Chapter 29 - Clean Slate

I have always loved September. For me it signals a new year and a fresh new perspective even more so than January. I love school supplies, autumn leaves, brisk air, and the opportunity to reinvent yourself with the new season. I was also a big fan of summer reading requirements and always tried to read more than the reading list suggested. I would often find a historical fiction book and then go down the rabbit hole of reading nonfiction about the same time period or event. Of course, I kept all the information in my marbled composition book!

After writing last week's blog, I also realized how much I love sharing my reading adventures with others. While I may no longer own a bookstore, I am available anytime to talk books! So just consider this my book report from my summer reading!

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone - This was a good psychological thriller by Pavone who has written other terrific books (The Expats comes to mind). Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon expecting to find her husband next to her. He is gone and she is worried. She has no idea why they are in Lisbon, there is no note, and he is not answering her phone. She gets hotel security, the Lisbon police, and finally the American Embassy involved and when they fail to help her, she turns to the one man who can.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain - If you enjoyed A Man Called Ove, you would probably like this as well. Albert Entwistle who has been a postal worker for many years, receives a letter telling him he has to retire. Although Albert has kept to himself along his mail route, he decides to reach out to his customers with wonderful results.

Darling Girl by Liz Michalski - This is a spin on the Peter Pan story several generations later. Holly Darling, granddaughter of the famous Wendy, is a scientist who heads up a large skincare company. Her son Jack is doing well even though he and Holly were in a tragic car accident years ago which killed Holly's husband and Jack's twin. When she gets a call that her daughter Eden is missing, she and Jack go to England to find her. This was a book club selection from Once Upon a Book Club (onceuponabookclub.com) and I really liked the twist on the original story.

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? And Other Questions About Dead Bodies by Caitlin Doughty - Okay so I know it sounds morbid but anyone who has an animal has probably had this same thought. Caitlin Doughty is a mortician who has written quite a few books and this one is filled with questions that she has been asked over the years. Most of the questions are from children, who she says are not afraid to ask her anything, and she gives thoughtful, well researched answers. Might be a great book for Halloween!

You Are Not Alone by Gail Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - This is another thriller. Shay Miller sees a woman throw herself under a subway train. The suicide haunts her and as she researches the background of the woman, Shay finds herself caught up in a web of lies and a psychological game of chess. Hendricks and Pekkanen are two writers who really mesh in telling a story.

As you can guess we are just about halfway through my summer reading list. How about you - what was your reading summer like? Let me know!