Wrap-Up of the 2021 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge

12 books were required for the challenge, one for each month of the year.  I read 15 books however and 11 of the authors were new to me.  They are as follows:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams

The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul

The Lost Ancestor by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper

The Girl From Silent Lake by Leslie Wolfe

The Night Away by Jess Ryder

Beneath an Indian Sky by Renita D'Silva

Gone by Sharon A. Mitchell

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi

Top Producer by Laura Wolfe

Sweet Tooth Compendium by Jeff Lemire

The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs

One Night in Tehran by Luana Ehrlich

Thin Air by Ann Cleeves

Favorite Book:  The Midnight Library

2nd Favorite Book:  Sweet Tooth Compendium

Least Favorite Book:  Thin Air

Thin Air

Thin Air was published in 2014 and is part of Ann Cleeves' Shetland Island Mystery Series. It has been made into a hit TV show in Britain. While I have read 2 other books in the series with limited fervor, this novel is probably the best one that I have read. The book was selected for the Monthly Key Word Challenge.  

In this installment of the series a group of old university friends return to Shetland in a hamefarin' to attend the wedding of one of them. Polly and Eleanor have accompanied Caroline home to wed Lowrie.  Eleanor disappears the day after the wedding. She had claimed to have seen the ghost of a local girl, Peerie Lizzy, who had drowned in the 1920s. Police inspector Jimmy Perez and Willow Reeves become involved after Eleanor's body is found. Both wonder whether Eleanor was murdered and whether the ghost of the child is a myth.  

These mysteries are all slow paced. Thin Air is not different in that respect. Although I feel that the pace was somewhat faster than the earlier books I read, it was bogged down in setting description and character dialogue. The Shetland Islands have beautiful scenery but when the reader gets too much atmosphere and not enough action, the books can be dull. In this novel, the murder investigation is at least prominent on most of the pages. Inbetween chapters about the investigation, are chapters about Perez's family life. He is the series protagonist but has never captured my attention.  

Thin Air is the last book by Ann Cleeves that I intend to read. If I need to miss meeting a reading challenge to avoid it, I will.  2 out of 5 stars.

One Night in Tehran

One Night in Tehran is the first book in Luana Ehrlich's Titus Ray spy thriller series. It was published i 2014 and now consists of 8 novels.  What makes this book different is that the main character is a new Christian.  While he tries to live the Christian lifestyle, the book has a spy thriller feel not a Christian fiction feel. 

The publisher's summary:

"Veteran CIA officer Titus Ray - on the run from the Iranian secret police - finds shelter with a group of Iranian Christians in Tehran. While urging him to become a believer in Jesus Christ, they manage to smuggle Titus out of Iran to freedom in Turkey.  Returning to the States, he discovers his Iranian mission failed because of political infighting within the Agency.  After Titus delivers a scathing indictment against the deputy director of operations, he's forced to take a year's medical leave in Oklahoma.  Before leaving Langley, Titus learns he's been targeted by a Hezbollah assassin hired by the Iranians.  Now, while trying to figure out what it means to be a follower of Christ, he must decide if the Iranian couple he meets in Norman, Oklahoma has ties to the man who's trying to kill him, and if Nikki Saxon can be trusted with his secrets.  Can a man trained to lie and deceive live a life of faith?  Should he trust the beautiful young detective with his secrets?  Was the bullet that killed his friend meant for him?"

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is a lot of suspense in each chapter that keeps you reading until you finish it and it certainly is a timely story.  I was expecting to see more domestic terrorism involved in the plot since it takes place in Oklahoma where the first act of domestic terrorism occurred in America. There is no link to that event though. Another aspect of the book that is different from most spy thrillers is that there is no sex or foul language. This is a clean, character driven story with awesome characters. Besides Titus, a former spook friend, Danny Jarrar, was able to leave the Agency and find a way to live the Christian life in Norman, Oklahoma. Also, the Oklahoma setting was interesting because there were so many Middle Eastern countries with operatives in the state.  I wonder whether this is true or was created by the author to bolster the spy story.  The part of the story that took place in Tehran was authentic too. 

While the main character is a Christian, this novel still reads like a daring spy thriller.  I highly recommend it to mystery fans.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Bone Code

I don't read many Kathy Reichs novels. She writes forensic mysteries which I never could get interested in.  This particular novel concerns using family DNA companies to identify dead people. I have read several forensic DNA novels lately and find that I like them so I selected The Bone Code as my entry for October's Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge. It was published in July 2021.

