His & Hers and And Then She Was Gone

His & Hers by Alice Feeney 

And Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Read January 2024 - Zoom Reading Circle

For January, I didn’t much care for either Zoom Reading Circle book selection.  :(  So I'll just post about them together... they will forever be lumped together in my mind, that is for sure.  

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

I listened to this one and while I guess I liked it better than the other book this month, I did not find it an enjoyable read.  It was just all so dark and seemingly pointless.  So many nasty people that you don’t care for or root for and so much awful behavior treated as a norm. Maybe it is how people act all the time, but yuck... it was awful. Basically, a news reporter is covering the murder of a woman in Blackdown and her ex husband is the detective on the case.  Turns out they both have deep connections to the murder victim going all the way back to high school.  And there are more ’twists and turns’ and connections which basically make you feel icky most of the time. The ending was so convoluted that I literally said ‘What???’ a couple of times!  Not my thing, this book.  I rated it 3 on Goodreads but honestly, it was a 2 for me.  Zoom Reading Circle rated it 3.1 stars.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
If you can believe it, I disliked this one more than the first one.  In fact, I refused to finish it.  It was far too gross and awful to slog through anymore.  I don’t know why people would be entertained by truly horrific human behavior against the only character in the whole mess of a book that you can like or feel sorry for... a young teenage girl!  So much in this book to make you go ‘Ewwww...’  And when it got to more graphic depictions of the violence against the teen, I just was completely done.  No reason I can think of to fill my head with that trash.  Awful.   :(   This was a 2 or even a 1 for me.   :(  Zoom Reading Circle rated it 3.3 stars. 

The Man Who Died Twice

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

Read January 2024

Finally, I read the 2nd installment of the Thursday Murder Club, called The Man Who Died Twice.  A great book!  This is a truly interesting series with some of my favorite sleuths ever... 4 residents of a quiet and peaceful British retirement village.  :)  We get to interact with all four again as Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron set out to help a man from Elizabeth’s past and also find out who mugged and injured dear Ibrahim.  I have such vivid images in my mind of these 4 wonderful characters... and see Elizabeth clear as a bell portrayed by the great Eileen Atkins (Ruth from Doc Martin).  Can’t wait to read the next book in this truly enjoyable and well written mystery series!  I rated this book 5 stars. 

Don't Forget to Write

Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino 

Read January 2024

Don’t Forget to Write was a terrific read!  It was humorous and poignant - something that I believe is hard to manage. The story follows a young college-age Jewish woman named Marilyn Kleinman who, in 1960, is anxious to explore the world and get out from under her father’s thumb.  However, after a rather public (and embarrassing) interaction with the Rabbi’s son, in front of the whole congregation no less, she finds herself shipped off for the summer to stay with her mother’s Aunt Ada, who happens to be a matchmaker in Philadelphia.  Marilyn is less than excited and expects the summer to be long and boring and rigid... but as she gets to know Ada, she also comes to understand herself and to see her life in a new perspective.  Marilyn and Ada are such marvelous characters - fleshed out so brilliantly by the author.  I feel like she must ‘know’ them in person.  I certainly wish that I did!  This was a 5 star read for me, for sure.  

A Botonist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (and more in this series)

A Botonist's Guide to Parties and Poisons and A Botonist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari

Read January 2024

Saffron Everleigh Mystery series Books 1&2

I listened to the first two books in a new (to me) mystery series set in 1923 London, England.  In A Botonist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari, Saffron Everleigh is the first woman to become a research assistant at the University College of London, where she is an expert in botany, and thus, poisons.  In this first book a professor’s wife is killed by an unknown toxin and when Saffron’s mentor is implicated in the crime, she sets out to solve it.  She becomes close to fellow researcher Alexander Ashton as they unravel the clues and find the killer.  

The 2nd in the series, A Botonist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality, also features Saffron Everleigh, but instead of Alexander Ashton, she is joined in her investigation by Dr. Michael Lee, a physician.  I wasn’t so sure about bringing in a new male lead out of the blue, but grew to like Dr. Lee as well as Ashton.  (Although Ashton does return near the end of this book...)  This time around women are receiving bouquets of flowers with hidden messages based on the type of flower, and then they die of poisoning soon after.  I truly enjoyed both of these books and very much look forward to the third one.  The author does a good job of depicting the era and the place and Saffron is a great character.  It also highlights the difficulties of being a woman in a male-dominated field... something that sadly remains true in many cases to this very day.  I rated both of these book 4.5.

There is a 3rd book coming out in 2024 and I do plan to read it (and any others in this series). 

Democracy Awakening

Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson

Read January 2024 - Books With Friends

One of the first books I read in the new year was Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson.  It is a stellar book.  It was a great book for group discussion.  I so appreciated hearing others thoughts and insights.  Heather Cox Richardson is an historian who is so good at re-telling stories and connecting the dots to bring historical context to present day situations.  She is a voice of reason and clarity in these extremely trying times.  One of my friends was able to hear Heather speak at an event in Texas and even shared a cab with her to her hotel!  That alone was pretty darn exciting!  :)  Truly this book should be on everyone’s nightstand.  I rated it 5 stars.