What I'm reading 9/22/20: 01 Deadly Waters 02 Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook 03 The Silent Companions

01 The Pull of the Stars Set in Ireland in 1918, The Pull of the Stars follows a nurse, Julia, doctor, Kathleen, and a young volunteer, Bridie, over the course of three days as they work desperately to help both the women giving birth and those suffering from the devastating new flu at an understaffed hospital. Is it appealing to read about a pandemic during a pandemic? We shall see. Donoghue weaves a good amount of fact into this story--Kathleen Lynn was a real, formidable f

01 Surrender Your Sons This summer stinks. Teenage Connor's elderly friend died, his boyfriend talked him into coming out, and now his mother thinks he's going to hell because he's gay, and she's grounded him indefinitely. But Connor doesn't know that things are about to get a lot worse. Middle-of-the-night kidnapping-to-a-conversion-camp-level worse. I don't have a bead on the tone of this one yet; Connor is a little snarky, but I believe the plot is going to include mystery

01 I Killed Zoe Spanos I'll admit that this cover hooked me at first look, but the premise of this story is similarly irresistible. Anna arrives in a sleepy Hamptons village to be a nanny, but the community has recently been rocked by the disappearance of a young woman, Zoe Spanos. Strangely, Anna looks a lot like Zoe, so she's faced with the village's pain and suspicion everywhere she goes. By the end of the summer, Anna has delved into Zoe's disappearance and has attempted

I loooved this witty, romantic, action-packed steampunk novel--the first in a series--from Gail Carriger.

01 The Vanishing Half 02 Florence Adler Swims Forever 03 Blacktop Wasteland 04 Utopia Avenue 05 When These Mountains Burn 06 This Is All He

This first book in the Lady Janies trilogy is funny, and smart, with clever asides, wonderful character development, and fantastic banter.

01 Ink & Sigil: Ink & Sigil Series In this first book of Kevin Hearne's new Ink & Sigil series, patterns and inks have power; hobgoblins are insufferably mischievous but in rare cases redeemable; all manner of creatures coexist in and visit our world, although humans are generally unaware of this; and someone with power and greed is compromising the sacred old ways. Hearne offers a playful, action-packed, magical, layered modern-day London. Al MacBharrais is a widower who us

Six books in Nordic settings to knock your socks off.

I was desperate for Ceelie to listen to her own needs after cancer treatment and take care of herself a little bit.

In The Vanishing Half, Bennett explores the complicated implications of perception as reality when it comes to race.

Mitchell expertly builds the band members into rich characters you're rooting for. More very welcome David Mitchell universe madness.

Kidd offers a creepy, dark mystery gloriously steeped in details of Victorian London and seedy, sordid characters, and heroes with heart.

Lu layers a fantastical alternate fairy world over a framework of the imagined point of view of Wolfgang Mozart’s real sister.

A smart master thief who bends time and finds her loyalties dividded in turn-of-the-century New York.

Atlantic City before WWII, with its giant hotels, piers, and hubbub, is the backdrop for this summer in the life of an extended family.

Veronica is a strong and unorthodox main protagonist who finds herself entangled in a dangerous set of circumstances.

I loved the vivid setting and the strong women who find themselves in the middle of this early seventeenth century witch hunt.

I loved the early twentieth century Arizona Territory setting and details, as well as Mary Pearl’s spirit, grit, and determination.

This is beautiful, powerful, illuminating, and heart-wrenching.