Wednesday, July 31, 2024

WWW Wednesday - July 31

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I have been reading Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (2022) for what seems like forever but is probably just a week. It is clever but so depressing and seemingly endless; it’s like being trapped in a room with J.D. Vance.

Monday, July 29, 2024

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane – 12/20 Books of Summer

Mary Pat Fennessy lives in public housing in South Boston, working as a health aide at a nursing home, trying to pay her bills and worrying about her children. Her son died of a drug overdose after coming back from Vietnam. Her daughter Jules is going into her senior year of high school, hanging out all night with teens her mother distrusts.

Saturday, July 27, 2024

The Song of Hartgrove Hall by Natasha Solomons

This dual timeline novel moves back and forth from post WWII to the early 21st century, following the youngest of three brothers over the course of his life as he seeks love and music.

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn

Loretta Plansky is a tennis-playing retiree in Florida; she is comfortably off but misses her deceased husband. She has a demanding family: a 98 year-old-father whose unruly behavior in assisted living is about to cost her additional thousands per month, a daughter who wants money for a start-up (and her new fiancé), and a son who wants her to fund a dubious business venture. It is easier to say yes than to argue, also she's generous.

Monday, July 22, 2024

Spell the Month in Books - July 2024

Spell the Month in Books is hosted by Reviews From the Stacks and occurs on or near the first Saturday of each month, so I am quite late this month - and it took some finagling! But here goes:

Saturday, July 20, 2024

Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie #ReadChristie2024

Gordon Cloade’s family has always relied on his wealth and generosity so they are appalled when he marries an attractive widow less than half his age. Weeks later, he dies tragically in the London Blitz and his new bride, Rosaleen, inherits everything. 

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Guest Review: A Parcel of Rogues by Pamela Belle

A Parcel of Rogues begins with Sam, a middle-aged businessman from Oxford, rather lost in London as he searches for his runaway daughter Mary. It is 1715, and James Stuart, the “Old Pretender,” is gathering supporters to overthrow the Hanoverian King George I. For a while we stay with Sam and a new acquaintance, Mr. Dark, as they follow leads toward Mary. They are joined by a beautiful young woman of dubious virtue, Polly Paradice.

Sunday, July 14, 2024

The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey - Review

In this historical novel set during World War II in the United States, England, and France, a lovely young widow from Boston is determined to show she can contribute meaningfully to war effort, using her language skills and experience living in Paris.
Since Anna’s doctor husband died near Pearl Harbor, she has taught French in Washington, DC and resisted her family’s efforts to get her back to Boston.