Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

In Bonnie Garmus' Lessons in Chemistry, we meet Elizabeth Zott, a budding chemist in early 1960s California. Struggling to be taken seriously in an exclusively male lab, she meets Calvin Evans who is on track to win a Nobel Prize. They are the perfect couple until something goes terribly wrong and Elizabeth is left jobless and alone with a child to raise. Since no actual lab will take her on, she agrees to host what will become the most successful cooking show of its time. As she lifts up her viewers, mostly housewives, she wants more for herself as well.

I absolutely adored this book! Elizabeth is a fantastic character brimming with grit and wit. And Garmus' excellent writing doesn't stop at her main character- each supporting cast member brings something special to the story, not least of whom is Elizabeth's dog, Six-Thirty. While I was frequently furious about the treatment Elizabeth receives from the other scientists she encounters, I loved the way she handles herself. This book is inspiring as well as entertaining and I hope you'll add it to your list.

 

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

Catherine Steadman's The Disappearing Act features Mia, a British actress on the verge of her big break who has traveled to Los Angeles to find the role of a lifetime. While waiting for an audition, she meets a woman named Emily who asks a small favor of her. When Emily doesn't show up for their agreed meeting time, Mia starts to worry something bad may have happened to her. Mia should be focused on making her career dreams come true, but she can't get Emily out of her head.

Steadman is also the author of Something in the Water, which I thought was a fantastic thriller. This newest book of Steadman's didn't quite meet it, but it was very close. There were times I felt like the writing took a little too long to get where we were going, as if she was trying a little too hard to build tension, but I really enjoyed reading it. The ending was especially satisfying. When I started this book, I was in dire need of a distraction from real life and a missing person mystery set in LA was perfect. This would make a fun addition to your summer reading list.

 

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

In The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin we meet the most wonderful cast of characters. Lenni is a seventeen-year-old terminal patient who has been in the hospital for a very long time. When she meets eighty-three-year-old Margot under mischievous circumstances, they become fast friends and vow to tell, and paint, the stories of their combined one hundred years. 

This book is sweet and comforting and lovely and heartbreaking. Lenni has far too few stories, but she makes the most of the days she has, forming friendships and getting right to the point of things. Margot's stories are full love and loss and she becomes the surrogate mother Lenni, and maybe also the reader, needs.

I adored this book. Add it to your list today.