The Library of Lost and Found

The Library of Lost and Found   by Phaedra Patrick   348 pages

When library volunteer Martha Storm discovers an unique collection of fairy tales dedicated to her by her grandmother, Zelda, predeceasing the woman's death, her journey to investigate the origins of the book leads her to discover what caused a rift that nearly tore her family apart years ago.

The pithy title does not redeem the content within. Much of the action is predictable, the dialogue stilted and unnatural. Everything about this book is old-fashioned, so when the author inserts a couple of contemporary notes - a subplot involving a lesbian couple, a reference to Spotify - it feels jarring. The book is longer than it needs be; for example, an eleventh-hour plot turn involving the old fisherman Siegfried could have been condensed or cut. Though the novel peripherally celebrates libraries and storytelling, the story it tells is too implausible.

By implausible, I mean the extreme contrivance of its central plot. The only way the entire story functions is that we believe the narrative conceit that Martha has never bothered, as an adult, to be suspicious of the fact that she couldn’t find her grandmother’s gravestone, and never bothered to search for it years later as an adult. It also expects us to believe that she never did a cursory Google search about her own family history, which could have easily dug up the details of a certain spoilery plot point...seriously, isn’t this an affront to anyone who works in a library?!!  

Posted by: Regina C.  

The Trophy Child

The Trophy Child by Paula Daly 343 pages 

Karen Bloom is proud to call herself a tiger mother. To her, tough discipline if the true art of parenting and a child's achievement leads to ultimate happiness. She expects her daughter, Bronte, to perform at 200% and holds her husband, son and step-daughter to the same standard (although the three of them never measure up).  However, in her unending quest for excellence, some cracks are starting to show in the veneer of a seemingly flawless family.

When Bronte disappears, Karen puts the blame solely on her stepdaughter, Verity. However, for all of Verity's flaws, she would never harm Bronte. Noel, Karen's husband, takes Verity's side, although he finds it hard to stand up to his wife. Instead, he finds comfort in alcohol and other women.  So who is to blame? 

It's hard to write much about this book without revealing spoilers. Suffice to say, it's a tale of ambition, coldly calculated manipulation, power struggles, and the illusions of perfection.  I continue to find Paula Daly an author I enjoy, and this book was no exception. There are compelling characters, including a Detective Constable who has appeared as an investigator her other books, and while Daly maintains a tensely paced and plotted book, there's always some bit of sly humor that I really love.  

Keep your friends close

Keep your friends close by Paula Daly  335 pages

"Natty and Sean have a rock-solid marriage—with two daughters, a successful business, and a beautiful house, they are a model family. When their younger daughter falls ill on a school trip, Natty rushes to her side. Luckily, Natty’s best friend from college, Eve, is visiting and offers to stay with Sean to lend a hand in the household. But Natty returns home to find that Eve has taken to family life a little too well: Sean has fallen in love with her. With no choice but to put on a brave face, Natty attempts to start anew—yet no matter how hard she tries to set herself upright, Eve is there to knock her down again. Then Natty receives a mysterious note that says Eve has done this before—more than once—and the consequences were fatal. On a mission to reveal Eve as a vindictive serial mistress, Natty must navigate through a treacherous maze of secrets and lies that threatens her life and the safety of her loved ones."


Yes, it's another book by Paula Daly -- and I liked it just as much as the others. I used the summary from Goodreads because I was impatient to get that on the post and then write about how much I liked this book. Like her other books, Daly creates interesting and compelling characters put into somewhat impossible situations that they have to get out of. The different thing about this book is that it's more of a murder/suspense story and there's definitely a dark thread running through things. Is Eve a black widow-type? Is she out to get something from Sean or is she getting back at Natty for some past wrongdoing? Daly keeps you guessing until the ends -- and then there's a nice twist you don't see coming at all.  Absolutely delicious.

The Mistake I Made

The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly  349 pages

Roz is at the breaking point. Raising her son alone after the dissolution of her marriage, a series of bad decisions has meant that her business has gone under and her bills are adding up. Adding to that is the fact that her son is starting to act up in school and Roz is getting pretty desperate. When she comes home from work one day to find her belongings repossessed and an eviction notice waiting for her, she has 2 weeks to find a solution.

