I enjoyed this book that takes place in Paris just on the verge of the German occupation. Solange meets with a woman with an interesting life story and learns of the connection they share.

Wild Dark Shore is a climate fiction novel that intertwines the themes of climate change with personal and emotional journeys. It is a very “heavy” novel with both environmental issues, and emotional issues. Lots of triggers in this one. It is set on remote completely isolated frozen, Shearwater Island. The Island was set up, with labs and homes, (in addition to the lighthouse that serves as home to the Salt family) to save seeds so that in case of a catastrophe they can be planted to provide food to the world. The Island is being overtaken by the ocean, the facility is decaying and no longer viable. The scientists have all left. Only the Salt family, dad and three children remain on the Island to pack these seeds to relocate them. The story explores the dynamics of the family left on the Island and Rowan, a mysterious woman who washes up on the shores. The novel explores ethical actions in the face of climate change. It also explores themes of life, death, grief, love, suicide, sacrifice and mental illness. Wild Dark Shore examines the interconnectedness of life and death, hoping, I think, to encourage readers to consider the moral responsibilities humans have towards the environment and each other.

These friends have continued to summer at the lake since they were children. Now adults, they look forward to those few weeks in summer when their family’s vacation together, keeping up the tradition. This year things are off. The friends are not comfortable with each other. Their children are not talking to each other, and the new nanny is an enigma. David, now divorced has brought a new girlfriend, along with his twin 5-year-old children and the new Nanny. He has also built a huge glass house that does not fit in to the area, and has blocked his friends’ views. There is tension among the friends. There is a legend that every thirty years a woman disappears from the lake…. the lake takes them. There have been 2 of these disappearances. It is now thirty years after the last disappearance, and guess what, David's girlfriend disappears. A complicated murder mystery with connections to three generations. Some outlandish sections, but if you can get over that, a good solid mystery. I actually enjoyed it, despite my misgivings.

Very cute gay cowboy romance. There is a third act break up, but it doesn't last long. I wanna go to Texas now!

This book is a memoir written by Whoopi Goldberg about her relationship with her mother and brother. She discussed the influence that her mother had on her and how she helped her become the person she is now. The book was heartwarming and informative. I liked this book

A woman embarks on a cross country drive from California to New York under the guise of a work trip. She ends up staying at a motel that is thirty minutes from her house and family. She redecorates the motel room to replicate a room where she once stayed in Paris. During this stay she becomes sexually awakened by a younger married man. She upends her marriage by making an arrangement with her husband to have an open marriage. She wants her sexual freedom however it is short lived and she is still not happy. I found this book slightly off putting. I found the main character selfish and not fully mature. I just felt sorry for the husband. I do not recommend this book.

I only picked this book because it met the challenge and the description sounded promising. I was wrong. The (biggest) twist was predictable from about the 5th chapter. When I first figured it out I was not sure if the author thought their readers were morons and would not see it, or if it was meant to be the biggest red herring ever (it wasn’t). Even for a mystery/thriller there was excessive and pointless death. If I could provide better advice, it would be to skip the epilogue. It was totally unnecessary and added plot lines at the bitter end that contribute nothing to the overall story, and actively takes away from it simultaneously. That is after seeing that the book was already 100 pages too long.

Great summer reading

Maggie works in a bookshop in a town that doesn't allow new books to be sold. She works around it with the help of the townspeople.

This was a wonderful book. Una Kelly is a young woman in 1883 New York who is a grifter and thief. She is arrested for murder which she has not committed. Somehow she manages to escape the jail, and decides to enter a nursing program begun by Florence Nightingale at Bellevue. She doesn't want to be a nurse, just needs to hide from the police.