As an avid reader, I enjoy all types of novels — primarily mysteries and detective series. Some of my favorites are by authors Donna Leon, Elizabeth George and Louise Penny. All have ongoing series with continuing main characters that I can’t get enough of.
Now I have an even greater pleasure in reading, sharing books with my granddaughter, Cara! It didn’t occur to me that Taylor Jenkins Reid was one of her favorite authors and we have both enjoyed the delights of reading Reid’s books, which we love.
Daisy Jones and the Six appealed to me because it featured the story of a 70s rock group and its meteoric rise and disastrous fall. Of course, I liked trying to figure out who the group really was. Cara was focused more on Daisy and her talent and the roller coaster ride her life became.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was a bit of a stretch for both of us. It had a great premise — an aging star finally revealing her lifetime secrets to a young and fairly unsuccessful writer. The journey to the truth was long and laborious and the ending left me disappointed. Cara hasn’t finished it yet so I’ll have to wait to talk about the end.
Malibu Rising was another Hollywood-focused story, with the usual fascinating twists and turns brought about at a party set in the 1980s. Four siblings gather with their rock star father to attend a party at the home of a famous neighbor who really doesn’t like the spotlight or the party. The backstop of their lives interspersed with the current 80s vibe was fascinating and certainly held my attention.
Lots more summer reading that I will probably not share with Cara but can’t wait until we start on author Colleen Hoover, who writes fascinating novels as well as the young adult fiction, her first foray into writing.
But wait! Here’s more:
As soon as I read the reviews for Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lake, I knew it was a must-read. The premise of The Girl on the Train-type of thriller set on a dark and haunting lake in the Northeast immediately piqued my interest.
As the plot sped along with tales of missing women, dead spouses and mysterious neighbors, I was excited to find out what had happened. Rarely have I ever been so disappointed in a book. Early plot twists were somewhat believable but the drunken heroine was unreal as she began to put her own spin on the activities in the house across the lake. She saves the drowning neighbor and starts spending most of her time sober, watching the house through binoculars. As the plot develops, additional suspects and twists make this a totally unbelievable supernatural story. The ghostly ending ties up all of the murders but it was so contrived it brought nothing but relief to finish the book!
Now I can hardly wait for the new releases coming from Elly Griffiths and Liane Moriarty!
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