Temperance Brennan is the main character in the series.  When she examined two decomposing female bodies that were inside a medical waste container off the Charleston, SC coast, she recognized many of the details that were identical to an unsolved case that she handled in Quebec fifteen years earlier.  The story began well but soon devolved into corny idioms and dialogue between Tempe and her husband. Pages 100 -200 were dull.  No action happened. The story did pick up for the remaining 150 pages but I could not overcome the boredom of the first half of the book. There was no suspense whatsoever and clues sprung up quickly and were then discarded.  

I cannot imagine anyone under 60 who would be able to stand the dialogue in the book.  There were so many corny phrases from the 1970s (ask me how I know!) that would stop them reading. "Hot damn, holy freaking shit, over my patootie, a real pisser" plus boring paragraphs "I went inside, brushed my teeth and changed into jeans" or "I was finishing a one-line report..." Common French words were part of the dialogue on every page but I did not see any reason for them. 

Now I remember why I don't read Kathy Reichs novels. Perhaps I am spoiled by reading Nathan Dylan Goodwin's Forensic Genealogist Series. Goodwin adds plenty of suspense to his stories and they focus solely on solving the puzzle. 

I would skip The Bone Code. 2 out of 5 stars.

Sweet Tooth Compendium

I was excited to get the Sweet Tooth compendium edition for my birthday last month. I had heard that this edition sold out on its publication date three months ago so imagine my surprise to receive it in the mail. Being late to comics, I hadn't previously read this story. The Compendium contains all 40 issues of the comic. The covers for each issue are also included in the book. 

Sweet Tooth takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where some of the characters are human/animal hybrids. The main  character is a young boy named Gus, a half human, half deer hybrid. He has antlers growing out of his forehead and is a chocoholic. Gus has been raised by his Bible thumping father in isolation after a manmade pandemic that began ten years earlier. When his father dies Gus is on his own. He soon meets Jepperd, a drifter who promises to help him. The two of them begin a journey into a devastated American landscape in order to locate The Preserve, a refuge for kids who are hybrids.  

The Compendium Edition, published by DC Comics, has been printed on semi-glossy paper. The pages are glued to the cover. I wish that it had been smyth-sewn because it's 915 pages will probably come loose. However, it was certainly put together better than my Saga Compendium, published by Image, and the GSM of the paper is higher.

This comic is going to look good on my bookshelf. I love to see these chunky books lined up in a row. I am rating Sweet Tooth 5 out of 5 stars.

Top Producer

Laura Wolfe is a new author for me. I purchased this book because it takes place in Chicago where I live. Wolfe is a fantastic writer and I don't know why I haven't heard of her before. The suspense in this novel is high and I couldn't put it down. The book was published in 2020.  

The story opens with Mara Butler getting fired from her job at Avery Consulting. She has just broken up with her boyfriend and purchased a new condo. When she sees an add for an assistant to a real estate agent, Jacqueline Henderson, she applies and to her surprise is hired. Jacqueline is one of Chicago's top realtors. While Jacqueline dresses the part of a smart agent she has a crooked moral compass. Her quest to win the prestigious Top Producer Award by the Chicago Board of Realtors has led her to think outside the box. Mara begins to earn alot of money under Jacqueline's tutelage. She earns enough to pay the mortgage on her new condo, a new car and pay some of her cancer-stricken sister's medical bills. However, Mara becomes entangled in Jacqueline's unorthodox methods of getting real estate listings from clients. After a competing realtor suddenly dies, Mara is afraid of becoming the next victim. 

Top Producer is a fast paced novel that depicts the cut throat world of real estate. I have to wonder, though, if all realtors go to the same extremes as Jacqueline. My gut tells me yes. Each extreme act ratchets up the suspense because the reader does not know how far Jacqueline, or even Mara, will go to be successful. Mara's parents are disappointed in her for losing her first job so quickly and Mara feels the pressure to succeed at something, anything. It's interesting how Mara tells herself that Jacqueline's questionable ethics are probably not illegal but Mara really doesn't know what is legal in the real estate world. She is not a trained realtor. 