Then, she meets Scott Elias at her sister's birthday party. Wealthy, charming and very married, Scott is interested in getting to know Roz better.  So much, in fact, that he makes her an offer to spend the night with him -- for money.  Yes, this has shades of Indecent Proposal. Roz isn't interested at first, but then wonders if this could be a way for her to get her life back on track. After all, Scott doesn't want a relationship and he seems like a nice guy.  However, something that starts off simply soon becomes much more intricate and starts to spiral out of her control. Scott's not always that charming, after all, and now has the capacity to completely ruin Roz' life


I discovered this author and now have tried to find and read everything else she has written. I really love how she can create interesting and compelling characters, put them into situations that seem a little impossible, and then just let the story unfold. There's usually an element of dark humor that can pop up somewhere in the story and her smooth writing style and even pace make her books enjoyable to read.  I liked the character of Roz in this story and was wondering just how she would get herself out of the mess she was in --- and as the situation got worse and worse, I had no idea how things were going to end. And then, there was a bit of a twist (which was great) which made the book move in a really interesting direction.  Another great read by this author!

Blood Orange

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce   340 pages  I read a galley - book is on order for SLPL

Alison seems to have it all: a great career on the rise, a loving husband, an adorable daughter. However, she's putting all of it at jeopardy because she can't control her drinking. If that weren't enough, she's also having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries makes their encounters dangerous. However much she wants to (or does she), Alison can't give up her lover or the alcohol.

When Alison is assigned her first murder case to defend, she finds something about her client's story seems a bit off. Adding to her stress over the case are the nasty, anonymous texts she starts receiving from someone who seems to know Alison's secrets.  And then, things really start to go off the rails . . .

I really enjoyed this book and read it on a 5-hour train ride, finishing it because I was reading at whip-speed. Alison's a character that reminds me a little of the main character in The Girl on the Train, a woman who is out of control and can't seem to get herself on track. The drinking, the bad decisions -- Alison just doesn't seem to care that she's ruining her life.  I sometimes found I was so annoyed with her that I was muttering under my breath.  However, as she gets more into her murder case, her relationship with her husband seems to be changing --- and you definitely get a sense that something is off. However, it's hard to tell just what that something is. And while I had a sense of what could be happening, when the big reveal came, I was so shocked!!!  Which is a good thing.  Definitely keeping this one for a re-read in the future!!

The Dead Ex

The Dead Ex by Jane Corry    368 pages   I read an e-galley -- book is due out in January, 2019

How can one man's disappearance throw so many women's lives into chaos? It's easy once you see how all of them are connected (although it's not clear at first).

Vicki works as an aromatherapist from her home studio and is just finishing a session when the police arrive to tell her her ex-husband, David, is missing. Vicki insists she hasn't seen him in years, but the police clearly don't believe her. As someone who suffers from epilepsy, Vicki knows she can have gaps in her memory, so maybe she has seen him more recently?  Meanwhile, eight year-old Scarlet and her mother Zelda are having a rough time. It's the two of them against the world, with Scarlet helping play a "game" with Zelda. What Scarlet doesn't know is that this "game" is really drug-dealing and when Zelda gets caught, Scarlet is sent into foster care, an experience that will (not surprisingly) change her life.  David's new wife, Tanya, had reported him missing. However, what really happened on the night he disappeared? Is Vicki involved, even if she doesn't know it? And how are these four women connected?

This is a smoothly crafted, twisting tale that will keep you guessing until the end. The author brings together several characters, using their individual, first-person storylines, to weave the story together until you finally understand how they are connected to each other. The are some surprises, although some of the story may be expected; Scarlet's time in foster care can be anticipated to be problematic, for example. This is really Vicki's story to tell, although Scarlet's story is compelling.  I had enjoyed "My Husband's Wife" by this author and liked this book, as well.

Good for readers who enjoy psychological suspense with compelling characters. If you enjoy Gillian Flynn or Ruth Ware, I'd suggest picking this one up.

Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery

Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan      306 pages = 200 pages from audiobook = 506 pages

I enjoyed the first book so much that I picked this one up.  I tried it in audiobook first, and it was a good listen . . . but I found myself getting impatient to know what was going to happen in the story.  So, I wound up getting the book and reading it.  I wound up reading the whole thing because I had been listening in the car and had missed a few parts (also, one of the discs was dirty and had a bunch of skips).

This book picks up where the first book ended. Polly is in love with Huckle, they're sharing the lighthouse (with Neil the puffin, of course!), and Polly is running the Little Beach Street Bakery.  Of course, nothing can go smoothly for too long and when the woman who actually owns the bakery passes away, her sister decides her own son should run the bakery.  Which yes, is awful.  Adding to that, Selina, Tarlie's widow, has moved to Mount Polbearne and then Huckle's brother comes for a visit with disastrous results.

