Book lover, collector, and reviewer
Set in Chawton — where Jane Austen lived while writing three of her famous books — right after the second World War, a group of eight people come together to create the Jane Austen Society. The characters have very little in common, but for their love of Jane Austen, but it’s enough for them to … Read More “The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner” »
Liza, Maggie, and Tricia are the Sweeney Sisters, very different adult sisters dealing with the unexpected death of their father, famous author William Sweeney. While dealing with the memorial and estate, they are shocked to discover they have a fourth sister, Serena, who lived next door while they were growing up and is now an … Read More “The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan” »
A year later, May is the survivor of a school shooting that her brother Jordan didn’t survive. Zach’s mother is a defense attorney defending the shooter. Somehow, both broken, May and Zach are drawn to each other as they each try to slowly heal. While this book starts off as just another YA with a … Read More “The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson” »
Another great book by Lisa Wingate. Mostly set in Louisiana (with a bit of Texas thrown in,) the chapters alternate between Benny Silva’s story in 1987, and Hannie Gossett in 1885. Hannie is a young woman who is a freed slave but still working for her former master and his wife in basically the same … Read More “The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate” »
Rowen is a 17-year-old girl with a lot of baggage. Her father blames her for the unexplained death of her infant brother seven years earlier, her mother has barely gotten out of bed in those seven years, and her 15-year-old sister hates her and wants to ruin her life any way she can. Rowen just … Read More “A Life, Redefined (Rowan Sloane, #1) by Tracy Hewitt Meyer” »
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 … Read More “The Operator by Gretchen Berg” »
This book is told in a dual time frame, with Elaine’s story set in London during World War II and Jen’s story set in present-day Spain. Elaine is a typist for the military, typing letters written by POWs and looking for secret messages, when she meets — and falls deeply in love with — famed … Read More “The Forgotten Girls by Lizzie Page” »
This book is told from the perspectives of three women: Sarah, Connie, and Anna. Sarah is a London restaurant owner who leaves her husband (after the police start questioning her about his business practices) and returns to her family home to spend more time with her father. She ends up buying an old house to … Read More “The Orphan House by Ann Bennett” »
Answer Creek tells the story of Ada Weeks, a fictional 19-year-old adopted daughter of an undertaker and his wife, who treks across the United States with the fated (and real) Donner Party. If you know anything about the Donner Party, you have a good overview of what happens in this book, although it goes on … Read More “Answer Creek by Ashley E. Sweeney” »
Emily is a young girl who is in a persistent vegetative state with seemingly no explanation as to why. Her mother, Rachel, has remained faithfully — obsessively — by her side ever since, while her father, James, seems to have moved on with his life. He’s even divorced Rachel and remarried Eva, a 36-year-old digital … Read More “A Hope for Emily by Kate Hewitt” »