I loved the Jacqueline character more than Mara. Jacqueline is a perfect villain. She does not care who she hurts in her rise up the ladder at Greystone Realty. Today we would probably label her as a narcissist. Regardless of how confident Jacqueline appears, she is just as insecure as Mara. Her parents are disappointed in her too and she was rejected by her last boyfriend. She just doesn't let people know what her true feelings are.

I loved the Chicago setting. As each address or building was mentioned I knew exactly where they were located. The familiarity added to my enjoyment of the novel. However, readers not familiar with Chicago will understand which buildings are known as high end and which are not. With Chicago being known for being kind to mobsters, organized crime was in the back of my mind as I read about each questionable action by Jacqueline. I didn't know if Jacqueline was affiliated with a mob family or just taking advantage of everyone in town expecting to come across them regularly. Non-Chicagoans will probably not sense this feeling but I don't think it will affect your enjoyment of this novel.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur is book two in the Jaipur trilogy by Alka Joshi. The trilogy began with The Henna Artist. The action in this story begins in Spring 1969 with heroine Lakshmi, now married to Dr.Jay Kumar, directing the Healing Garden of Shimla. Her protege Malik has just finished his private school education and at age 20 he has also just met a young mother named Nimmi and has fallen in love with her. When Malik travels to Jaipur to be an apprentice at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace in order to work on a state of the art cinema, he must separate from Nimmi. Malik soon finds that not much has changed in Jaipur since his last visit during his childhood. Power and money still hold sway and favors flow from the Palace, but only if certain secrets remain buried. When the cinema's balcony collapses on opening night, blame is placed where it is convenient. Malik, however, suspects something far darker is hovering over the city and sets out to uncover the truth. 

I LOVED this book!  In my mind, you can't get a better book than an Indian fiction novel. Malik is featured more prominently than Lakshmi in this installment of the trilogy. It's not that Lakshmi doesn't get a good amount of pages, it's just that Malik is the person solving the crime in the story. Of course, I loved everything about the Shimla and Jaipur settings. These two cities are complete opposites. Shimla is in the mountains and the weather is cool most of the time. Jaipur instead is excruciatingly hot. Wherever the characters are located, the reader is treated to the Indian culture. While I am sure that poor Indians who had labor intensive jobs were not as thrilled with their lot as the wealthy folks, I have romanticized this servant/master relationship. It seems dreamy to have someone always available to get you a cool drink or cook a meal when you come home. Most writers of Indian fiction show the servants as happy and agreeable but I know this must be a fallacy. 

We learn alot about the Nimma character. When she is introduced to Lakshmi she is described as having dark skin with rough hands and wearing cheap clothing. Nimma hails from a tribe that roams the mountains shepherding sheep. The women in the tribe had other duties and Nimma's was to gather flowers and herbs for healing. While her personality is quite different from Lakshmi, both women look for flowers and shrubs that can be used in healing. Lakshmi knows more about the flowers that she can find in the Jaipur area and Nimma knows more about those that can be found in the mountains. They make an ideal pair for Lakshmi's healing garden. 

Much is written about family here. Malik has no idea who his parents are or even when he was born. He was a street child who did odd jobs for Lakshmi before she brought him in to her home and raised him. He has no biological family to speak of. Lakshmi only has one sister whom she also raised but Radha has moved to Paris. Nimma is a widow with two kids. Emphasis is placed in the story on finding friends who become a substitute for family. These ties are bound just as tight as to those whom you are biologically related.

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur is a fantastic read. Historical fiction fans are going to want to read it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Gone

Gone is a spellbinding novel about a mother and son who have been abducted at a gas station. The son is only four-years-old and has a severe form of epilepsy and autism. His mother Elizabeth manages his illness well while her husband is gone weekdays and night. She is a creature of habit, puts gas in the car on Monday, picks up prescriptions on Tuesday, etc... Her habits should make it easier for her husband to search for her. On one Monday morning, Elizabeth is buying gas for her car and has left her son in the passenger seat while she pays for the gas. While she is at the cash register she sees a man approach her car and get in. Elizabeth hurries to the car and is able to jump into the backseat as the car takes off, leaving her purse behind. The driver takes her to a hidden cabin in the woods where Elizabeth's husband will never find her. It is up to Elizabeth to figure out how to get herself and her son free. 

