… and so is by TBR list! Still, I’m trying to keep up with my overflowing piles of reads – here are the latest I’ve read!
Marguerite By the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter is more vibes than plot, from what I remember of this not terribly memorable novel. We have a (female) gardener of a rich family, an affair, a fall off a cliff, some other shenanigans. This one didn’t stick with me.
Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein has been EVERYWHERE as this year’s beach read, so I was happy to jump on the bandwagon, and it was… fine. We have two estranged half sisters, a cabin in Maine left in a will, messy parents, and a bit of romance. I enjoyed it well enough while reading it but it didn’t blow me away like everyone promised. It was… fine. Great setting, though!
Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin was an audiobook listen, and was weird but compelling. We have Charlotte and Pete raising Stella, a strange but smart child, cared for by Blanka (a babysitter) who dies suddenly at the beginning of the novel. From there, strange things start occurring, and the reader is wondering if we’re dealing with Munchausen by Proxy, possession, abuse, neurodivergence, you name it! I don’t think she stuck the landing, but I for the most part I was happily engaged while listening.
Rental House by Weike Wang was a (brief) audiobook listen at only 6 hours, and chronicles the relationship of Keru and Nate as they host their parents – Keru’s Chinese parents at Cape Cod, then Nate’s parents in the Catskills – and how they and their relationship changes over time. I don’t know if you are supposed to *like* the characters, or root for them, but I didn’t, though I liked the themed of marrying outside your culture and how to stay connected through the years when priorities change.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty has been on my TBR for AGES, and now that it was our book discussion book, I tackled this doorstopper at over 500 pages! But, as usual, Moriarty makes it work and I loved it! On an Australian flight, a woman suddenly stands up and points at every passenger and telling them the age and manner of their death. From there, we follow a number of passenger threads, as well as the story of Cherry, the “soothsayer”. I had such anxiety throughout this novel – waiting for the inevitable! – but it propelled me along and I loved every page (and the epilogue!) so much. We had a great discussion about it, and this is another winner from Moriarty for me!
A Family Matter by Claire Lynch is the latest Read with Jenna book, and at 240 pages, is an easy one-night read. This novel tells two timelines – 1982 when Dawn and Heron were first married, and 2022 when Heron is single and learns of a medical diagnosis he must share with his daughter with Dawn, Maggie. This story explores family, forbidden love, daily routine in the face of crisis, and what makes a family. I really enjoyed this novel, and found it super easy to get through while having the feels.
Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson is at the heart of it, a murder mystery, but the conceit is that the novel is story in reverse, tracing the marriage of Thom and Wendy back 25 years and a terrible act that bound them together. This is about the demise of a marriage at the heart and is definitely more slow-burn character study than car crashes and chase scenes. A clever enough setup, but not one I’ll remember in a few weeks.
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