Sunday, June 25, 2023

48. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

listened on Libby
389 pgs.
2017
Adult HistFict
Finished 4.02
Goodreads rating: 4.02
My rating: 5
Setting: California

My comments: I've read lots and lots of rave comments about this book but was skeptical.  And then, I couldn't stop listening!  To create a personality with so many nuances must be done by a highly skilled writer.  Not only was the plot extraordinary, but the writing was pretty flawless.  I had no idea it was LGBTQ2+.  I'm guessing this will be one of the stories that I might remember much more than so many that I so quickly forget.....

Goodreads synopsis:  Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Saturday, June 17, 2023

44. Beyond Reason by Molly Black

#1 Reese Link/ Maine police officer
read on Kindle
201 pgs.
2023
Adult Mystery
Finished 6/17/2023
Goodreads rating: 4.12
My rating: 3
Setting: contemporary Maine

My comments: A brand new rookie police officer in a coastal Maine town gets assigned her first case - a homicide - and is paired up with a young but seasoned state police officer.  Very unbelievable, as are all the stunts and judgment calls that she makes.  Perhaps if she was more seasoned I would believe more, but I kept shaking my head.

Thursday, June 8, 2023

June 2023 Bingo & Waiting to Read


1.  Next New Syrian Girl - YA purchased on Audible
2.  The Locked Room (#14 Ruth Garroway) Elly Griffiths 
3.  The Blue Bar -Damyanti Biswas - have on Audible (Mumbai police procedural)
4.  An Echo of Old Books - Barbara Davis - have on Audible (2023, 4.39, mystery)
5.  The Last Runaway - Tracy Chevalier - have on Audible (Quaker, URR, HistFict)
6.  Knitlandia by Clara Parkes - Audible/essays
7. Geraldine Verne's Red Suitcase - Jane Riley - hae on Audible (widow learning to cope)
8.  America the Beautiful? One Woman in a Borrowed Prius on the Road Less Traveled by Blythe Roberson - Audible
9.  Parting the Veil - Paulette Kennedy - have on Audible (moved from La. to Eng, old house, mysterious marriage)
10.  The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart - Audible/Mid Grade novel
11.  The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd - March bookgirls choice -  have on Chirp
12.  Free Radicals - Lila Riesen - YA AfghanAmerican CRF - 2023 (24.50/1 credit)
13.  Fall from Grace - Tim Weaver - have on Audible, Crime thriller, Britain
14.  Close to Home (#5 Tracy Crosswhite) Robert Dugoni - have on Audible
15.  Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver (won the Pulitzer Prize 5/2023!) have on Audible
16.  Across the Desert - Dusti Bowling
17.   Homecoming - Kate Morton - have on Audible
18.   Libby
19.   Libby
20.   Libby
21.  The Unknown Beloved - Amy Harmon, have on Audible (HistFict Myst, Depression)
22.  The Victory Garden - Rhys Bowen - have on Audible (HistFict WWI war garden)
23.  The Lying Club - Annie WArd - have on Audible - (Colorado Boarding School, 3 women, mystery)
24.  The Wrong Side of Goodbye (#19 Harry Bosch) Michael Connelly - have on Chirp
25.  The Girl in the Painting - Tea Cooper - have on Chirp (dual timeline, Australia, HistFict, mystery)