Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

 

Although I've watched many Jane Austen movie adaptations, this is the first Jane Austen novel I have read. I was looking for something lighthearted to read during the Christmas season, and Northanger Abbey fit the bill with all the intrigue and Regency propriety Ms. Austen is known for. 

The Gutenberg Project has many public domain books that can be downloaded free of charge and it is worth taking a look at what is available.

The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman

 I first came across Richard Osman in a Good Morning Britain interview and was intrigued with his Thursday Murder Club Mysteries. The Bullet that Missed is the third book in the series and the Thursday Murder Club crew: Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim come across a decade old cold case with all the intrigue they love to solve. Richard Osman writes with the English humor and sarcastic wit he is known for and is a delight to those of us on both sides of The Pond.

Sam Walton Biography by Vance H. Trimble

 Sam Walton, the founder of Wal Mart, was once America's Richest Man but this title didn't come easily. He worked hard, took chances, and was a strategic businessman from humble beginnings. He was fortunate that his wife was patient and went along with his ideas.

One thing I took away from his story is that a goal and hard work are what is needed for success. A dream is simply waiting for something to happen.

The biography, although not authorized by Sam Walton, was nevertheless well researched and many of those who knew Sam Walton were interviewed.

Favorite Reads of 2024

 Below are my favorite reads (in no particular order) of 2024

Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn

The Little Liar by Mitch Albom

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

 Jodi Picoult does an amazing job at showing a situation from different points of view and Perfect Match is no exception. In any story that involves a child harmed, this story tugs at the heart.

From the cover:

In the course of her everyday work, career-driven assistant district attorney Nina Frost prosecutes child molesters and works determinedly to ensure that a legal system with too many loopholes keeps these criminals behind bars. But when her own five-year-old son is traumatized by a sexual assault, Nin and her husband are shattered, ripped apart by an enraging sense of helplessness . . . Nina hurtles toward a plan to exact her own justice for her son - no matter the consequence.

Sycamore Row by John Grisham

 Sycamore Row is a follow up to John Grisham's A Time to Kill with many of the same characters. The town of Clanton is shocked when a well known wealthy landowner, Seth Hubbard, is discovered hanged from a tree. Before his death, he writes a holographic (handwritten) will and mails a letter to attorney, Jake Brigance, letting him know that he wishes to disinherit his children and leave a hefty sum to his housekeeper.

Puzzled by Seth's final thoughts, a will contest ensues which devolves many surprises and conflicts in true Grisham style.

Leave plenty of time to read the last few chapters because it will be difficult to put the novel down once all the secrets start unravelling.

Together Alone by Barbara Delinsky

 Together Alone by Barbara Delinsky reminded me a little of the Desperate Housewives television series. Kay, Emily and Celeste are finding their way after their children leave for college. Each has their own struggles with marriage or in Celeste's case, singleness. Interwoven into the affairs is a mystery of over a decade when Emily's son had been abducted.