This psychological thriller kept me reading all night. The serious nature of the child's medical needs not being met after the abduction give the novel its suspense. The restricted life a person with epilepsy has is shown in detail and it is this circumstance that keeps the reader reading. I found myself routing for the boy and hoped he survived. I did not like his mother though. She was dependent on her husband for everything and got angry when he wasn't around to tell her what to do. She seemed whiny to me. As a feminist I wanted to shake her out of this mindset to freedom. It was odd that she only thought her husband would search for her, not the police. Doesn't everyone know that it is the police's job to look for missing people? Also, I wondered why she thought she couldn't handle her situation. Elizabeth did not really need her husband to help her care for her son. She did this almost daily on her own and was handling the abduction well.

Despite these concerns Gone is a mesmerizing story and I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Beneath an Indian Sky

Beneath an Indian Sky is a historical fiction novel about a grandmother and her granddaughter.  The plots alternate between 1928 India, when Sita marries a crown prince and 2000, when her granddaughter Priya gets divorced from her husband of 11 years. 

The publisher's summary:

1928:  In British-ruled India, headstrong Sita longs to choose her own path, but her only destiny is a good marriage. After a chance meeting with a Crown Prince leads to a match, her family's status seems secured and she moves into the palace, where peacocks fill the gardens and tapestries adorn the walls.  But royal life is far from simple, and her failure to provide an heir makes her position fragile. Soon Sita is on the brink of losing everything, and the only way to save herself could mean betraying her oldest friend.

2000:  When Priya's marriage ends in heartbreak, she flees home to India and the palace where her grandmother, Sita, once reigned as Queen.  But as grandmother and granddaughter grow closer, Priya has questions.  Why is Sita so reluctant to accept her royal status ended with independence?  And who is the mysterious woman who waits patiently at the palace gates day after day?  Soon Priya uncovers a secret Sita has kept for years - and will change the shape of her life forever.

I have always loved India as a setting for books. It's tea scented air seems enchanting to me and the landscaping is beautiful. The nice hot weather is appealing to someone, such as myself, who has to deal with -20 degree weather every winter. In this novel much of the setting is the royal palace with its opulent rooms and furniture. Each room that Sita moves through is more exotic than the first. The palace even has its own zoo and Sita particularly loves the cheetahs. 

The characters are captivating and the reader gets to see Sita living the good life and her old friend Mary has to deal with many adversities.  While this is technically a book with alternating plots from Sita and Priya's point of view, it really has 3 alternating plots. The third plot is Mary's story, however, most of this book is about Sita and she is the most interesting character of the three.  Sita is unusual as she is both the main character and the villain. Mary is a supporting character but is also a foil for Sita's character.  In the end, Mary turns out to be the heroine of the novel. How the two of them change over the years and why is the basis for this sensational plot. Also, there is a shocking twist toward the end that genuinely surprised me. 

Beneath an Indian Sky is a must read for historical fiction fans.  I rate it 5 out of 5 stars!

The Night Away

The Night Away is an unputdownable book. The story opens with Amber struggling to care for her newborn daughter Mabel. Her husband George thinks that they need a short vacation with just themselves in order to rekindle their relationship. Amber finally agrees to one night away in a resort hotel and her sister Ruby will be babysitting Mabel. Just as she is about to leave, Amber worries about Ruby being alone with her daughter. Ruby is known to be a little scatterbrained and forgetful. Still, Amber leaves with her husband. What she doesn't know is that someone has been following her and noting her habits. Someone who desperately wants a baby of their own and who believes that Mabel is supposed to be their's. 

When Amber's sister Ruby reports that Mabel's cot is empty, Amber's world implodes. She knows that if her baby is not found, she will never forgive her sister. However, Amber also has a secret.  She wonders whether the person who knows the truth will try and make her pay for her actions. Amber will do anything to get Mabel back but in the back of her mind she wonders if her lies have put Mabel at risk.  

I think that the point of view that the story was written from provided much of the suspense. The reader does not know who the person is until the end. What is known from the beginning is that this person does not like Amber.  Amber isn't a likable character. Before she gave birth to Mabel, she took advantage of her co-workers and ignored any one who could not help her advance in her career. She stopped being lovey-dovey with her husband George as soon as the baby was born, causing a rift in her marriage. Amber was always berating him while George was excessively "understanding." This made me suspicious of George but there will be no spoilers here.  

