The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas
Best for: Do you like a mystery? Do like stories told from a few perspectives? Do you like family intrigue? In a nutshell: Tasha and her husband Aaron do a home swap with Tasha’s sister Alice and her husband Kyle. Tasha and Aaron head to Kyle’s vacation home in Venice; Alice and Kyle stay to take care of Tasha and Aaron’s twin girls. Two nights later, Kyle is dead and Alice is in the hospital. Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I had a […]
Pew by Catherine Lacey
Best for: Those who enjoy a well-written fable. Those who don’t need certainty in their books. In a nutshell: Pew shows up in the town church one morning, and the townspeople don’t know what to do with them. Over the course of the week, Pew is pawned off on a variety of people who feel a strong need to fill the silence. Worth quoting: “You can’t be sure of who someone really is, or really was, before you knew them … or even after, sometimes.” […]
The Couple at No. 9 by Claire Douglas
Best for: Mystery fans who enjoy jumping back and forth across time. In a nutshell: Saffy and her husband Tom live in a bungalow gifted to her by her grandmother Rose. While making some renovations, two sets of remains are found buried in the garden. Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I read one of Douglas’s previous books earlier this year and found it to be interesting and well written. Review: Ah, I love a book where we hear from different perspectives and jump […]
The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard
Best for: Those who enjoy a little bit of history with their sentimentality. Those who love cats. In a nutshell: Grimalkin is a cat living in a tenement in Edinburgh in the 1880s. One day he passes away, and a cat god is shocked to learn that little Grimalkin has only gotten to live one of his nine lives. He is granted the other eight with the understanding he has three to stay (of which he has used one), three to stray, and three to […]
Queen B by Juno Dawson
Best for: Those who are already invested in the HMRC (Her Majesty’s Royal Coven) series. In a nutshell: An alternative telling of exactly how and why Anne Boleyn ascended to the throne and then was summarily removed. Worth quoting: N/A (Audio Book) Why I chose it: Audible recommended this to me as I’d already read The Shadow Cabinet this year. Review: We start with the execution of Queen Anne Boleyn, then jump back and forth between the events years prior to her marrying King Henry […]
The Race to Be Myself by Caster Semenya
Best for: Anyone who ACTUALLY cares about women, or women in sports, or racism, or equity. Also JK Rowling should read this as maybe she’d learn a thing or two (though I’d love to keep Semenya off Rowling’s radar, since Rowling is generally horrible when it comes to women’s issues). In a nutshell: Olympic runner Semenya shares her story, from growing up in South Africa to becoming one of the fastest women in the world, to facing the racism and misogyny of the sporting world. […]
