I will fully admit it- I did NOT do a lot of reading this month. I had a lot going on (weekend trips, closing on my house). And I’d already read 50 books in the first 5 months of the year. So I gave myself a month to slack off a little bit. I only read 4 books. A total of 1,399 pages. An average of 47 pages a day. Honestly, I’ve had worse months! It’s just been a while.
The Address by Fiona Davis (354 pages). In 1884, Sara Smythe is offered a remarkable opportunity- to leave her job as head housekeeper of a hotel in London and become the manager of The Dakota in New York City. The Dakota will be the first of its kind- a residential apartment building that operates like a hotel, with live in staff and amenities. To be honest, the biggest draw is one of the architects and the man who offered her the job, Theodore Camden. One hundred years later, Bailey Camden is down on her luck. She’s fresh out of rehab and jobless. Her grandfather had been adopted by Theodore Camden, but all Bailey got was the name. Her cousins, Melinda and Manvel, are set to inherit everything. But Melinda wants to renovate her family’s apartment at the Dakota and she hires Bailey for the job. The family apartment that Theodore Camden lived in. And was killed in. By former employee and madwoman Sara Smythe. But as family secrets begin to be uncovered, Bailey realizes that there’s more to Sara’s story than she ever imagined. Interestingly, the Dakota is a real building in New York (built to be first of its kind, just like the novel said). It’s also where John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived until he was shot outside the building. So that’s pretty fascinating! I finished in 3 days.
The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg (305 pages). In 1914 London, Dr John Watson is retired, and happily writing the stories of the cases he and Sherlock Holmes solved. Until he and his son, Dr John Watson Jr, get caught up in the possible suicide of a man. Joanna Blalock, nurse widow, and mother, and her son were witnesses to his fall. The Drs Watson soon realize that Joanna has one of the sharpest minds they’ve encountered since Sherlock’s passing. As the trio dive deeper into the apparent suicide and more deaths begin to occur, they soon realize there is a murderer on the loose and the game is afoot. Turns out Joanna has a secret of her own- she is, in fact, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes! finished in 3 days.
They Went Left by Monica Hesse (362 pages). When the Lederman family arrives at Birkenau in 1940, 13 year old Zofia and 9 year old Abek are directed to the right. The rest of the family went left. When the war ends, Zofia is left alone, with only a promise that she will find her brother somehow. So when she learns of camps for displaced people, she travels across Europe to find Abek. Along the way, she meets Josef, a young man who brings love back into her life. And Breine, a young woman who is marrying a man she’s only just met because she refuses to allow love to escape her again. And countless others who vow to help her find her brother. But can two people find each other in the aftermath of the war? As you know, I love WW2 historical fiction. This was different than my usual fare because it focused entirely on the aftermath with only occasional flashbacks to prewar or concentration camp events. I liked reading about people finding a new life after such devastation. I finished in 3 days.
Five First Chances by Sarah Jost (378 pages). Louise lives in England, a French teacher from Switzerland who isn’t happy with her life. Her ex has just gotten engaged, she has very few friends, and she’s at the funeral of a friend of a friend with her former flatmate Yuki. All she can think of it what if. What if she hold go back and do things differently? So 5 different times she actually goes back in time to live life again from one moment- Yuki’s birthday party when she got a text from her ex and first met Nick. With each chance, Lou keeps finding out that perhaps the life she thought she wanted isn’t the life she needs. And that Nick might just be the most important person to ever enter her life. This book was so sweet and beautiful. One of my all time favorite books is The Midnight Library and this had a similar feeling- getting an opportunity to do it again and do it differently. I finished in 4 days.
This month’s favorite is…….They Went Left.
