The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune

I don't care for fantasy books. I've never liked the novels where there are talking animals like Watership Down or the entire Redwall series. Yet probably my favorite childhood book was Winnie the Pooh - lots of talking stuffed animals in that one! But when I started in on The House in the Cerulean Sea, I wasn't aware that it was a fantasy. I guess I just saw the wonderful reviews but didn't really READ them! So I almost put this book aside once I understood this was about "magical" people. I'm so glad I didn't. I think I had to change my mindset and began to read this book as if it were a fairy tale or a folk tale. Then I was hooked.

The book centers on Linus, a caseworker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He is assigned the task of going to an orphanage on a remote island where he must evaluate the facility, the children, and the individual who runs the place. I won't describe what he finds there or how Linus responds to everything there.... you just need to read it. It is a tad predictable at the end, but the characters are beautifully presented, and I loved the relationships in the novel. Highly recommend. - June  

The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith

If I had been reading this book instead of listening to it, I think I would have put it aside long before I'd finished. But since it was being read to me each time I turned on my car, and I've been doing a lot of local driving lately, I just trudged through it. It's a twisty turny story about a two sisters... one of whom was kidnapped as a young girl. Characters aren't who they seem to be and everyone seems to be a bit bipolar. And most of the cast ends up dead. Ridiculous. And some sex scenes were downright comical. Anyway, I don't recommend this one... can you tell? - June 

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

This is one of those books that multiple people have recommended to me, and I finally was able to download it. I had high expectations. Perhaps too high. And I admit I was disappointed but it was worth finishing if only to find out "who done it". The characters are fun, and the upcoming movie should be enjoyable with a wonderful cast. But the storyline seemed convoluted and for that reason, I kept putting it down. Glad I finished and now can move onto something new. Recommend kind of - June.