I just read Murder in the Dollhouse, the Jennifer Dulos story. I get random books on Kindle from library and did not expect much from it, but it was such an interesting read: not perfect (had some major issues with writer inserting himself and a couple odd poor taste remarks) but really mostly about the victim and her life which was pretty fascinating. Highly recommend if you want to read something unputdownable.

I read and really liked "Lake Effect" by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. It's a family drama set in the '70s in Rochester, NY. Had notes of "Hello Beautiful," "Ask Again, Yes," etc.

Anonymous wrote:I’m reading Strangers by Belle Burden. I guess it’s a “hot” book which I didn’t realize, but I am loving it! I recommend it to any married woman.

Listening on audio -- I like it!

Anonymous wrote:If you enjoy reading thrillers then I have an excellent recommendation for you.

I just completed reading “She Didn’t See It Coming” by Shari Lapena.

I have read a few of her previous novels but this one is by far her best work.

The story gripped me and I could barely put this book down…..
Showering, eating, working, sleeping……be damned!
Lol!

This story was captivating, compelling + very very unpredictable.
And if you love a good ending this book does not disappoint!

No spoilers ~ A perfect family lives in a condo unit, two attractive & successful parents have a wonderful, beautiful 3YO little girl and are trying for another baby.
They have a great marriage, friends as well as close family.
Then one day out of the clear blue - the Mother simply vanishes.
She does not show up to pick up her little girl from her daycare and there is no sign of her.
She loved her child and husband very much and would NEVER leave them.

This story is packed with intense suspense and so many surprises that I felt like I was on a rollercoaster 🎢 just by reading it.

Definitely five stars 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Her books are really great in spite of the writing being somewhat too simple.

I am currently in the middle of “The End Of Her.”

So far - so good!

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green. Read it over the course of a few days.

I love short, easy, interesting literary cnf that weaves a lot of things together like this (Mark Kurlansky's books, especially "Salt," are a great example of this), and this one about TB did not disappoint.

Reading from my bookshelf.

I finished Birnam Wood by Eleanor Cartoon and am now reading The Laguna by Barbara Catton.

I usually post here after every book I finish, but I have been super busy the last several weeks.
So, here are the audiobooks I have listened to in February and March:

"The Book Club Hotel" by Sarah Morgan. This was about 3 women who have been best friends since they met in college 20 years earlier. They get together for one week each year to discuss whatever book they have picked out to read, and just visit with each other. For this particular annual get-together, they gather at a hotel in Vermont in December.
I thought it was sappy and predictable and sweet and I enjoyed it throughout. I had not read anything by this author before, but this book was like a Debbie Macomber book.

Next was "The Bright Side of Disaster" by Katherine Center. This was about a woman living with her fiance. She is 9 months pregnant when he leaves to run an errand and doesn't come back until the baby is 6 months old. While he was gone, she had become friendly with a guy who is remodeling a house down the street from her. It was your basic romance novel. I liked it.

Then I listened to "The Wild Robot". This is a kids book and I am not a kid but I kept seeing it as a popular book available on Libby from my library and I wondered what it was about. It is about a robot that was built to work in a factory but it fell off a container ship and floated in the ocean until it landed on an island full of animals. The animals jumped on it and activated it. The robot became friends with all the animals. I thought the book was fun and I look forward to checking out the sequels.

Then I listened to "Louisiana Lucky". This was about 3 sisters who buy 3 lottery tickets every week. They win $200 million and spend much of their money frivolously. I thought the book was basic but I liked it.

Yesterday I finished listening to "The Spoon Stealer". This was about a woman who was born in 1894 in Nova Scotia Canada. When her brother is wounded in Europe during WW I she goes to England to find him and ends up staying in England for about 5 years. Then she goes back home to the family farm in Nova Scotia for 10 years, then moves back to England for the rest of her life. When she is in her 70's, she takes a class on writing and decides to write her memoirs. I liked the book but found it slow much of the time. It seems to me that a lot of British books are in no hurry to get the story done and over with compared to American books.

I also listened to 2 more books in the series about a caterer in Colorado who helps solve murders. There is only one more book in the series.

Today I started listening to a book that was recommended by someone here at the DCUM book club about a year ago. It is called "The Bookshop on the Corner" by Jenny Colgan. The book is about a 29 year old woman who was a librarian in Birmingham England. Her small library branch is being shut down and she is out of a job. She boxes up many of the books from the library and brings them home. She ends up buying an old delivery van, moving to Scotland and operating a mobile book store there.
I am about 1/3 of the way through the book and enjoying it immensely. I would like to say thank you to the person who recommended it.

I just finished "Good People" by Patmeena Sabit. I listened to the audiobook version, which is performed by about a dozen voice actors and does add to it. I don't know that I loved it, but I enjoyed the experience of it and have been thinking and reflecting on it since I finished. I'm very interested to hear what others thought of the book, especially as it's set in a close-in Virginia suburb, I thought a stand-in for McLean, but would love other input. Some of the geographic representations and characterizations of DMV teens felt inauthentic to me, but that's a small complaint.