The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece

 Fiction by Tom Hanks

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

I couldn't get interested in this book for some reason.

The Guest

 Fiction by Emma Cline

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is the story of an unpleasant girl called Alex. She started out as a high-class prostitute but is on her way down, For some reason she seems to keep alienating everyone around her and has no friends. Now her ex-boyfriend (maybe ex-pimp?) is after her, because she stole drugs and money.

I really wanted to like Alex and hoped for a good outcome from her. I finished the book so I could find out what happened. But guess what? I still don't know! IT DIDN'T TELL ME what happened to her.

NOTE: I thought I had read a book by this author before, but when I looked at my records (by which I mean, this blog) I didn't see her name anywhere. After I started reading, however, I realized that I had begun and abandoned the author's previous book The Girls because the characters were so unpleasant AND the story kind of sucked. It was a big DNF. So THIS is why I've started logging my DNF's (books I did not finish because I disliked them) in my blog this year, so I can stop wasting time reading authors I don't like just because their books get raves from other people.

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In the Time of Our History

 Amazon Prime Kindle Fiction by Susanne Pari

https://www.amazon.com

Mitra Jahani feels like she gave up a lot to save her younger sister Ana. When their controlling Iranian-American father refused to let Ana get married until Mitra agreed to marry also (to a suitable Iranian boy chosen by her father, of course), Mitra acquiesced to the wedding but backed out at the last minute in a dramatic fashion: she had sterilization surgery and rendered herself unmarriageable.

But then Ana died suddenly, and since her death Mitra has struggled to find a purpose for herself in this world where she is sisterless. Now it is the one-year anniversary of Ana's death and Mitra is traveling to New York for the family ceremony. (Apparently Iranians have a second funeral service for this. I think it's a really interesting idea.) Mitra must finally confront her estranged father and try to come to terms with Ana's death all at once.

This was a good character story about both Iranian culture and about the relationship between sisters.

I also read recently (for free) from Amazon Prime Kindle: Don't Believe it

Frankie and Amelia

 Youth Fiction by Cammie McGovern

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is a story for young readers written from the point of view of  a cat. It was a fun read.

I also read by this author: The Art of Seeing

The Lost Husband

 Fiction by Katherine Center

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Having lost her husband two years before, Libby is moving to her aunt's goat farm in Texas to start over, bringing along her two small children. Of course, by saying she "lost her husband," I mean that he died. Despite the book's title, the man is not really lost.

Then Libby meets a strange girl called Sunshine who cheerfully states that she can find Libby's lost husband. What can she mean? And, more importantly, can Libby move on with her life in this new place without her husband?

This was a really fun story with great characters and a couple of surprises.

I also read by this author: Happiness for Beginners

Keeper of the Light Trilogy

Keeper of the Light, Kiss River, and Her Mother's Shadow

Fiction by Diane Chamberlain

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/https://www.barnesandnoble.com

At the beginning of all of these stories is Annie Chase O'Neill; her character strongly impacts all three of these novels in some way. 

The interesting thing though, is that Annie herself is dead in chapter one of book one. The first book is about Olivia, the doctor who tried to save Annie, and the next two books take place about ten years later and focus on Annie's children, Clay and Lacey, respectively. 

All of these were really great books. They could be read stand-alone, but I'd recommend reading them in order to avoid spoilers.

I also read recently by this author: The Good Father

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

 Fiction by Olga Tokarczuk

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

I'll admit I chose this book simply for the title. It's a great title.

Unfortunately I didn't like anything else about it. 

Don’t Believe It

Amazon Prime Kindle Fiction by Charlie Donlea

https://www.amazon.com

In 2007 on the island of St Lucia, American vacationer Julian Christ was murdered.  His girlfriend Grace Sebold was quickly charged with and convicted of the crime, and sentenced to life imprisonment despite her protestations of innocence. But now, ten years later, true-crime documentary filmmaker Sidney Ryan is looking into the case. 

Was Grace wrongly convicted or did the St. Lucia police have it right all along? What will be uncovered through the documentary filming?

This was an interesting story with surprises; I'm not sure about the ending. Maybe it's a setup for a sequel?

I also read by this author: Some Choose Darkness

I also read (for free!) by Amazon Prime Kindle: The Couple Across the Street

Go as a River

 Fiction by Shelly Read

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

The first time Victoria Nash met Wilson Moon, she fell in love with him. But it was 1949 and Iola, Colorado, was a small insular town that called Wilson a no-good Injun, refusing to let him hang around. What would become of the two young lovers?

This was a good story but a sad one. 

The Stepchild

 Fiction by Nicole Trope

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Leslie left Millie, her three year old daughter, at home while she went to the grocery store, trusting her twelve year old stepdaughter Shelby to babysit. When Leslie came back, Millie was gone. Shelby said the child ran away, but did she really? And for that matter, did Leslie really go to the grocery store? And what about Randall, the girls' father; was he really out golfing?

This was an exciting thriller with several surprises. 

I also read by this author: The Boy in the Photo

Happiness for Beginners

 Fiction by Katherine Center

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Helen is thirty-two years old and recovering from a failed marriage when she signs up for a “wilderness experience" trip as an attempt to Be Something Different. What she doesn’t expect is that her little brother’s best friend will follow her there, potentially ruining her chance at a fresh start by muddying up her future with pieces of the past. 

This was a good story with memorable characters. 

I also read by this author: How to Walk Away

Running From Mercy

 Fiction by Terra Little

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Pamela and Paris are identical twins, raised together in the small town of Mercy, Georgia, but bound for very different destinies. 

This book was okay but I didn’t love it. I felt like it gave too much of the plot away at the beginning and I had trouble engaging with the characters.