All the Books I Read Recently
1. Insomnia
A good thriller but not great. Emma is approaching 40 and worried that she is going insane. Her mother had a mental break on her 40th birthday and now Emma is worried she will suffer her mother’s fate. Her husband is scared of her and threatens to take their daughter away because Emma’s behavior is so erratic. But she feels like something else is at play here and someone could be setting her up. Rating: 7.5
2. You Shouldn’t Have Come Here
A thriller/mystery but lacking the build up or suspense in my opinion. The end definitely had an interesting twist but not enough to make up for the slightly slow pace of the rest of the book. Grace decides to leave her hectic life in NYC to go on a solo vacation to idyllic Wyoming. The owner of the place she is staying at is handsome, single and seems to be a great distraction for Grace. But odd things begin to happen while Grace is there and she worries that something more sinister is going on. Hopefully she can leave before things get worse. Rating: 7.5
3. Lessons in Chemistry
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!! This book was fantastic!!! So inspiring and a true testament to what women can accomplish. Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in the 1960’s and fighting to make a name for herself in a male-dominated world. But the obstacles she faces are horrific and so infuriating. From sexual assault and sexism to sabotage from other women who don’t understand her, Elizabeth must endure it all. There is only one man that seems to understand her, Calvin Evans, another chemist who works at the same institute. They fall in love though Elizabeth still has to fight against society’s gender roles to remain her own woman. After tragedy strikes and Elizabeth finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and alone, she must forge a new path that is drastically different from her intended one. You will find yourself crying, screaming, laughing and yelling at this book – it brings out all the emotions. Rating: 9.5
4. One Night On the Island
I have read One Day in December by this same author and absolutely LOVED it, but this one was only a like for me, not a love. Cleo Wilder is a dating columnist and plans a solo retreat to a remote Irish Island for a story she is working on. Cleo is approaching her 30th birthday and hopes this trip will bring her some clarity about her life and future. When Cleo arrives at the house that she rented for 3 weeks, she discovers there is a booking overlap and another guest will be staying there at the same time. Mack is a professional photographer from Boston and is trying to recover after splitting from his wife. He comes to this Irish island because his family is from here and hopes to explore his roots and heal his heart. Mack and Cleo have both booked this charming cottage and are forced to stay together since there is no other vacancy on the island. Their initial disdain for one another turns to admiration after they both discover they are seeking the same thing from this trip. Rating: 7.5
5. The Sanitorium
I really wanted this book to be so much more than it was. It has a ton of great reviews but fell very flat for me. Elin and her boyfriend are visiting a chic new hotel in the Swiss Alps where her brother is celebrating his engagement. Elin and her brother have a contentious relationship but she wants to make an effort for this new chapter he is beginning. The hotel is beautiful but has a dark history as it was once a sanatorium that housed patients suffering from numerous diseases and mental afflictions. Elin can feel the hotel’s negative energy and it makes her uneasy. And once her brother’s fiance goes missing unexpectedly, Elin must face the hotel’s horrific past and hopefully save the fiance before it’s too late. Rating: 7.5
6. Book Lovers
A predictable rom-com type book that is an easy read but won’t be your favorite book of the year. Something easy to read on vacation. Nora lives a fabulous life in NYC as successful literary agent navigating the demanding publishing world and trying to fight for her author clients. When her sister, Libby, suggests they take a vacation together to a small town in North Carolina to get away for some quality sister time, Nora agrees. When she gets there, she feels like she is living in one of her client’s novels – a stereotypical big city gal comes to a small town narrative. While there, Nora runs into an editor who she worked with in NYC though she was never his biggest fan. It’s inevitable that they will have to cross paths in this small town and Nora needs to figure out how to coexist with this man whom she does not like. The ending is predictable but leaves you feeling good which is always nice. Rating: 8
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