Where did summer go? With only one weekend left before school starts for our family I feel like I blinked and missed it. For a summer that was pretty uneventful (no trips, no camps, no nothing really…) I sure don’t want it to end. The warm weather and sunshine has made these last few months dealing with Covid quarantine all that more tolerable. I for sure will be squeezing out every last minute of freedom before school starts up again. Fingers crossed for lots of reading time because with three kids in remote school for the next 3 months I’m going to need to stock up on sanity! This next 10 stack has a bit of everything in it. Romance, time-travel, mysteries, a bit of the supernatural, and even a comedienne. Though these weren’t all hits for me, there are definitely some worthy adds for your TBR list here. Reader, I hope you get to find some time during the upcoming long weekend to relax with a good book, maybe even one of these! Wishing all of the parents out there the best of luck with returning to school, whether that’s remotely or in person, this year will certainly be one for the books!

“The Two Lives of Lydia Bird” by Josie Silver

On Lydia Bird’s twenty-eighth birthday her fiancé, Freddie, is killed in a car accident. As anyone would be, Lydia is devastated, locking herself away to be numb and cry endlessly. She plasters on a facade when around her family so they won’t know how truly alone she feels. “I am just going through the motions, of course, but for her sake I try to fake it till I make it. Though what happens if you never make it?” Then something unexplainable happens and Lydia is given the chance to step back into a world where the accident never existed. One where life went on past her birthday, one where she gets to experience life with Freddie. Stepping out of her world and into this one becomes an addiction but makes living in the here and now all that more difficult when she can’t be there. Splitting herself between two lives is a juggling act that Lydia isn’t fully equipped to handle. How long can she go on like this before being forced to decide where her heart should stay? Josie Silver has written another beautiful love story in which Lydia gets to see what her life would look like if that pivotal incident didn’t happen. Each chapter is beautifully decorated and I just loved the font that gave this book a fresh, modern look. I loved Silver’s “One Day in December” and “…Lydia Bird” doesn’t disappoint. Be sure to add this heartbreaker to your TBR list.

“Falling” by Jane Green

Emma Montague has had enough with her fast paced life and the finance world ladder she has been rapidly climbing in New York City for years. After moving to the United States from her society upbringing in England, Emma craves something more relaxed and settled and finds what she is looking for in a small cottage in Westport, Connecticut. Now in her late thirties, Emma is hoping to reinvent her life and finally find what she has been looking for her whole life. Her landlord, Dominic and his six year old son live next door and the three quickly become an unlikely trio. Just as things start to look like a “happily ever after” might be in her future fate steps in to test everything Emma has discovered about herself during her time in Westport. I won’t trouble you with reading anymore of this contrived plot because it won’t be worth your time…just like reading this book. I don’t enjoy giving negative reviews but when a book causes me to actually roll my eyes while reading it I feel it necessary to let you know. This is my second book by Jane Green and what a difference in material. If you are looking for a book by this author, try “Second Chance” instead. “Falling” was a big miss for me.

“In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” Dannie is having the best day of her life. She nailed her interview at a company she has always dreamed of working for and that evening her boyfriend turned into her fiancé. Dannie falls asleep that night high on life after going through champagne and bottles of wine to celebrate their carefully laid, type-a plans coming to fruition. When she opens her eyes, however, she finds herself in a different apartment, with a man she has never met who seems to know her very well, in fact it would seem they are very much in love. Getting a glance at the TV she notices the date – December 15, 2025 – five years into the future. After stumbling through this new world for an hour, Dannie wakes again to find herself back in her apartment, back in 2020. Unable to shake off what she just saw Dannie questions what it could all mean. Was that just a very vivid dream or was it something more like her therapist suggests? Pushing it to the back of her mind Dannie goes on with her life until one day four and a half years in the future when she comes face to face with the man from that night. “In Five Years” is a heartbreakingly beautiful book filled with love, friendship and the lessons in life only we can take on by ourselves. I highly recommend you add this to your TBR list.

“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens

Neglected then abandoned by her entire family, Kya Clark has had to survive on her own for as long as she can remember. Known in town as only the “Marsh Girl” Kya has been alone in her family’s shack since she was ten years old, her only friends the gulls and surviving with the kindness of only a trio of other locals. Kya’s knowledge of the marsh and the life within it provides her a life that she loves and one she is comfortable in. As she grows, Kya begins to warm up to a new friend that she sees around the marsh who opens up doors Kya never thought possible. But as she slowly lets her guard down she becomes vulnerable to the dangers of the outside world that she has so carefully kept at bay for all these years. It’s taken me too long to get to this book. I was nervous to start reading it based on all the hype, fearful that it wasn’t going to live up to all of the positive praise I’ve heard. Thankfully it wasn’t a disappointment. “Where the Crawdads Sing” is a beautifully written debut novel by author Delia Owens whose vivid detailed descriptions makes you feel like you are right in the marsh with Kya. At this point I don’t know who I am recommending this to as I am probably the last person alive to read it but if you are like me and are late to the party do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR list.

