Wicked Appetite
by Janet Evanovich

I feel like the cheesy puns were too many, and the well thought out plot points were too few. Not something I’d recommend to others unfortunately.
 
 

These Is My Words
by Nancy Turner

Why did I not know about this book and before now how did I miss this little jewel for so long? I love historical fiction so you would think I’d have had this on my TBR list a long time ago. It’s was published in 1998 but I had never heard of it until someone in my book club suggested it. The author loosely based this work of fiction on the life of her great grandmother who traveled to the Arizona territories worth of family in the 1880s when she was a young girl. It’s written in journal format, which took a little getting used to. But once I got the hang of it, I never wanted to put the book down. I loved getting to know the feisty Sarah Prine, who was as good with a gun as most experienced gun slingers. There’s also a heck of a love story ~ a quote on the jacket, compared Sarah and Jack to Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler, which is pretty accurate. Despite the high drama, life in the Arizona territories wasn’t for the faint hearted. Indian raids, rapists and thieves, snakes, floods, and the normal 19 century death resulting experiences of disease and childbirth were common place. “These Is My Words” does paint a picture of life in the wild West that is as educational as it is entertaining. A great story… now onto the sequel “Sarah’s Quilt”.
 
 

The Last Bookshop In London
by Madeline Martin

Far too sweet. Everything presented tied with a bow.
 
 

Housemaid
by Freda McFadden

This was the first book I've read by this author and will probably be my last. The writing style is very amateurish. I was bored for the first half of the book and then I just wanted it to end and undoubtedly so did the author with everything wrapped up in a very unrealistic ending. This was a book club read and the best thing I can say about it…it was a quick read.
 
 

Burying The Lede
by Joseph LeValley

I finished “Burying the Lede” in 3 days after hearing the author speak at our library. He nailed small town newspapers. It brought back so many memories from my 27 years at the Clarinda Herald-Journal! Fortunately I had a boss like his who gave me some leeway with subjects and hours (mid-1960s to 1990s) and no one threatened me with anything that actually mattered. I liked the building of suspense and the author even had me suspecting the lead character's friend as the murderer for a while. I recommended it at our Library Challenge Chat.
 
 

The Pillars Of The Earth
by Ken Follett

What a book! The story sounds simple enough on the surface. It’s set in a small town in medieval England, and it follows the building of a new church. But it isn’t just a church, and it isn’t just a small town. It’s the cathedral of Kingsbridge, and the building of it will affect people across generations, from the lowest born to the most royal, throughout all of England and even past its borders. It’s expertly crafted with complex interwoven plots, the conspiracies and political drama, the historical accuracy and the details that were poured into the masonry and the building of the cathedral make this an absolutely brilliant book. And on top of all that, there’s war, love, economics, religion, life and death. It’s so much more than just the building of a church. At first, I was a little overwhelmed at the length of book but as I got into it, I realized I didn’t want it to end. I’m glad to know that there are four more books in the series.
 
 

Moloka'i
by Alan Brennert

I think this is a little known piece of history and this book of fiction allows just a glimpse into this bit of the past.
 
 

After Annie
by Anna Quindlen

This book had all the feels.
 
 

The Alice Network
by Kate Quinn

There really was an Alice Network. “Alice Dubois” was a real woman who led a network of spies against Germany during WWI. Germans really did massacre a village in France on June 10, 1944. From these (and other) facts, the author has woven a page-turner of a novel that brings together a broken ex-spy 50-something British woman, Eve, and a 19-year-old American girl, Charlie in post-WWII France. Both are wracked by guilt, fleeing regret, harboring secrets. Couple them with a Scottish ex-con driver who has secrets of his own, the travel comrades set off on a quest to find out what happened to Charlie’s cousin, Rose. Meanwhile, in alternating flashback chapters, we learn of Eve’s experience as a spy during WWI, which begin to shed light on her own motives for traveling with Charlie—motives that have nothing to do with finding Rose and everything to do with her tragic past. I found this book almost impossible to put down. The conclusion was a bit “Hollywood” for my taste, but it was certainly satisfying. Characters changed over the course of the story, which is always satisfying, too. And I enjoyed (if that’s the right word!) getting a peek into what life might have been like to be a spy in occupied France.
 
 

The Women
by Kristin Hannah

What a roller coaster! I knew Vietnam vets were not treated well when they returned but didn't realize for the women, it was even worse. No place to turn! I really didn't know what direction this would go some of the time because you'd think that Frankie was in a good spot but wondered with half the book left to read. Tumbling down the next slippery slope, she'd go. Awful, awful! I'd like to read the other books recommended by Kristin Hannah, and its interesting how long she sat on this project.