Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen

What a pleasant surprise!! I downloaded this novel because I was feeling I needed something light... something positive... maybe even something happy. (Have you read the news lately?) At first, I thought I'd made a bad choice, that this might actually be a bit fluffy. And while it certainly would classify as a little bit of chick lit, it also had a nice story and some wonderful characters. 

The book begins in the late 1930's in England when Ellie's husband of many years announces he's leaving her for a "girl" he's fallen in love with. Ellie pulls herself together and the book becomes one of those where the female lead is going to find herself and her best life. She decides to go to the coast of France and manages to pick up a few strays along the way. She settles into a tiny coastal town with an interesting cast of characters... and then the war hits. That's when the book is at its best.

At the beginning of the book, the author lists all of her books.... and why haven't I heard of her before! She's written about 60 books. Is that even possible?

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a nice little escape to France for a few days. Recommend this one. - June 

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

You already know I love Ann Patchett. Not only is she an amazing author, but she is also a very cool human. So when she announced her favorite book for 2025 was The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, I was all in! What Ann forgot to tell me is that the book is 688 pages! This would not keep me away if the book was riveting, but this one was not. Yes, it is extremely well written with sentences and paragraphs that are beautiful. However, the story and the characters just didn't grab me at all! When I looked at some of the reviews online, many said that the last half really dragged. Since I was dragging myself through the first half, I decided to give up. I hate to do it. Sorry, Ann. - June

 

The Names by Florence Knapp

So what if you had been named something other than the lovely name of Beverly Kathleen? Would you be a different person had you been named Bertha, Ruth, Matilda? My parents almost named me Valentine. Would I be different if they had?

This novel reminds me a bit of Sliding Doors, that wonderful movie from years ago where one small change was made and then the storyline splits. In The Names, a young mother is making a decision about what to name her newborn son. Should she name him Gordon after his father and grandfather? Or should she go rouge and name him Bear as her daughter wants? Or should she find a suitable name somewhere in the middle... Julian. We now follow three storylines and how the family moves through their lives as a result of the name given to the boy.

Great story - even if a little confusing sometimes as to what is going on when you jump back into an alternative timeline. But it's well written and certainly hold your interest. - Highly recommend. - June

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

Ignore the cover. It makes the book look like it's written for children. Or it reminds me of those Mitford books that were popular years ago and very sappy (and maybe religious?). The title is odd too but memorable and it makes sense once you've read the book.

Three characters: Violet, a young woman who makes a terrible mistake and serves time as a result. Harriet, a kind, intelligent woman in her 60's who volunteers at a prison to run a book club. And Frank, a widower who is magically connected to both of these women. There are lots of literary references that are fun, and there's an interesting storyline about training parrots. 

And it takes place in Portland, Maine! One of my favorite towns, and I could picture it all taking place there.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it. -June

Heart the Lover by Lily King

This is another book that has been mentioned on several "best of" books for the year, but I'm reluctant to recommend it to you, dear BT. I liked another Lily King book a few years ago, and your comment on the blog was that you couldn't figure out why I enjoyed it so much. Well, you're welcome to skip this one but I will say that I finished Heart the Lover (worst title ever) in two days. Yes, it's a short book but the characters captured me from the start. I enjoy her books so maybe we will have to agree to disagree.

This novel is all about how we move past (or don't move past) previous love relationships. The main female character, who is called a multitude of nicknames by the other characters, meets two fellow English students and begins a romantic relationship with one of them. I won't tell you more, but the book eventually goes to Part II where it's 9 years later, and then eventually to Part III and 19 years later. OK, I'm struggling with how to describe this book without giving you all the secrets.

Anyway, I loved it. Good writing, good characters, interesting story line. The author clearly has an extensive knowledge of Classic Literature - yikes! The references are way beyond my English Major background! - June

Wild Dark Shore by Maureen McConaghy

Wow! I'd seen this novel on several "best of 2025" lists, and without having a clue what it was about, I put it on my TBR list and was excited to dive in. It's a page-turner for sure!! A woman is on a boat near Australia and washes up on a remote island. There's a family on the island where there once was a research center where people studied the wildlife, plants and environment. From there, we learn about the many secrets of both the family and the stranded woman. There are lots of twists along the way and the ending is pretty powerful.

Highly recommend this one! - June 

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Her fans just refer to her as TJR. And she has a ton of fans. This novel has been on many "best of" lists this year, and after reading it, I guess I'm a little surprised. It is well written and the book certainly held my interest, but the subject matter might not attract a large audience.

The book takes place in the 80's in the NASA Space Program. The group of incoming astronauts are all brilliant, talented, competitive people who form a close knit group as they await their chance to go on one of the space shuttles. The main character, Joan, also has a close relationship with her young niece who is being raised by Joan's sister and this becomes a major part of the book. Because it's the 80's, the role of women in space plays an important part in the book. 

