Summer reading is always great, whether it takes place in the sunroom, the backyard or at the beach. I recently had a very mild bout with COVID and took advantage of some rest and relaxation with my nose in a book.
If you are interested in reading about old New York City, the Dustbowl Era, the damaging practice of eugenics, couples trouble and missing persons, these books are for you! Switching up the genres keeps things interesting; alternating between history and mystery helps prevent me from mixing up characters and stories. I enjoyed each and every one of these and hope you make the time to check them out, too!
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The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Owen Michaels disappears leaving behind his young daughter, Bailey, and a note to his new wife Hannah that says “Protect Her”. Hannah and Bailey are desperate to find Owen and look for clues that will lead them to him. As bits of his past are revealed, the mystery deepens!
Five of author Laura Dave’s novels, including The Last Thing He Told Me have been optioned out for film.
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Marissa and Matthew seek out a nontraditional therapist, Avery Chambers, to help them deal with Marissa’s infidelity. Avery’s radical methods of therapy, after losing her professional license are just what the golden couple thinks they need to come to terms with Marissa’s infidelity. But there are far more secrets to uncover in this page-turner of a mystery!
Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen together have written several other psychological thrillers you will enjoy.
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Katey and her friend Eve are in their mid-20s and are out for New Year’s Eve in NYC. They meet a handsome banker, Tinker Grey, at a jazz club and this new friendship changes the landscape of 1938 for them all. With all the glamour, grit and hope of 20th century New York, my wish is for this one to become a movie!
Rules of Civility is the first book from Amor Towles and his storytelling, characters and setting are just as great as A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway.
West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Woody, 105 years old, is compelled to share his adventures as a 17-year-old orphan falling in love with a red-headed reporter and some exceptional giraffes. After losing his family to the Dust Pneumonia in the Texas Panhandle, he ventured to New York for work. When two giraffes survived crossing the Atlantic during a hurricane in 1938, a driver was needed to take the animals cross country to the San Diego Zoo and Woody was there at the right time.
Author Lynda Rutledge based the adventures in West With Giraffes on the true story of two giraffes who survived a hurricane and were delivered to the California zoo run by the first female zoo director during the Dust Bowl era.
