So this month finally found me spending some time by the pool. As a result, I got 12 books read. A total of 3,953 pages read. That's an average of 132 pages per day, y'all! So without further ado, let's get to it!
All for One by Melissa de la Cruz (386 pages). The final book in the Alex & Eliza trilogy. And my least favorite. While I get that liberties are taken with historical fiction and that usually does not bother me, this particular one did. Which is why I did not like it as much as the others- the timeline was altered way too much. This novel covered several things, none of which remotely happened at the same time. In the novel, Eliza is pregnant with their first child (that happened almost immediately after their marriage, rather than several years later), Alex is simply an attorney in New York and his interaction with Maria Reynolds is a one time sexual encounter. While Eliza WAS pregnant during the Reynolds affair, ti was not their first child, Alex was already Secretary of the Treasury in Philadelphia and the Reynolds affair lasted for nearly a year. But Eliza did eventually forgive Alex for his transgressions, that much is true. I finished in 4 days.
Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon (340 pages). This was my book club box book, so photos of the gifts are on Facebook and Instagram. The year is 1853. Naomi May is 20 years old and newly widowed. Her family (father, mother and 5 brothers) and her in-laws all decide to head west. One member of their wagon train is John Lowry, a half white, half Pawnee man who is a mule breeder. John has always straddled two worlds but never fit in to either. From the first moment they meet, something draws Naomi and John to each other. But when tragedy strikes during their trip, they must figure out what they truly mean to each other. And where they can find a place to be together. I LOVED it! Except for one minor thing- the prologue gave away the tragedy that didn't actually occur until over halfway through the book. So I just kept waiting for it. And was horrified with what I knew was coming literally within the opening lines of the book. I was, however, an amazing story of cultures meeting, clashing and growing together. I finished in 2 days.
Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan (329 pages). The first of a trilogy. One of our family Sunday night things is watching When Calls the Heart, which is VERY loosely based on a Janette Oke series (like it's not even the same story or characters). She then wrote this trilogy as a companion series to the TV show. Janette Oke is one of my favorite authors. And my all-time favorite Christian author. This novel was no different. Now, as to it being a When Calls the Heart (TV show) companion novel? Well, here are the similarities. The main character is Elizabeth Thatcher. She goes to teach in Coal Valley, where a mining accident has killed most of the men in town. The schoolhouse is also the pool hall/saloon once evenings come. There is a Mountie named Jack (well, Jarrick) Thornton. And a few other minor characters are the same, although most of them far more minor than on the show. Other than that, this is an entirely different story than the TV show. There is more intrigue- the new miners are all foreigners, there is an illegal still to be found and dealt with. Honestly, as much as I love the show, this was a better novel than the show would've made. I finished in 3 days.
Where Trust Lies by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan (332 pages). Book two of the trilogy. We are now NOTHING like the show. Beth has finished her first year of teaching and has gone home for the summer. Her family (well, her mother, 2 sisters and young nephew) have decided they are going to take a cruise down the St Lawrence River and into the United States while her father is in South America for business. While Beth misses Jarrick terribly, she is determined to have a wonderful family vacation. Younger sister Julie befriends some exciting American strangers on their ship. But Julie has always been a little reckless and prone to naivete. So when her new friends turn out to be less than trustworthy, the family must figure out how to save Julie from herself. I finished in 3 days.
Where Hope Prevails by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan (317 pages). The final book of the trilogy. Still 100% nothing like the show. Beth has returned to her beloved Coal Valley, ready for her future. She and Jarrick, now engaged, begin to plan their life together. Meanwhile, there's a new teacher in town. And Beth does not like him very much. But as the year progresses, Beth begins to learn that plans aren't always what you want them to be and people can sometimes surprise you. Honestly, I just love Janette Oke books. They are so sweet. The Christian message is so strong. I finished in 3 days.
Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes (439 pages). The sequel to You. It was both nothing like season 2 of the TV show and exactly like it, only in a different order. A lot of the same characters but different versions of them and different story lines surrounding them. Just like the first book, it's a lot raunchier than the TV series (which makes me prefer the TV series). But I enjoyed a different path that Joe Goldberg could have wandered down in his obsession. In this, he follows a girl to LA (shocker). And begins a new life there. While killing a few more people (this is Joe we are talking about), he attempts to find happiness with Love Quinn. But hidden bodies don't stay hidden forever. And Joe has some explaining to do. Has he finally met his (crazy) match in Love? A totally different ending than the show. But then again, the book series ends here and the TV series has been renewed for another season. I finished in 4 days.
All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin (331 pages). The lives of two families intersect when a photo starts making the rounds at an elite private school in Nashville. Nina Browning, a small town girl who married into the upper echelon of Nashville society, is heartbroken that her beloved son Finch is at the center of it. And even more heartbroken that her husband is ambivalent about his son's involvement. Meanwhile, single working dad Tom Volpe and his daughter Lyla aren't sure who to trust once the photo comes to light. As more sides of the story emerges, lines are drawn and life changing decisions are made. Honestly, one of the coolest things about this novel was feeling like I knew the areas of Nashville that Giffin was describing. The Brownings live in the cushy Belle Meade neighborhood, where my best friend had her wedding reception. The Volpes, on the other hand, live in artsier East Nashville. Quite literally OFF of my best friend's street (her street was in the novel). I finished in 3 days.
The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene (273 pages). First and foremost, the dedication was "For Jane." So clearly, an excellent book. When Arthur Winthrop, headmaster of Vermont's prestigious Lancaster School, is found wandering Central Park completely nude, he is taken into the police station for questioning. There, he tells the police what has been happening- the legacy of his father and grandfather that has continued with him as headmaster, his interactions (possibly inappropriate) with some of his students. But wow, did his story have a twist! I finished in 2 days.
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff (359 pages). Historical fiction, y'all! You know that's my fave! During WWII, there was a covert British group called the Special Operations Executive. The agents working with SOE were sent into Occupied Europe as spies, couriers, wireless operators, etc. But not all of them were men. During 1944 and under the leadership of Eleanor Trigg, young women were trained and sent out from London. Of those girls, 12 of them never returned. And Eleanor could not live herself, knowing that somehow their mission had been compromised. In 1946, in Grand Central Station, Grace Hadley finds an abandoned suitcase containing the photographs of 12 young women. Upon learning that the suitcase belonged to Eleanor Trigg, Grace begins a search to find out who there women were and what happened to them. I LOVED it! It reminded me of The Nightingale (in that it was a story of spies in Europe during WWII). I finished in 1 day (yay for being poolside again!)
What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self by Ellyn Spragins (183 pages). 41 letters written by 41 women- actresses, activists, authors, singers, etc. Many of them women I'd heard of and already admired. Some of them were unknown to me. The women wrote letters to themselves at different stages of their lives- teenagers, post divorce, pre marriage, pre big decision. The letters (and the little blurbs before them) were interesting. My favorite piece of advice was that when you are juggling too many things, just be aware of which balls are glass and which ones are rubber. And never drop the glass ones. I finished in 2 days.
Watching You by Lisa Jewell (324 pages). Posh neighborhoods in Bristol are supposed ot be idyllic. But when a woman is found murdered in her kitchen, the neighbors begin to realize that there are a lot of secrets behind their closed doors. The Fitzwilliams- a family of three where the husband is the headmaster of a local school and the teen aged son spends most of his time watching his neighbors. The Mullens- husband and pregnant wife who live in their dream home with his sister and her husband. And then the students at Mr Fitzwilliams' school. The whodunit aspect of the murder was great! I finished in 3 days.
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry (340 pages). At 32 years old, Emilia finds herself running her beloved father's bookshop in the picture perfect town of Peasebrook after his death. The shop is a book lover's dream. And the customers are family. But like every small town, there are loves and secrets and lost dreams to be discovered. I finished in 1 day (yep, poolside again).
This month's favorite was.....a tie between Where the Lost Wander and The Lost Girls of Paris.
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
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