Well things have certainly taken a turn since last I updated you with a 10 stack. “Normally” spring in New England for us means we trade in our hockey skates and cold rinks for sports fields that are only slightly warmer and usually very wet. School events ramp up as the end of year draws near with art shows, music concerts, final projects and classroom visits filling our schedule. Now we have a blank calendar on the wall, traded in school dress code for sweatpants and finding a grocery delivery time has become our new competitive sport. There have been so many things this quarantine has canceled for our family – long awaited school trips, hockey playoffs, dance recitals, family birthday parties, a much anticipated graduation and the list keeps growing larger as our required time to stay home keeps getting extended. Thankfully, one thing that can’t be canceled and has remained constant is escaping the anxiety and stress by turning to a good book. There are so many great ideas for self-care during this time but for me taking the time to read will always be my favorite. These last 10 books have a little bit of something for everyone – twisty thrillers, love, history, as well as a bit of dystopia thrown in for good measure. I’m not sure what our lives will look like when I return with my next 10 stack but I promise to keep reading, reviewing and recommending books that will hopefully bring some escape and comfort into your day. Be safe, stay home and take care.

“An Unwanted Guest” by Shari Lapena

The guests arriving at Mitchell’s Inn for a weekend of relaxation, connection and romance are in for an experience that they will never forget and for some…not survive. The hotel’s luxury rooms, fireplaces, gourmet food and endless activities draw ten unsuspecting guests to the Catskills during a terrible winter storm. With the blizzard raging outside and its employees unable to come to work the hotel is only staffed by its owner/head chef James and his twenty-two year old son Bradley. The two promise that their guests will still be well taken care of despite being short handed. After dinner the guests retreat to their rooms until an early morning scream draws everyone to the grand staircase where they find a guest dead. Unable to call for help due to down power lines the occupants of Mitchell’s Inn turn to a guest, a defense attorney, for advice on how to handle the accident. But soon when another guest is found dead it starts to look more and more like there is a killer hiding out in the hotel…or among them. Can the rest of the guests survive the weekend until help arrives or are more of them destined to die at Mitchell’s Inn. “An Unwanted Guest” is the second book I’ve read by author Shari Lapena (I reviewed “The Couple Next Door” back in September of 2018) and this one was far and away my favorite of the two. Once you get settled in on the number of characters and perspectives you hear from you can’t put this book down. For those of you who love a good twisty who-done-it mystery be sure to add this one to your list.

“Postscript” by Cecelia Ahern

Picking up seven years after Gerry’s death in “P.S. I Love You”, Holly Kennedy has created a new life for herself. She is working at her sister Ciara’s store, still as close as ever with Denise and Sharon and is on the verge of moving in with her boyfriend Gabriel. Ciara asks Holly to speak on an episode of her podcast to share the story of Gerry’s death and the gifts he left behind for her in the form of 10 letters delivered periodically after his passing. One listener found an immediate connection to the concept and decided to form a club, “The P.S. I Love You Club”. This group of terminally ill friends want to recreate Gerry’s idea for their families and are determined to get Holly on board to help them navigate the process. Only Holly wants no part of stepping back into her grief. “P.S. I Love You” is one of my all time favorite movies. I sobbed like a baby watching this for the first time, full on ugly cry. What I didn’t realize having not read the book (I know, I know) is how drastically different the two stories are. If you are a fan of Holly & Gerry’s love story I recommend reading “P.S. I Love You” before reading “Postscript” so you aren’t as confused as I was at the differences from the start. Reader be warned, you will need tissues for this ending. Hand to heart putting this one back on the shelf.

