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

A Man With One of Those Faces

 Fiction by Caimh McDonnell

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Paul Mulchrone is the eponymous “man with one of those faces”; he often gets mistaken for someone else. But things go a bit too far when someone tries to kill him, not once but twice! 

Now Paul has a mystery to solve, and he’d better get it figured out before it’s too late!

I also read by this author: The Quiet Man

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