Can you see why it was easier just to grab the book and read it? It was definitely faster.  I enjoyed this book as much as the first one. It's a warm story where not all of the characters may wind up happy, but the resolution of the book is satisfactory.  Plus, the descriptions of Polly's baking were so well done that I wound up craving freshly baked bread.  Maybe that's not such a good thing . . .

Little Beach Street Bakery

Little Beach Street Bakery (Little Beach Street Bakery #1) by Jenny Colgan    416 pages

Shirley's review of this book made me want to read it.  It's not necessarily the kind of book I reach for often, but when I read it, it was completely the right kind of story.  It was a lot of fun to escape into Polly's adventures in Polbearne and imagine what it would be like to be in a town like that.  I absolutely LOVED the storyline involving Neil, the puffin.  I also enjoyed the setting, the bit of romance and, I admit it ---- the little dream of having a bakery in a town like this.  This was the perfect story to just enjoy over a weekend.



Summary (in case you didn't read Shirley's):
"Amid the ruins of her latest relationship, Polly Waterford moves far away to the sleepy seaside resort of Polbearne, where she lives in a small, lonely flat above an abandoned shop.

To distract her from her troubles, Polly throws herself into her favorite hobby: making bread. But her relaxing weekend diversion quickly develops into a passion. As she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, each loaf becomes better than the last. Soon, Polly is working her magic with nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, and the local honey-courtesy of a handsome local beekeeper. Drawing on reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes . . . and discovers a bright new life where she least expected it. "  Summary courtesy of Goodreads

How Hard Can Love Be?

How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne     480 pages

Amber, Evie and Lottie: three girls facing down tough issues with the combined powers of friendship, feminism and cheesy snacks. Both hilarious and heart-rending, this is Amber’s story of how painful – and exhilarating – love can be, following on from Evie’s story in Am I Normal Yet?

All Amber wants is a little bit of love. Her mum has never been the caring type, even before she moved to California, got remarried and had a personality transplant. But Amber's hoping that spending the summer with her can change all that.

And then there's prom king Kyle, the guy all the girls want. Can he really be interested in anti-cheerleader Amber? Even with best friends Evie and Lottie's advice, there's no escaping the fact: love is hard.

This was a fun, summer romance read. Though it's considered the second book in Bourne's "Spinster Club," series, each book acts as a stand-alone, with a different girl at the center of the story. While there are references to events or people from the first book, you can read this one alone and it's just as enjoyable. I thought Amber was an interesting character to read - at times, she is very difficult because she has a lot of emotional baggage (and represses a lot of it), but there are times where you see her spunky, fun side come out and you get a sense of how strong she is as an individual, despite all the things in her life that might have broken her. This is a romance story, but this is also a mother/daughter story - Amber leaves England to spend the summer with her mother (albeit helping out at a camp that her mother and her step-father run). Her mother, a recovering alcoholic, is a difficult character to like - she continually pushes Amber away or deflects Amber's attempts to remember good memories or make new bonds. She often pushes blame away from her - but one of the things that makes this book a strong book is that Bourne doesn't shy away from discussing alcoholism, and how it affects a family. Amber is hurt that her mother is not living up to how she used to be, she's frustrated that her mom has never apologized for the terrible things she did while she was an alcoholic, or that she left her in England to start a new life, with a man Amber despises, in America. While Amber's feelings are valid, Bourne doesn't place all the blame on her mom, giving space in the novel to talk about alcoholism as a disease (one that is for life and that her mother must struggle with continually). It makes the story stronger, gives it an element of realness that doesn't let the reader shy away from. The romance in the book is light and cute and just what you'd want from a summer read. Kyle, the All-American Boy is handsome, nice, but think's he's totally boring. The growth that happens as Amber helps coax him out of his shell, and how he helps her see how amazing she is as a person, is the kind of mutually-beneficial relationship I'd like to see more often in YA books. They are adorable together and their exchanges bring a lightness to the novel that balances out the darker bits. The only nit-pick I would have is that whoever Bourne's editor is didn't seem to see fit to take some of the Britishisms out of the American characters speech. Often Kyle, Russ, or some of the other American characters will say things that are completely British, such as "at the weekend," "whinge," or even the exclamation of, "oi!" It's a bit awkward, as an American who never hears such terms said, read American characters saying those things. While this is not a deal-breaker, it is jarring and takes me out of the story every time I come across it. Otherwise, a solid read and I'll definitely continue on reading the rest of the series. I would recommend to any teen or young adult looking for a cute summer romance story (and doesn't mind a bit of drama of the serious kind, aka: alcoholism and broken families).

