These summaries of my June and July reading list should get me up to date for the time being. Excessive gardening and hanging out with family are keeping me busy. Life is good!

June 2024

1. The Twilight Garden-Sara Nisha Adams

Winston is a depressed loner. He finds solace in his overgrown London garden. He begins working to bring the garden under control and someone mysteriously slips old newspaper clippings about his garden through the mail slot. The garden was once enjoyed by the community and maintained by two friends who lived in the adjoining terrace houses. The book moves back and forth between the two friends and Winston’s present day relationship with the garden and his new neighbors. The book comes to a satisfying conclusion.

2. An Irish Country Childhood-Marrie Walsh (Non-fiction)

Short snippets the author recalls from her childhood growing up in the countryside of Mayo County, Ireland. Refreshing tales from an earlier time.

3. Death by Chocolate Raspberry Scone-Sarah Graves

Another murder mystery centered around Jake and Ellie’s bakery The Chocolate Moose in Eastport, Maine. This book is particularly fun because a lot of it takes place on the water. And there are multiple shark encounters!

4. The Book Club Hotel-Sarah Morgan

Three women who became friends in their college days meet every year to vacation and for book club of the year’s agreed upon book. The friends are there for each other throughout the year as needed but this is their special time away. This year’s get away is at a New England B & B type hotel run by a widow named Hattie, and her young daughter. Some unexpected problems turn into blessings in disguise for all of them.

Magazines:  Real Simple, Cottages and Bungalows

July 2024

1. The Frozen River-Ariel Lawhon

The story takes place in 1789 Maine. Martha Ballard is a midwife and medical provider in a Maine territory by the Kenneth River. Things center around the body of a local man pulled from the ice of the river. Was the man hanged for the rape of a townswoman? Martha was called to examine the woman, her friend, in a professional capacity not long after the incident. A faction of local men question whether there was a rape, or even if the man was murdered. The story is laced with Martha assisting in births, court proceedings and so on. Some things seem to stay the same across centuries as the legal system questions women of the community about circumstances regarding their bodies.

2. Camino Ghosts-John Grisham

Bruce Cable is back in this third book of the series. So is his friend Mercer Mann who is newly married. The story, however, centers around Ms. Lovely Jackson, the last of a line of people descending from slaves who gained freedom when washed ashore during shipwrecks and living on Dark Isle. Lovely claims ownership of the island as the last survivor of her people. A large conglomerate contests this as they want the right to develop and build resorts. Things are complicated by the rumor of ghosts, said to cause the death of any white man who comes to the island. An interesting tale.

3. Up-Island Harbor-Jean Stone

Maddie Clarke received a letter informing her that she has inherited her grandmother’s property on Martha’s Vineyard after her recent death at age 89. The only problem is, Maddie thought her grandmother died over 30 years ago. When she goes to the island, she discovers that she has Native American ancestry that she knew nothing about. Accidents befall Maddie and her stay is extended as she makes friends and uncovers secrets. A seaside story with a more serious tone.

4. Hiking & Backpacking-Buck Tilton (Non-fiction)

Tips and advice from a veteran backpacker who has hiked and camped on multiple continents. I’m always looking for advice that will make hiking easier.

5. Crow Talk-Eileen Garvin

The story switches back and forth between two main characters. One is a graduate student, Frankie, specializing in ornithology. She is spending time at the family’s cottage while trying to get her life on track after the death of her father and the fiasco surrounding her master’s thesis. The second character, Annie, has a five year old son who stopped speaking a year ago. Amid the death of a friend, her son’s issues, and her ambitious in-laws, she is struggling. The two are brought together by a baby crow that Frankie is nursing back to health. The book was slow paced for a long time but I’m glad I stuck with it.

6. Cozy White Cottage Create Your Own Cozy-Liz Marie Galvan (Non-fiction)

Examples of how the author organizes and lives her own life. Has ideas to apply to your own life along with lists, charts, and suggestions. Very basic information.

7. Keep It Zesty-Edy Massih (Cookbook)

A cookbook of Lebanese cuisine. Maybe of these recipes look interesting and tasty. Nice pictures too. I am unlikely to make most of these recipes because I would have to invest in new spices and ingredients.

Magazines:  Real Simple, Country Living, Garden Fresh Recipes, Cuisine at Home, Summer Favorites Recipes, Best Salad Recipes