The Guncle by Stephen Rowley

I loved reading this book! I was ready for a feel-good book (watching too much news!) and this one was perfect! The ideal summer read.

Patrick is a gay man living in Palm Springs. He used to be on a famous sitcom, but now enjoys his seclusion away from LA. After a series of unfortunate events, he is asked to keep his young niece and nephew for the summer. Patrick manages to not only provide a home for them, but also help them through with their grief. And he does so much of it with humor and playfulness.

OK, get this book. Hurry up. - June

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

I'm used to novels that jump around in time and move from one character to another. But this one can be very confusing as it goes from one place and time to another. However, it's totally worth it. I highly recommend that you read this book in a relatively short period of time so that you can better keep track of all the different storylines.

The book starts with a character in 1912. Then jumps to a character who was a minor character in The Glass Hotel. And then it moves into the future. Yes, much of the book takes place in 2203 and 2401. I was fascinated to read about how colonies are set up on the moon and the pros and dangers of time travel. (FYI - I hate sci-fi) There's even a pandemic in one of the future centuries. All of the various storylines do come together eventually, but I almost feel I need to reread the book just to pick up on all the things I missed. 

This novel is extremely well written, and the author is quickly becoming a favorite. I highly recommend it. - June

The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris

Sometimes it seems to take me forever to finish a book! It's not that I didn't like this one. It's just that I kept starting and stopping and losing interest - especially in the middle. The book like the main character, Shan, keeps starting over with a new location and different secondary characters, so it's like three books in one!

Shan travels from Dublin to NYC when he is just 12 years old. It's the 20's, and New York is full of immigrant families in different sections of the city. Shan becomes a part of an Italian family and is raised as one of their own. For various reasons, he leaves New York and travels around the country as part of a vaudeville troupe. Trouble seems to always find him. 

At very beginning of the novel, there's a chapter about a little girl who has gone missing on Alcatraz island. We assume the book will circle around to her later at some point, and it does. 

I did enjoy this book, but I probably would have enjoyed it more if I'd read it more quickly and if the pace were a bit faster. - June