“The Water Cure” by Sophie Mackintosh

Three sisters are living on an island with their mother and father, “King”. The outside world has become dangerous for women causing the family to live in isolation. They develop their own rituals, boundaries and protections mostly for the sake of the three daughters Grace, Lia & Sky. When King sails off to the mainland for supplies and doesn’t return Mother and the girls need to fend for themselves but when 3 strange men wash up on their shores they can’t imagine the dangers that will unfold for each of them. When it comes to writing a full detailed review for “The Water Cure” I’m kind of at a loss. This book leaves a lot to the imagination and has so many unanswered plot holes, largely never explaining to readers what is happening to the men to cause panic? Is it a disease? A breakdown of society? Who knows! There are a lot of vague hints to dance around and lines to read between. Don’t get me wrong I love a good dystopian story just as much as the next guy but this one just didn’t hit the target for me.

“Night of Miracles” by Elizabeth Berg

Picking up right where “The Story of Arthur Truluv” left off, Lucille is living in the home Arthur willed to Maddy and her daughter, Nola, named after Arthur’s late wife. The trio formed an unlikely family before Arthur passed giving Lucille a Granddaughter in Nola she never thought she’d have. Lucille’s baking classes are taking off and new neighbors have moved into what used to be her home before losing her fiancé, Frank. Jason & Abby are facing a crisis themselves and look to their neighbor to help care for their nine year old son. With her scheduling becoming more demanding, Lucille decides to hire Iris, Mason’s newest resident even though her baking skills leave something to be desired. Keeping with theme that Elizabeth Berg so beautifully established in “Truluv”, “Night of Miracles” is a continuing example that friends are the family you create for yourselves. As this truly is a sequel, I highly recommend reading “The Story of Arthur Truluv” before reading this. (Something you won’t regret!) Berg has written another book in the Mason series, “The Confession Club”, that I can’t wait to add to my collection. Be sure to add this trio to your TBR list.

“Britain’s Wartime Evacuees” by Gillian Mawson

At the beginning of WWII students, teachers and mother’s of the youngest citizens were evacuated to the country. Children went to school each day not knowing whether they would be returning to their homes that night. Mothers said goodbye to their children not knowing if they would see them again. Reading about the process to evacuate mass amounts of children to other parts of England was mind-blowing. Done without much organization in some areas, without any sort of evaluation of the homes these children were entering, the conditions some evacuees lived in – close to 80 years later it’s hard to comprehend. Told mostly through interviews of evacuees, their families and some of the foster parents that invited these children into their homes “Britain’s Wartime Evacuees” is a touching reminder of how a country pulled together during the most dire of times. As a mother I could not imagine the strength it took for parents to send their children alone on a train to the country with nothing more than a tag on their coat to identity where they came from not knowing when you get to hold them again. This is a great read for History lovers. Big thank you to NetGalley and Pen and Sword for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

“A Twist in Time” by Julie McElwain

Kendra Donovan is back in Julie McElwain’s sequel to “A Murder in Time”. Kendra and the Duke of Aldridge are called to London this time to help clear Alec’s name when he is suspected of murdering Lady Dover. Once again Kendra’s twenty-first century FBI skills are put to use to uncover the suspect despite the restrictions of being trapped in 1815. Kendra is given two weeks to solve the murder before the charges against Alec are brought before Parliament, if the threats on his life aren’t followed through with first. The Kendra Donovan series has quickly become one of my new favorite reads. Creative, twisty and a great who-done-it that each time leaves you guessing until the end. I would highly recommend checking out this series. I can’t wait to pick up book three!

“How to Walk Away” by Katherine Center

All her life Margaret Jacobsen has been afraid of flying. One of her most vivid memories as a teenager was making her emergency plan for when (not if) her family’s plane went down on a trip to Hawaii. When her boyfriend, Chip, decides to become a licensed pilot she tells him that under no circumstances will she fly with him. Yet somehow Margaret finds herself getting proposed to in the cockpit of Chip’s plane. When the flight has an unexpected landing, the life that both Chip and Margaret had carefully laid out before them abruptly comes crumbling down. “How to Walk Away” is a beautiful lesson in patience, strength, love and navigating the challenges in life you can’t prepare for. This was my first book by Katherine Center and I look forward to getting my hands on some of her other titles. Be sure to add “How to Walk Away” to your TBR list if you need an uplifting read.

