Sometimes I'm lucky enough to get a really good run of fast, compelling reads that I whip through each of them in just a few days. It's rare that I get an entire month full of just such books, but when it does? Well, then I get what follows.
A Summer in Sonoma, by Robyn Carr. Originally published in 2010 and re-released this summer, this tale of four friends who help each other through crises is classic Carr. Cassie has terrible taste in men, until she becomes friends with a guy who helped he when she was in trouble. Too bad he's completely unsuitable... Beth, a doctor whose body is betraying her for a second time, is trying to go it alone. Good friends don't let that sort of thing happen, though. Marty's husband is taking her for granted, and Marty has reached her breaking point. And Julie, married and a mother just out of high school, is struggling to keep her family together. Friends are always there to help one another through...at least when Robyn Carr is writing, anyway. Excellent easy beach reading.
Close Enough to Touch, by Colleen Oakley. After ten years in solitude, tragedy finally forces Jubilee Jenkins out her front door and into the world. She's not an ordinary librarian. She's a woman with an extremely rare allergy--the touch of another human could kill her. Eric Keegan has troubles of his own. He's left behind his ex-wife and daughter while he takes a temporary work assignment hours away, but he's trying to raise his adopted son, the child of his deceased best friend. Endearing and heartfelt, this tale of two people who want what's just out of reach is a compelling read. Highly recommended, especially for fans of JoJo Moyes and Liane Moriarty.
The Female Persuasion, by Meg Wolitzer. Wolitzer (The Uncoupling, The Interestings, etc.) is a favorite of mine, so when I got my copy of her latest novel, I couldn't stop myself from reading it in the span of two days. Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation when she meets feminist icon Faith Frank after a presentation at her university. This chance encounter draws Greer into a life she'd never dared imagine for herself, and further from her high school boyfriend, Cory, whose own life has derailed due to family tragedy. With overarching themes of honesty, loyalty, and admiration, this was a powerful, character-driven story. Excellent. Also available in Large Print and Audio.
White Houses, by Amy Bloom. Bloom (Lucky Us, Away, etc.) is one of my favorite writers--her style is spare, the books seeming deceptively short, but each word is so artfully chosen that a reader is immersed with just a few short phrases. Here, she explores the openly secret relationship between prominent female reporter Lorena "Hick" Hickock and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. After taking a job with the administration and moving into the White House, Hick is not only close to Eleanor, but she also develops an admiring understanding with Franklin, whose own lovers are also an open secret. Fascinating, beautiful, and told with a deft hand. Also available in Large Print and Audio.
The Favorite Sister, by Jessica Knoll. Knoll's 2016 debut, Luckiest Girl Alive, was a staff favorite here at the library, so we've been eager to see how her sophomore effort holds up. The good news? It's just as scathing and savagely funny as her first. The cast and crew of reality TV show Goal Diggers are gearing up for a fifth season, and while some of their onscreen alliances are scripted, they're even more cut-throat in their personal lives. Every one of them has secrets, and some are worth dying...or killing...to keep. Fan favorite Brett is perfectly at ease on camera, but her personal life is a disaster that's getting worse on the daily. Her sister and business partner Kelly, a single mom, is hopeful she'll get cast in the new season and finally move out of her sister's shadow. Stephanie, the veteran, had a bestselling debut novel, but her second and third have been lackluster, and she's desperate for her memoir to hit big to reestablish her relevance and her brand. But is that going to be her downfall? Bold, wry, and witty, this is a tale that highlights just what it takes, and what it can cost, to be successful. Also available in Audio.
