I really enjoyed reading this summer read. I like that it’s setting is mostly in a beach town. It’s a nice change to read about a character that is a good person and easy to like. Dolly and Stewart’s story was fun to follow. Especially with a beautiful backdrop.

A historical fiction novel propelled by a mystery. A young bookbinder is on a hunt for the truth of the story after she finds a written confession of a murder hidden in the binding of a burned book. This letter hints at a story of forbidden love, a lost fortune and murder. Lillian Delaney , apprentice to a bookbinder in Oxford in 1901, feels trapped between the oppressiveness of her father's failing bookshop and still being an apprentice in a man's profession. When she is given this burned book during a visit to a collector, she finds hidden beneath the binding, a fifty year old letter speaking of love, fortune and murder. She is pulled into the mystery of young lovers, a story of forbidden love, and discovers there are more books and more hidden pages telling their story.

I'm a sucker for just about anything cyberpunk so the book that's often credited as having created the genre has naturally been on my TBR list for a while. Even within a genre like cyberpunk that tends to be very cynical and often abrasive, Neuromancer is definitely not for everyone. A friend of mine described it as "thoroughly unwelcoming" and I kinda love that description. Gibson just drops you into his bleakly predictive sci-fi world without bothering to explain how anything works and expects you, the reader, to do the heavy lifting and figure things out. This makes it a very challenging read, no doubt and I'd be lying if I said I understood everything (or even most things) that happened. I don't want to make it sound as if I disliked it though. It's incredibly unique with engaging characters at the center of its heist plot. The worldbuilding is very strong and is undeniably ahead of its time considering how much cyberpunk as a genre relies on ideas this book effectively created. I just find it to be a very difficult book to recommend.

In the affluent town of New Bethlehem, Connecticut where everyone and everything appear perfect, there are still flaws. Best friends Belle and Devon plan a swingers party by invitation only and the couple pairing, although made to look random were very much thought out and arranged. Greed, addictions, marriage problems, drugs, physical abuse and money cannot escape even the shiniest of towns. When Alex Hunter, New Bethlehem’s sweetheart and ex NFL quarterback is found murdered in his living room, the shocking truth is revealed. The story leading up to the reveal of the murderer is entertaining, but the big reveal at the end will surprise you. This book is a must read.

Frida and Gabriel grew up together in a cult that they escaped together. In this dual timeline story you get a glimpse into that time. In the present they reconnect at a luxury resort but a murder occurs... The book does have some flaws but I totally enjoyed it.

The unique writing style had such great promise, and the audiobook actors were phenomenal. But the story itself fell flat. I’m definitely open to stories that end with lingering mystery, but I feel like absolutely nothing was explained at the end. It feels like the author took way too much liberty with the “let the reader come to their own conclusions” concept and just didn’t bother to come up with a full idea.

A vivid recreation of pre-Holocaust shtetl life in Poland based on the many Yizkorbooks that were published after World War II. Poignant, moving, and ultimately very sad. It also describes the native Polish antisemitism of the 1930s -- so relevant to the rise of antisemitism in our own days. Recommended.

Lisa See brings so much history of how the early Chinese settlers were treated in our country. And in 1870, post 13th amendment ending slavery, we learn that this did not apply to Chinese women. Another great read by this talented author.

This book was terrible. I couldn’t stand to read one of the two narrators for almost the entire book. The story relies on the “Idiot Plot”. Meaning this story only works because all of the characters involved are morons. The level of paranoia and stupid decisions are too ridiculous even for fiction. The perpetrator doesn’t even make sense, since their motivation isn’t even legitimate since parts of the story made the justifications impossible. Avoid this book.

Usually Reese’s book club picks are great and this book did not disappoint. AJ and Noah meet when Noah comes to live with his aunt when his mother is diagnosed with Huntington Disease. As AJ and Noah get to know each other a special bond is formed between them first as friends and then as true loves. When Noah finds out that genetically he will also have the same disease that ravaged his mother, he does everything in his power to stay away from AJ so that she can have a better life without him. Can they stay apart or is the love they have strong enough to withstand a full relationship. Read and find out.