Friday, June 12, 2026

The Rest of Her Life

 Fiction by Laura Moriarty


At the beginning of this book, 18-year-old Kara accidentally hits a pedestrian on her way home from the last day of her senior year of high school. The victim, a girl named Bethany who is two years behind Kara at the same school, is killed instantly. Also instantly, Kara's life is forever changed.

The story is told from the perspective of Kara's mother Leigh, and the focus is on the relationships in the family, and the relationships between the family and the small town they live in. It's a very good character story that gives the reader a lot to think about.


I also read by this author: The Chaperone

Friday, June 5, 2026

The Eden Pruitt Series

The Fabrication of Eden Pruitt, The Aberration of Eden Pruitt, The Revelation of Eden Pruitt, and The Retribution of Eden Pruitt
Fiction by K.E. Ganshert

This is a fast-paced thriller of a series with a lot of plot twists. Book one introduces us to Eden Pruitt, who has about to turn eighteen as has just moved from California to Iowa to start her senior year. But on her first day at her new school a bunch of weird things happen, culminating in the disappearance of her parents and her discovery that she has (sort-of) super powers. Plus she's met a hot boy named Cassian, who could be a helpful friend or a dangerous enemy...

I don't want to give away too much because things change throughout the books, and almost everything after the first few chapters of book one would be a spoiler. This is a good series from an author I had never heard of.

Thursday, June 4, 2026

I Have Some Questions For You

 Fiction by Rebecca Makai

In 1995, Bodie Kane was a senior at Granby School, a posh New Hampshire academy for wealth adolescents. Bodie had always felt like an outsider at Granby, because she was not a rich kid; she was a charity case with a tragic family backstory she kept hidden as much as possible. 

Then her former roommate Thalia was murdered near the end of the school year. A suspect was caught and convicted quickly, but doubts about his guilt persisted after his incarceration, especially when Dateline did a special on the case ten years later. Online speculation about the murder persisted for many years.

Now it's 2018 and Bodie is a podcaster. She has been invited to come back to Granby and teach a two-week course, and she thinks maybe now is the time to look into Thalia's murder for real. Since she's always felt she's too close to the case to do a podcast on it herself, Bodie manipulates a student to take on the subject. Will they uncover the truth?

This book had an interesting premise and some decent characters but it was way too long and slow. It did pick up during the last third of the book.

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Soulmate

Fiction by Sally Hepworth

Pippa and Gabe live with their two little daughters on the Australian coast in a house with a breathtaking view. Unfortunately, they also live right next to cliff which is a popular spot for suicide jumpers. In the year or so they've been living there, seven people have come to the cliff's edge, and seven times Gabe has patiently talked them out of killing themselves. 

Gabe is incredibly good-looking, sensitive, kind, and full of fun, and it seems everyone longs to be his friend. In contrast, Pippa sees herself as kind of pedestrian, a caretaking type who prefers staying the background of life. But it's Pippa who earns the money for the family and who carefully monitors Gabe's emotions and keeps him stable.

But then the eighth person comes to the cliff's edge, the person who will succeed in jumping. This event really throws Pippa and Gabe, and exposes the cracks in their marriage that have been brewing for years.

This was a great story, as I would expect from Sally Hepworth!


I also read by this author: Darling Girls