LibraryReads for August

There are some really good choices on the list this month. Probably at least half of which I want to read. Hope you find something that appeals to you.

Number one is the perennial favorite, Louise Penny's newest Gamache entry, A Great Reckoning. Gamache is back as the new leader of the Surete Academy. I don't know how Penny can keep getting better but reviewers say she has. One reviewer said "Every time I read a title in this series, I think how could it possibly be better than the last, and yet it is." Obviously, a must read for many.

The rest - in no particular order:

Shari Lapena has her debut novel, The Couple Next Door coming out on August 23. Wow - the reviews for this one are strong. A couple with a newborn think they know their friendly next door neighbors but .... do they? Marco and Anne leave their newborn baby alone - they are only going next door and they bring the baby monitor with them. How could anything happen? Needless to say, it does.

Watching Edie by Camilla Way made the list. Here the story happens in the past and in the present. In the past, Edie is the popular, beautiful high school friend and Heather is the overweight, unpopular one. They were friends but then after a tragic incident, they aren't and Edie moves away. Today, Edie is a pregnant waitress having a hard time dealing with life in general and Heather appears on her doorstep offering help. Are there strings attached? What do you think?

Louise Miller has The City Baker's Guide to Country Living on the list. Described as a "cozy, foodie, romance" -might not make it sound as appealing as it is. After traumatic incidents in Boston (she set the restaurant on fire) Olivia Rawlings moves to a quaint little town looking to escape. Soon, she not only finds a job as a pastry chef but she finds a home.

The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis is the story of a woman who stayed in the Barbizon Hotel in the 1950's. This is another debut novel. The Barbizon Hotel for women offered women a safe place to stay in NYC in the 40's and 50's. In the present day, it is condos but at least one of the original residents is still there. Rose is a current day journalist who lives at the Barbizon with her boyfriend when she decides to write an article on the building's history. One resident she wants to interview is Darby who was a resident at the beginning and has a tragic secret.

The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood tells the story of a recently separated woman whose daughter is living in Paris and has problems of her own To get out of the house, she joins a local book group. Can books really help?

Laura McHugh has Arrowood on the list. Arden Arrowood returns to the family mansion in southern Iowa after her father dies. Decades earlier when Arden was 8, she was a witness to her 20 month old twin sisters kidnapping. Can she find the truth after so many years?

I spoke of Die Like an Eagle by Donna Andrews last week. It is still a humorous cozy - maybe not laugh out loud funny like Evanovich but you won't be able to stop a giggle or two.

B.A. Paris has Behind Closed Doors on the list. Another debut novel - another compared to Gone Girl or Girl on the Train. Other than the fact that reviewers have praised this one, I don't see much similarity. I am sure we have all met at some point, ' the perfect couple'. But are they really the perfect couple when they are behind closed doors? Paris' psychological suspense deals with that topic.

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips made the list. I spoke of this one 2 weeks ago. I said mentioned that Phillips specializes in humorous romances. Here Piper Dove is the investigator and Cooper Graham is the Chicago quarterback. I'm thinking you can probably imagine what their dialog sounds like.

OK - there you go. Ten pretty good ones to choose from. Have fun.