Books I've Read - October

October 3, 2024

 


Hello friends and Happy October.  

It's been a while since I've shared the books I'm reading.  I read a few books that I enjoyed, some I didn't like, and some I couldn't finish reading.   

Here are the books I've read lately. 

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum



None of them would claim to be a particularly good person. But who among them is actually capable of murder?

Jen Weinstein and Lauren Parker rule the town of Salcombe, Fire Island every summer. They hold sway on the beach and the tennis court, and are adept at manipulating people to get what they want. Their husbands, Sam and Jason, have summered together on the island since childhood, despite lifelong grudges and numerous secrets. Their one single friend, Rachel Woolf, is looking to meet her match, whether he’s the tennis pro—or someone else’s husband. But even with plenty to gossip about, this season starts out as quietly as any other.

Until a body is discovered, face down, off the side of the boardwalk.

Stylish, subversive, and darkly comedic, this is a story of what's lurking under the surface of picture-perfect lives in a place where everyone has something to hide.

I thought this book was a fun read that I enjoyed and couldn't put down.  It's the perfect beach read that takes place on Fire Island, Long Island.

Death on Windmill Way by Carrie Doyle


First book in the Hamptons Murder Mysteries cozy series! Antonia's looking for some peace and quiet… too bad she moved to the Hamptons!

Featuring the quirky chef and amateur sleuth Antonia Bingham, this new mystery book is:

  • Perfect for Fans of Denise Swanson and Louise Penny
  • For readers of classic murder mysteries and scenic town cozy mysteries

The Hamptons are known for beautiful beaches, luxurious living, millionaire mansions, and now…murder! Antonia Bingham, a renowned chef and the new owner of East Hampton's Windmill Inn, escaped to the Hamptons to get away from a harrowing past. Yet she finds herself in more danger than ever when she learns about a curse that haunts the inn—all previous owners have died suspiciously.

When she's not cooking sumptuous meals for her guests Antonia digs into the investigation to uncover who's behind the curse. Could the culprit be a guest at the inn, or is there a killer on the road? And the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she gets to being the next victim—will she solve the case in time to save herself.


I started this book but had to stop so that I could read, The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose, which I had on hold from the library.  I will try to read this book again at some point in the future.


The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J. D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead—very dead—on the hotel’s tearoom floor.
 
When Detective Stark, Molly’s old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: 
Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?
 
As the high-profile death threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that secrets don’t stay buried forever.

This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it.  I read the first book in the series The Maid and liked that too.  These books are fast paced and a mystery that the maid of the hotel tries to solve.

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

What if the end of the road is just the beginning?

Four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Wealthy Oxford student Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry’s enormous French villa; wild child Addie was spending her summer as the on-site caretaker. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven’t spoken since.

Today, Dylan’s and Addie’s lives collide again. It’s the day before Cherry’s wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there. The car Dylan was driving is wrecked, and the wedding is in rural Scotland—he’ll never get there on time by public transport.

So, along with Dylan’s best friend, Addie’s sister, and a random guy on Facebook who needed a ride, they squeeze into a space-challenged Mini and set off across Britain. Cramped into the same space, Dylan and Addie are forced to confront the choices they made that tore them apart—and ask themselves whether that final decision was the right one after all.

I thought this would have been a fun read but I was bored and I didn't finish the book.  I'm disappointed because I bought this book in a romance book store in my neighborhood.  

Hello Summer by Mary Kay Andrews

It’s a new season...

Conley Hawkins left her family’s small town newspaper, 
The Silver Bay Beacon, in the rearview mirror years ago. Now a star reporter for a big-city paper, Conley is exactly where she wants to be and is about to take a fancy new position in Washington, D.C. Or so she thinks.

For small town scandals...

When the new job goes up in smoke, Conley finds herself right back where she started, working for her sister, who is trying to keep 
The Silver Bay Beacon afloat—and she doesn’t exactly have warm feelings for Conley. Soon she is given the unenviable task of overseeing the local gossip column, “Hello, Summer.”

And big-time secrets.

Then Conley witnesses an accident that ends in the death of a local congressman—a beloved war hero with a shady past. The more she digs into the story, the more dangerous it gets. As an old heartbreaker causes trouble and a new flame ignites, it soon looks like their sleepy beach town is the most scandalous hotspot of the summer.

I loved reading this book.  It was the perfect book to read while I was on vacation at the Jersey Shore.


Have you read any good books lately?

I will share this post at the monthly book link-up party Share Your Shelf.  It's held on the first Thursday of each month.  It's run by these bloggers:




Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.


Julie

10 comments

  1. Some of these look like fun summer reads! I will definitely check out that first one. Some books I just give up on, it's not worth it when there are so many great books out there!

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  2. I enjoyed Bad Summer People, Hello, Summer and The Mystery Guest too. I was looking forward to The Road Trip but perhaps that is one I shouldn't bother with. I do like road trip books in general like Mrs. Nash's Ashes and I Thought You Said This Would Work and She's Up to No Good or the nonfiction story about Driving Miss Norma. There is something about traveling together that does tend to bond people.

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  3. I haven't read a really good book in a long while...thanks for all the suggestions! Happy Fall!!

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  4. That's disappointing about the Road Trip! Thanks for linking up!

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  5. Look like some good mystery books. I'm intrigue by Bad Summer People.
    Have a great October.

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  6. I've read one Beth O'Leary book and enjoyed it but not sure I would want to read everything she's written. More of a historical fiction fan over here.

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  7. Thanks for linking to Thinking Out Loud Thursday! I love seeing what people have read.

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  8. Thanks for the reviews Julie! I adore MK Andrews, I will be reading that one for sure!
    Jenna

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  9. Bad Summer People was fun, wasn't it? I also read The Mystery Guest--it felt too much like the first novel, The Maid, for me.

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