Sunday, August 14, 2022

A Handful of Fiction

 I'm down to just today and tomorrow left of my official summer break, and have hit the point in time where I just can't focus on reading right now.  I've still got books that I'm working on, but I've also started and stopped a fair amount.  


This handful of books I read over the past couple weeks have all been enjoyable and kept me wanting to turn the pages.  




Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt was a five star read for me. I loved the octopus character, Marcellus, who is so wise and tries to give Tova the answers she needs as she continues to grieve the loss of her son.  This was a Jenna Bush Hager book club pick, which generally work well for me.  


The Hidden One by Linda Castillo- this is the fourteenth book in the series, and I enjoy every installment.  Kate discovers that a childhood friend/the first boy she loved has been arrested for murder and travels to the Amish community where he lives in order to find the truth about what really happened to the Amish minister that Jonas presumably killed.  I always enjoy the background knowledge Castillo continues to add about her characters, but because Kate was in a different setting, I missed getting to read about her recurring characters.


The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner- Weiner is an author who I always enjoy.  This story is told from multiple perspectives and takes place during the pandemic.  I would call this a family story with a lot of drama.  The connections among characters are a little hard to believe at times, but I truly enjoyed this one.


The Bodyguard by Katherine Center- this one grew on me as I read.  I have read all of Center's books, starting when she was first published many years ago.  Now that her books are coming out quite frequently I am hoping the quality continues to be as good as her first books.  She does a great job with what I call elevated chick lit and by the end  I was sucked in to this romance.


Notes On Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach - this story is told from Sally's perspective, the younger sister who is amazed by everything her older sister, Kathy, knows.  They are both fascinated with a boy named Billy who Kathy eventually dates.  But tragedy strikes and Sally and Billy's lives are linked forever.  I liked the beginning of this book as well as the end, but felt that the middle lost its way a bit.  This is also written as though Sally is talking referring to "you" (Kathy) throughout the book, something that continued to give me pause the entire time I read.  

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