A Fatal Grace
Written by Louise Penny
The Second Installment of the Chief Inspector Gamache Series
I read the first novel in this series a few months ago (Still Life). I enjoyed being introduced to the people of Three Pines and to the Canadian way of life in a small village.(I can't even imagine all the snow, the toboggans and mittens that are an essential part of their wardrobe -- especially during this Texas heat!) These characters felt like people I would know -- neighbors, fellow parishioners in a small congregation. A Fatal Grace returns to Three Pines and several of the characters feature in this novel as well. However, I didn't love this one. I have heard it said that the first three books in the series are a bit slippery, as they find their footing for the rest of the series (which is highly acclaimed). I can see that. I wasn't as invested in the outcome of this murder investigation...maybe because I figured out half of the plot twist early on...or maybe because I really, REALLY disliked the victim and was just glad that she was out of the picture. BUT, I will say that my curiosity with the underlying big picture mystery involving the Chief Inspector himself was whetted BIG TIME. So, I will definitely be reading more of this series.
The Woman In Cabin 10: A Novel
Written by Ruth Ware
Book of the Month: August
From New York Times bestselling author of the “twisty-mystery” (Vulture) novel In a Dark, Dark Wood, comes The Woman in Cabin 10, an equally suspenseful and haunting novel from Ruth Ware—this time, set at sea.
In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…
With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another taut and intense read in The Woman in Cabin 10—one that will leave even the most sure-footed reader restlessly uneasy long after the last page is turned. Taken from Amazon
In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…
With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another taut and intense read in The Woman in Cabin 10—one that will leave even the most sure-footed reader restlessly uneasy long after the last page is turned. Taken from Amazon
Let me just say, Lo drove me crazy! But that is what she was supposed to do. I kept wanting to scream at her, "No! Don't do that!" but she just kept going. It was kind of like watching a scary movie and knowing that the kids shouldn't go into that house...but if they don't go in, there is no movie. Let's just say, unreliable witness + private cruise ship + mysterious Internet outage = great page turning fun. Was there a woman in Cabin 10? What happened to her? What happens to Lo? You will have to grab this one to find out.
The Mothers: A Novel
Written by Brit Bennett
Book of the Month: October
"All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we'd taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season."
It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.
In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever. Taken from Amazon
This book! If you didn't read that second paragraph above, a direct quote from the book, read it now and savor it. This book is filled with such quotes. I finally had to grab my post it arrows because there was so much I loved and wanted to go back to. This is a story of things unsaid, of things said to cover the truth of the heart, of actions taken that changed the course of personal history. There is heartbreak and strength. There is reality and the much different appearances - seen through the eyes of a beholder whose vision is clouded. Then, bringing all the threads together, there are the Mothers, the older women of Upper Room Church where much of this book is set. Wise. Insightful. Well-meaning. Prayer Warriors. But also caught up in their own understanding of events, unwilling sometimes to see how they have played into the drama that is unfolding before their very eyes.
This will definitely be one of my favorite books of 2016 -- perhaps of all time. I am seriously thinking of reading it again because it is that good -- and I wonder what great things I may have missed as I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. It was a good thing Jim was away on a dove hunt when I picked it up and began reading!
I also finally picked up Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living In A Fast-Moving World by Emily P. Freeman. I have had this one on my TBR shelf since it came out. I think I even pre-ordered it because I love Emily so much! I'm only a chapter into it...but I am looking forward to the read. I think this is one of those books that needed to wait for the right time for me. I am beginning to think about the need to slow down. I know it is a combination of things contributing to my sense of rush and hurry...but it is time to take a seat on a bench, like the one on that cover, and have some heart to heart time with the Lord, with my family and with those friends who have earned a place of transparency and intimacy in my life.
