The Edge of the Earth by Christina Schwartz

What is it about living in a lighthouse that appeals to me?  I know I'd go mad after a few days of that intense isolation, but there's this romantic-sounding life surviving by the ocean that appeals to me.  There's a historic lighthouse in Door County that has docents who live there for a week at a time and give tours.  No electricity.  No indoor plumbing.  And they have people waiting in line to do this.  I'm not one of them.


Back in the late 1800's, Trudy and her husband are assigned to a lighthouse off the coast of California.  She's a bright, inquisitive young woman and soon she is studying all the creatures who live in and near the water.  There's another family who also live on the island and work at the lighthouse, and so her life becomes entwined with theirs. Yet as bright as Trudy is, she seems blind to the flaws of her husband.  He's a jerk, and although she questions his behavior at times, she somehow rationalizes it to herself.  Enjoyed the book very much but found myself skimming over some of the scientific information.  Again, it seems the author did a ton of research and wanted to be sure to get it all into the book somehow.  But I do recommend it.  -June

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

You can't help but notice the covers of this authors books.  I think she's written several and all the covers have the titles in large letters and her name below - no picture or anything to give you a hint as to what the book is about.  Somehow I thought it was just light romantic stuff, and while it isn't award winning fiction, this book was good.  Yes, it's a tad predictable but still worth reading.  Louisa is a young English woman who takes a job caring for a young man who was injured in an accident and is not a quadriplegic.  They come from very different worlds and backgrounds yet they find a way to get past all of that and connect.  I don't want to tell more, but if you're looking for a quick, light read, this might be it.  -June

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

There are just so many books about World War II out there that I didn't think I wanted to read another one.  So when the first friend recommended it, I filed it away and forgot about it.  But after two or three more recommendations (one person even saying it was the best book she'd read in years), I bought it.  And I'm glad.  The story follows primarily two people; a young, blind French girl, and a young orphaned German boy.  When the book begins, they are just 8 or 9 and it follows them until they are around 16 or 17.  It gives a different slant to the war than most other books, and the writing is quite good.  It's very hard to put down, and I highly recommend it.  -June