Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman, 324 pages

This is a psychological thriller that would be perfect for a vacation read.  It's a quick read, but as the tension builds it would be nice to finish it in one fell swoop instead of having to put it down and come back to it.

This is Catherine Steadman's first novel, and while her characters aren't totally lovable, it is a good story.  Somewhere beyond the midpoint in the book I began getting tired of it, but it redeemed itself in the end with a twist I wasn't expecting.  That is always a bonus for me.

I would definitely put this on the "not too deep but fun" recommendation list.

One Day in December, 409 Pages

Recommended to me by my best friend, who always has a knack for knowing just what I need to read in that instant, One Day in December was everything she promised it would be and more.  And I'm not just saying that because it was the first thing I've read for fun since spending a semester studying European History. 

On a bus ride home, one day in December, Laurie locks eyes with a man waiting on the street.  There's an instant connection, but before either of them can take action, the bus pulls away.  Laurie and her best friend, Sarah spend the next year searching for Laurie's bus boy with no luck. Until the day she meets him, as Sarah's new boyfriend...  I'll stop there, so you can enjoy the how the rest of the story unfolds for yourself.

This book had just the right amount of romance for me without being overly sweet or raunchy.  It was also the December pick for the Reese Witherspoon, Hello Sunshine Book Club.  It's a classic romcom, best enjoyed on a winter weekend with a mug of something warm. 

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, 286 pages

The Owens women are witches and unlucky in love.  So it has been for over 200 years.  Two young sisters lose their parents and move across the country to be raised by two elderly aunts they've never met.  Thus begins Alice Hoffman's "Practical Magic."

I missed the book the first time around and read it after reading the excellent prequel, "The Rules of Magic."  Both are entertaining chick lit reads.  I'm glad I went back and read this one, though my heart remains with the Rules.  It was great fun to see how Alice Hoffman has matured as a writer between the 1995 publication of "Practical Magic" and the 2017 publication of "The Rules of Magic."

The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor, 322 pages

I happen to love WWII related fiction. I picked this book up thanks to a recommendation from an online book club that I participate in. I was hooked from page one. Alternating chapters with different time periods normally bugs me but it really worked with this story. It's an interesting and intriguing tale about something I hadn't heard of before...stamp engraving. I know it doesn't sound that interesting but I was so fascinated by it.There's an AHA moment in this book. When I got it I texted a co-worker that I wasn't coming to work until I finished the book (I finished in time for work). I also instantly recommended this book to a ton of people. Plus I instantly put it on hold for patrons at my library that I knew would love it. I will definitely read everything this author writes from now.

Faithful by Alice Hoffman, 258 pages

Hope. I tend to love books that are hopeful.  In this story, 17 year-old Shelby practically walks away from an accident that leaves her best friend incapacitated.

Shelby was always popular and the tragedy plunges her into depression and guilt and a belief that her life is over, or should be.

This is a story about Shelby eventually learning how to enjoy life again.  5 stars and thumbs up from me.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, 262 pages

Eilis Lacey is an Irish immigrant to Brooklyn after WWII.  She takes a job as a bookkeeper and moves into a boarding house. While in America she sort of reinvents herself and finds romance and a career both of which seemed unattainable at home.  But when a family tragedy takes her back to Ireland, she discovers what her life might have been like if she had stayed.  And then she has to make a choice, go back to America where she has commitments and a life waiting for her.  Or stay.  I won't tell you the choice she makes and I'm not even sure it was the right choice.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction from this era.  It has some romance, but I wouldn't catalog it as such.

Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich, 288 pages

Evanovich makes it easy to keep track of this series.  We are at volume #23 in the Stephanie Plum series. 

Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter in New Jersey.  She has her parents, her wacky grandmother, her sidekick Lula, her boyfriend Joe and her other boyfriend Ranger.

All the usual suspects are here, but instead of the often present strange animal we have an angry clown.  Stephanie catches some bad buys, buys the obligatory new old car and waffles between Joe and Ranger.  A nice little read or listen if you don't want to think to hard. 

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty, 415 pages

Liane Moriarty's latest chick lit epic involves three couples and an infamous weekend barbecue. Something happens at the get-together and everyone there feels they are to blame, even the kids.

The actual event is shrouded in mystery and more than half of the book builds up to the big reveal.

Complicated relationships, difficult parents, strained marriages . . . pretty much life.  This wasn't my favorite Liane Moriarty book but it was definitely fun and worth the listen.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen, 269 pages

This is one of those books I re-listen to periodically just because I enjoy it. 
I recently had a solo road trip and this little gem was the perfect companion.

Set in Mullaby, North Carolina, there are two main characters.  Emily is a 17 year old whose mother recently died and who just moved in with the grandfather she never knew she had.   Julia is a 36 year old who has reluctantly returned to Mullaby.  She left when she was 16 and never planned to live there again.

It's a magical little tale I never get tired of revisiting.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, 460 pages

This is the second time I've had the pleasure of reading this book.  Two of the library's book clubs are reading it this year so I read it again for the Downtown Library book club.

"Big Little Lies" revolves around three women, all of whom have kindergartners at Pirriwee Public School.   Jane is new in town and is a 26 year old single mother.  Madeline just turned 40 and is happily married to her second husband.  She has three children and a huge grudge against her first husband, who deserted her when her now 14 year old daughter was 3 weeks old.  Celeste is also near 40, has identical twin boys and seemingly has the perfect marriage and life.

A quite large calamity happens at the school's trivia night and the novel reveals the build up to that night and what happened afterwards.  Ohhh, this was fun and serious and suspenseful and wonderful.  Three words: Perfect Summer Read.

Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner, 400 pages

Rachel and Andy were 8 years old when they met for the first time.  They ran into each other again when they were 16, recognized each other and reconnected

Throughout their lives into their 40's they were together, they were apart, they were together, they were . . . you get the idea.  Did they end up staying together?  Come on, what do you think?

After You by Jojo Moyes, 352 pages

"After You" is the sequel to "Me Before You" and picks up about 18 months after the first book ended.

Louisa Clark now lives in London and is struggling with life.  She has few friends and a tedious job at an airport bar. Something and someone happens and life gets more interesting and complicated.

This is one of those humorous, heart wrenching and uplifting chick lit books that I tend to love.  And I did.  Oh, I did.  Jojo Moyes knows how tell a modern tale.  I can't wait for her next one.

Tricky Twenty-Two (Stephanie Plum #22) by Janet Evanovich, 292 pages

Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter not-extraordinaire, and her crew are at it again.  All the zany characters we know and love from the other 21 Stephanie Plum novels are here including Lula, Grandma Mazur, Joe Morelli and Ranger.

To be fair, Stephanie really is improving as a bounty hunter, as she should be after so many outings.

Listening to another Stephanie Plum book is similar to spending the afternoon with an old friend.  There won't be many surprises but it will be a fun afternoon with laughs.

The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty, 388 pages

Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite chick lit authors.  This is, I believe, the second book she wrote.  It was good, but not as good as her other books.  However, I learned a handy new phrase that I hope to remember "Stuffed it up, Buttercup." 

The book is set on Scribbly Gum Island, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.  Over 70 years ago a two-week old baby was found in a deserted house by two teenage sisters.  The parents, Alice and Jack Munro, had simply disappeared.  Those two sisters turned the Munro Baby Mystery into a lucrative tourist business.  The baby, they named Enigma, is now a grandmother and they all still live on the island, along with extended family. 

There are many things happening in the book.  We have aging, postpartum depression, biological clocks, nut allergies, body image issues, discovering oneself. . . . The characters weren't as dynamic as in some of Ms. Moriarty's other books but as I said, all worth it because of the fun new phrase I learned.

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, 320 pages

I listened to this book, read by Linda Lavin.  Addie Baum was born in Boston in 1900 to Russian immigrants.  The premise of the story is that Addie is telling her life story to her granddaughter Ava in 1985, not long after Addie has celebrated her 85th birthday.

It was a story of family, friendship and life and was an enjoyable book that was easy to listen to.  Rocked my world? No.  Waste of time?  Not at all. 

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen, 296 pages

When life gets too stressful, I relax by rereading one of my favorite books and I took a little break from life this week and re-enjoyed this gem.

Set in Mullaby, North Carolina, there are two main characters.  Emily is a 17 year old whose mother recently died and who just moved in with the grandfather she never knew she had.   Julia is a 36 year old who has reluctantly returned to Mullaby.  She left when she was 16 and never planned to live there again.

It's a magical little tale I never get tired of revisiting.

Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton, 308 pages

This is book #3 in Evanovich's Lizzy & Diesel series.  Lizzy is a pastry chef in a Salem, Massachusetts bakery when she is not helping the sexy, mysterious and magical Diesel track down the seven deadly stones that correspond with the seven deadly sins.  We're on avarice (greed) in this one.

The story involved a dead pirate and buried treasure mateys.  The book pretty much follows the pattern Janet Evanovich's books always do but I seem to always read them and be entertained enough to read the next one.

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler, 289 pages

The Downtown Library's book club read "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" this year, Laurie Viera Rigler's first Jane Austen Addict book.  This is book #2 and one of the book club members recommended reading it too.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to someone who hadn't read book #1, but it was a delight to read soon after I finished that first book.

This book is the story of Jane Mansfield, who is an upper class young woman from England in 1813.  She wakes up after a fall to find herself in the life of Courtney Stone, a woman in Los Angeles in 2009.  The modern world is overwhelming, but Jane finds herself enjoying many aspects, including showers, electricity, more Jane Austen stories (and even televised!) and freedom from her mother.  However, Courtney's life is a mess and Jane uses her Regency Period sensibilities to try to straighten it out.  Ahh, summer escapist fiction.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, 460 pages

Oh, Calamity!  I am finished with a Liane Moriarty book and don't have another to start immediately.

"Big Little Lies" revolves around three women, all of whom have kindergartners at Pirriwee Public School.   Jane is new in town and is a 26 year old single mother.  Madeline just turned 40 and is happily married to her second husband.  She has three children and a huge grudge against her first husband, who deserted her when her now 14 year old daughter was 3 weeks old.  Celeste is also near 40, has identical twin boys and seemingly has the perfect marriage and life.

A quite large calamity happens at the school's trivia night and the novel reveals the build up to that night and what happened afterwards.  Ohhh, this was fun.  Three words: Perfect Summer Read.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler, 293 pages

Author Laurie Viera Rigler confesses to be a Jane Austen addict.  In this novel, she has created a character, Courtney Stone, who is also a Jane Austen addict and lives in modern day Los Angeles.  Courtney wakes up from a alcoholic binge (where she is trying to forget about a cheating ex-fiance) to find herself in England in 1813.

But she's not herself.  She's no longer blonde, short and busty.  Now she's got brown hair and a willowy figure.  Everyone around her calls her Jane Mansfield, and Jane is a woman living a life very much like the life portrayed by Jane Austen's heroines.  Sure it's great to read Jane Austen, but to live it?  Courtney's not so sure.  Chamber pots, bleeding of ill humors, showers don't exist, baths are rare and women exist to marry and have children.

A fun, light summer read for even those of us who aren't quite addicts, but never turn down a good Jane Austen story.