May was a great month for my reading. I read 8 books at a total of 3,060 pages. That’s an average of 99 pages a day. Yay me!! So here goes
Sycamore Row by John Grisham (447 pages). I’m not a massive Grisham fan. He’s fine, but not my fave. This one might have changed my mind. It takes place in a small town in Mississippi. Jake is a lawyer, famous in the town for winning a big trial where his client, black man, was found not guilty of murder by a juror of white people. Seth Hubbard is a somewhat reclusive businessman, who is mostly estranged from his children. When he commits suicide, his holographic will that he sends to Jake rocks this small town that is so racially divided. He has left 90% of his fortune to his black housekeeper as the trial to contest the will heats up, secrets of generations come out. I couldn’t put it down! Plus, I got some good pool time over the weekend. I finished in 4 days.
My Husband’s Wife by Jane Corry (373 pages). Lily is a young lawyer and a newlywed when she takes on the appeal of a murderer. She realizes she has an attraction to this man, but continues to work on his case. While she and her husband struggle to find their footing in married life, they befriend their neighbors, a single Italian mom and her beautiful daughter Carla. But everyone has secrets. And grudges don’t die. After 12 years, Carla shows back up on their doorstep. And the lives that had so carefully been laid out all fall apart. It had just enough intrigue. But wasn’t over the top. It was a great pool read (which is where I read most of it). I finished in 3 days.
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling (455 pages). I didn’t really like The Casual Vacancy ( her other pseudonym novel). But decided to give this one a try. Cormoran Strike is a private detective in London. When he’s hired to investigate the apparent suicide of a famous model, Lulu Landry, by her brother, he and his secretary Robin learn there’s more to the case than they thought. As they trace Lulu’s last days, they learn about her search for her birth parents, her relationships and who might have wanted to kill her. It was a great whodunnit. And so not like Harry Potter! Or her other Galbraith novel. I liked this one. I finished in 6 days.
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (310 pages). Last month, I read another novel by Guillory. And liked it. I wish I’d read this one first, as it had some major overlap characters. But I still enjoyed it. When Drew randomly gets stuck in an elevator with Alexa on the weekend of his ex’s wedding, he impulsively asks her to be his pretend girlfriend for the wedding. Just a one time thing. That turns into another weekend and another weekend and another weekend. Obviously, the path of true love is never easy. Let’s face facts- rom-coms have a pattern! But it always end in true love. I finished in 3 days.
Dracula by Bram Stoker (399 pages). Seen the movies. Seen the ballet, for Pete’s sake (and yes, you should go see Columbia City Ballet’s version if you never have). So how have I never read the book? Honestly, if you don’t know the story of Dracula, I don’t know what to say. The Count holds Jonathan Harker hostage for a month while he plans his “trip” to London. Once there, he kills Lucy. Her bestie, Mina (eventual wife of Jonathan) and all the men (Lucy’s fiancé, two of her prior suitors and Van Helsing) join forces to take down the Count. The end. I finished in 5 days.
Advent by James Treadwell (451 pages). Reminded me way too much of Neil Gaiman, in that it was all about weird magic and storylines that I couldn’t follow. No, no, no. Not enjoyable at all. This was literally one that, if I hadn’t committed to read at least 50 pages a day and sat by the pool, would have never been finished. It goes back and forth between the 16th century story of the greatest magus ever (Johannes Faust) meeting the love of his life, prophetess Cassandra, and the modern day story of Gavin, who seems like he might be a natural wizard due to his second sight. He’s definitely something unusual. Gavin is sent to spend holiday with his eccentric aunt. She isn’t there to meet his train and the estate where she is living is rather magical. I finished in 6 days.
The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes (389 pages). Suzanna Peacock has always struggled with the memory (and notoriety) of her deceased mother, Athene. Athene was reckless and thoughtless. And Suzanna has always struggled a little bit with being raised by her father and stepmother. When she and her husband have to return to her hometown, she decides to open a little shop, The Peacock Emporium. There, she finds the friendships she always needed. And eventually learns the truth about her own family. It was a great read. And a perfect pool read. I finished in 2 days.
The Lo-Down by Lo Bosworth (236 pages). I literally only bought this book because Lo was one of my favorites in Laguna Beach/The Hills. Turns out it’s a dating advice book. From a then 24 year old. Which didn’t do me a lot of good. But hey, it was on the bookshelf and the perfect number of pages to finish out the month. So I read it with a grain of salt and a few eye rolls. And shockingly, a few times of thinking, wow, she’s not wrong. Even about my life as a 40 year old woman. It was cute. I would totally recommend it to a younger girl who’s just starting to date. Or a reminder that sometimes, as great as a guy is, he’s not your right puzzle piece match. And that’s okay. I finished in 4 days.
This month’s favorite was ...Sycamore Row.
