The Maid by Nita Prose

In The Maid by Nita Prose, we meet Molly- sweet, innocent, unusual Molly. A young maid at the fancy Regency Grand Hotel, Molly doesn't understand a lot about the world. She frequently misses social cues the rest of us take for granted and she is obsessive about rules, etiquette, and cleanliness. She enjoys her job and works hard to return every space to "a state of perfection." When she discovers a guest dead in his bed, she faints right where she stands. She faints again when she is charged with the guest's murder. What follows is a quirky who-done-it that is absolutely adorable.

Molly is different, but that doesn't stop the reader from connecting with her. Each of the other characters in the book are wonderfully drawn as well. Molly's recently deceased Gran is exactly the grandmother we'd all love to have; Molly's work nemesis is fun to hate; and the hotel doorman and dishwasher are both so sweet. This was a very quick read and a fun mystery with no gore or anything else that I sometimes find difficult to read. Add this little gem to your list.

 

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

In Sarah Gailey's The Echo Wife, Evelyn is an extremely successful and lauded geneticist whose marriage has just fallen apart. She tries not to care- she has so many more important things to do- but the woman for whom her husband has left her is... her. Well, not her but a clone of her. He stole her research and her supplies and built his own custom-made wife. If he'd left Evelyn for anyone else, it wouldn't matter, but this is her research, and she is responsible for anything that happens with it. And something so big has happened. When he turns up dead, Evelyn and the new wife have to work together to keep all the secrets from getting out.

This book was fun! There are social dynamics and conversations on the value of women. What does it mean for the woman to be the more successful partner in a marriage and how will that affect the relationship? Is motherhood the occupation that should take precedence once it is on the table and what if that is never the goal? Also, how many bodies can one backyard hold?

I really enjoyed the tension and resolution of this book. Add it to your list and keep your eyes on the science news- this could be real someday!

 

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.  

 

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson features the story of a family grieving the loss of their mother, Eleanor. The family has been fractured for years and part of Eleanor's will includes a voice recording of her sharing her life story with her children, Benny and Byron. The story takes them back to the Caribbean island on which Elanore was born, to London where she went for her education, and finally to California where she raised her family. The number of surprises revealed rock Benny and Byron's foundations and lead them to question all they ever thought they knew about their mother and about their own lives. The only thing they have left of her is a single black cake in the freezer, a family tradition about which they are finally going to learn.

The number of storylines Wilkerson introduces could have been dizzying, but she expertly weaves them into a beautiful tapestry of family history, tragedy, love, and secrecy. I adored this book! I was so heartbroken by the loss and the forfeited opportunities. The writing was absolutely beautiful. I was thrilled with the way all the little ribbons of stories braided together and nothing was left dangling at the end. This was Wilkerson's debut novel, but I can't wait to read more of her work.  

 

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

Do you know what's amusing about people who try to ban books? They have no idea that they are just adding to the TBR lists of thousands, possibly millions, of readers in the world. I had heard of Maus by Art Spiegelman, but I hadn't read it until Tennessee decided it shouldn't be allowed in their schools. It is a graphic novel about the holocaust featuring anthropomorphized mice and cats as the Jews and Nazis, but the Tennessee lawmakers were concerned that there were illustrations of naked mice. I still can't stop shaking my head.

I read the "complete" edition which contains both volume one and volume two of the heartbreaking story of the author's father's experiences in 1940's Poland and Germany. The first volume is officially titled A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History and the second is titled A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began. These stories are so difficult to read, but so necessary. If we don't acknowledge how horrible things like this have happened in the past, how can we hope to prevent them in the future? I highly recommend these books and I see absolutely no grounds for their banned status.

READ BANNED BOOKS!