die. Even still, she was in her early forties.

Fully You: Unlocking the Power of All You Really Are by Joël Malm -- Andrew mentioned this book a good while back, and I decided to get it for his birthday. He read it recently, and I put it in my stack of books to eventually read and did so this week. It's kind of a spiritual self-help book, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. There are lots of challenging things especially the community parts: meeting in person with folks, confessing your weaknesses, being open and honest. I found the solitude part more in line with my temperament (meditating on God's goodness and what he says about me and my situation.)   I may reread this book in the near future because I think I can learn a lot from it. There was an interesting chapter on anger as well.

May Books

 

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor -- The author writes from the points of view of the women - Daisy, Jordan, Catherine - from The Great Gatsby. An interesting, entertaining book! I liked it.

Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife by Alison Weir -- I think this was offered online when it was new, and I put it in my "books to read" list and ordered it recently from the library. It was over 500 pages, but quite interesting so I read it within a couple of days. Now I'm going to have to find more books by this author as I'd like to learn more about wives 1-5. As you'd suspect by the title, this book dealt with King Henry VIII's sixth wife: a bit about her childhood and much about her adult years, and even her short time as the King's wife and beyond. (Spoiler alert: he died while married to her so no more wives for him!) I enjoyed this one!

Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins -- This book alternates between present-day Susanna, age 25, who meets up with her old nanny, and the "old nanny," Anneliese (really forty-something), as things were back when Suzy was nearly 3 years old, and Annie her young nanny. An OK story.

Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen by Alison Weir -- First in the Six Tudor Queens series that I started with book 6 (above.) This is the first of the six, and it had just over 600 pages. I liked it pretty well, but got a bit tired of the continued chapters about the king's Great Matter. I know it was what consumed Queen Katherine's life at that point, but reading about it made me really sad for her, made me greatly dislike Anne Boleyn, and made me really disappointed in and dislike Henry VIII.  I admire Katherine's conviction and devotion to her faith and being right before God. I was going to say how much I hated her obedience to her husband and how she mostly refused to do anything to displease him (such as visit her own daughter!!!), but then the author made a note at that end about our modern feminist sensibilities not being a thing back then so I was like, eh.

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas -- There were a couple faults I had with this book (an age discrepancy and "salt" was used for "said" one time), but overall it was an easy read. NOT easy in subject matter and that was rather hard, but it was a quick book for me to get through. Helen and Lutie (short for Lucretia) are sisters who moved from Iowa to Colorado. While Helen stays busy nursing people infected by the Spanish flu, Lutie draws ads for an upscale department store. The sisters take in their downstairs tenants' daughter when the mom dies of influenza, and the dad is sent packing for mistreating his family. Pretty good story!

The Other Family by Wendy Corsi Staub -- When Keith gets a job transfer, Nora and the teenaged daughters decide to follow along. The job is only for a year, and how bad can it be in New York City after living in California? Stacey and Piper are adjusting well when the family learns that a triple homicide took place in the house they are renting. Sure, it was decades ago, but still... how spooky! This book is told in the alternating voices of Stacey, Nora, and Jacob.  Pretty good!

As the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall -- this book is "The First Jordan Manning Novel" which makes me believe they hope to have a series featuring this investigative journalist, a thirty-ish, Black woman from Texas who lives in Chicago, covering - in this book - the disappearance of a teenager, Masey James. Pretty interesting look at the life of a TV journalist. I'm guessing the author speaks from personal experience in several matters in this book.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult -- This book takes place right when covid was shutting down schools, churches, stores and most everything in the US. Diana and her boyfriend Finn live in New York City where Finn is a resident surgeon at a local hospital. Soon he is coming home with stories about covid cases in the city. The couple were supposed to leave for a bucket list destination, Galápagos, but Finn encourages Diana to go ahead and go while he stays home to care for his patients. A rather weird book for me to start the day that marked 8 months since my uncle died from covid, but it was sort of interesting to read how covid was in the early days and how it affected people (and still does somewhat, I guess.) 

Not In It to Win It: Why Choosing Sides Sidelines the Church by Andy Stanley -- Andrew recently heard a podcast about this book and expressed interest in reading it so I ordered it for his birthday. It was an easy, fast read though the subject matter is rather weighty, I suppose. A good reminder that the greatest among us serves and that we aren't here to win politically, but to show Christ's love and truth by how we act and react to others.

Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by Alison Weir -- Book 2 in the Six Tudor Queens series. After reading this book and the previous one, I have very little good to say about Anne Boleyn. I don't recall feeling this way after reading other books about Anne, but based on how she's presented in this book and the previous one (above), I just am not a fan. I must say that I did feel a bit sorry for her in the latter weeks of her life because if things happened as written in this book, she was falsely accused and killed for crimes she hadn't committed.

The Maid by Nita Prose -- A pretty good story about Molly Gray, a stickler for cleanliness who doesn't cut corners. When she discovers a dead body in one of the rooms she regularly cleans, she becomes part of the investigation. I enjoyed this one.

The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White -- A pretty interesting story alternating between three generations of ladies in Newport, Rhode Island: Andie, the modern-day TV host with a love of old houses; Lucky who finds life difficult with her perpetually-drunk-and-cheating husband Stuy; and Ellen Daniels who is hiding from her old life as the music teacher for Maybelle who is supposed to be ready to charm and marry an Italian prince.

April Books

I might finish one more book before the end of the month, but I don't think I will as I'm still finishing the one at the bottom of this list and don't plan to read a lot the next couple of days unless our plans fall through. Anyway, I've also been spending time on another Wordle-type game, Sedecordle. Just what I needed! 

 

 

Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard -- Natalie O'Connor is an Irish Instagram star who follows a mysterious credit card bill to an out-of-the-way place with little cell service and strange cottages along a not-so-pretty beach area. Audrey is a reporter trying to get out of the dreary gossip pages into better stories and when Natalie is reported missing, she heads to Shanamore hoping to find out what happened to Natalie. A pretty good mystery type book.

The Road to Station X by Sarah Baring -- I've read a couple of fiction books about those who worked at Bletchley Park so either this book was referenced in one of those or Amazon noticed my viewing habits and suggested this one. I got it for Christmas, I believe, and decided to read it now. It's subtitled: "from debutante ball to fighter-plane factory to Bletchley Park" and "a memoir of one woman's journey through World War Two." Not the most interesting book I've ever read, but I enjoyed reading about her experiences in that time in history.

What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline -- I've read all of her other fiction books so I put this one on hold awhile back and it was at the library when I went to pick up a few others. The Bennett family are victims of a carjacking gone wrong. So wrong that one of them is killed. When the FBI wants to put them into a witness protection program because the criminals involved are part of a drug family they've been trying to put away, the Bennetts find out how extremely hard it is to cut yourself off from your friends, neighbors, family, and so forth. Pretty interesting if not a bit far-fetched. But fiction often is so...

Lying Room by Nicci French -- The last of their books at my library...now I've read them all, I believe. Neve Connally gets a text from her lover Saul about meeting him at his flat, but when she arrives, she finds him murdered. She then tries to erase the fact that she had ever been involved with him, but later wonders if messing with a crime scene was a good idea.

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth -- Tully and Rachel are invited to dinner with their father and his new girlfriend. This despite the fact their parents are still married, their mom is in a care place for people with dementia. Ughhh....Heather is a much-younger woman, even a couple of years younger than they. A pretty good book about abuse in families and coping with it in possibly unhealthy ways.

The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck -- Rinker decided to ride the Oregon Trail, and lucky him, his brother Nick joins him. I enjoyed learning more about mules, wagons, the "rugged individualism" of the West and how Rinker says the West (well, Wyoming) actually gets a lot of government money per capita so not so much individualism as government (taxpayer) help...what else? The hospitality of the vast majority that they met along the way. There were many interesting bits that I wish I could remember now that I am writing this.  I was made aware of this book from Suzanne's blog post.

Just My Luck by Adele Parks -- Ever wonder how your life could change if you were to win over ten million dollars? Well, Lexi and Jake won over 17 million pounds, and the family faces some difficulty when their long-time best friends, whom they've recently had a falling out with, come forward to claim part of the winnings. Pretty interesting story.

The Living and the Lost by Ellen Feldman -- Millie and her brother David, both German Jews who were able to escape to the United States before Kristallnacht, are back in Berlin working for the Allies, rooting out Nazis from publishing and such. Being back in her hometown is hard because they left behind their parents and little sister for whom Millie is searching, hoping they somehow escaped Hitler's evil. A pretty good story. I might enjoy reading more from this author.