Lilac Park is the setting of the story. It's name evokes wealth and beauty. George and Amber are well off and seeing well dressed neighbors in the park where mothers stroll with their babies contributes to this feeling.  Everyone knows everyone else here. In the park there are tennis courts, kid's play area,  rose garden, ornamental pond, and a cafe. Mothers gather there, clustering around large tables discussing baby issues on weekday mornings. Amber was there every day too but she did not always meet the other ladies,preferring to be alone.  

The solving of the crime, namely the kidnapping of Mabel, begins with the week before Mabel is taken. The reader gets information here that will give clues to whodunit. Then it is told 7 days before the kidnapping, the day of the kidnapping and then one, two, three, etc. . . days after it occurs. I think this was written well. I could not put the book down and read into the early hours of the morning to finish reading it. I highly recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers.

5 out of 5 stars. 

The Girl From Silent Lake

Wow!  What an exciting, pulse throbbing book.  This crime thriller is the first in a new series featuring former FBI detective Kay Sharp. The second book in the series, Beneath Black Water River, was published last week and I will definitely be buying it. Although she was written 19 novels, Leslie Wolfe is a new author for me. It always feels good when you find an author you love.

The publisher's summary:  

When single mother Alison Nolan sets off with her six-year-old daughter Hazel, she can't wait to spend precious time with her girl.  A vacation in Silent Lake, where snow-topped mountains are surrounded by the colors of fall, is just what they need.  Hours later, though, Alison and Hazel disappear.  Detective Kay Sharp rushes to the scene.  The only evidence that they were ever there is an abandoned rental car with a suitcase in the back, gummy bears in the open glove compartment and a teddy bear on the floor.  Kay's mind spins.  A week before, the body of another woman from out of town was found in a wrapped blanket, her hair braided and tied with feathers. Instinct tells her that the cases are connected - and it won't be long until more innocent lives are lost.  

As Kay leads a frenzied search, time is against her, but she vows that Alison and little Hazel will be found alive.  She works around the clock, even though the small town is up in arms, saying she's asking too many questions. Then she uncovers a vital clue - a photograph of the blanket that the first victim was buried in.  Just when Kay thinks she's found the missing piece, she realizess she's being watched. Is she getting too close, or is her own past catching up with her?  With a little girl's life on the line, Kay will stop at nothing.  But will it be enough to get inside the mind of the most twisted killer she has ever encountered, or will another blameless child be taken?  

I loved this novel!  The main character, Kay, is a superb detective. Her background in profiling the personalities of serial killers is a great asset and the author revealed her expertise gradually as the plot developed.  I thought this was written well. Normally you see a detective's entire skillset revealed in the beginning of a novel. This added to the excitement while I was reading.  Her partner in the investigation was a good foil for her personality. Elliot is a Texas good old boy who thinks he knows more than Kay because he is a man. However, Elliot was continually impressed by Kay's analysis of the case they were working on. 

The setting includes the Native American tribes in the Mount Chester locale where the story takes place. Several tribes were known to be in the area but their burial traditions were slightly different from each other.  Knowledge of this was essential to solving the crime.  I enjoyed learning about the differences between them. 

The Girl From Silent Lake is a fabulous story. I highly recommend it to mystery lovers. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Girl in the Painting

 

This story takes place in Australia and it alternates between 1906 and 1862. Orphan Jane Piper is nine years old when philanthropists Michael and Elizabeth Quinn take her into their home to further her schooling.  The Quinns are no strangers to hardship. Having arrived in Australia as penniless immigrants, they now care for others as lost as they once were. Despite Jane's mysterious past, her remarkable aptitude for mathematics takes her far over the next seven years, and her relationship with Elizabeth and Michael flourishes as she plays an increasingly prominent role in their business.  When Elizabeth reacts in terror to an exhibition at the local gallery, Jane realizes no one knows Elizabeth after all - not even Elizabeth herself.  As the past and present converge and Elizabeth's grasp on reality loosens, Jane sets out to unravel her story before it's too late.  

This was an enjoyable read although the reason for the book title was not known until the latter third of the story.  I kept waiting to read about a painting and when it finally came I was somewhat disappointed that it didn't happen sooner.  If a mystery concerns a painting, the author should showcase that painting early on.  I enjoyed reading the descriptions about the Australian landscapes as I have never read a book set there.  This novel was set in Sydney, Hill End and Maitland as well as Ireland and England.  It was interesting that Maitland was more urban than Sydney in the late 1800s.

