The Liar’s Daughter was a book filled with characters who were just the worst of the worst. And if you are triggered by child sexual abuse, then this isn’t a book for you, since it was obvious that this was a prevalent theme of the book from very early on and lasted throughout. But, even though I knew what would be revealed, this was one I had trouble putting down (even as I was trying … Read More “The Liar’s Daughter by Claire Allan” »
It is 1983, and Joe Arneson, is 23-years-old living and living a “normal” life until he starts having vivid dreams that seem to be in someone else’s head. It gets so bad, his family sends him away to a psychiatric hospital. After several months, Pearl, a woman who introduces herself as Joe’s long-lost grandmother, shows up to rescue him, tells him she’s dying of lung cancer, and offers him the job of cleaning out her … Read More “Dovetail by Karen McQuestion” »
I figured out the whodunit part very early on, but for once it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story, and I stayed hooked from start to finish. Holly was kidnapped when she was 4-years-old and was unexpectedly returned three months later, physically unharmed but for a scar on her arm. The person who kidnapped her was never caught, but now, more than two decades later, another girl is taken. Holly’s mother Cecily might have … Read More “The Day I Disappeared by Brandi Reeds” »
This book was a delightful introduction to the life of Beatrix Potter, creator of beloved characters including Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, and Benjamin Button. It starts by discussing her lonely childhood and lack of formal education — her parents didn’t think it was worthwhile to educate a girl since her only job was to marry wealthy — and then explains how she started inventing her characters, including Peter Rabbit, which she initially self-published. It also … Read More “The Real Beatrix Potter by Nadia Cohen” »
The Operator is a book primarily about Vivian, a nosey switchboard operator in the Midwest, although we also get snippets of life from her daughter, Charlotte, and Flora, a local woman who has just robbed a local bank (yes, really) and fled to Canada. Vivian always tries to measure up to those around her, including the thoroughly obnoxious and very wealthy granddaughter of the town mayor (who in turn is a bit too obsessed with … Read More “The Operator by Gretchen Berg” »