Clearly the author had to do extensive research in writing this book. Much of the technical information about space flight was over my head but it's written in a way that is understandable.

Many fans of the book wrote about the ending and how they could hardly read it because they were sobbing so hard. Not me. I found the last 20 pages to be a bit manipulative, over dramatic, and drawn out. But still, overall, I recommend the book and I would definitely try another of her novels. - June

P.S. I'm deliberately leaving out a major theme of the book to avoid spoiling it for you. You'll understand when you read it.

So Far Gone by Jess Walter

Remember Beautiful Ruins? That was a classic and I know both us read it. Well, this is a newer book by Jess Walter, and though it isn't as wonderful, it's still a nice read. It's well written with interesting characters. And plenty of politics and religion - where the author clearly takes a stand (at least in my mind he does). 

Rhys Kinneck, a journalist, becomes unable to cope with the political climate and the way he sees the world changing and so moves to a tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere to escape it all. After all, it is 2016 and I do believe there were some people around with some negative feelings about politics and politicians then. Anyway, two children appear on his doorstep after he's been there for 7 years. Turns out they are his grandchildren. His daughter has skipped town and a friend is bringing the children to him. This happens in the first few pages. The rest of the book dives into how he ended up separating himself from family and friends and his search for his daughter who is married to a religious far-right cult member. Intriguing, huh?

I recommend it. Unless you want to reread Beautiful Ruins instead. - June

The Playground by Richard Powers

Whew! This was probably the most confusing and difficult book I've ever read - unless you count some of the technical manuals or college textbooks I've read over the years. Clearly this author had done extensive research on oceanography and also on AI. The amount of details on both of these subjects was extreme and would sometimes go on for multiple pages. Yes, I skimmed the parts that weren't important to the story or that made my eyes glaze over.

And we've read many books where the author skips around in time. Or skips from one character to another. But this author jumped to different characters AND different times so it was hard to figure out any kind of timeline.

The book is centered around two boys and follows them into manhood. One is black and one is white. Both are brilliant in different ways but they find a common bond in gaming back in the 80's. And then there are other characters: A woman who is introduced to deep sea diving by her father who goes on to devote her life to the ocean. And another woman who lives on a tiny tropical island close to Tahiti who eventually joins the two young men. All these lives are woven together as they grow together and grow apart.

The end is crazy/confusing/shocking. I can't give it away but if you get to it, you may feel disappointed like I did - not because the ending isn't "good" but because it just didn't end the way I wanted it to end.

Recommend with hesitation. - June

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about a novel and said I couldn't wait for it to end? Well, this is one that I would have been happy to read for much longer! It's a beautifully written book about two couples/families living in a small town in Ohio starting in the 40's. Their stories weave together through generations. I just loved it. By the end of the book, the characters were as real to me as many people I've known for years.

I attended a luncheon where Patrick Ryan spoke. This is his first novel, and I think the popularity of it might be a little overwhelming. He was interviewed by a local bookseller, and while he appeared to be a nice man, it was a little meh. He will probably become more comfortable on this book tours as he continues to write and promote his work. We all said we hoped the book was better than the interview. And yes, it certainly was.

Highly recommend - June

The Seven Sisters Series, Book One by Lucinda Riley

After hearing multiple friends rave about this series, I decided to give it a try. The premise of the novels is creative.... a wealthy man living in a mansion in Geneva, adopts 6 baby girls over a period of 10 years or so. He finds the babies around the world and brings them home to be raised with the help of a housekeeper. In the first pages of the first book, the man dies and the sisters return to their home. The father has left each of them hints as to their biological backgrounds, and each novel focuses on one of the sisters and her search for her past.

The eldest sister, Maia, learns she is from Brazil. As she uncovers her family history, we also learn more about Maia. Most of this first book tells the story of her great grandmother with very little information about her other relatives. And while her great grandmother led an interesting life, most of it focuses on her love life. This is when I realized this is a romance novel disguised as a historical fiction/mystery book. There were many predictable romantic elements in the book but it did hold my interest throughout. And even at the end, I felt there were many unanswered questions such as how did her father know so much about her past when it appears he found her in an orphanage? Plus, there are many unanswered questions about the father. 

I don't know if I'll read more books from the series. They are easy reading but I'm ready for something else. - June

Some Recommendations from BT!!

Always fun to hear what BT is reading. Here are her latest reviews:

Read "Bright Shiny Morning" by James Frey. Remember his "A Million Little Pieces" fiasco? Anyhoo, it's about LA and between each chapter, he writes a little factoid about it's formation. Fascinating for me. His style is ever evolving I guess you'd say, with a dearth of punctuation. But I do think he's a good writer and I'd recommend this one. Also, just finished "Found"--and "The Half-Life of Remorse" which is quirky.

Also, Mark Twain' "Roughing It" which I wish I'd read long ago. It features his time in the Tahoe area and Virginia City (among other interesting tidbits) I forgot how very funny his prose can be.