I always love a story that is told from alternating viewpoints and eras.  They read faster for me and this one was no exception.  While the story varied from the 1860s to the 1910s, it was also told from several viewpoints including Michael, Elizabeth and Jane's.  The author was able to weave a great story from these differing viewpoints, settings and a time period that spanned fifty years.  

5 out of 5 stars!

The Lost Ancestor

The Lost Ancestor is the 2nd book in Nathan Dylan Goodwin's geneological crime mysteries but the 5th story.  3 earlier books are novellas. It is a little different from the prior books in the series as the sleuth, Morton Farrier, is trying to find a person who went missing almost one hundred years ago. Morton's new client, Ray Mercer, asked him to investigate the 1911 disappearance of his great aunt, a housemaid working in a large Edwardian country house. Instead of spending his time reviewing microfilm at national and local record offices, Morton uses old photographs and interviews members of the Rothborne family who still live at the estate.

As an amateur geneologist myself, I couldn't help but love this novel. I learned how to use photographs to piece together a family history.  It also shows how someone can disappear off a census and ship passenger lists as well as not have a death certificate.  This information will serve me well in the future.

The story alternates between 1911 and 2014.  The ending nicely ties up all of the loose ends for the characters but there is one surprise for the reader that isn't revealed until the last sentence. The did a great job with this book. I highly recommend it.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Lost Daughter

History tells us that every member of the Russian royal family, the Romanovs, were killed in 1918.  When I spotted this book at the library I thought that it might be interesting, but not great given that the premise for the plot was not believable.  However, it is so well written that I enjoyed spending an entire afternoon reading it.  In this novel Grand Duchess Maria, the third child of Tsar Nicholas, survives the assassination and is carried away from the scene by an admiring guard.  Below is the plot summary from the publisher:

1918:  Pretty, vivacious Grand Duchess Maria Romanov, the nineteen-year-old daughter of the fallen Tsar Nicholas II, lives with her family in suffocating isolation, a far cry from their once-glittering royal household.  Her days are a combination of endless boredom and paralyzing fear; her only respite is clandestine flirtations with a few of the guards imprisoning the family - never realizing her innocent actions could mean the difference between life and death.

1973:  When Val Doyle hears her father's end-of-life confession, "I didn't want to kill her," she's stunned.  So, she begins a search for the truth - about his words and her past.  The clues she discovers are baffling - a jewel encrusted box that won't open and a camera with its film intact.  What she finds out pulls Val into one of the world's greatest mysteries - what truly happened to the Grand Duchess Maria?  

The setting of Ipatiev House where the family lived and were murdered, showed alot of insight into the family's final days.  It was fascinating to read the descriptions of the rooms and the layout of the building.  It was a decrepit old building that had a sense of foreboding.  The family must have known they were coming to a bad end.  If they were really waiting for European relatives to save them, they had to be nuts.  Royalty is not sent to a building that is practically falling down to wait for repatriation.  

The daily lives of the residents of Leningrad during the Siege of Lenigrad was shown in all its horror. Most people only had 2 pieces of bread to eat per day at its end.  They were all skeletons at its ending and had endured standing in line here, there and everywhere to find food on a daily basis and that was only after a full work day.  While I have read history books on this issue, it only came to life for me from reading this book.  The shear drudgery of trying to survive was clearly apparent as the characters dealt with the war.  

There are many good reasons to recommend this book.  These are only two of them.  I highly recommend The Lost Daughter.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Glass Ocean

The Glass Ocean has a dual plot that takes place in 1915 and the present day. It concerns the sinking of the Lusitania and the British Langford family.  The story opens in May 2013 with author Sarah Blake struggling to come up with an idea for a new book. In desperation, she broke a promise to her Alzheimer stricken mother and opened an old chest that belonged to her great-grandfather who died when the RMS Lusitania was sunk by the Germans. What she discovered could change history. Sarah then traveled to England to  enlist the help of John Langford, a disgraced member of Parliament, whose family archives might contain the key to the catastrophe.

