Into Space

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a story of adventure as well as romantic and familial love taking place during the 1980s.

Joan is a brilliant scientist and teacher. She applies to NASA and is accepted which sets her on a new and exciting path. Her goal is to be one of the first female astronauts.

Her training group includes many talented men and women. The women have additional pressure to earn their positions. Over time, Joan realizes that she has strong feelings for another woman in her training group, Vanessa.

Joan and Vanessa navigate their secret relationship. Meanwhile, Joan is also involved in caring for her niece Frances. Joan’s sister Barbara had Frances at a very young age, and is a self- absorbed mother. Joan’s role to Frances has often been a second mom.

Joan’s love for Frances was beautifully depicted. The description of love for a child as an “ache for every version…saying goodbye to the girl she used to be and falling in love again with the girl she was becoming” (68% into book) deeply resonated with my emotions around my own kids right now.

Eventually, Joan earns the opportunity to both go to space, and later to be part of Mission Control during Vanessa’s excursion. Vanessa’s mission does not go according to plan, which is the present day story throughout the book.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected to and really liked Joan’s character. She is strong, smart, pure and fiercely loyal and loving.

1,059 Days

The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb is a highly emotional read (spoilers ahead).

Corby is sentenced to three years in jail after backing over his two-year-old son while under the influence. The pain and horror of this moment kept me awake after reading it.

What follows is the aftermath of this tragedy. Corby’s relationship with his wife Emily is severely damaged. Once in jail, he has no contact with his remaining daughter (his deceased son’s twin sister).

Corby’s 1095 days in jail are marked by gradual friendships (bunkmate, prison librarian) and severe bullying (first bunkmate and two guards). During this time he must come to terms with his actions, his own upbringing, and figure out how to move forward.

This book was both riveting and heart wrenching. The characters (especially Corby) are so well developed. I found myself rooting for him despite his horrible mistake. Much of the advice given to him by either his first therapist and AA members is profound and pertinent to anyone going through a struggle. I really enjoyed this book’s realism albeit that it didn’t have the happy ending I hoped for.

Weathering the Storm

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is a story that focuses on nature.

Rowan washes up on the shore of Shearwater, an island near Antarctica. She is rescued by seventeen-year-old Fen, and brought to her family’s home which is a lighthouse on the island. Fen and her family are currently the only inhabitants of the island aside from the plethora of wildlife, namely seals and penguins. Fen and her brother Raff are the oldest with a much younger brother named Orly. Their dad, Dominic, is the primary keeper of the island which was being studied by scientists. It’s also home to a seed vault that protects millions of the world’s plants.

Now the island is being washed away and the family is waiting to leave. However, all means of communication were damaged so they have no way of getting help before the scheduled pick up in six weeks.

During this time, Rowan gets to know the family. She realizes they are harboring secrets, but so is she. She is there to find her missing husband, the head researcher. Over time, Rowan builds a relationship with each member of the Salt family.

I enjoyed this story. It’s a beautiful portrayal of nature’s beauty, power and resilience which parallels the traits observed in the characters.

Family Algorithm

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger is my favorite read so far this summer.

It explores family dynamics after a fatal crash in which an elderly couple dies. The survivors are a family of five, including parents Lorelei, Noah and their three children, Charlie, Alice and Izzy. Charlie is behind the wheel of their autonomous vehicle when the crash occurs.

The aftermath of the crash is the crux of the book as each character struggles with their own guilt and recovery. Added to this is the potential for Charlie to be charged with vehicular manslaughter which would derail his plans to play lacrosse in college.

The family travels to a lake house they’ve used in the past to continue healing. However, this setting begins new drama and a slow revelation of secrets.

The story is told from the husband, Noah’s, point of view, with excerpts from his wife’s publication about AI, and texts between Alice and her bot friend. I really liked the wife’s character in this book and identified with some of her traits. She shows a compelling mixture of strength and vulnerability.

“Family is an algorithm” is a statement repeated through the book. I love this idea as it speaks to the different ways that our actions can have repercussions. The family dynamics, the moral implications, and the AI as a pervasive entity throughout made this book extremely timely and thoroughly interesting.

Opposing Views

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is a twisty tale.

Grady is the epitome of an unreliable narrator. He is an author struggling with the disappearance of his wife Abby one year prior. He hasn’t been able to write since that night, and is slowly losing everything.

Then, his publisher (also his wife’s godmother) offers him a secluded cabin on the island of Amberly in Scotland. He is expected to use this time to write his next book.

While on island, he sees glimpses of his missing wife, experiences extreme paranoia about the residents and encounters an unknown intruder who leaves behind his wife’s former news articles.

Grady ends up writing a novel which he based on a stolen manuscript from the cabin’s former writer in residence. Afterward he realizes that he may be stuck on the island for good.

The story jumps between his view and Abby’s with each chapter’s title offering another oxymoron. The tragic history of the island is revealed in the end, and Grady will play a part in continuing its strange existence.