“Framed” by S.L. McInnis

Cassie & Beth couldn’t be less alike if they tried but somehow the two were matched together as college freshman roommates and formed an unlikely friendship. Fast-forward years later, Beth is now living the picture perfect life while chaos still follows Cassie around. Beth hasn’t heard from Cassie in years so when she receives a phone call in the middle of the night from a man asking if Cassie is at her home she is thrown. When Cassie happens to call the next day explaining that she is in town Beth agrees to meet up with her. What she doesn’t expect is for Cassie to arrive with luggage in tow, needing a place to stay for a few nights. By welcoming Cassie into her home Beth opens up her carefully curated life to the dangers that come along with her long lost friend and her marriage, her job and her life are all put on the line. “Framed” is the debut book by author S.L. McInnis and if this is her just getting started I can’t wait to see what she publishes next. McInnis has created three loathsome characters in Beth, Cassie & Jay. With multiple POVs & flashbacks “Framed” is great read for anyone who likes a thriller with some good twists and turns.

“Home Before Dark” by Riley Sager

Maggie doesn’t believe in haunted houses, after all, she supposedly lived in one. At least that’s what her father’s best-selling novel led everyone to believe all those years ago. At 5 years old Maggie’s family purchased Baneberry Hall, a large Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. The home’s reputation made the property a steal but the Holt family weren’t completely aware of what they were getting themselves into. Maggie and her parents, Ewan & Jessica, last three weeks before escaping their home in the middle of the night. The world became fascinated by their ordeal when Ewan’s account of what happened at Baneberry Hall was published in his true story “House of Horrors”, a book that Maggie believes to be completely fictional considering she has no memory of what her father has written. When her father passes away 25 years later, Maggie learns that not only did her father never sell Baneberry Hall but now it belonged to her. Defying her promise to her father on his deathbed to never go back there, Maggie decides she has to see the house for herself and figure out once and for all why her family really fled that night in July. “Home Before Dark” is another smash by author Riley Sager. This page turning thriller had me seconding guessing what I thought to be true the whole way through. Definitely not one to be missed. Be sure to add this to your TBR list.

“An Anonymous Girl” by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Desperate for some additional money Jessica jumps at the chance to participate in a psychological study that pays participants for just a few hours of their time. She learns that the object of the study is to judge participants’ morality. The questions which begin on a computer evolve into real life scenarios, starting to get more personal as the paycheck amounts increase. Jessica finds it hard to turn down the type of money Dr. Shields is offering her but finds herself questioning what she is getting herself into. When Jessica uncovers some unsettling information about who Dr. Shields as well as a mysterious death from her past she wonders if she can really trust that Dr. Shields has her best interest at heart. I really wanted to like “An Anonymous Girl” but sadly I just couldn’t settle into the story. Having read quite a few books in this genre recently this one didn’t stack up. I have heard really great things about this writing duo and hope to find another one of their titles to be more of a hit for me.

“The Death of Mrs. Westaway” by Ruth Ware

Hal is seriously in debt. Since losing her only parent, her mother, she has barely been able to keep her head above water. So when a mysterious letter arrives to tell her that her grandmother had recently passed away leaving her something in her will Hal only has one thought – what grandmother? Her only known grandparents had passed away years ago. Thinking this had to be some sort of mistake she decides to head to the funeral and reading to find out what was going on. When she arrives in Cornwall, Hal realizes that her mother not only left behind a family Hal never knew about but also secrets that have her completely confused. Was the newly deceased Mrs. Westaway actually her grandmother and does someone in this family know the truth about who her father is? Hal decides to risk it all in order to uncover what has been kept from her for her whole life. Though Ruth Ware’s mystery style isn’t always a hit with me I think this is my favorite out of the three titles I have read by this author. I found the plot to have a few holes that left me scratching my head but all in all not a bad read.

“Yes, Please” by Amy Poehler

Who doesn’t love Amy Poehler? I have yet to meet someone who isn’t a fan of her work on Saturday Night Live, Parks & Rec or from her many movies. In “Yes, Please”, Amy takes you down memory lane from her childhood in Burlington, MA to her start in comedy in Chicago and finally getting to work at SNL. “Yes, Please” is filled with behind the scenes stories, a piece written by Seth Myers and a chapter called “Humping Justin Timberlake” – all sound like something you should read, right? Eh, don’t rush out too quickly to reserve this one at the library. If you are looking for a laugh, this really isn’t what you will get reading “Yes, Please”. However, if you are a Poehler fan you will enjoy hearing about her advice on life, love, success and friendships. (Side note: for my more conservative readers: Poehler gives an honest look into her life which includes mentions of alcohol, drug use and some sexual content.) This is a really beautifully designed book and loved the pictures Amy chose to include.

“Blame the Dead” by Ed Ruggero

During the chaos of an air raid Dr. Myers Stephenson is murdered while running towards shelter. MP Eddie Harkins is just finishing up a long shift when he gets waved into the field hospital just outside of Palermo, Italy. By chance, Eddie finds himself in charge of the investigation. When he begins asking questions of the hospital’s staff he finds out that the place is in complete disarray. Doctors are drunk while on duty, nurses are being harassed and attacked, one even died recently under suspicious circumstances. Sensing he has fallen into a bigger mess than he can handle, Eddie is relieved to find that his brother, a chaplain paratrooper, as well as and a good friend from back home are both at the hospital and form a fast team to attempt to uncover what is really going on at the US Army’s 111th Field Hospital. “Blame the Dead” is unlike any WWII historical fiction book I’ve read before. So many of these books are written from the female point of view and involve some sort of espionage on their part – this was a refreshing perspective. A whodunit mystery with a historical setting, “Blame the Dead” acts as a history lesson for those of us who aren’t familiar with military protocol during the war, what life was like for the nurses working in the field as well as a glimpse into life in Italy during this time. Thank you to NetGalley & Tom Doherty Associates for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Til nex time,

The Booked Mama

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