The Girl Who Wrote in Silk

Fiction by Kelli Estes


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is a story told from two perspectives: a modern white woman and a nineteenth-century Chinese woman. Both women are in Seattle and the surrounding waters.

I really liked the story of Mei Lien in the past, but the modern story was much less compelling. The book is definitely worth reading for the historical information, however. The facts are altered a bit to suit the author's setting, but the essential history told of Chinese immigrant persecution is true.

All I Need to Get By

Fiction by Sophfronia Scott


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This book is about a woman who goes back home (with her brother and two sisters) to watch her father die. That sounds kind of terrible, put that way, but essentially that's what they do.

It's an interesting character story; we see how each sibling handles the unexpected frailty of their parents in their own way.

The Story of Arthur Truluv

Fiction by Elizabeth Berg


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is a sweet little story about an widowed elderly man.

It reminds me a bit of A Man Called Ove and  The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye,  in that they are also sweet stories about old guys. But Arthur is NOT a curmudgeon, or on the run from his emotions, so he's not really like Ove or Harold.

I liked this book a lot.


I also read recently by this author: Talk Before Sleep

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

eathFiction by Agatha Christie.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com/

This is one of Agatha Christie's best detective stories, and definitely my favorite of the Hercule Poirot books. I've read it before, and recently enough to actually remember whodunnit, but that knowledge actually enhanced this reading, oddly enough. I enjoyed looking for the clues leading to the conclusion.

That being said, if you haven't read this one, DO NOT READ SPOILERS. The surprise is the best that way. Obviously.

Incidentally, I hadn't realized that this book was so early in Christie's writings; it seems she tried to retire M. Poirot rather quickly but instead ended up keeping his character in her repertoire until her death.


I also read recently by this author: The Secret Of Chimneys

Turtles All the Way Down

Fiction by John Green.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

John Green knows how to write teenagers. He really does. This book, about a girl with serious anxiety, was realistic enough to give me a bit of anxiety myself.

The story is very good, and believable. I'm a little concerned about recommending it for teens, because I found it so affecting, but maybe today's youth is tougher than I think.


I also read recently by this author: Looking For Alaska.

Every Last Lie

Fiction by Mary Kubica


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

So... this thriller was not as good as the others I've read by the same author. The story, about a young woman who is trying to unravel the events leading to her husband's (accidental?) death, and including flashbacks from his point of view about those events, is interesting enough.

The only trouble is that the book suffers from a form of I-Can't-Tell-The-Truth-or-the-Story-Will-End-Here Syndrome. Usually this annoying plot device is found in romance novels (see Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes) and involves the main character withholding some vital piece of information from his/her love interest for a silly reason in order to lengthen the storyline. In the case of this book, both main characters are holding on to major secrets that would derail the plot and shorten the story, and much of their inner dialogue runs along the I-should-probably-tell-the-truth-but-I-can't-because-um-because-no-reason-I-guess. I personally find this rather irritating to read about, although you may disagree.

So, this book was okay, but not great.


I also read recently by this author: Pretty Baby

You Will Know Me

Fiction by Megan Abbott.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This story is about a teenage girl who does gymnastics and her family, and an unexpected death that affects them.

When I say, "a teenage girl who does gymnastics," by the way, I'm talking about one of those kids who will probably be in the Olympics one day. So the gymnastics thing pretty much consumes her, and her parents and her poor ignored little brother.

The story was good but there was something that troubled me about it; maybe I just didn't like the characters. I'm still giving it a thumbs-up, but I wouldn't say I actually liked this book.


I also read by this author: The Fever.