I knew I would enjoy this story once I realized it was about a dog park and yes, I did find it to be entertaining. I laughed at the way the dog owners tried to "humanize" the dogs. There were several surprising elements and if you do read it, be sure to read the Epilogue at the end. I do recommend this book as a fun fast read.

Great book! Was recommended to me by a friend!

A teenage boy from India, whose family is moving to Canada, is the only survivor of their ship's sinking. Finding himself on a lifeboat with a lion, a hyena, and a wounded zebra, the story is a tale of survival, cleverness, and belief in God. Highly recommended.

THE PROVING GROUND by Michael Connelly 5 stars is not enough. The perfect book to start the Summer Reading program 2026 Some novels are good – The Proving Ground was PERFECTION. I was spellbound.

Two brothers and their wives share a 2 family house in Brooklyn. Rose and Mort have 3 daughters, while Helen and Abe have 4 sons; Mort longs for a son. Rose and Helen, who are extremely close, deliver their 4th and 5th babies on the same day, during the Great Blizzard of 1947. Rose has post-partum depression, so Helen steps in to help her and her family. Rose ends up resenting Helen, and refuses to spend time with her. The story goes through 23 years of life from the perspectives of Rose, Helen, Mort, Abe, and, later, that of 2 of the daughters. We see the differing impact various decisions and occurrences have on each of them. I highly recommend this book if you like character-driven stories.

The story is set on Nantucket Island. Darcy lives there and leads an active, complicated life by getting involved with her neighbors, one of which is her ex-husband. There is a lot of drama and secrets. Enjoy!

After an argument with her boyfriend Finn, Layla disappears. Did she run away? Was she taken? No one knows. Twelve years later, Finn is now engaged and living with Layla's sister Ellen. Suddenly Finn is receiving mysterious emails alluding to Layla still being alive. He and Ellen are find little Russian nesting dolls, another clue that Layla is still alive and nearby. Why won't she show herself? What does she want? Twists and turns and a great ending. I really liked this one!

A book of short mystery stories from various authors. I found it quite disappointing.

Three women: Val, Alex, and June meet at Hamilton Dog Park in Maryland, outside Washington, D.C. Two of them are not who they seem. This very well-written often funny novel satirizes the dog people and their pets. Very colorful characters. Highlights themes of friendship and secrets withheld from friends. Also emotionally abusive marriages. The ending is very cinematic.

The premise of the book sounded interesting but it was way too long and repetitive. In this book AI is implanted in a brain dead individual and Julia is hired to manipulate "Bernie" (a nod to the movie "Weekend at Bernie's). The book is told through alternating points of view. Note: The 3 stars is rounded up from 2.5 stars.