We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz -- Emily and Kristen have been best friends for over ten years, and each year they try to take a trip to some exotic locale. The only thing: the last two trips, someone winds up dead. Now Kristen moves from Australia back to Emily's hometown, and Emily is feeling out of sorts about why exactly Kristin is back in the States. Pretty good thriller-type book.

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel -- After Patty gets out of prison, she is overjoyed that her daughter, Rose Gold, allows her to live with her until she gets on her feet. After all, Patty was imprisoned because she supposedly poisoned and starved her daughter all those years. Although Rose Gold seems welcoming, the rest of the community does not. Pretty interesting story.

Where Shadows Meet by Colleen Coble -- Zach and Sophie were in town for several days over spring break and Andrew and I went to the mountains so I decided to read this book since I finished my library books just before the kids' arrival. I was so busy with them that it took me days to read this book about a former Amish woman who married outside her faith. Unfortunately her husband whisked her away from her family and state, and was abusive. Years later she is lured back to her former home to solve the mysteries of her parents' murders - and possibly to see if the little girl she was told died at birth was really still alive!

Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb -- I have had this book for awhile (got it for Christmas or my anniversary or ??), and just now read it when I didn't have any library books here. Interesting story of the lady who became Napoleon's wife. Made me want to look up some of these people and read what happened next. 

As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner -- When Pauline and Tom decide to leave their hometown for Philadelphia, they leave behind the grave of their infant son who was born with a bad heart. They and their three daughters go to live with Tom's Uncle Fred who owns a funeral home. Later with the Spanish flu hitting the city, the family is inundated with corpses and a need for pine boxes. (If you didn't watch them, the caskets were stolen off the stoop!)  But more than just that happens...flu hits the family and schoolmates and neighbors. This book made me cry as it brought back memories of loved ones and acquaintances lost from our own recent pandemic. I had to look back at when it was written because it was so covid-pandemic-like with talk of churches and schools shutting down, of people wearing masks, even a bit about vaccines that were rapidly developed that I thought it had been written since 2020, but it was published in 2018. Good book.

March Books

 I can hardly believe it's time for March books already! Let's see, this year I started playing Wordle, Quordle, and Octordle daily (well, since mid-to-late January). Andrew often enjoys helping me. 

 

Also, I've lost two great-uncles (grand uncles, if you prefer) this year on my dad's side. I went to the funeral for one yesterday. The other was mid-January.  

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The Lady's Mine by Francine Rivers -- When Kathryn's stepfather handed her a one-way ticket from Boston to Calveda, California, Kathryn decided to make the best of this mine town filled with saloons, brothels, and many many men. As she learns more about her uncle City Walsh's life there, Kathryn decides to do things women aren't supposed to do: like start a newspaper and run a mine. Decent book. I like several of her others better.

Those Who Forget by Géraldine Schwarz -- The subtitle pretty much says it all "my family's story in Nazi Europe -- a memoir, a history, a warning."  I saw this when I was in Asheville a couple months ago, and decided to check it out. Pretty interesting look at her family (both German and French sides) and various European nations and even the U.S. in the age of Donald Trump.

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell -- After his wife Maya dies in a bus accident, a mysterious lady - Jane - visits Adrian which prompts him to search for answers concerning Maya's death. Was it just an accident or was Maya led to take her own life? Pretty interesting story.

Find Me by Alafair Burke -- When Lindsay can't get ahold of her best friend, Hope, after Hope's recent move to another city, she travels to her last location in an effort to find her.  Pretty good mystery type book.

This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel -- Natalie hasn't heard from her sister in more than six months. Kit went to some remote camp in Maine where no one is allowed to contact the outside world. Yet when Natalie receives an alarming email from someone in the camp, she goes to Wisewood to see what she can find out about her sister. Pretty good, if not a strange story.

Woman Last Seen by Adele Parks -- Detective Clements is called to the houses of two men with missing wives. Leigh left for her job, and the family never heard from her. Mark didn't report it until later because they had had a row, and he thought she was just sulking. Meanwhile Daan, the handsome Dutch husband, wonders where his wife, Kai, is. What's with these missing women? Is there a connection?

