The Talented Mr. Ripley. Starts slow, gets taut. Tom Ripley gets asked to encourage sort-of friend Dickie Greenleaf to come home from Europe. Tom gets Fond of Dickie, but also wants to BE him. Kills Dickie, assumes his identity, complications ensue, other crimes pile up. Ending surprised me.
The Drama of the Gifted Child. Not about how we typically define "gifted." It's about discovering the truth of your childhood, especially if you think it was great, but for some reason, you don't have things together like you think you should. For therapists, but so insightful, it may break you open
The Husbands. 30ish single Lauren discovers a man in her apt. who is her husband. Some weird new magic in her attic made him appear. She finds she can swap him for another by getting him to go back into the attic. She keeps switching in hopes of finding The One. Why stop? Will anyone be good enough?
The Last Letter from Your Lover. Least favorite cover of this book, but not arguing w $7.99. Weird thing: I must have read this before & forgotten, bc the plot slowly came back to me, almost like it did to Jennifer. I completely forgot the big secret in the library, gasped out loud in the airport.
Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station. A late installment in the Mrs. Pollifax series. My mom & I read the early ones years ago. Name switches early caused confusion. Mrs. P is still charming, but murder?! Who is the spy traveling w her is the most interesting question.
Cat's Eye, by Margaret Atwood. 5th re-read? Elaine was bullied as a child, is now a painter, visiting her hometown. The bullying nearly killed her. Still excellent, helped me understand some things. Thanks, MA.
Snow Angels. Stewart O'Nan's 1st novel. Arthur reconstructs the story of his babysitter Annie who was killed in 1974 the winter he was 14, also when his parents divorced. Not really a mystery. Her ex did it bc their daughter went missing. Lots of 70s feels. Hard to forget the scene when it happens.
Via Negativa. Road novel about a retired Catholic priest living in his car, who takes an injured coyote into his care. Priest encounters odd cast of characters on his way to see the partner of a friend who had been molested as a youth, and the priest who molested him. Coyote does not do much.
The Book Club Hotel. Cozy read, mild romance. 3 women take their book club holiday to a snowy Vermont B&B, run by a young widow. Each of the women has a problem of some kind. The B&B has needs that the women--& the nearby tree farmer--can fill. Resolution obvious from the start; read it anyway.
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. Rather sad tale of a British woman near the end of her life moving into a hotel where many other seniors live. She tumbles & is helped by a poor young man who pretends to be her grandson bc having visitors gives one cachet at the hotel. Then the actual grandson appears.
A Suitable Companion for the End of Your Life. Near future. High concept. Teen girl orders a toxic, blow-up memory-wiped human in order to unalive herself. But the blow-up human she ordered remembers things. Complications ensue--too many of them. First 2/3, yes. Last 1/3, not so much.
Dragon Haven. Book 2 of Rain Wilds Chronicles by Robin Hobb. Humans & mixed-breed dragon keepers escort growing dragons up an acidic river in hopes of finding a mythical place where dragons once thrived. Many conflicting goals. Some people get eaten. Others change dramatically.
Inside the Bone Box. Very obese neurosurgeon balances the finer points of his job & delights/escape of food until he has a scare in the operating room & must make a choice. Precise details. Nods to Ulysses.