The Little Beach Street Bakery

The Little Beach Street Bakery 

by Jenny Colgan       Audio Book:  12 hrs.  33 mins      Hardback Book:  562 pages             

A fun read that will have the reader laughing out loud from the conversations the characters have.    A really great feel good story.    Lots of things happening throughout.   What starts out as Polly Waterford running away from the heartache of a broken relationship but finds a whole new life in a tiny seaside town in Cornwall.    She immediately fits right in and while not everyone in town is her friend from the get-go, she has such a great sense of humor and a heart that goes out to people and animals that she is one of those folks you just can’t help but like.    Her one particular foe in town proves to have many layers and once she learns of them – it leads to a whole new attitude.    The characters are so great in this story that the reader will feel like you are right there in the midst of all that is going on – when words can turn your thoughts to becoming almost tangible you know you have a good book.    I must warn you – all the food mentioned and the talk of breadmaking will have you wanting to partake right along with the folks there and actually that just adds even more flavor – pun intended – to the story.    I love these folks and I am on to the next book in the series so I can go back and visit with them some more.     And of course I fell madly in love with her Puffin friend, Neil.     I love it from beginning to end and highly recommend this book to anyone with the wanderlust to just get away sometimes.

It Only Happens in the Movies

It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne     416 pages

Audrey is over romance. Since her parents' relationship imploded her mother's been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry. Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn't mean things are easy. Because real love isn't like the movies...

The greatest love story ever told doesn't feature kissing in the snow or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and zombies... 

A part of me wishes that this book ended differently, but a different part of me knew it could only end the way it did and I'm glad Bourne chose to end it that way. The story is a beautiful monument to what is wrong with stereotype romance films and how, on the whole, these stereotypes warp society's way of experiencing love, expecting certain things, giving up others, letting things happen because love is the end goal.

Is love a choice or a feeling? When this question gets put to Audrey, she feels one way, but by the end, she recognizes that it isn't what she initially thought. Her character development is so strong in this book - I absolutely loved reading her. She begins the novel with a torn up heart - suffering from a teen, school romance gone sour - and on top of that, her own parents' bitter divorce has gotten much worse because her childhood home is being forcibly sold by her father to pay for his new family's lifestyle. Swearing off love, Audrey doesn't expect to fall into another relationship again, especially when it appears to come from the most stereotypical of sources. Harry's character is everything you'd expect out of a teen romance movie. Bourne did an excellent job, though, of building him into something that you could see Audrey accepting, the kind of guy who, despite being warned off by many, she falls for. Thus the romance ensues.

But Audrey's cinema class offers her an opportunity to explore what is wrong with Hollywood romances and to look at her own relationships with a critical eye. The book is full of amazing, stereotype-smashing scenes that really just make me love Audrey more. And the cast of characters is great, bringing the humor, the love, and the support that Audrey needs. This book wasn't what I expected it to be and so I understood why (view spoiler).

So yeah, a very well written book - despite my being unsatisfied with the end (it's not warranted, but as a rational human being I can accept it. I just like my romances to be...different). I would definitely put this in an anti-valentine display - Audrey's cinema project alone is a great example of anti-valentines protest. But I'd also recommend it just so people can read a genuinely well written female character. Audrey is flawed, but she is also strong, capable, and feeling. She makes mistakes but she also owns up to them and she does her best to be better. She tries. And I love her for it.

Am I Normal Yet?

Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne     434 pages

All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…

But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?

Wow, this book was a roller coaster of emotions to read. Evelyn, or Evie, is just starting to lower her medication to combat her OCD symptoms. Wanting to experience a "normal" teenage life, she begins to make new friends and perhaps experience real romance for the first time. Except her symptoms start creeping back - only this time, Evie's not willing to admit they're back, afraid that she'll disappoint her family, that her new friends will find out and not want to be around her to deal with mental issues, that she will be "mental" for the rest of her life. Bourne did such a good job conveying the struggles someone might go through with this mental illness, drawing out the problems in our society with stigmas about mental illness, society's casual use of mental illness buzzwords, like "OCD" or "crazy," without realizing how much such casual use of these words might hurt those with actual illnesses. With the character of Evelyn, Bourne is able to bring a light to this issue while still constructing a teenage character with real teenage problems that traditional YA books attempt to highlight. Evie gets crushes, she has family problems, she worries about what her friends might think, all issues tackled in many YA novels. While highlighting mental illness, Bourne does not let it define Evie's character, still showing her in the same light as any other YA-driven novel. This story was so compelling - I felt things very deeply while reading Evie's character, and I especially enjoyed how feminism became a rallying cry for her and her friends, who start their own "spinster" club, to take back the word spinster and perhaps bring about a new, enlightened way of living in a world full of benevolent as well as blatant sexism. While the type of feminism discussed isn't as intersectional as I'm sure some would like, it is still an important component that most YA books do not even attempt to touch, so I applaud Bourne for bringing the topic of feminism, as how teen girls experience it, in this book. The narration was so witty and the cast of characters all felt well rounded and real. I am so happy I finally got a chance to read this book and I will definitely be recommending it to everyone.

