Book Review: "The Woman in Cabin 10" by Ruth Ware

For some reason, I'm not entirely fond of novels set in England. Not sure why. Luckily most of this novel happened on a yacht in the North Sea. "The Woman in Cabin 10" was spellbinding. Ruth Ware sucked me in the minute Lo (the main character) hit the gangway leading to the Aurora. I was thrown off a bit by Lo's drinking in the beginning, bur soon came to realize that the blurred line between reality and drunkenness was important to the storyline. I especially enjoyed the "side-bar" pieces of emails, texts, and news reports...all those red herrings that kept me guessing. You know you're caught up in a good novel when you catch yourself either trying to read faster, or skipping over words to get to the next juicy detail. The twist in the plot at the end was worth every skipped word.

Book Review: "The Bookshop on the Corner" by Jenny Colgan

This novel is about a "book whisperer," which made me think of a colleague, Gina, who is exceptional at matching books to students. "The Bookshop on the Corner" is about more than book matching, however. Jenny Colgan's novel is about being open to what life throws your way, taking chances, and starting a new life. I especially enjoyed Nina's romantic soul, the sexual tension and the way Colgan leaves much to the reader's imagination. That romantic thread continued with the "reading tree" where characters left books and notes in, on, and around a dying tree. (of course my mind right away went into teacher mode...trying to figure out how to recreate this for students...and then I remembered, I'm retired) Scotland is a great backdrop for the story, the juxtaposition between "The Little Shop of Happy-Ever-After" book van and the wild landscape is well played.

Book Review: "Murder in the City of Liberty" by Rachel McMillen

This is the second Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery, and I was happy to be reunited with Reggie and Hamish. Rachel McMillen's red herrings kept me guessing throughout the novel. The historical tidbits about Boston, baseball before the color barrier is broken, and all the movie references helped move the storyline. In both novels, I felt as if I had stepped back in time. The details were rich and gave the characters authenticity. The only minus, would have to be the last couple of chapters. There the story dragged a bit. However, the happily-ever-after-ending that I was hoping for...Will there be a third installment?

Book Review: "The Last Days of Night" by Graham Moore

So I thought I'd try something historical (no big shock there) but with a science twist...Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla - three of the greatest creative minds. Add to that Paul Cravath a feisty lawyer, Agnes Huntington a songbird, and J.P. Morgan the richest man in the nation (at that time) and you've got a true life story that is better than fiction. AND it has a happy ending! Who knew that the Graham Moore could turn the war over Tesla's A/C current into a page turner. This was a great historical fiction that really gave me a different perspective about something I thought I knew. Edison the showman, Westinghouse the tinkerer, and Tesla the imagineer. The end of the book had me wondering what they would think if they could see our technology today.