I did some reading in August. Not as much as I had hoped for. But this year I take what I can get and won’t complain. So let’s dive right into the book talk for August.
The Last Flight by Julie Clark | ★★★★☆
Book Blurb: Two women. Two flights. One last chance to disappear.
Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns bright and he’s not above using his staff to track Claire’s every move.
What he doesn’t know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish. A plan that takes her to the airport, poised to run from it all. But a chance meeting in the airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision.
The two women switch tickets, with Claire taking Eva’s flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. But the flight to Puerto Rico crashes. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva’s identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.
First Sentence: Terminal 4 swarms with people, the smell of wet wool and jet fuel thick around me.
What I thought: This was one of those books that suck you right in. I am not often reading thrillers but this was fun. So much so that I kept narrating my chapters back to the husband. It would make an excellent movie too. I like the twist and turns. The friendship that developed between Claire and her neighbor. I understand that the author tried to empower women of domestic violence I just felt it was a bit too “into your face”. That is way it’s not a 5* for me.
Curious count: 11
Characters: Claire Cook – abused wife by soon to be Senator, Eva James – chemist, Dex – drug dealer, Agent Castro – DEA officer, Liz – Eva’s neighbor
Setting: New York City, Berkley
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: German title “Der Tausch”
Recommend to: Everyone enjoying a good thriller with no blood.
Author’s Origin: born in Hayward, U.S.A. | August 11th, 1971
Heard of/Recommended by: Shirsha, Stephany
Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan | ★★★✶☆
Book Blurb: In the tiny village of Maran nestled high in the Armenian mountains, a place where dreams, curses and miracles are taken very seriously, a close-knit community bickers, gossips and laughs, untouched by the passage of time. A lifelong resident, Anatolia is happily set in her ways. Until, that is, she wakes up one day utterly convinced that she is dying. She lies down on her bed and prepares to meet her maker, but just when she thinks everything is ready, she is interrupted by a surprise visit from a neighbour with an unexpected proposal.
So begins a tale of unforeseen twists and unlikely romance that will turn Maran on its head and breathe a new lease of life into a forgotten village. Narine Abgaryan’s enchanting fable is a heart-warming tale of community, courage, and the irresistible joy of everyday friendship.
First Sentence: And three apples fell from heaven: One for the storyteller, One for the listener, And one for the eavesdropper.
What I thought: This book is really hard to review. It was tough at times to keep track with the many names and timelines as we get to know the village. It felt like a narration of past lives many times . Yet it was interesting and kept me reading. It is a slower book and once I committed to it, it became easier to read. One other reader said it best: “Perhaps the most beautiful part of this book is that so much yet nothing happens and the reader becomes a villager too. Reads like a bedtime story, and has such an unusual and lovely ending.”
Curious count: 5
Characters: Anatolia – old woman, Vasily – neighbor, Yasaman – friend of Anatolia & herb women,
Setting: Maran – remote mountain village
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited, library | audiobook through library | paperback | hardcover
Original Language and Title: Russian “С неба упали три яблока“
Publications: German title “Vom Himmel fielen drei Äpfel”
Recommend to: Everyone liking stories set in folklore and peaking into different countries.
Author’s Origin: born in Berd, Armenia | January 14th, 1971
Read Around the World: Logged for Armenia in my Read Around the World Challenge
Songlines by Bruce Chatwin | ★★★☆☆
Book Blurb: The songlines are the invisible pathways that criss-cross Australia, tracks connecting communities and following ancient boundaries. Along these lines, Aboriginals passed the songs which revealed the creation of the land and the secrets of its past. In this magical account, Chatwin recalls his travels across the length and breadth of Australia seeking to find the truth about the songs and unravel the mysteries of their stories.
First Sentence: In Alice Springs – a grid of scorching streets where men in long white socks were forever getting n and out of Land Cruisers – I met a Russian who was mapping the sacred sites of Aboriginals.
What I thought: This was a re-read. I had read this book about 25 years ago and it stuck with me as it was the first time ever hearing about the longlines of the Aborigines. So I suggested it for my church book club in order to discuss the creation story of the native Australians. Unfortunately the book fell a bit flat for me this time around. While I am still very much intrigued by the songlines the book didn’t provide enough insights. I had hoped for more. The last third of the book was hard to get through. His “notes” felt like a brain dump. There are nuggets of wisdom in but it felt like a whole different kind of book and took away from the story. By the end I skimmed these parts and just wanted to finish. I still think it’s an interesting book but a) not for the purpose I had in mind and b) you need to read it with the time it was created in mind. And for that I found it interesting that in his “brain dump section” he also keeps on quoting women scientists. Was that so common back in the 1960/70s?
Curious count: 1 (maybe more but didn’t pay attention)
Setting: Australian bush, Alice Springs area
Medium: paperback
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: German title “Traumpfade”
Recommend to: Everyone enjoying travel journals from the early 20th century.
Author’s Origin: born in Sheffield, U.K. | May 13th, 1940
Additional note: This is a re-read and for the church book club.
Cowboy to the Rescue by Ann B. Harrison | ★★★☆☆
Book Blurb: Jethro Hansen knows how it feels to let down those he loves. Before his grandfather passed, he tried to make amends for his wild youth and has devoted his future to bringing the family ranch back to financial health. Sadie St. Martin came to Marietta for a fresh start, determined to focus on her legal career. But after one fateful night assisting in the delivery room alongside a rugged cowboy with a slow smile and a protective heart, she’s questioning everything.
First Sentence: Jethro Hansen, meet Sadie St. Martin.
What I thought: I needed a quick read in-between some heaver things and this was a perfect pallet cleanser. Easy to read, entertaining but not occupying my mind when I needed to get into the next story. I like that the female character here wasn’t a baker, cafe owner or florist.
Curious count: 1
Characters: Jethro – cowboy, Sadie – lawyer
Setting: Marietta
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited, library | audiobook through library | paperback | hardcover
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: no translations found.
Recommend to: Everyone enjoying a cowboy romance.
Author’s Origin: born in Ashburton, New Zealand | November 19th
Book Stats for August
Books I couldn’t finish
Keeping track of the books that weren’t right for me. This month it was:
- The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan – I stopped at 12% and skipped ahead to read a few more original stories of the Aborigines but other than that this book was too lecturing and preachy.
New books on the shelves
Always buying books even though I am trying to reduce my TBR pile. Here is this month purchases. Please hold me accountable and ask if I read them or just piled them up.
- Die Bucht der Träume by Elena Sonneberg – a Free Little Library find
- Mutant Messanger Down Under by Marlo Morgan – a Free Little Library find
- All for Love by Jenny Robson – a Free Little Library find and even still shrink-wrapped
Have you re-read a book that didn’t hold up the second time? Last book you found in a Little Library or which you dropped off in one? Any good book recommendation for educating about the Aboriginals?