The Other Side of the Door by Nicci French -- Bonnie is a music teacher out for summer break, and agreed to play in a wedding in mid-September. She meets Hayden who agrees to play in the band made up of a ragtag group of people - a former student and his dad; her ex-lover of years; her best friend from her work; a guy who is interested in her. When someone in the band is murdered, Bonnie's days and nights get complicated. I'm almost finished reading all the books my library has by these authors.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard -- Ciara and Oliver meet in a small grocery store in Dublin, and go out for drinks just before Ireland and much of the world go on "lockdown" due to the covid-19 pandemic. Since the rules state that you cannot visit with other households, Oliver invites Ciara to move into his flat as it's much bigger and nicer. Both are trying to keep secrets which is hard when you are with someone nearly 24/7 - someone you barely knew before moving in together. Pretty interesting story.

Life of a Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy by Edward Ball -- I saw this on Suzanne's post about the books she read last year. She had several that I noted to possibly read as I need to do more reading of nonfiction books occasionally. I found this at my library, and read it over a few days. I broke it up with a couple of the fiction books listed above. Read about white supremacy and then enjoy a bit of a mystery because real life is not pleasant. This book taught me quite a bit about New Orleans and Louisiana since the Lecorgne family (the author's great-something grandparents) entered the US there. Mostly the author followed the man named Constant Lecorgne (Polycarp Constant Lecorgne born 1832). This family - the Le Corgnes came from Brittany, France around 1814. I got bogged down at times with all the fighting in the streets, but mostly I "enjoyed" this book.

Send For Me by Lauren Fox -- A Jewish family leaves Germany for the US, but they have to leave their families behind. This alternates between Annalise working at her parents' bakery and later raising her child in Wisconsin. The author based this story on her own family history.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki -- don't be like Andrew and misread her name and say MAJORITY Post. Ha. This is the story of the Post Cereals/General Foods heiress. Pretty interesting lady and life - or lives!  Really, it's more interesting than just cereals and frozen foods. (See her mentioned again below.)

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott -- Diane and Kit were friends for a few months their senior year of high school, but their friendship ended after Diane admitted her darkest secret which was too much for Kit to handle. Now, Kit is working in a lab, and the lab is granted funds for a study and Diane is brought on as part of the team. This book was OK.

The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz -- Owen and Luna have been best friends since college, and now they live a couple streets apart. When Owen's wife goes missing and Luna finds her murdered in a cemetery where they sometimes jog, everyone wonders who shot Irene, and why. An OK story, pretty good.

Agent Sonya: Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy by Ben Macintyre -- This is a book both Andrew and I noticed in our look around Barnes & Noble earlier this year, and independently of each other, we wrote this one down to get from our library. What an interesting lady this Ursula Kuczynski Hamburger Beurton turned out to be!  A German Jew who was anti-fascist and loved communism, Ursula worked for the Russians as a spy in China, Poland, Switzerland, England, and I may have missed a place or two. (See her mentioned again below.)

Countdown 1945 by Chris Wallace -- This is "the extraordinary story of the atomic bomb and the 116 days that changed the world" that Andrew got from the library and thought I'd enjoy. And I did. Wow, what a fascinating few months. This book begins with Harry S Truman becoming the President of the United States after FDR died in office and it follows him through some of the tedious dealings with Stalin and Churchill and later the new Prime Minister in Potsdam, Germany. Meanwhile in the US, we read about some happenings at Los Alamos, and even meet a young lady from Tennessee who got a job which she later found out helped create the atomic bomb. This is told in a very readable, fast-paced way, and I read it in about a day.  I admired the way each person on the mission did his job, and reading their reactions to what they did over Japan was super-interesting. I read this just after reading Agent Sonya, and as I read the Sonya book, I realized the atomic bomb was part of her spy story. (Klaus Fuchs is mentioned in both books with a lot more info about him in the Agent Sonya book.)  Also, interestingly enough, the book about Marjorie Post dealt with her time living in Moscow with her third husband, Joseph Davies, who was an ambassador for the US. He was mentioned in this book as he went to Potsdam as a special advisor to the President so that was a neat tie-in to yet another book I read this month. Sidenote:  I wonder what Paul Tibbets' mom thought about her son naming the first plane to drop an atomic bomb after her?