“Lock Every Door” by Riley Sager

Jules has never been so alone as she is now. With both of her parents now gone and her sister Jane, a missing person for years, still unaccounted for Jules doesn’t think she could slip any lower. That was until she lost her job and walked in on her live-in boyfriend with another woman all in the same day. Forced to now sleep on her best friend’s couch, Jules can’t believe her luck when she finds an ad for a job as an apartment sitter. She jumps at the chance for an interview and when she arrives finds herself at the very building that drew her to New York City in the first place, The Bartholomew. Jules and her sister Jane read a book set in this very building over and over again as teenagers. Not only does she get to live there for three months but the twelve thousand dollars she will get paid to do so will help her get back on her feet again. Yes, the “temporary resident” rules are a little strict and strange but Jules keeps her eyes on her bank account to justify them. When she befriends another fellow apartment sitter things begin to unravel and the facade of The Bartholomew starts to tumble down as secrets from the building’s history begin to reveal themselves. People move in to The Bartholomew but not everyone gets out alive. This is the second book I’ve read by author Riley Sager and I thought it would be hard to beat “The Last Time I Lied” but “Lock Every Door” had me on the edge of my seat. This is a nail-biting, don’t read alone at night thriller that will have you guessing what is coming next all the way through. For those of you who love a twisty mystery be sure to add this to your TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Publishing for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Light Over London” by Julia Kelly

Cara’s life is starting over after her divorce as well as recently losing both of her parents. At her new job with an antiques dealer Cara finds herself swept up in a mystery when she finds a diary written by a young woman during World War II hidden inside a cabinet. The owner of the home doesn’t know who the diary belongs to and tells Cara she can throw it away. Instead, Cara feels compelled to find the diary’s owner and reunite them or at least their closest living relative with this piece of family history. As Cara begins to read the entries we learn that the diary belongs to a nineteen year old woman named Louise. Chapters begin to alternate between Cara’s present day investigation and Louise’s own narrative of her experiences with the women’s auxiliary branch of the British Army. As Cara gets closer to finding out who Louise was, hidden secrets in her own family’s past begin to reveal themselves. “The Light Over London” gives readers insight to the many different roles women played during the war in England as well as abroad. Fans of Historical Fiction will enjoy this endearing story by Julia Kelly which she was inspired to write after learning about her family’s contributions to the war efforts.

“We Must Be Brave” by Frances Liardet

As the danger of war draws closer to the English coast and air raids begin in Southhampton, floods of refugees begin to arrive in Upton late one evening. Ellen Parr is helping organize the chaos when she comes across a lone sleeping child left on one of the evacuation buses. After questioning the other passengers Ellen realizes that Pamela was involved in a mixup back in Southhampton and she was taken to Upton without her parents knowledge. Knowing that her mother must be frantic with worry, Ellen takes it upon herself to care of Pamela until they can find out where she came from. When the daylight brings tragic news to the Parr family’s door, Ellen finds herself in a new role and dangerously close to finding a love she never thought she’d have. “We Must Be Brave” follows Ellen throughout her life beginning at the start of WWII, with jumps back to her childhood and flashes of her many years a senior. For me this story started out so strong (especially after having just read a book of actual accounts of children being evacuated) but unfortunately it became painfully slow and I found myself skimming as I read. There was a lot of time spent on details and side stories that could have been left on the editing room floor. On a personal note, one thing I didn’t expect to happen when reading this was being brought back in time to my grandparents home as a child. Selwyn’s small leather travel clock, the garden, the village – all conjured up vivid memories for me. I usually love historical fiction stories but this one, though lovely, just didn’t do it for me. I implore fans of this genre to give “We Must Be Brave” a chance as I believe the right reader would fall in love with this one.

Til next time,

E

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