One midwinter’s night at Swan Inn in Radcot on the banks of the river Thames, a seriously injured man bursts in carrying what was first believed to be a puppet. As they tend to the man’s wounds, the proprietors and patrons come to realize the puppet is actually a dead child. When the nurse arrives… Continue reading Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
Joanna Collier is the mother of two young children and married to Frank, an engineer working for his family’s business...Bethlehem Steel. After his father’s death, Frank’s responsibilities increased dramatically and felt the pressure to move his family to the headquarters in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. And, he needed to be closer to his aging grandmother and mother,… Continue reading Bethlehem by Karen Kelly
The year is 1938 and the setting is New York City where college educated Beatrice Beaudreaux lives with Harry, her husband of five years. They’ve tried unsuccessfully to have a child and she’s noticed that some of the spark is missing between them. When Harry makes plans for them to spend the summer in Montauk… Continue reading Montauk by Nicola Harrison
On an unremarkable morning in October 1946, Pete Banning, decorated war veteran and one of the town of Clanton, Mississippi’s favorite sons, left his farm and drove to the Methodist church and, without fanfare, shot and killed the minister, Dexter Bell. He returned home, offering no explanation for his action. The mystery of why Pete… Continue reading The Reckoning by John Grisham
I’m reading this series in one of my Goodreads groups and it’s one of our favorites. It’s set in turn-of-the-century (19th) New York City featuring midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy who often find themselves investigating murders together. Sarah Brandt accompanies her mother on a condolence call to… Continue reading Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson
We pause from The Mortal Instruments and begin the prequel trilogy, as recommended by the author and many readers. This first book starts the reach back into the past of the Shadowhunters & Downworlders. The year is 1878 as we step back in time from The Mortal Instruments. This prequel trilogy begins… Continue reading Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Miranda Schuyler returns to Winthrop Island, her former home she left 18 years before following tragic events. She’s now a famous Shakespearean actress married to a famous director and this is the first time she’s visited since then. A lot happened then and she’s not quite sure why she’s back but has reached a pivotal… Continue reading The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams
Kya Clark has never known anyplace other than the marshes around Barclay Cove, North Carolina. Her impoverished family splintered because of her abusive alcoholic father and eventually she was left alone at the tender age of eleven when he walked away and never returned. Kya managed to support herself by selling mussels to a kind… Continue reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The story begins right before the German occupation of France in 1940 and continues through the Allied liberation but told retrospectively by one of the two main characters in 1995. The focus is on two sisters, Vianne Mauriac and Isabelle Rossignol, who couldn't differ more in disposition and outlook about the war. Through their eyes… Continue reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
I don't know what I was expecting when I decided to read this story since I relied on friends' recommendations. I knew it was about Stalin's deportation of Lithuanians in 1939, which in itself was an aspect of world history I hadn't known. Nothing could have prepared me for the reality of that action, told… Continue reading Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys ★★★★★
Blue Mood Café 