I have been picking up books that are easy to get into and hard to put down. My brain is full of school stuff, which is normal, but I haven't felt like picking up anything too long or too heavy.
A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey was a great, quick read.
Keaton Smith heads to Beaufort, North Carolina, to help her family sell her grandparents' house. No one has lived there since the 1970s when her grandparents disappeared, and walking into their home is like traveling back in time. As Keaton goes through their things, she finds out more about the grandparents she never met, and starts to question what happened to them so long ago.
Becks St. James, Keaton's grandmother, is the consummate hostess who enjoys throwing dinner parties and opening up her house to friends and family. She and her doctor husband have created a beautiful life and family but out of the blue Becks is confronted with a problem that has no good answer.
Keaton's and Becks' lives intersect and eventually the truth about the fate of Becks and her husband is discovered. There is a little suspense to this one and I loved that I listened to an author interview with Harvey where she explains the real life inspiration for this novel. I could almost feel the shag carpet beneath my feet as I entered Becks' home, and I absolutely flew through this one.
After a few quick mysteries, I picked up The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman. I've been hearing quite a bit about it on Instagram and since I picked it from Book of the Month in September, decided I should take a chance on it.
What a fun, quick read. This novel also moves back and forth in time between 1987 and the 1920s. Augusta is the daughter of a pharmacist and eventually goes into the profession herself. But she also has a great-aunt who uses unconventional methods to cure a variety of illnesses. Now turning 80, Augusta is forced into retirement and relocates to a retirement community in Florida where she happens to run into Irving, the delivery boy at her dad's drugstore, and also the one man who broke her heart.
As the story moves between past and present we learn what happened between Irving and Augusta and why their relationship failed. There's just a hint of magical realism as great aunt Esther cures many different ailments. This one is a pleasure from beginning to end. I also appreciate that we continue to see older protagonists being featured living full and interesting lives.
I think these books would appeal to a wide variety of readers and will be recommending them to everyone who needs a great book to get lost in.
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