LibraryReads for March

Quite a few of these are ones that I had not thought of putting on my list. Now I have seen what other librarians said about them though, I have changed my mind. See if you find something in this list to read.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce is a must read for all who have read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. In the Fry story, he walks 600 miles to deliver a letter to Queenie who has told him she is dying. In this story, the point of view changes to Queenie's. Queenie is in a hospice dying from cancer. A nun suggests she write him a letter for him to read when he arrives since she might not be there. Queenie writes...and writes...and writes. A truly tender story that some think is better than the first one.

The rest, in no particular order:

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. Larson is known for making history readable and this is no exception. He follows the story from different points of view - the British Admiralty; President Wilson and the U-boat commander. But he makes it human by the affecting stories of the crew and the passengers.

Prudence by Gail Carriger. For those who enjoyed the Parasol Protectorate, Carriger give Prudence her own series, The Custard Protocol. Carriger's series are kind of an alternative history steampunk type of genre. Prudence gets an unexpected dirigible, names it Spotted Custard and floats to India. She finds more than a cup of tea with adventures.

The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose. If you have read any if Rose's previous works and liked them, you will, of course, want to read this one. Rose is a little too dramatic for my taste but this one is a mix of a Gothic love story with a ghost story mixed in. Set in the late 1800's in Paris, Sandrine has left America escaping from her evil husband who caused her father to commit suicide. Her grandmother tries to convince her not to go to their family home but Sandrine goes anyway. She meets an architect there who she is drawn to passionately and starts to become possessed.

Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss. I would describe this book as quirky and funny but perhaps dark also. It is kind of like a false horror book. Alec is staying in a cottage by the sea to recover from the death of his wife. He goes through a packet of papers and documents given to him by a colleague and finds a story of Wiggy, someone who claims to have met an evil, talking cat. The story is told from different points of view but is laugh out loud funny in some parts.

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver. The story of sisters who use to be close, that became estranged by a horrible accident. One of them, Dara, vanishes on her birthday. The other, Nick, thinks she is just playing around until another girl disappears.

Delicious Foods by James Hannaham. They call this Southern Gothic but I call it DEFINITELY DIFFERENT. The story is told from 3 points of view, a widowed mother who has turned to drugs (Darlene), her 11 year old son (Eddie), and scotty (crack cocaine - said to have a seductively charming voice). Darlene is tempted off the street by the promise of a job, good pay and a place to stay. Unfortunately, she ends up in a form of slavery on a farm. Her son tries to find her. Dark but funny at the same time.

The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell.  Caldwell is one of the co-authors of the well reviewed and popular The Rule of Four published 10 years ago. Since then he has been researching and preparing this work. Reviewers by an large love it but those who don't, don't like it at all. It surrounds a coming exhibition of The Shroud of Turin. The curator, Ugo, is set to prove that the scientific evidence on the Shroud was false. Right before the exhibit, Ugo is killed. Two brothers, Alex - a Greek Catholic priest and Simon - a Roman Catholic priest - try to uncover Ugo's secrets.

The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford. Dana is married to a lawyer that hardly gives her the time of day. She also suffers from Bi-Polar Disorder and is off her meds. One day she spends the afternoon drinking with her friend Celia. When she wakes up, she is home but Celia is dead. All of the evidence seems to be pointing to her and she doesn't even remember what happened. A dark and twisty, psychological thriller.

Where All Light Tends To Go by David Joy. An Appalachian novel. I love them but this seems quite a bit darker than I generally like. I don't see a way for it to not have a heartbreaking ending. Jacob McNeely is 18. He left school to help his father, the king of meth in this area of North Carolina. He also left his girlfriend, Maggie, because he could see that she was going places and he wasn't. Doesn't it sound sad? Said to be beautifully written.

OK folks, some more titles from which to choose. Enjoy.