21. The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley. Patrick reunites with his niece and nephew as his brother prepares to remarry. Perfect for a Hollywood movie!

Haven’t gone far into it y

Abby Jimenez just came out with a book titled Just for the Summer. Reviewers said it is a stand alone and also part of a trilogy (characters from the first 2 books appear in the subsequent books). This one, Part of Your World, is the first book. Alexis, a doctor, is driving home from a funeral when her car ends up in a ditch. A handsome man, Daniel, stops by and pulls out her car. And since it's late and foggy, she goes to the nearest town to get something to eat. Of course, this is the town where Daniel lives. Alexis is part of a family heritage of wealthy surgeons, a hospital legacy. Daniel is from a small town. Thus begins an impossible relationship between an ER doctor and a carpenter. Can they make it work?

Camino Ghosts is the third in a series but can be read as a standalone. It’s the story of a group of island residents who seek justice for the octogenarian Lovely Jackson when a greedy developer seeks to build on Dark Isle where Lovely’s family lived for generations. A local writer, book store owner and environmental lawyer join the fight to defend Lovely’s rights. Definitely worth a read!

At the start of this story, I thought it would be a DNF but by chapter three I was hooked. It was an interesting story of three generations of women that were close in age because the pregnancies occurred when Ginny and and later her daughter, Liza were 15 years old. Ginny, a/k/a Big had an incredible love for her family and would move mountains to keep them safe. Liza had many secrets but she had been paralyzed and was unable to speak. There were several people trying to solve the mystery created by these secrets and It was interesting to see who would solve it first. It was a heartwarming story which I truly enjoyed. I do recommend it.

Single mom Maggie returns home with her young son. Her parents from whom she was estranged, because of her teen pregnancy have died. Maggie never wanted to return but circumstances, forced this unexpected decision. She lands a job as a nurse in the local prison. A man, whom she testified against is a prisoner there based on Maggie’s testimony, 10 years ago that he was the teen who committed assault, murder, and the attempted murder of his then girlfriend, Maggie. Maggie had been sure he was the killer, but new information has made her loose that confidence. Now, more people are showing up dead. Not a mystery award winner but kept me turning pages.

This is a story of three generations of an Irish Catholic family. The story is told from six different points of view, including the matriarch, Catherine McLaughlin, her daughter Kelly and son-in-law Louis as well as their two daughters, Gracie and Lila. As in most families there are problems communicating.

Very light reading. Very predictable. I thought it would have more substance. It is a great beach read

Fiction based on History in Warsaw, Poland during WWII. Adam Paskow, a quiet teacher of languages, accepts his father-in-law’s offer to sign over his apartment and enter the Jewish Ghetto to ‘a nice flat.’ In reality he shares the flat with with two other families. In Warsaw to today there is a collection of life in the ghetto, Oneg Shabbat Archive. The author prtrays life in the ghetto - deprivation, resilence, hardship through Adam’s eyes. An interesting and fast read. It brings you to the scene to experience a brief glimmer into the lives few of those denied freedom at the time.

Hilderbrand brings back characters from her prior books to interact with newcomers to her beloved island who will do almost anything to be accepted by Nantucket regulars. The Richardsons throw themed parties all summer, each one more decadent than the ones that came before. SWAN SONG features all of the Hilderbrand detailed descriptions of every shop, beach, island, country club, mansion, cocktail, relationship, yacht, ferry, deception, perceived slight and of course outfits worn. This might be the last of her Nantucket books but is certainly not the last we will hear from Elin. She and her daughter, Shelby, signed an agreement to write two private school books together. At the end of the SWAN SONG audio book, Elin read the last chapter herself and discusses the journey she has shared with her narrator, Erin Bennett. One profound sentence hit me right between the eyes. Elin said “There’s no way to get to know someone except through time.”