Wethersfield Library

Girls of Summer

Nancy Thayer

Wonderful beach read that centers around two generations of two families on Nantucket and how their lives overlap during one eventful summer. Quick read that captured my attention and interest and I finished in less than a week!

Malibu Rising

Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book was an easy read. Full of dysfunctional family drama, family tragedy and the life of the Rivas family set in Malibu. The story switches between the past and present life of the Rivas family and the children left behind.

Killing the Rising Sun

Bill O’Reilly

Good, easy to read historical summary of WW II Japanese actions that lead to defeat.

The Other Black Girl

Dalila Zakiya Harris

Interesting expose of the publishing world with a very dark twist.

The Nautical Chart

Arturo Perez-Reverte

Having read several other novels by Arturo Perez-Reverte which I enjoyed this one came up short. The plot about a search for a sunken ship had some intriguing parts but it wasn't until 3/4 of the way in when they actually start the search by boat and diving. A disappointing, and to put it bluntly, boring book.

A Cosmology of Monsters

Shaun Hamill

I am a fan of Stephen king but this author read-a-like didn't do it for me. Few nonsensical weird turns and an ending that didn't really feel fulfilling.

This Tender Land

William Kent Krueger

Excellent! This is the story of 4 orphans who escape from an abusive Indian Training School in MN. They set off in a canoe to find the Mississippi and travel all the way to St Louis. Along the way they encounter rich characters and experiences that change their lives. Excellent writing and a well-developed, tightly woven plot.

Maybe Someday

Colleen Hoover

Once again, another great book written by Colleen Hoover. Throughout the book, you not only build a connection with the characters, Ridge and Sydney, but also feel exactly what they are feeling. I have never felt exactly what the characters were feeling until I read this book.

Eternal

Lisa Scottoline

Set in the time of Mussolini’s Italy it is a love story set against the backdrop of fascism and the rise of Hitler. Two best friends, one Jewish and one not, fall in love with the same childhood friend. There is a lot of dialogue and many, many characters but it is a quick read told in short chapters. I found it interesting from the perspective that most WWII fiction is not set in Italy.

Golden Girl

Elin Hilderbrand

A great interpretation of what one's experience is like in the afterlife. A wonderful story that weaves together the themes of family, love, grief and the choices that we make during this one life that we have. Another great story by this very talented author!

Into the Drowning Deep

Mira Grant

Well written, surprisingly good for a premise of 'mermaids are real and they'll eat people'. Reminiscent of Jurassic park with good character development. Science Fiction / Fiction.

The Affair

Danielle Steel

The story about a painful journey discovering who you are, what you want, forgiveness and compromise. It's about the learning of ourselves and about others. Very interesting. Can easily read in a day.

Choose Me

Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver

This is a perfect summer beach read! It’s a murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the end.

Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen

Michelle Icard

This was a slightly premature read for me as my oldest is only 8. The book gives parents strategies for conducting productive conversations with tweens/middle schoolers. The author covers many topics ranging from technology use to impulsivity. This book reminded me a lot of How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, but for an older crowd. I liked the idea of approaching the conversation with empathy and beginning peacefully, rather than with a criticism. I can't quite put the strategies outlined here in practice, but hopefully I will sometime in the next couple of years.

The Exiles

Christina Baker Kline

This latest from Christina Baker Kline gives a glimpse into 19th century Australia through the eyes of 3 remarkable, resilient young women. Two of them are convicted of minor crimes in England, imprisoned there in deplorable conditions, and then transported to Australia on one of the infamous and perilous convict ships. The third is a native Aboriginal orphan, relocated and stripped of her native culture and identity. These women face unbelievable challenges and are a testimony to the strength and perseverance of women.

The Music of Bees

Eileen Garvin

This is Eileen Garvin's first novel and it is a wonderful story. The main characters are Alice, a 44 year old part time bee keeper, Jake, a paraplegic teenager, and Harry, a young man who never seems to fit in with friends. The story of how they help each other become stronger and happier will make you laugh and, maybe, make you cry at times.

Still Life

Louise Penny

After reading a few Inspector Gamache novels (out of order) over the years, I decided this summer is finally the time to read all of them in order. This book takes place in a lovely Canadian village near the Vermont border. The villagers are diverse and colorful. There are painters, a poet, a used bookstore owner, a bistro owner, an innkeeper, and more. They are black, white, gay, straight, cranky, and charming in turn. The main character, Inspector Armand Gamache, is intelligent, calm, and kind. I love how Penny weaves food, French, poetry and wisdom into her stories.

That Summer

Jennifer Weiner

Two Diana's - one with almost perfect life and one who is building a life and how and why they become friends. #MeToo subject matter.

Mary Jane

Jessica Anya Blau

I liked this book and could relate to its main character. Mary Jane is a shy teenager living in Baltimore in the 70s. She takes a summer job as a nanny for the daughter of a psychiatrist. The household is nothing like Mary Jane has experienced and it gets even wilder when a famous rock star and his wife come to live there for the summer.

You Belong To Me

Mary Higgens Clark

The mystery of who is the killer and if Dr. Susan Chandler will be the next victim keeps you hooked until the end. The scary part is that the killer could be one of the new men that come into Susan's life and she is unaware of the danger that she is in as she searches for the killer.

Nine Perfect Strangers

Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty's book, soon to be a TV miniseries, spins the story of 9 people attending a health spa, led by the enigmatic and exotic Masha. Moriarty takes the reader for a ride, with each chapter written from a different character's point of view, twisting its way to a powerful climax. This isn't the type of book I'd normally read, but I found it a fun distraction from my usual nonfiction reads. I can see why her books are perennially popular.

The Guest List

Lucy Foley

Loved this book! A murder occurs at a wedding celebration on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland. The author deftly develops the raging storm as an additional character, while weaving together several subplots. She keeps you guessing until the very end!

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law

Haben Girma

The story of Haben Girma is amazing, but I don't think her memoir does justice to her accomplishments in life. The book is short (263 pages) and the chapters are more like short stories or essays and a bit choppy I liked the book, but it left me wanting more information.

The President’s Daughter

Bill Clinton & James Patterson

Clinton and Patterson have done together again. I could not put this book down! Details, drama, action, suspense all in one book. I hope they team up again for a third book.

News of the World

Paulette Giles

Listened to audiobook of the story of an itinerant newspaper reader in post Civil War Texas. He accepts the responsibility of returning a young girl captured by the Kiowa Indians to her family. The plot covers his backstory and their developing relationship as they travel across Texas. Very moving story, which I enjoyed. I understand the author did not use quotation marks in the print version, which some readers criticized since it was difficult to discern the narrative from the characters speaking, but the Overdrive version was a good listening experience.

Deja Dead

Kathy Reichs

This is the book that started it all for Kathy Reichs. Her character of Temperance Brennan from the tv series Bones. This is a grisly murder investigation that introduces us to Tempe, but not any other folks from the show.