Our House

Our House by Louise Candlish     399 pages   read a galley - due to be published 8/2018

"On a bright January morning in the London suburbs, a family moves into the house they’ve just bought in Trinity Avenue. 

Nothing strange about that. Except it is your house. And you didn’t sell it. "


Fiona Lawson's making the best of her new living arrangement with her husband. Called a "bird's nest" solution, they alternate living in their house with their children in a co-parenting agreement to ease their separation and provide their family with stability. However, when Fiona comes home one day to find strange people in her house, people who are insisting they have purchased this house from Fiona and her husband, Bram, it becomes clear that something has gone horribly wrong.  Just where is Bram? And where are Fiona's children? And how did their house, their beautiful home, wind up in the hands of complete strangers?

This is the type of book that starts strong and just gets better as the story continues. It's the perfect kind of book where you can imagine the horror of this kind of thing happening because as the story unwinds, you realize just what is happening and how this could happen in reality. The characters are well-written and the story is compelling, but what I think drew me in was how carefully crafted the whole "house stealing" scheme happened.  That's true horror for me: not monsters under the bed or ghosts in the eaves, but how a domestic situation can go from not great to horrendously awful.

Where Bram is concerned, there is a definite cat-and-mouse game going on, so it's a good thing that you get his perspective in the story. Whether or not you're sympathetic to him . . . well, that's something else. Let's just say that more than one character has something to hide.

Terrific read for a weekend where you have plenty of time to settle in and enjoy a pageturner (with, as expected, a twist).

Bring Me Back

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris.  336 pages  Read a galley

Layla has vanished and Finn's sure she's never coming back. However, ten years later, someone is leaving signs that she has returned. Now, Finn's worried because he's kept the truth about Layla hidden. And just because he's moved on with his life doesn't mean the past isn't catching up with him now. This suspenseful, intense story demonstrates how love can be so strong that it can twist people into things they don't recognize. Psychological suspense at its best!

When Finn and Layla are on holiday and stop for gas, he gets out of the car and comes back to find her gone. He tells the police the truth (well, mostly) and after ten years he's moved on with his life. Actually, he's moved on with Ellen, Layla's sister. While his past is a tiny part of his life, Layla is never too far from his mind. When he comes home from work one day and finds Ellen sitting, turning something over in her fingers that she's found on their doorstep, he knows his past has now come roaring back; this object is something that only he would truly understand the meaning of.

Now, things start unraveling. As the story reveals more details about Finn and his past, you realize that perhaps he's not the man everyone things he is. After all, he has an awful temper. Is that what happened to Layla? And what part may other people around Finn, including Ellen, play in all of this?  B.A. Paris keeps you guessing until the very end of the book, which meant I was whip-reading this book, engrossed and turning the pages well into the night. I felt like after I finished the book, I wanted to go back and re-read it and see if I could find hints of things that I had missed the first time through. This is a quality work of psychological suspense, but it's also a statement about obsessive love, which I found pretty interesting.

I See You

I See You by Clare Mackintosh    372 pages

"You do the same thing every day.

You know exactly where you're going.

You're not alone."

Zoe Walker can't believe she's seeing her photo in the classified section of a London newspaper, but she's determined to find out why it's there.  There's just a website, a grainy image and a phone number.  Her family and friends aren't convinced it's Zoe, but the next day, Zoe sees the ad with a different woman's photo  and a different woman the day after that.   So is this some kind of mistake? Or is someone keeping track of every move these women make?

This was an absolute page-turning, psychological thriller that kept me guessing and then threw me a curveball (and actually, a second curveball) right towards the end.  The author does a great job of building the characters and the story and showing how our two main characters, Zoe and a police inspector, intersect.  Zoe is a believable character and because she's one of the primary narrators of the story, you get the information at the same time she does, which means that when she's questioning things, you're right there with her. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if she's just being paranoid --- and this, for me, is great because it meant that I was totally invested in the story.