July Reading Report

An equation for July:  

Heat + Unbearable Humidity =

Lots of Reading Time in Front of Window AC

The Time Between by Karen White
Fiction
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
Rating:  4.5/5
Edisto Island, SC, brings together sisters from two different families where the magic and wonder of the Lowcountry setting reveals secrets and strengths none knew they had.

All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue
Fiction
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
Rating:  3/5
Three young women reunite for a long weekend to deal with current life crises and long-time secrets.  Good story…glad I read it…but it made me feel old….

The Agatha Raisin Companion by M.C. Beaton
Mystery
Source:  Library
Format:  eBook
Rating:  3/5
Always looking to see when the heartfelt good in Agatha Raisin will emerge, this series by M. C. Beaton is one of my favorites.  The Companion provides good insight into the background of how the series came about, the recurring characters, and the Cotswolds setting of the books.

Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen
Mystery
Series:  Royal Spyness #4
Source:  Library
Format:  Kindle
Rating:  4/5
Seemed to me that these characters finally hit their stride in this fourth in the series.  Georgie is more confident; Darcy less mysterious; Belinda…well she's the same only more so. Queenie, Georgie's "maid," is introduced and won't soon be forgotten.  And Transylvanian vampires and werewolves--oh, and a murder--aside, this story was well crafted and offered many smile-worthy moments.

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore
Fiction
Source:  Library
Format:  Kindle
Rating:  4.5/5
Moving between past and present and centered in Earl's All-You-Can-Eat diner, this book tells the story of three remarkable women: Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean (dubbed the Supremes).  They face the hard times of life but always in a way that makes you giggle as you read their story.  You will wish you could spend a day with these ladies.  And...then there's the appearance of Eleanor Roosevelt....

Swept Away by Mariah Stewart
Romance
Source:  TBR Stack
Format:  Kindle
Rating:  3/5
Nice short story originally published in 1999 as Under the Boardwalk.  Lots of character opportunities for expanding this into a series.

Island Girls by Nancy Thayer
Fiction
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
Rating:  3/5
It's summer on Nantucket, and mothers, daughters, fathers, friends, and lovers all play a part in what happens to and in the Randall family summer home on historic Lily Street. Things turn out pretty much as you might guess, and that was my quibble with the book. The reunion of the sisters (two half sisters and one step sister) needed to be a little edgier.

Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
Fiction
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
Rating:  5/5
Told in epistolary form, this book convinces you that "…words on the page can drench the soul."

Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky
Fiction
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
Rating:  4/5
Friendship, family, love, herbs, a cookbook, and more explored against the background of  Quinnipeague Island off the coast of Maine.  An almost perfect combination for summer reading.

Wings of Fire by Charles Todd
Mystery
Series:  Ian Rutledge #2
Source:  Library
Format:  Kindle
Rating:  4/5
Reading the Ian Rutledge series requires some patience as Charles Todd carefully and precisely unveils the depths of this character. This second in the series is filled with a complicated family bound by love as well as by deception.

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Bookmarks (real and virtual) are already making their way through several books on this fifth day of August. It's in the 70s, there's a beautiful breeze, and no humidity--perfect reading weather!  I'm hoping there's another LETTERS FROM SKYE somewhere in my August reading.