Recent Reads

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Synopsis - At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.
The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.
Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives, they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

Thoughts - I was not planning on liking this one. I put off reading this and went back and forth on if I should even try. But we had a long long drive to Niagara Falls and I found out that the audio was narrated by Tom Hanks and I thought why not. It was a book about a house, a house so central to everyone's lives that some characters did everything to get away from it, some to keep it and some to get it back. But really the story was about letting go and moving on. Danny and Maeve make getting kicked out of the house their entire identity preventing them from living in the now, they are so fixated on what happened to them and they are unable to create meaningful lives as adults. The book does come around.. the letting go does happen but it's almost too late.. or maybe not. I don't think I could have physically read this book.. but listening to it made it easier to consume.. plus Tom Hanks.. come on. 

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

Synopsis - She thought she was alone…
True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace. 
As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls—haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them.

Thoughts - I enjoyed this one.. sometimes you just need a good thriller, something faced paced. The story was told in two different timelines. There were a few things that I did figure out pretty early one but it still made for a good story and there were a few twists along the way. 

The Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin 

Synopsis - Corporate lawyer Ava Burch has had enough of the big city and the daily grind. She grew up with her father, who raised search-and-rescue dogs. When she and her dog, Huck, discover an abandoned campsite on a volunteer search-and-rescue mission, she's perplexed, but she carefully photographs it all the same.
All Grant Wycoff can see when he looks at Ava is a city slicker, with her designer jeans and shiny car who has no business on a serious team made of seasoned outdoorsmen and retired cops. But when she tells him of her findings on the trail, he sees there's more to her than meets the eye.
Ava's discovery reminds Grant of the unsolved case of a young woman who went missing two years ago. As they look into the campsite further, another woman disappears under odd circumstances. With time running out, Ava and Grant must work against the brutal heat from both the Texas sun and their own electric chemistry to solve the case.

Thoughts - Another good one. I liked the characters and the small town vibes. Ava and Grant had good chemistry and Huck the dog was so lovable. I was not at all able to figure out who did it. 

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis 

Synopsis - New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion is over the moon to have been selected to be one of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall’s glamorous precision-dancing troupe. It’s an honor to perform in the world’s most spectacular theater, an art deco masterpiece. But with four shows a day as well as grueling rehearsals, not to mention exacting standards of perfection to live up to, Marion quickly realizes that the life of a Rockette has both extraordinary highs and devastating lows.
Then one night a bomb explodes in the theater. It’s only the latest in a string of explosions around the city orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the "Big Apple Bomber." They have been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a years long manhunt, the police, at Marion’s urging, turn in desperation to a radical new technique: psychological profiling.
As Marion finds herself pulled deeper into the investigation, she realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. But she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.

Thoughts - Another winner. It was a great setting... New York City and the Rockettes. The thing I love about historical fiction if getting to learn a little something on the side. I had never heard about this 'Big Apple Bomber' or knew much of what went on behind the scenes of the Rockettes headquarters. It was an interesting read. 

Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino

Synopsis - In 1960, when Marilyn Kleinman is caught making out with the rabbi’s son in front of the whole congregation, her parents ship her off to her great-aunt Ada for the summer. If anyone can save their daughter’s reputation, it’s Philadelphia’s strict premier matchmaker. Either that or Marilyn can kiss college goodbye. To Marilyn’s surprise, Ada’s not the humorless septuagenarian her mother described. Not with that platinum-blonde hair, Hermès scarf, and Cadillac convertible. She’s sharp, straight-talking, takes her job very seriously, and abides by her own rules…mostly. As the summer unfolds, Ada and Marilyn head for the Jersey shore, where Marilyn helps Ada scope out eligible matches―for anyone but Marilyn, that is. Because if there’s one thing Marilyn’s learned from Ada, it’s that she doesn’t have to settle. With the school year quickly approaching and her father threatening to disinherit her, Marilyn must make her choice for her return to the comfortable life she knows, or embrace a risky, unknown path on her own.

Thoughts - First it was Marion in The Spectacular and now we have Marilyn in Don't Forget to Write. Two women who refused to conform to what was expected of them and decided to be who they wanted to be. This was a great feel good book with tons of sass.. I wish we all had an Ada in our lives. This is a perfect beach read and a reminder to be yourself and follow your dreams.  

Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd

Synopsis - 1954: When her former novice’s dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent. A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests—but when a series of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest it’s time to ask if a dark past can ever really be left behind.

Thoughts - This was the only dud. Well not really a dud. Nora was a quirky character, a middle aged ex  nun trying to solve a crime. I think the writer was going for a Agatha Christie vibe with the eccentric assortment of characters but it just missed the mark.  

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