Dawn Girl by Leslie Wolfe

Rating:           9 General Rating: A fast, hard-to-put-down, detective crime thriller. Skip factor:  1%. Only skipped when I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Who should read:  Readers who like thrillers—especially detective-crime junkies—this is for you. I neglected chores and duties to sort out who the fictitious serial killer was. Summary:  Detective Tess is called to the … Read more

Three Sisters by Heather Morris

Rating:           8 General Rating: A World War II story about the perseverance of three sisters, whom survived Auschwitz and Birkenau. Who should read:  Those interested in touching stories about holocaust survivors. Sisters. Women who have survived similar atrocities, and certainly survivors and children of holocaust survivors. Skip factor:  8%. I skipped more than a little between 60% … Read more

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Rating:     10    Serendipitous. Heartfelt and enjoyable. A lovely warm tale about  a woman and a tentacled creature. If only life mimicked this book, rewarded truly deserving people who have weathered fate’s storms. Skip factor: I skipped nothing. 0%    Who should read? Readers who need a boost from life’s norm. Women who love serendipitous stories … Read more

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Rating:     9    Hard to read at times because of the clear picture this author paints. Skip factor: My normal 3-5%    Who should read? Compassionates. Anyone who would like to understand why people risk their lives and the lives of their family, leaving everything they have behind, and begin anew. This is a story of … Read more

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Rating:           8.5 General Rating: Is this book for you? It’s a hodgepodge of stories, Libby Jones’s, mostly. She’s a single girl turning twenty-five and about to inherit? What? She’s not quite sure. Break to the story of beautiful Lucy and her two children struggling to survive. Enter an odd character named Finn. The reader is certain … Read more

If You Tell by Gregg Olsen

Rating:           9 General Rating: Wow, wow, wow, this is the most enlightening non-fiction I’ve read. Reading this book was difficult but I highly recommend it.   Who should read:  Everyone. At the risk of showing my hurried, unorganized behavior, I’ll admit I did not know this was based on a true story until I had finished it. … Read more

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Name:                               The Truth About Forever Author:                              Sarah Dessen Rating:                              9.5 General Rating:               A perfectly sweet book to make you forget the pandemic.  It ranks as one of my favorite YA books. Skip factor:        >1% I barely skipped anything. A few times I … Read more

Books I Almost Read

Read the Pulitzer Prize winning Middlesex? Me neither. Wandering through my seventh decade, I treasure time. I used to read the classics no matter how grueling and gut-wrenching, but now? Meh. Distinctions can be deceiving. Some of the smartest people I met over the years never earned a high-school diploma. Lots more swore off college. I’ve … Read more

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Rating:  8.5 General Rating:  Kidd amalgamates narration and dialogue to perfection in this  touching tale of a motherless girl who runs away from an abusive father. Skip factor:  1% I skipped little. The writing was just too good. Who should read: All women, all ages. Summary:  This is the story of Lily Owens who must come to terms … Read more

Educated by Tara Westover

Rating:     9    This book challenged me. Yet, once I got past the Westover’s junkyard and herbal world, I was mesmerized by Tara’s journey. Skip factor: 8%    At around 30% I called a friend and asked if the story improved. I did not like the junkyard or herbal lore at all. However, I hung … Read more