The Mars Room, by Rachel Kushner. Kushner's gritty latest finds Romy Hall in 2003, serving two consecutive life sentences in Stanville Women's Correctional Facility deep in California's Central Valley. She's been severed from the outside world, from the San Francisco of her youth and from her young son, Jackson. Inside, there is a new world to learn and navigate, that of hustling to survive, the absurdities of institutional living, and casual violence. While not for the faint of heart, this is a novel full of brilliantly diverse stories interwoven into a mesmerizing tale. Also available in Audio.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara. The Golden State Killer was an elusive rapist turned murderer who terrorized California in the late 1970s and early 1980s before, it seems, going dormant, leaving over fifty unsolved cases and ten dead in his wake. Thirty years later, true crime journalist Michelle McNamara, creator of TrueCrimeDiary.com, pored over police reports and interviewed victims and neighbors, determined to identify the unknown perpetrator. This is her work, culled in parts from her notes, unfinished at the time of her untimely death. Note: this helped reignite interest in these cases, and the GSK was caught in April 2018. Compulsively readable and fascinating. Also available in Large Print and Audio.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman. Eleanor Oliphant has a flat and a job. She struggles with appropriate social interactions and her weeks are governed by a schedule that includes weekly phone calls with her mother and weekends dulled by vodka. It's only when she meets new coworker Raymond, and they together help Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, that Eleanor's careful routines begin to change. It's only as each of these lonely souls open up to one another that Eleanor finally begins to work out that she's only been existing, and that connecting with others is part of really living. Funny and thoughtful and absolutely perfect--I highly recommend it, and the audiobook is particularly exceptional. Oh, and this has been optioned for film with Reese Witherspoon attached to produce, so expect Eleanor Oliphant to be a household name in the future. Also available in Large Print and Audio.
How to Walk Away, by Katherine Center. For those who love heartfelt novels about overcoming obstacles, like Me Before You, Center's new novel is an absolute must-read. I can't tell you the last time I so much wanted to see a character come out on top after adversity. Margaret Jacobsen is on the cusp of all of her happily-ever-afters. She's got her dream job lined up. She's getting engaged. Then in an instant, Margaret must learn to start over. Nothing can ever be the same, but as the old falls away, new relationships are built. Old hurts can be healed, but some things must be let go before we can move on. I loved this book and these characters and I recommend it very, very highly.
Shelter in Place, by Nora Roberts. In the span of eight minutes, the normal evening at the Down East Mall in Portland, Maine is shattered. That's how long it takes from the first shot fired to the last of three rampaging teen shooters to be taken down. The survivors, in their grief and shock, do their best to cope in the aftermath. For the young waiter on break, it is the impetus to enroll in the police academy. For the first person to call 9-1-1, it becomes a wellspring of creative inspiration as she uses art to work through her grief. But for one individual, the evening was unfinished. For the mastermind behind the three shooters, the survivors are simply new targets. And those who remain must work to stop it before they're in the cross-hairs. A little different for Roberts, but excellent reading. Also available in Large Print and Audio.
The Outsider, by Stephen King. King, who has shifted in recent outings to more suspense with a supernatural twist (what I'm saying here is, if you think his work is too scary for you, try the new stuff), brings readers a new fight between good and evil. When a crime is committed in a small community, people are shocked and appalled. When the apparent perpetrator turns out to be well-loved teacher and Little League coach Terry Maitland, there is outrage and fury. Before his day in court can happen, however, Maitland is killed--but the investigation has only just begun. Because there's no way Maitland could have done it, not only because it was so uncharacteristic, but because he was in a different part of the state, on television, with witnesses, at the time the crime was committed. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Don't let the page-length put you off, because this is a fast, gripping read. Just a helpful hint from your friendly librarian, though--if you haven't read King's recent Bill Hodges trilogy (Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch), you might want to read that first, as one of the key characters in said trilogy makes an important appearance in The Outsider.
Waking Gods, by Sylvain Neuvel. Second in Neuvel's spellbindingly unique Themis Files, following his debut, Sleeping Giants (2016). As a girl, Rose Franklin accidentally discovered a giant metal hand buried in the earth. As an adult, she has devoted her life to the study of the hand, and of the other pieces that fit together with it. Why was this giant robot disassembled, the pieces scattered across the planet? With every answer comes more questions. The situation grows dire when a second robot appears on Earth, only to attack. Then, more robots, each appearing in highly populated areas. If their intent is malicious, can they be stopped? No sophomore slump here, this is both action-packed suspense and thought-provoking philosophy wrapped up in an incredibly fast read. I'd recommend this for fans of Andy Weir's The Martian or Ernest Cline's Ready Player One.
Have a safe and happy 4th!
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