I read 6 books in the month of October. That's how my reading goes - in ebbs and flows. Part of it is life happens. It was a busy month as we were able to take a long weekend for a runaway to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. That was followed by my hosting Book Club, our granddaughter (and her mom and dad) from California here and a trip to Oxford, Mississippi to spend some time with a good friend and go see LSU on the football field. All fun things and I was still able to work some good books in.
I didn't plan it this way, but for the spooky month of October, all of my books were what I would call some form of mystery. I would not say any of them were scary, but they all had some form of murder and good and bad guys and it was up to the reader to try to determine which was which.
Something else that was different this month, 2 of the books I read were from the library. I grew up going to the library. It was a wonderful place that I spent a lot of time. For a few years now most of my library books have been E-Books and I haven't been inside a library much for a while. Our neighborhood library has recently been updated and it is a more pleasurable experience. You can actually browse the stacks and not feel overwhelmed. There were also many good selections. I'm glad I went in and plan on making it more a part of my routine.
I hope you all had a great reading month. Here are my thoughts on the books I read.
56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
No one knew Ciara and Oliver had met much less that they were staying together in his apartment. Set in Dublin at the beginning of lockdowns for covid, This is a thriller that I would call more of a mystery. Whose body is found in the apartment? Who is the killer? Why? And what are they both hiding from each other? The story is told not as a linear timeline, but one that is told days and years before the discovery of the body, the day it is discovered and then after, I don't want to give much more info about this book because it is one that is best to be revealed as you read.
This is the first book I've read by Catherine Ryan Howard and it will not be the last. She is able to keep a reader engaged and while I was trying to figure things out, at the same time I was just enjoying the ride. She has a great way of telling the story and developing the characters in a way that makes them real. She peels away the layers little by little and reveals enough to keep you engaged.
When I finished this book, I knew that it was one I thought our Book Club would enjoy. So, they agreed it sounded intriguing and it will be the one we discuss at our November meeting. I'm looking forward to hearing their thoughts about both this book, and the author.
I also want to give credit to The Currently Reading Podcast for recommending this one and to my sister, for so graciously passing it on to me after she had read it. I love my reading community!
After reading this book I had a book hangover - I just kept letting this book settle in my mind and didn't really want to start another book for a while. That is rare for me, but "56 Days" was worth it!
The Good Sister by Gilliam McAllistar
Martha and Becky are not only sisters, they are each others lifeline. When one is facing a problem, the first person she turns to is her sister. Becky, most recently, finds herself struggling with her job while Martha is struggling with a newborn, Layla, who seems to never be happy - crying more hours than not. Plus Martha has the responsibilities of running a charitable organization. The sisters find a solution to each problem when Becky agrees to babysit for Martha. All seems to be better until Martha leaves Layla with Becky overnight and during that time Layla dies. Was it crib death or murder? And if murder, who did it?
At times this story was slow developing but I became engaged with the story and so was able to overlook that. I liked the format and found it interesting. There were different layers to the sisters and their relationship. We also get glimpses into other struggles they each have and how they have dealt with them. It's another book that didn't have me on the edge of my seat but kept me wondering what had really happened. Near the end I did figure it out even though there were a few curveballs along the way. Overall a good book.
The Wife by Alafair Burke
When Angela met Jason, she thought it would just be a summer fling, but it developed quickly into more. A marriage and life that gave her a chance to reboot her life and move to a place where no one knew about the tragedy she had lived through. Six years later, their life is rocked when Jason, now a bestselling author, professor and up and coming media star is accused of sexual misconduct. This is not only a threat to Jason, but also a threat to Angela who has worked hard to stay out of the limelight to keep her past from being exposed. Everything begins to fall apart, and things get worse when one of those who accused Jason disappears. Angela has to decide whether to support her husband and risk the consequences or to go her own way.
This is the second book by Alafair Burke that I have read. She is the daughter of James Lee Burke and she has definitely inherited the story telling gene. Her stories unfold and piece together in a seamless way. She knows what to reveal and how to keep a reader engaged. Another good mystery.
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
Fern and Rose have a co-dependent relationship. Fern is unmarried, works in the library, and has a sensory disorder where she does not like bright lights, loud noises or to be touched. She also has one event in her past that always hangs there in her mind. Rose is married, unable to have a baby and treats Fern more as a mother to a child than a sister to a sister. Fern lives by herself but eats dinner with Rose 3 nights a week. Rose knows Ferns secret and has helped keep it all these years so Fern feels as if she owes Rose a debt. What better way to pay that then to have a baby for Rose. Fern only needs to find a father for the baby and then her plan will be complete.
Sally Hepworth gives us 2 unreliable narrators in this story. They are both believable so it's hard to figure out which is telling the truth. I also vacillated between which one I thought was the good sister and which was the other. Little did I know the evil that one of them had in them. My third Sally Hepworth book and I've enjoyed them all.
Thanks to my sister for passing this book on to me.
Cork finds himself in the midst of another mystery. In this one he is trying to help solve the cause of a plane crash that killed a U S Senator. To complicate things - or push him harder - his son, Steven, had seen a vision that the crash seems to fit. However, Steven is still having the vision and it seems something terrible is headed their way. Cork is in a race against time to protect his family by solving the mystery.
If you've read any of my book reviews, you know that I am in love with William Kent Krueger's writings. The way he tells a story connects with me and Cork is a man that I would love to know and at the same time feel I do know. He has all the human emotions and fears, but at the same time is a warrior.
This is the next to last currently published book in the series and it makes me a little sad to know that after the next book, I will probably have to wait at least a year before getting to reconnect with Cork.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
A wedding on an almost deserted island in Ireland, a group of men who haven't seem to mature past boarding school, half-sisters who each have secrets, parents of the bride who are estranged, a male best friend of the bride and the other guests all at the mercy of the weather and boats to get off the island. What could go wrong? How about one of them ending up being murdered. Who? Why? and Who Dun-it? There's a lot of possibilities of both people and motives.
The answer wasn't a big surprise and honestly in my mind I almost felt like the victim got what they deserved. I can't say I would have felt any different if the victim had been any of the other characters though. This was a book that I just did not really connect with the majority of them - in fact only one comes to mind that I liked. Some I did feel more sympathy for than other, but still did not care for them that much.
It is a decent book though - I never thought about quitting it. It is a book that has had some great reviews and was even a Reese's book club pick, so I am sure I am in the minority.
That wraps it up for October. I hope you all had a good month. As always, I welcome any recommendations. I love not only reading but talking books so please feel free to message, call or meet me for coffee one day for a book lovers time. Until next month - happy reading!
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