Death of a Showman by Mariah Fredericks -- I started reading this Jane Prescott series a few years ago, and I wish I remembered some of the other stories better as I read the newer books. Jane is a lady's maid for Louise Tyler, and when Mrs. Tyler is asked to invest in Leo Hirschfeld's new Broadway musical, Jane comes along to keep an eye on things. When the show's producer is found murdered, Jane goes through the clues in order to figure out who wanted him dead. Decent book. I'd like it better if I could remember the cast better. Oh, memory...!

February Books

 

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover -- Kenna comes back to her late boyfriend's hometown in order to meet the daughter that she signed away while she served a five-year prison term. She hooks up with the local bartender, Ledger, who happens to live across the street from her daughter!  Eh, not a favorite.

Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen -- Are you curious what it was like to live in the Netherlands during the war years, and what it was like at the end when the Nazis were trying their best to hold off the British so Dutch neighborhoods became battlegrounds of sorts? This wasn't the most interesting book to me, but it wasn't bad. I think my mom read it last year, and she liked it so I read it. Maybe if I were a huge Hepburn fan I'd appreciate it more.

Facing the Dawn by Cynthia Ruchti -- This book was very clean compared to the first book on this list which was filled with the F-word and lots of immorality (if you grew up like me and are conditioned to believe sex outside of marriage is immoral.) This book was the anti-that book. It was ok. Not the greatest story, but decent and a good message about dealing with grief and reminders of God. Mara's husband left her and their three children to go on a trip digging wells for people in Africa for FOUR years. Mara struggles with resentment at Liam because she feels overwhelmed, and their children miss their dad. A few tragedies happen abroad and at home. Thankfully Mara has a good friend or two to help through the hard times. 

 

Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio -- Andrew read this book and kept telling me interesting bits about it so I decided to read it before I returned it to the library. Pretty good story about the way the CIA, the Canadian diplomats and so forth worked together to bring home some Americans from Iran.

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight -- Lizzie is contacted by a former friend after Zach ends up in jail after his wife is murdered. This mystery alternates between the voices of Lizzie as she seeks to find out the truth, and Amanda, the murdered woman.  Pretty good if you like this type of book. 

Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict -- A good way to learn more about Rosalind Franklin and her work with DNA and the RNA of viruses. Pretty interesting story about this British scientist.

 

The Good Son by Jacquelyn Mitchard -- When Stefan is released from prison after being convicted in the death of his girlfriend, he finds it hard to fit into society. Understandably his former girlfriend's mom doesn't want Stefan to enjoy life while she grieves Belinda's death. This book was told from the perspective of Thea, Stefan's mom. It was pretty good.

 

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont -- Told from the perspective of Nan O'Dea, the mistress of Archie Christie, this was an interesting story about where Agatha Christie went during those days she was missing. I enjoyed this one! 

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis -- An interesting story about the Frick House, and Henry and Helen Frick (father and daughter). Some of this is true such as the house and people I just mentioned, but there is a storyline about a muse, or artist used by sculpturers of that era. In this book her name is Lillian Carter known professionally as Angelica. A good story!

Cold Mountain Path by Tom Kizzia -- I saw Heather Lende recommend this book on her Facebook page and got this book for Christmas. It's about "the Ghost Town Decades of McCarthy-Kennecott, Alaska," and had some interesting characters, ways of life, and interesting facts about life in that area. Pretty interesting book.

The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson -- I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to this almost 500-page book, but once I got into the story, it was pretty interesting and fast-paced. The year is 2025, and a new pandemic has hit mostly southern states and other places that deal with lots of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are how this new virus - called The Violence - is spread. This book is a bit bizarre in the whole new pandemic thing, but I enjoyed seeing how Chelsea, her daughters, and her mom dealt with it. There is a huge plot about domestic violence as well.

 

My Remarkable Journey by Katherine Johnson with Joylette Hylick and Katherine Moore (her daughters) -- This is a memoir about the Black mathematician, one of whom inspired the book and movie Hidden Figures. What an interesting lady! I read Hidden Figures and watched the movie last year, and enjoyed both so I was happy to find this on the New Books shelf at the library, and read the book within a day. Andrew enjoyed this one as well.