Fatal Fall

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight is a murder mystery. I feel that I may have already read this book, but if so, it was prior to writing blog posts!

Kate is a single mother with a demanding job as an attorney. The book opens with her being called to her daughter’s private school due to a cheating incident. Upon arriving, she discovers that her daughter is dead.

The police deem it a suicide. Shortly thereafter, Kate receives an anonymous message stating that it was not a suicide. This sets Kate on a mission to reopen the case in order to discover what truly happened to her daughter.

Chapters include Kate (present time with some flashbacks) and Amelia’s (events leading up to her death) perspectives to build the actual chain of events leading to Amelia’s fatal fall. Amelia was receiving cryptic messages about her unknown father, dealing with relationship drama and being severely bullied.

The suspects include the exclusive, secret group named the Magpies that she was newly tapped to join. There is also the mysterious Ben that she was texting.

The story moves quickly and kept my interest until the end.

Return of the Witch

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a story of witchcraft and possession.

Mina is a recent child psychologist graduate. However, she is still grieving the loss of her brother. During a therapy group, she meets journalist Sam. He asks if she’d join him to investigate a family that is encountering strange behaviors from their daughter Alice. Mina decides to go despite her fiancée Oscar’s disapproval.

Alice persistently describes being watched and spoken to by a witch that hides behind her walls (so creepy!). While her brain tries to rationalize Alice’s behaviors, she can’t deny that another element is at play. She experiences strange phenomena such as hearing animal sounds at night and seeing glimpses of the witch.

Alice and Sam investigate the origin of these occurrences while also fighting their own demons of their lost loved ones. Spoiler- Then Alice’s former friends begin dying. The witch needs to be excised, but how and by whom?

This is where the book took a confusing turn for me. While I completely enjoyed the writing and the witchy element, the ending left me a bit disappointed. It was as though the whole witch aspect was forgotten.

One of Us

My Friends by Fredrik Backman is a touching story about friendship (obviously)!

Louisa is on the verge of aging out of the foster care system. The night before she turns eighteen, she breaks into an auction to see a painting that is very meaningful to her. She is thrown out and the police are called. In her attempt to escape, she crashes into a homeless man. However, it turns out that the homeless man is not homeless; he’s actually the artist. They paint graffiti together before parting ways. He sees something special in her and tells his friend Ted to find her, telling him that she is one of them. The artist sold all of his possessions to buy his own painting back, and it is his dying wish to give it to Louisa.

Fast forward to the artist’s friend Ted finding Louisa and giving her the painting. The two begin a scrappy relationship as they journey back to where the painting was inspired.

During this time, Ted recounts the painting’s origin story. The painting is of a sea scene, and it includes three kids sitting at the end of a pier. The kids in the scene include Joar (son of a violently abusive father), Ali (a tough drifter) and Ted. Ted (and others) shares the story of their friendship over the two summers leading up to Kim’s first painting and its aftermath.

Lessons are learned, relationships evolve and lives are radically altered. There are many heartfelt lines about life, love, loss, and of course, the power of art.

Trapped

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten was listed in a social media thread about horror stories.

This wasn’t my idea of a horror story. It switches between Now and Then in the abandoned village of Silvertjärn.

In the Now, Alice is researching the place based on her grandmother’s stories. She has a crew of two girls and two guys with her. One of the girls, Tone, also has a connection to the village. Her mother was the only living person recovered from the place as a newborn baby.

In the past, a new minister came to town and slowly turned most of the villagers into his minions, including Alice’s grandmother’s younger sister. A girl with special needs ends up being stoned to death after delivering a baby (Tone’s mom). All of this is slowly revealed through letters and narrative.

Alice’s group begin hearing voices and seeing an unknown person as they start their investigation. Those left alone end up murdered until only three of them remain.

Spoiler-

The mystery of the lost village is finally solved as it turns out the whole village was trapped in the mines underneath after being led there by the pastor.

I may be a little picky with my reading as the last couple of books haven’t been super appealing to me. This one has some good points. I think it would appeal most to a teen/young adult audience interested in mystery.

New Start

Identity by Nora Roberts is a dramatic read following a serial killer’s failed murder attempt.

After a lifetime of moving, Morgan was finally creating a life for herself working two jobs and slowly remodeling her home. This is when a smooth talking stranger entered her life. It turns out that the FBI has been after him for a while. He chooses slim, blonde women with androgynous names. He kills them and steals their identities and money. Morgan’s roommate is home sick and ends up being killed.

Morgan ends up moving in with her mom and grandmother in Vermont. She slowly rebuilds her life by helping her ladies with their shop, and finding a job managing the bar at a high end resort. She also finds romance with one of the owner’s sons.

Meanwhile, her predator is still on the loose and he’s angry. He’s determined to finish the job he started. Snippets of his thoughts and actions are shown throughout. The whole while Morgan is preparing herself for a possible confrontation.

I appreciated Morgan’s character and her relationship with her mom and grandmother. I also liked the business and bartending aspects of the story. However, the book is very detailed and slow moving.