This plot alternates with one set in April 1915. Caroline Hochstetter believes that her marriage to Gilbert Hochstetter is on the rocks as Gilbert is no longer attentive to her. He is preoccupied with work. When Gilbert suggests that they travel to England in the best suite on the Lusitania, Caroline hopes that they can become closer. However, her attraction to old friend Robert Langford  becomes a problem when he also books passage on the ship.  Another character is part of this plot. Tessa Fairweather is also traveling on the Lusitania, but in second class. Tessa has been supporting herself for years by stealing and forging artworks. Tessa's sister plans a robbery on the ship that will financially set both of them up for life.

As a cruise fan, I loved the ship setting. It reminded me of the cruises that I have had and makes me dream of booking another trip even though we are living in a pandemic. The descriptions of the dinner menus and dining room made me drool. If only I could cook as well as the onboard chefs.  Also, the action that took place on the promenades had me remembering my own walks on those public places. 

The characters were fully developed and engaging. I loved the twosome thieves Tessa and her sister Ginny. They are experienced thieves who have never gotten caught in their decades of crime.  While we learn about Tessa's inner thoughts, Ginny is a mystery to the reader. She appears on pages where action is occurring and the plot is advanced as we learn bit by bit what their robbery plan is all about.  Gilbert Hochstetter is the stereotypical neglectful husband. We don't learn much about his psyche. What type of business he in is only revealed at the end. The reader knows alot more about Robert Langford. He is a suave, womanizing gentleman that all women are attracted to even though they all know he gets around.  His life also is revealed in action scenes as well as in the present day plot with Sarah Blake. I didn't like the Sarah or John Langford characters as much as I liked those in the 1915 plot. However, that probably can be expected in a novel with a dual plot. One of the plots is always more appealing.

I absolutely loved this novel. It has me dreaming of a Balticc Sea or South American cruise. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library is the most thought provoking book I have ever read. The story concerns the decisions every person makes in their life and how each decision impacts the outcome of your life. Written as a mystery, main character Nora Seed wants to die. She loses her job, her cat dies, her boyfriend leaves her, she loses her one and only piano student and the elderly neighbor she has been assisting no longer needs her help.  She finds all these things out in the span of a day. 

Nora is planning to kill herself but while she is considering suicide she is taken to a new plain where there is a library with an infinite number of bookshelves filled with an infinite number of green books and the prospect of living an infinite number of lives. Then she sees a woman at a desk, her elementary school librarian Mrs. Elm.  Mrs. Elm explains that Nora is neither alive nor dead. She is inbetween, perhaps in a coma. Nora is told that each book is a life that she can have. All she has to do is pick a book and she will begin living the story in the book.  If Nora has doubts about the life, she will automatically return to the library and can select another book. The library gives Nora the opportunity to work out her regrets in her life. However, there is a catch. These opportunities will stop at some point. Neither Mrs. Elm nor Nora won't know when that time frame is up. It is possible that Nora will lose the opportunity to be in the library and subsequently die if she does not choose a life to live before that time comes to an end. It's a risk Nora must take.

The Midnight Library shows that a stagnant life is no life. Nora had many options to choose for herself. She could have been a glaciologist, Olympic swimmer, rock star, pub owner, wife and mother, or a philosopher. Nora was indecisive and couldn't pick which goal to pursue. So, she did nothing. As one character told Nora, she has life fright.  It is worth considering what makes your life worth living and which life dreams are what you really want. 

2021 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge Sign-Up

I have not participated in this challenge before but it sounds interesting to me.  You must read a book with one or more key words for that month in the title of a book.  The challenge is hosted by the Girlxoxo blog and runs the calendar year. A participant must read books each month  in the following categories:

January:  end, princess, dance, midnight, court, why, winter, story

February:  over, edge, rain, blade, red, come, none, glass

March:  dear, ink, mercy, fly, lost, never, match, true

April:  last, watch, save, garden, girl, sun, tell, tomorrow 

May:  away, wait, book, raven, lake, angel, island, nine

June:  beneath, crown, sing, rule, earth, find, happen, cruel

July:  ever, shine, gone, search, wood, under, road, like

August:  one, secret, will, tree, blue, you, flame, thousand

September:  country, house, top, man, wild, sweet, once, wake

October:  fear, night, silent, wicked, hidden, bones, lied, ghost

November:  again, loud, star, stray, air, when, since, race

December:  cold, room, life, bell, kiss, dream, until, drink 

I am looking forward to this challenge!