Beyond the Mapped Stars by Rosalyn Eves -- When Bridget wrote that this was one of her unexpectedly favorite books last year, I looked to see if my library had it, and I finally put it on hold and read it. What a great story to read while I was also reading the book by Katherine Johnson. Though this book is fictitious, both ladies enjoyed STEM fields and had to overcome obstacles to follow what some might say God called them to do. I appreciated the bit towards the end where Elizabeth realized you could be a woman of faith and science. Too often today I see people acting like we who believe in God are stupid because we don't believe in science because how can you possibly believe in God and the Bible and all that religious stuff when there is science to prove how things really are? That annoys me so much. Good book! 

One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner -- This was an exciting read as I read a couple other books which were good, but just not the type I read super-quickly. Frankie tries to locate missing persons, and she joins a search team trying to find out whatever happened to a young man, Tom, when he was on a trip with his best friends. Probably a bit far-fetched at times, but overall a pretty good mystery!

Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel Philbrick -- I saw this last month while in Asheville, and wrote it down as a possible read. I saw it on the library's New Books shelf, and read it. Nat and his wife Melissa and their dog, Dora, retrace George Washington's travels after he became President of the US. They go through parts of the Northeast, and later a trip to the South. Pretty interesting. Reminded me a bit of Tony Horwitz's books and made me miss that guy! 

The Windsor Diaries 1940-45: My Childhood with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret by Alathea Fitzalan Howard -- After Alathea died, her nephew's wife read through Alathea's diaries which she wrote in every day for decades. The author decided to focus on the war years when Alathea and the princesses were in Windsor during their teen and young adult years. (Alathea was a couple of years older than "PE" as she often wrote for Princess Elizabeth, now the Queen.)  There is the usual (for some (most?) teens/young adults) focus on clothes - what she wore, what others wore, parties, dances, looks, and young men who were present at events. The oft common problem with parents and other family elders (a prickly mother and a grandfather who insisted on the family being present every night for Rosary), and then the War. Overall this was an interesting look at that period in history. I could totally relate to Alathea's not enjoying silly films - things that made others ``shriek with laughter," didn't amuse her. I am often that way!

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley -- Benjamin is waiting in his Paris apartment for his sister to arrive from London. It's not a great time, but what's he going to do? Tell her not to come? But when Jess arrives, Ben is nowhere to be found. And asking around the house - to others who live in this magnificent place - it just seems odd that no one knows where Ben is. Thus, Jess gets to work trying to find her brother.

January Books

 

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse -- This book was OK, but I didn't like the main character, an English detective-on-leave Elin who was at a remote Swiss hotel with her boyfriend. A murder (or more) happens, and Elin tries to help out since the local police can't make it to the hotel (which was an old sanatorium) due to an avalanche.

Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder -- Andrew read this book before the new year, and told me that I'd enjoy the history and story. Although I've read books about the genocide in Rwanda, this story focused on the conflict from Deogratias's, a Burundian who came to the United States, perspective. It told of Deo's first days in New York and had flashbacks to his story of growing up in Burundi, and the awful things he experienced when the Hutus and Tutsis fought. Pretty interesting book. It made me thankful for people like the Wolfs, a family who took in a refugee and believed in him, and for Deo's heart for his people in wanting to better their lives - whether they were Hutu or Tutsi.

Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb -- My library has other books by these authors so I looked to see if anything else was available and got this from my Amazon Wishlist. It's a "Novel of Grace Kelly's Royal Wedding" told from the perspectives of Sophie, a French perfume maker, and James Henderson, a British photographer. Pretty good story.

The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton -- Some parts of this book were interesting, while others were hard for me to follow, but mostly I liked this book okay. My favorite part was when 5 year old Luki was in a greenhouse of sorts, and a nice man gave her and her stuffed kangaroo an orange! Luki then pulled Joey (baby kangaroo, of course) from Pemmy (short for Professor Ellie-Mouse)'s pouch, the man grinned and gave her another orange! A delicious luxury in France during World War II.

Do I Know You? by Sarah Strohmeyer -- Jane blows her cover as a "super recognizer" with the NHS when she spots a young lady connected to her sister's disappearance over a decade ago. Jane is determined to find out what happened to her sister, and finagles her way to a vacation at Cape Cod where her boyfriend's prospective PhD advisor and his family crash their vacation. Fast-paced, pretty fun book!

