I made a dent in the pile of books I had laying around! Most I bought, but a couple I borrowed from daughter-in-law.
"Fly Girls, by Keith O'Brien
Between the world wars, no sport was more popular, or more dangerous, than airplane racing. While male pilots were lauded as heroes, the few women who dared to fly were more often ridiculed—until a cadre of women pilots banded together to break through the entrenched prejudice.
Fly Girls weaves together the stories of five remarkable women: Florence Klingensmith, a high school dropout from Fargo, North Dakota; Ruth Elder, an Alabama divorcée; Amelia Earhart, the most famous, but not necessarily the most skilled; Ruth Nichols, who chafed at her blue blood family’s expectations; and Louise Thaden, the young mother of two who got her start selling coal in Wichita. Together, they fought for the chance to fly and race airplanes—and in 1936, one of them would triumph, beating the men in the toughest air race of them all.
Honestly, I nearly gave this book up without reading it all. I got a third of the way through and found it hard going. However, I did carry on and will say I did enjoy the last third of the book a lot. I appreciated all the hardship these ladies went though to pave the way for women in aviation. It was really quite annoying at what certain men put these ladies through and how they were treat.
I did learn a few things, but I did find it quite drawn out and confusing as there were so many people included in this book, it was quite hard to remember who was who! I actually bought this book from Dollarama of all places.
"The Man Next Door, by Sheila Roberts"
Zona never thought her life was headed this way, but here she is, newly divorced and moving back in with her mom, Louise. After her gambling addicted ex-husband lost all of their savings, including their daughter's college fund, she doesn't really have a choice. She's cutting every coupon she can and she's going to help put her daughter through nursing school, even if it kills her.
This wasn't Louise's plan, either, laid up at home with a broken leg after one unfortunate tumble on the senior singles cruise she'd been looking forward to for months. But if she's going to spend all her time at home, at least she's got her daughter there with her. And there's some hot new eye candy next door to distract them both from their troubles. He appears to be single and just around Zona's age. Could his arrival be the universe making amends for everything it's put her through?
Maybe the universe isn't feeling as generous as Louise hoped. There’s something lurking under that mans surface charm, something…dangerous? And who's the woman they can hear him in all-out shouting matches with on the other side of the fence? When the woman seems to disappear without a trace, imaginations run wild. Or at least, Zona hopes it's just her mother's imagination...It's marvelous what a vivid imagination can doo, taking an innocent interaction and turning it into a whole different kettle of fish!!! This rom-com is a perfect light hearted read, that doesn't require you using a lot of brain power. It's a fast read, with a typical predictable ending. This would be a perfect book to take on vacation. I actually enjoyed it, as it was a perfect distraction from the rotten weather and life's up's and down's. This was from Indigo/Chapters, one of the 3 for $10 ones.
"The Things We Leave Unfinished, by Rebecca Yarros"
Twenty-eight-year-old Georgia Stanton has to start over after she gave up almost everything in a brutal divorce―the New York house, the friends, and her pride. Now back home at her late great-grandmother’s estate in Colorado, she finds herself face-to-face with Noah Harrison, the bestselling author of a million books where the cover is always people nearly kissing. He’s just as arrogant in person as in interviews, and she’ll be damned if the good-looking writer of love stories thinks he’s the one to finish her grandmother’s final novel…even if the publisher swears he’s the perfect fit.
Noah is at the pinnacle of his career. With book and movie deals galore, there isn’t much the “golden boy” of modern fiction hasn’t accomplished. But he can’t walk away from what might be the best book of the century―the one his idol, Scarlett Stanton, left unfinished. Coming up with a fitting ending for the legendary author is one thing, but dealing with her beautiful, stubborn, cynical great-granddaughter, Georgia, is quite another.
But as they read Scarlett’s words in both the manuscript and her box of letters, they start to realize why Scarlett never finished the book―it’s based on her real-life romance with a World War II pilot, and the ending isn’t a happy one. Georgia knows all too well that love never works out, and while the chemistry and connection between her and Noah is undeniable, she’s as determined as ever to learn from her great-grandmother’s mistakes―even if it means destroying Noah’s career.
