Summer Reading I

I am so sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted! Where does the time go??? I hope you enjoy these suggestions…

A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman

This book is wonderful. It is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. You will LOVE it. I’ve been on the waiting list for almost 6 months and it was totally worth the wait. It is also now in my top five favorite books of all time!

Ove is an older man (I think he’s around 60 but he seems much older!) who is “taciturn” and grumpy. (I put that in quotes because it’s in the book a few times…I’ve never used it on my own before!) His beloved (so beloved it will break your heart) wife has died and he is on a mission to take his own life to be with her. Every day he plans a new method of suicide, but every day his plan is somehow foiled. Ove is such a unique, wonderful and lovable character. Every one of us knows an Ove and can relate to his depth of pain and love for his wife. Ove slowly but surely realizes that life is definitely worth living. Please, please read this book!

The Birth House by Ami Mckay

I liked this book enough to read the whole thing, but overall I’d give it a B: better than some, not the best. It is the story of Dora Rare who lives in a small island town in Nova Scotia during World War I. She has been trained as a midwife and healer. The setting is unique and the characters were fairly interesting. I liked the ending quite a bit too.

Dead Certain by Adam Mitzner

Ella Broden is the main character that, instead of pursuing her dream career of singing, has followed the safer path of becoming a lawyer just like her father. She is very close with her younger sister, Charlotte, a writer. When Charlotte goes missing, Ella is determined to find out exactly what happened to her precious sister. This was a quick, fun read with a great ending that you probably won’t see coming.

A Criminal Defense by William L. Myers

A young reporter is found dead and the main character, Mick McFarland, is hired as an attorney for his longtime friend who is accused of the murder. This is a very twisty, unique book that I really enjoyed. I can’t tell you much more!

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

Those of you who know me well know that I am obsessed with true crime. My all-time favorite podcast, My Favorite Murder, talks about this book and Ann Rule all of the time so I figured I would probably like it too. I loved it! You will only like it if you enjoy reading about true crime. It’s about Ted Bundy and it’s pretty gruesome, of course, because it’s about his murders. I didn’t realize that Rule was really good friends with him for years. It was fascinating to read this first-hand tale.

The Girls by Emma Cline

I didn’t like the ending of this book at all…but I did find the story interesting enough to read the whole thing. Evie is a teenager in the 60’s in a small town in California. She’s lonely and bored and becomes enthralled with a group of girls, hence the title. What she doesn’t realize at first is that these girls are in a dangerous cult. She quickly becomes wrapped up in their ways and even on the fringe of some of their more dangerous escapades. It’s a good book but I was disappointed in the ending.

The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers

I couldn’t finish it. It is written in the Civil War era and the whole story is told in letters back and forth. They are written in the language of the time and you don’t know who wrote it until the end of the (very long) letter so it’s somewhat confusing. I just couldn’t get into it. But if Civil War stuff is your thing, you might like it!

This is How it Always is by Laurie Frankel

I loved this book. It was a quick, easy, interesting read with intriguing characters and a great storyline. Claude is born into a family of five boys and feels as though he is supposed to be a girl. The family helps him transition into a girl but keeps his biological identity a secret when they move to a new town. It’s basically a story of a family who thinks they are doing the right thing and are doing what they can to protect their child. It’s very relevant and heart-wrenching in parts. I highly recommend it.

The River At Night by Erica Ferencik

I was so disappointed in this book. It was billed as super scary and I was very excited to be scared. It wasn’t scary to me at all! I read the whole thing thinking the scary part was coming and it never did. Maybe I’m not easily scared? I’m not sure. Basically, four best friends go on a white water rafting trip in the middle of nowhere in Maine and get stranded. Sounds great and super scary, right? Nope. Not to me! If you’re easily scared, you might like it, but I was mostly bored and waiting for the good stuff to happen.

Behind Closed Doors by A. Paris

This was a great book. It was very creepy and different and quick to read. I couldn’t put it down because I just had to know how it ended! I thought the ending was perfect and exactly as it should be. Grace meets the man of her dreams. He’s gorgeous, wealthy and loves her sister, who happens to have Down Syndrome. He is the perfect catch. OR IS HE???? You will love this book.

I’m not sure what I’m going to read next. It will be hard to fill Ove’s place! What are you reading this summer?