I have heard a lot about Louise Penny over the last few months, so I thought I would start her Inspector Gamache series. Still Life is the first in a long line of her mysteries. In this case (ha!), the crime takes place in a small village near Montreal – a beloved schoolteacher is murdered in the night with a bow and arrow. Armand Gamache is brought in to help the locals solve the mystery. For me, the book had too slow a start and too many characters of which to keep track. And, while I finally got into the story, I am not really a mystery person and don’t think I will pursue any of the rest of the series. I am glad, however, that I got a glimpse into what everyone seems to be talking about lately.

Most people have read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn at some point in their school careers. I, however, had not had the pleasure until this week. I challenged myself this summer to read a classic that I should have read before. And, while I didn’t get to it this summer, I narrowly pulled it out in the first week of school. It’s a quiet story about Francie, coming of age at the turn of the century in Williamsburg. And, for the first 250 pages, I couldn’t understand what all the hype was about. Sure, the language was beautiful, but there wasn’t much happening and, frankly, I was slogging through. The story and pace picked up at about the halfway point, though, and I found myself enjoying the book. I won’t say that this was a true favorite, but it was a good read and I’m glad I took it on and now have it in my wheelhouse of classics.

For the last read of the Summer of 2017, I chose Jane Green’s The Sunshine Sisters. Ronni Sunshine was a terrible mother – disinterested and narcissistic – while pursuing her own acting career. Not only did it drive her daughters away from her, but it also distanced them from each other. But, she is dying, and she pulls the three girls back together one last time so they can assist her. Each of the girls has reasons to leave her messy life and the week that they come home to help their mother changes all of their lives. This was a delightful, breezy read, perfect for the beach and the end of summer. It’s worth a read if you know what you are in for – nothing heavy and a happy ending. Disappointingly, I didn’t ever read the ONE classic I had on my list this year: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. That’s next: perhaps appropriate for the start of the school year and a little less fluffy than my summer options were.

Oprah said if you read one book this Labor Day weekend, it should be Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy. Gayle Weisswaser of Everyday I Write the Book writes, “If you’re looking for a pure adrenaline read, Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy will definitely fit the bill. This summer novel book falls squarely into the Parent’s Worst Nightmare category of books, so be aware of what you’re getting yourself into if you pick it up.” Both of these are 100% true. It’s a rush of a book and you may not be able to put it down once you begin. Two families go on a cruise and take a day excursion when the children are kidnapped. Only one flaw for me was that one child’s whereabouts were not fully explained. Otherwise, it was, indeed, a pleasurable way to spend part of the last weekend of summer.

Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis is a good thriller. Thomas Huston, bestseller author and professor, seems to have the perfect family, house, and life. What caused him to suddenly kill his family and destroy this perfection? Investigator Ryan DeMarco (this is apparently the first in a series of DeMarco mysteries) admires Huston and believes he is innocent, but can’t quite put all the pieces together. And, DeMarco has his own complicated flaws, which I think will be fleshed out in later books. This was a quick and easy read, and well-done – I didn’t figure it out until close to the end. If you are looking for something that’s not too taxing (apparently my summer theme this year), this is a good choice.

The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman is a sweet and delightful little book. It’s easily read in a few hours and is quite enjoyable. Lilian’s husband died in a car accident three years ago and is only really beginning to surface. When her boss signs her up for a vegetable gardening class, she really becomes more like her old self, with all the self-doubt that comes along with being happy again. It’s a light story, quite predictable, but a great summer choice, nonetheless.

I disliked Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki very, very much. So much so, that I almost gave up on it quite close to the end, which is rare for me. I didn’t like any of the characters and the plot was pretty boring. Esther reinvents herself and becomes the nanny for a woman who has just kicked out her husband and has an 18-year-old selectively mute son and a 2-year-old. Of course, S (as she is known) is an artist and has a relationship with the mute son. And, of course, everyone has scarred childhoods and so on. Ug. Pass this one over…

The Cottingly Secret by Hazel Gaynor is a great summer read. In 1917, cousins photographed fairies and were thrust into international fame. But did one of the cousins actually see them? One hundred years later, Olivia, whose grandfather has just died and left her his bookstore, stumbles on the cousin’s story and links it back to her own. Olivia’s tale is interesting enough on its own, but the interweaving with the historical makes it even better. While you will need some suspension of disbelief, it’s not too much to make the story unbearable.

I like Julia Glass and really enjoyed her earlier book, Three Junes. A House Among the Trees is a quiet read about children’s book author, Mort Lear, who dies and leaves all his home and works to his assistant, Tommy, who has to carry out his complicated wishes. Tommy has an interesting history with Mort, dating back to time she spent with him at a Manhatten playground where Mort sketched her brother and used him as the protagonist of his book. Years later, Mort offers her a job, which she keeps through three decades and the ups and downs of his life. While I liked this story, nothing much happened, and in the end, I felt like it was too flat. I’d skip it and focus on other, better reads.

I grabbed The Secrets You Keep by Kate White with my crazy-large stack of new releases from our newly-opened, updated library. I hadn’t read anything about it and didn’t know if it would be any good or not. Bryn has moved to upstate New York with her husband for the summer following a tragic car accident where the driver of the car died, but she walked away relatively unscathed. In trying to recover and reset, she ends up in the middle of a murder. Is someone trying to mess with her and frame her at the same time? This was your garden-variety thriller, which moved along at a nice clip and was good for summer. Again, there was nothing deep here, but the pages kept easily turning.