This book is a two-fer, meaning there are two stories being told in this book. One from the past, another from the present. The more I got into the story to more invested I got into it. There were a number of twists and turns in the stories, some I guessed, other's came as a surprise. I will say I was brought to tears with one part of the story. This book is well worth reading.
"One of the Girls, by Lucy Clarke"
WE WERE DYING FOR A HOLIDAY
The six of us arrived on that beautiful Greek island dreaming of sun-drenched beaches and blood orange sunsets, ready to lose ourselves in the wild freedom of a weekend away with friends.
On the first night we swam under a blanket of stars.
On the second night the games began on our clifftop terrace.
On the third night the idyll cracked, secrets and lies whispering on the breeze.
And by the final night there was a body on the rocks below . . .
WHO WOULD KILL FOR IT?
It's one of those books you'll not be able to put down. The photo below says it all:
You think you know what's going to happen next, but then something else pops up. You are kept trying to think one step ahead only to be wrong. The tension just builds and builds. You know something is going to happen, you just don't know what! I read it in one sitting as it was that good. I honestly didn't have high hopes for this book when I read the back blurb, but was totally wrong. A super good read. Perfect for a beach vacation read, with it being set in Greece!
When bookshop owner Sarah Smith is offered the opportunity for a job exchange with her Parisian friend Sophie, saying yes is a no-brainer—after all, what kind of romantic would turn down six months in Paris? Sarah is sure she’s in for the experience of a lifetime—days spent surrounded by literature in a gorgeous bookshop, and the chance to watch the snow fall on the Eiffel Tower. Plus, now she can meet up with her journalist boyfriend, Ridge, when his job takes him around the globe.
But her expectations cool faster than her café au lait soon after she lands in the City of Light—she’s a fish out of water in Paris. The customers are rude, her new coworkers suspicious and her relationship with Ridge has been reduced to a long-distance game of phone tag, leaving Sarah to wonder if he’ll ever put her first over his busy career. As Christmas approaches, Sarah is determined to get the shop—and her life—back in order…and make her dreams of a Parisian happily-ever-after come true.
This is one of those books that doesn't make you have to pay attention too. I think I have called them Shopping List books. You can read them and you can think of other things at the same time. Now saying that, I did enjoy this book, maybe because it was set in Paris. Maybe because I would love to work in a book store, or just because it was a good story.
There were some twists and turns along the way. I pretty much guessed all the "whodunit's/mysteries." Perfect book to take on vacation. Not a long read; picked my copy up at Indigo/Chapters in the 3 for $10 section.
1920s Germany: Though the world has changed in the wake of the Great War, it is still ruled by men. Even a woman as resourceful and intelligent as Niki Rittenhaus needs alliances in order to survive. Her marriage to Rickard Länger, a movie producer for Berlin’s Passport Pictures, seems convenient for them both. When Rickard succumbs to increasing pressure from the Nazis to make propaganda movies, a horrified Niki turns away from her own film aspirations and instead, begins to write.
Niki’s first novel, The Berlin Woman, is published under a pseudonym to great success. But Niki knows she cannot stay anonymous for long. The Nazis are cementing their power over Germany—and over her husband. Though she succeeds in escaping Rickard, he directs Hitler’s Brownshirts to do the unthinkable: kidnap their daughter. With her books blacklisted, her life in danger, and Europe descending into war, Niki travels to Amsterdam, joins the Dutch Resistance, and then returns to war-torn Berlin determined to claim freedom for herself and her child, and to write her own story at last.
Started this book before we went away and read the rest while on vacation. Really good book with plenty of twists and turns. Well worth reading.
The historic hotel in BoonsBoro, Maryland, has endured war and peace, changing hands, even rumored hauntings. Now it's getting a major facelift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect of the family, Beckett has little time for a social life. But there’s another project he’s got his eye on: the girl he’s been waiting to kiss since he was sixteen.
After losing her husband and returning to her hometown, Clare Brewster soon settles into her life as the mother of three young sons while running the town’s bookstore. Though busy, Clare is drawn across the street by Beckett’s transformation of the old inn, wanting to take a closer look…at both the building and the man behind it...
Don't miss the other books in the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy
The Last Boyfriend
The Perfect Hope
I read all three of these books while on vacation. They can be read as stand alone books or can be read individually. Perfect romance books and perfect vacation reading.
