This month wasn’t my best month of reading. 7 books. 2,544 pages. An average of 82 pages per day. But honestly, I enjoyed all of them! So I’ll consider this month a win.
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware (384 pages). This was one of my book club books. Lo Blacklock has been enjoying her life since her book Dark Waters was published (the book about her adventures in The Woman in Cabin 10). But after years of being a stay at home mom to her two boys, she’s ready to start writing again. When the invitation for a weekend at the opening of Marcus Leidmann’s new hotel in Switzerland comes, she decides to go. What she never expects is to meet Marcus’ mistress, who begs her for help with escaping Marcus. Against her better judgment, Lo agrees. And thus begins an adventure across Switzerland to England that ends with Marcus dead and Mo arrested for his murder. But Lo KNOWS she didn’t kill him. Can she figure out who did and how? I love Ruth Ware’s novels. I finished in 4 days.
Eternal by Lisa Scottoline (463 pages). In 1937, Rome is a beautiful place. Yes, the Fascists are in control under Mussolini. But Elisabetta, Marco and Sandro don’t care. Best friends since they were children, they couldn’t be more different. Elisabetta dreams of becoming a journalist (while both of the boys dream of her). Marco is the most popular boy in school. Sandro is Jewish and a mathematical prodigy. All of them are strongly fascist (or at least don’t fight against it). Until the Race Laws begin. And then lines must be drawn. Sandro is forced into the Ghetto, Elisabetta learns to fend for herself and Marco finds himself drawn deeper into the world of the Fascists. And when Mussolini takes his country to war WITH Germany, loyalties are truly tested. Because it seems like Italy sees itself as Italy before anything else. I don’t read a lot of WWII set in Italy, so it was fascinating to read the effect the war had on that country. The blackmail by the Nazis. The deportation of 1200 Jews to Auschwitz, where only 16 survived. This story was beautiful- the heartbreak, the loss, the love. I finished in 4 days.
My Imaginary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows (479 pages). Mary Shelley (you know, the author of Frankenstein) and Ada Lovelace (the unacknowledged mother of computer programming) never met in real life. In fact, they weren’t even remotely the same age (Mary was 18 when Ada was born but interestingly they did die within a year of each other). But isn’t fiction so much more fun?! Mary and Ada attend the same party, a party where a scientific demonstration is done that brings a frog back to life. Later that evening, they meet their fae godmother and learn that they are both magical (as so many in the arts and sciences are). They work together to create PAN (practical automaton number one). Well, Ada builds it and Mary uses her fae magic to help. But when they go a step farther and bring Pan to life using lightning, well, let’s just say that Frankenstein wasn’t the only one who said “it’s alive!” Unfortunately, scientist Giovanni Aldini (the man who was doing the frog experiments at the party) learns of Pan’s existence and kidnaps him (and Ada). They escape and set off across Europe to see if Lord Byron (Ada’s father) can help. The fae aspect is a lot of fun. As was Mary’s inspiration for Frankenstein and the inclusion of her stepsister (who did have an illegitimate daughter with Lord Byron when Ada would have been 2). But Shelley (you know, the man that Mary eventually married) was an awful character in this novel. This wasn’t my favorite book by the Lady Janies. It strayed too far from history. But it was still really cute! I finished in 5 days.
The Vicious Circle by Katherine St John (302 pages). Model Sveta has been somewhat estranged from her uncle Paul (or Shiva as he is known to some). So when she learns that she has inherited his “wellness/self-help retreat” Xanadu in the jungles of Mexico, she’s more than a little shocked that he left it to her and not his wife/partner Kali. But Sveta heads down to Xanadu with her uncle’s attorney Lucas (who also happens to be the man she lost her virginity to). Once they get there, they realize that Xanadu isn’t just a retreat, it’s a cult. And Kali isn’t as pleased about the will as Sveta is. Because Kali thinks that she is a god, sent to take her people to a higher plane. I do love a good cult story. I finished in 2 days.
The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers (257 pages). In 2012, Nic’s older sister Kasey vanished. And since then, Nic has been a bit of a mess. She’s now 24, living in a crappy apartment with a crappy job and dealing with a DWI. Until the day that Jenna walks into her job. Her sister Jules disappeared right before Kasey did. And in the suburbs of South Bend, their disappearances are just too similar for there to be no connection. So Nic and Jenna team up to track down the person who took their sisters away. And they find the person responsible. And it was NOT what I thought! Loved solving this mystery. I finished in 3 days.
An Ancient Witch’s Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edward (310 pages). This was my Magic Halloween Once Upon a Book Club box. So cute! 39 year old Thorn is a witch (and a spinster) in the late 1600’s. And all she wants is a husband. Her potions seem to work on everyone but herself. When a spell goes awry, Thorn finds herself and her feline familiar Bandit in her cottage. But it’s no longer in the middle of a forest and it’s now a museum. Because Thorn has traveled 300 years into the future. Where dating should be a lot easier- it’s literally at your fingertips! But Thorn still thinks she needs to use spells to find her true love. Meanwhile, Walls, the local vet who helps her with Bandit, shows her that spells aren’t needed to create relationships- connection and friendships are the best place to start. After all, love comes from the heart, not from a cauldron (to quote the book). Super cute witchy rom-com. I finished in 3 days.
How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold (349 pages). This was my Nightmare Halloween Once Upon a Book Club box. When horror author Mortimer Queen dies, he has invited seven authors to come to the reading of his will at the Mortimer Queen Manor. Melanie Brown, who has yet to publish a book and only met Mortimer once. Scott Clay, a handsome and prolific author who has a blackout temper. Crystal Flowers, who specializes in erotic horror and was close “friends” with Mortimer. Winnie Roach, who really specialized in finding out celebrity gossip in between writing her books. Buck Grimm, who used to be Mortimer’s publishing assistant and knew his darkest secrets. Chester Plumage, whose series has him swimming in lawsuits because kids are reckless and his books are daring. Petey Marsh, who once stole (and published) one of Mortimer’s manuscripts. Turns out all of them are connected to Mortimer in some way. And Mortimer has left them a game in his will, a series of riddles to escape the Manor. Because the Manor is more than it appears. Just like Mortimer’s most famous book Monster House, the Manor is built on the bones of his family. And the Manor is always hungry for more. I could LITERALLY picture this on screen. I saw the characters. I pictured the monster house. I finished in 3 days.
This month’s favorite is……..a tie. Eternal and How to Survive a Horror Story. I know, total opposite ends of the spectrum. But both SO good!
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