Part of a series, this was book 4. Light summer read

This book was RIVETING! A southern family drama meets the godfather!

Very interesting story around a true event about a flying race across the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii.

An exciting , emotional novel which switches back and forth between 1980 and 1984. It tells the story of Dr. Joan Goodwin, an astronomy professor who is among the first women accepted into NASA's astronaut training program. We follow her through her intense training, as she forms deep friendships with her fellow trainees. Four years later, she is the voice of NASA at mission control in Houston as the unexpected happens involving her friends during a space shuttle mission.

This book sat on my shelf for too long but Phoebe and the Wedding People will stay with me even longer. This quickly has become my favorite book of the year. It centers around Phoebe and how for one weekend she decides to splurge one last time on herself at a ritzy hotel in Rhode Island. She has hit rock bottom and to her, her life is over but then she meets the bride and the rest of the Wedding People. Pros: Espach did an excellent job of weaving an intricate story of tough subjects with humor. The characters were all likeable and relatable. I also thought that the book flowed nicely. There were also multiple moments in the novel where I laughed out loud. Cons: It was a little slow in the beginning but very quickly you become invested in the story.

This is Alison Bechel’s memoir graphic novel, which was also made into a Broadway musical. I think there were some interesting choices in what words she chose. Some of them were very academic. I am not sure if that was intentional to reference her father’s sophisticated preferences, but it made it a more challenging read. I did find the story interesting and it was a unique way to tell it through words and art. The book is very revealing and heartfelt. It helps tell a story of how we can all struggle with finding who we are.

I admit that I never read The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank. To coincide my visit to the Anne Frank Exhibition at the Center of Jewish History. it was time to read it, It is harrowing the story that a teenage girl tells that she managed to capture a part of life that should not have been experienced by anyone of any age. Even knowing the ending, I was gripped that there is going to be/should be,/there will be a happier ending. as in real life, which is exactly that this diary is, there are not always happy endings.

This book was very difficult to get through. Wally Lamb is one of my favorite authors. This one is very well written and realistic, however it is extremely sad. Corby Ledbetter is the father of twins, , a boy and a girl. They are 2 years old. He is depressed because he has lost his job as an artist and can't seem to find another. His wife Emily is a teacher, and he stays home with the children. He is very depressed, and ends up drinking too much and taking to much of the medication the doctor has prescribed. One day while getting them in the car to go to his mom's house, something terrible happens. He forgets Niko, is not in his car seat but behind the car.

.The Business Trip Jessica Garica Two women, meet on a plane, both feeling the need to escape complicated lives. Then the two women go missing. Soon their friends start receiving weird texts. Twist upon twist, all of us (including the reader) are at the hands of a master manipulator. Fun read.

The VANISHED by Bill Pronzini, written over 50 years ago, is a classic old time detective novel in the style of Sam Spade or The Maltese Falcon. "A dame walked into the office...." kind of story. This book is the second entry into a long running series that features the "nameless detective". The private detective is hired to find a women's missing fiance. The hunt is wonderful to follow in the pre cell phone, pre internet world that nameless inhabits. I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to read more of Pronzini's work.