Looking back, this was a great, diverse set of books I finished in August 2019. I really enjoyed each of them, and that does not always happen each month.
August 2019 Books!
1.) The River by Peter Heller: This is a suspense novel where you can feel the tension slowly building: man versus man, man versus nature. It has vivid descriptions of nature untouched my civilization. And the ending...oh man! Some may say it is slow and drags on, but I think that was Heller's point. This is a great pick for those who love to read about nature, or suspense.
2.) Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann: In the 1920s, the Osage Indians were the richest people per capital in the world thanks to the discovery of oil. Then they started to be systematically killed in suspicious circumstances. Swept under the rug by the government and the white people who lived among them, this reign of terror still reverberates throughout the Osage today. This true story is horrific and heartbreaking. The author focuses specifically on Mollie Burkhart who watched her family members die one by one. Read it.
3.) The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde: This is a total literary geek novel. If you haven’t read many classics, I wouldn’t recommend this to you, but if you have you will find it quite enjoyable. In Fforde's novel the line between the real world and the literary world is very thin. Real people and literary characters can travel back and forth. It’s the first in a series. And it definitely made me want to reread Jane Eyre as an adult.
4.) The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides: This was a fantastic psychological thriller that I read in a day! Famous painter Alicia Berenson was arrested for violently murdering her husband and hasn’t spoken a word since. A well-known therapist takes a job at her facility determined to discover what actually happened that night. Creepy and unexpected! I cannot recommend this enough!
5.) The Secret to Southern Charm by Kristy Woodson Harvey: This is the second in Harvey's trilogy and follows middle sister Sloan after she receives the devastating news that her Army husband is Missing in Action (MIA). I read this in a day and cried through a good deal of it. For someone who isn't a military wife, I was pleasantly surprised at the accurateness of Harvey’s representation of a military wife. I knew (or have prepared myself for) all of those emotions. I plan to finish the trilogy next month.
6.) Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce: This was a very good and fast read. Set at the start of WWII in London, the main character, Emmeline, hopes to become a war correspondent. When she notices an ad for a job with a major newspaper, she goes for it only to discover she is the assistant to an advice columnist at a dying women’s magazine. The advice columnist refuses to answer any “Unpleasantness”, so Emmeline secretly begins answering these letters. Events spiral from there. Such a cute read.
7.) Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear: This is the first in a series. Maise Dobbs is a private eye in post WWI London who takes on a case that harbors more mystery than she originally expected. Winspear has precise, descriptive writing that reveals the experiences of WWI nurses on the front and the horrific injuries many of the soldiers received. I will be reading more!
8.) The Summer Country by Lauren Willig: I was drawn to this book because of the unique setting—Barbados in 1812 and 1854. This follows an old sugarcane plantation called Peverills and is based on real people. It follows the famous Bussa’s Rebellion and the terrible cholera epidemic that decimated the Barbadian population. I thought it did a good job delving into slavery on Barbados. I really enjoyed this historical fiction narrative.
I would love to hear if you have read these books or have any thoughts!