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox -- Sarah is back living with her parents in Tennessee after her husband's untimely death. Meanwhile her mom, Rosemary, and grandma, "Glory Nan" are arguing about keeping the old grocery store running. A decent, clean book.

Madam by Phoebe Wynn -- Rose gets recruited to teach at an elite boarding school in Scotland, but soon finds this school isn't as rigorous in academics as she'd hoped. In fact, they seem to value preparing girls for marriage to Britain's elite rather than preparing them to take care of themselves. Women shouldn't have to be rescued by men in this day and age. But when Rose tries to fight the patriarchy, the tradition, she finds it's a really huge deal.

E.R. Nurses by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann -- Snippets from about 30 or so nurses from around the United States, some with more complete stories than others Some make you want more details and/or a completion. Pretty interesting!

You Never Forget Your First: a Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe -- Not long ago Andrew and I were in the Asheville Mall, and it closed at 6 (it was a Sunday) so we walked next door to Barnes & Noble to look around. I often jot down books that I want to look up later to see if my library has them: it had them all. The author realized that most all biographies of George Washington were by men, and really stressed what a man's man our nation's first President was. She wanted to write from a woman historian's perspective, and her focus wasn't so much what a great general he was or what great thighs Washington had, but on other things. It's a much less-flattering, but probably more-realistic look at Washington using letters and such circulating way back then.

Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens -- New to me author; I saw this book among the New Books, and got it. After her father dies, Hailey lives with her aunt and cousin, and her aunt's new husband who happens to be the local police chief in a small town. He's authoritative, watchful, bullying, and creepy, and Hailey uncovers something that makes her want to flee. Meanwhile Beth moves to this area in order to look for answers after her sister Amber is murdered. More than a few times I was like, "wow, these young ladies are brave/incredible/impressive" because of their mad hiking and survival skills. I am super-wimpy and fearful by contrast.

River Road by Carol Goodman -- Nan is driving home from a holiday party when she hits a deer, but the next day when one of her students is found dead on that road, the police and community question whether she truly hit a deer. Was she driving under the influence and did she hit and kill her student? A pretty good suspenseful/mystery type book.

Of Bears and Ballots: An Alaskan Adventure in Small-Town Politics by Heather Lende -- This is the last of Heather's books that the library has, and this was probably my least favorite due to the subject. Not that I dislike politics; I just have gotten tired of the divisiveness, and I'm sorry it is the same way in Haines. I do enjoy reading about her life there, though.

Catch Me When I Fall by Nicci French -- This book drove me a little bit bonkers because the first part is so fast-paced following Holly's lifestyle. The second half of the book was better as Holly's best friend, Meg, took over the narration. An OK book. Not my favorite of these authors, but I'm trying to finish the rest of their books that my library has so ...  Only a couple left!

Don't Try to Find Me by Holly Brown -- Marley is just fourteen when she leaves her mom a note on the whiteboard in the kitchen asking her parents to not try to find her as she's leaving home. Told in alternatiing story lines of Marley and how her days post-leaving home are going, and her mom, Rachel's, days are going. Pretty good story.

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins -- A murder mystery set on the rather creepy Meroe Island, a few-days boat ride from Hawaii. When Lux's boyfriend, Nico, is hired by two well-to-do young women who want to go somewhere off the grid, Lux is dubious, but agrees to join them for their two week trip. Instead of having the island to themselves, the girls find Jake and Eliza already there, and the six of them enjoy some boozy good times until things start to change. Fast-paced, pretty good story if you like these sorts of murder mysteries.

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane -- This book follows the stories of Francis Gleeson and his daughter Kate as well as the neighbors next door, the Stanhopes. Kate was best friends since babyhood to Peter, son of a fellow police officer Brian Stanhope.  A pretty interesting tale about Irish police officers, their families, and their lives in and around New York City.

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain -- An interesting story about Ellie who worked with SCOPE, an organization that canvassed black neighborhoods in order to register more black voters in the mid-1960s. This book alternated between the 1960s as Ellie volunteered to more present times when Kayla and her husband build a house in the wooded area near where Ellie grew up. A good story especially since so many Republican legislators seem to want to make voting harder for many folks.