The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
333 pages

What’s it about?
 Nina Hill lives a very scheduled life in L.A. with her cat Phil, a few close friends, and her dream job at a independent bookstore.  When the father she never knew suddenly dies and leaves her with a bequest in his will (and lots of new relatives) Nina is taken aback.   Add a new love interest and suddenly her very controlled life- is out of control...
 
What did it make me think about?
 OK, so I loved The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman and have had this next book on my shelf for awhile.  I was just waiting for the right time to read it.  After too many serious books in a row (and stay at home rules) a little romance, glib dialogue,  and irreverence seemed perfect!

Should I read it?
 Abbi Waxman writes characters that I miss after I turn the last page.  I still think ​The Garden of Small Beginnings is my favorite of the two books, but I certainly enjoyed this novel as well.  She writes such smart, snappy dialogue and you just want her characters to find love and happiness.  I highly recommend this book for those moments when you need an author with a light touch.

Quote-
"'That was back when you called someone on the phone and had to physically lift a receiver to talk to them'.  
'Weird', said Polly.
'Yeah,' said Liz, 'you couldn't hide behind a veil of casual, the way you guys do.  But you could slam the phone very loudly, which was satisfying.'  You could also have a private life, she thought to herself, and not get haunted forever by poor decisions, but decided not to rub it in.  It wasn't as though millennial didn't know what they'd lost; they simply weighed it up against everything they'd gained and decided it was probably a wash."

If you like this try-
Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett
​Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman
Goodbye Vitamin by Rachel Khong

8 stars

The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
585 pages

What’s it about?
 Erik Larson takes us back to London in 1940-1941 as Churchill takes over as Prime Minister of England and the Blitz begins in earnest.  Somehow Churchill manages to instill fearlessness into a whole population as they face night after night of intense bombing.  45,000 people will be killed in this bombing campaign over the next year.  It is easy to forget that England stood virtually alone against Germany in 1940.  Erik Larson shows us that Winston Churchill was the right person to lead at that particular time in history.  
 
What did it make me think about?
 The Blitz certainly puts "stay at home" orders in a new perspective...

Should I read it?
 This was an interesting look at a slice of history that most of us don't know much about.  World War 2 is often talked about and I knew about the Blitz but this book filled in so many blanks.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes history.

Quote-
"He might have been speaking before the House of Commons, rather than to a small group of men fogged by cigars and alcohol in a quiet country house.  'We seek no treasure,' Churchill said, 'we seek no territorial gains, we seek only the right of man to be free; we seek his right to worship his God, to lead his life in his own way, secure from persecution.  As the humble laborer returns home from his work when the day is done, and sees the smoke curling upwards from his cottage home in the serene evening sky, we wish him to know that no "rat-a-tat-tat"- here Churchill knocked loudly on the table- 'of the secret police upon his door will disturb his leisure or interrupt his rest.'  He said 'Britain sought only government by popular consent, freedom to say whatever one wished, and the equality of all people in the eyes of the law.  But war aims other than these we have none.' "

If you liked this try-
​Forty Autumns by Nina Willner
One Summer by Bill Bryson
Red Notice by Bill Browder
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

9 stars

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
301 pages

​What’s it about?
 This book follows two Canadian born half-siblings as they move through their lives.  Paul struggles with addiction and Vincent finds herself caught up with a man that runs a Ponzi scheme.  When the Ponzi scheme fails we see how different people, including the perpetrator,  are affected.  

What did it make me think about?
This book covers greed, privilege, addiction, and people living in the margins.  

Should I read it?
 I LOVED Station Eleven by the same author, and this book is an equally impressive display of writing.  However, I found this book slightly dry, and easier to put down.  I did enjoy the story, but I can't say any of the characters were that compelling. The character that I was the most interested in was  Jonathan Alkaitis- the man that runs the Ponzi scheme.  He ruins so many lives, including his own, yet always seems slightly mystified about how he got there.  ​"He carried himself with the tedious confidence of all people with money, that breezy assumption that no serious harm could come to him. "  So many of the characters are forced onto a different path after the Ponzi scheme is discovered.  This book underscores how tenuous are lives are.  Anyone's life can change in a minute- as we are seeing right now during the Coronavirus crisis.  It also explores the notion that we can "know" and "not know" at the same time.  Interesting thoughts- and an interesting book.
​
Quote-
"One of our signature flaws as a species; we will risk almost anything to avoid looking stupid."

"He could live without retirement savings.  No one in this country actually starves to death.  It's just one future slipping away and being replaced by another. "

If you liked this try-
How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia by Moshin Hamid
​Driftless by David Rhodes
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
Idaho by Emily Ruskovich

​8 stars

The Sound Down Motel by Simone St. James
326 pages

What’s it about?
 This ghost story/mystery flips back in time from the 1980's to present day.  20-year-old Viv Delaney shows up in Fell, New York and takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel.  A short time later Viv disappears with no trace.  Her niece Carly comes back to Fell in 2017 to try to figure out what happened.  Ghosts, murders, and a creepy hotel are the backdrop to this murder mystery.

What did it make me think about?
 This was a plot driven mystery.  No thinking required.  Just turn the pages.

Should I read it?
 This started out slow for me.  Very implausible, lots of ghosts- but I kept at it and the plot picked up.  If you suspend your disbelief and hold on this book turns into a satisfying murder mystery.  

Quote-
"Night people were not the same as day people.  The good people of Fell, whoever they were, were sound asleep at three a.m. Those people never saw the people Viv saw: the cheating couples having affairs, the truckers strung out on whatever they took to stay awake, the women with blackened eyes who checked out at 5 a.m. to futilely go home again."

If you liked this try-
My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh
The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
The Kept by James Scott

7 stars