October 2016

The Chateau Murder (Molly Sutton Mysteries Book 5)

By Nell Goddin

I’ve grown very fond of the Molly Sutton Mysteries and look forward to each new book in the series.  They are all charming cozy mysteries.  The Chateau Mystery Book 5 was no exception.  As always, Goddin wove a mystery into and around the daily lives of the residents of the French village of Castillac.  This time, Molly split her time between a murder investigation and several ventures aimed at saving her from financial doom.  I love the details of village life and the reoccurring characters.  The Chateau Mystery is definitely a good read!

The Witness

By Nora Roberts

Narrated by Julia Whelan

I picked up the Witness by Nora Roberts as an audio book through an Audible.com sale.  Having never read or listened to Nora Roberts before, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  The narration was good and the story line was OK.  I found it to be slow moving, with a little bit too much emphasis on romance for my taste.  I got about half way through and then skipped to the end.  It wasn’t horrible, but it also wasn’t my cup of tea.

The Husband’s Secret

By Liane Moriarty

Narrated by Caroline Lee

I love books by Liane Moriarty, and The Husband’s Secret was no exception.  I actually listened to the Audible version twice… once last January 2016 and then again in October of the same year.  The Husband’s Secret contained all of the elements that I love in Moriarty’s books.  The Australian setting is always somewhat exotic when reading from the US.  However, the elementary school mothers’ culture appears to be universal.  I like the strong female characters, their struggles, growth and intertwined relationships. In The Husband’s Secret, the strong females were woven around several male characters that were significant, but not particularly strong.  There were also some unexpected twists.  Caroline Lee’s narration was excellent.  The Husband’s Secret is definitely a good listen and I’m sure it would be an equally good read.

 What Alice Forgot

By Liane Moriarty

Narrated by Tamara Lovatt-Smith

What Alice Forgot is another book by Liane Moriarty, my current guilty pleasure.  Alice falls during her cycling class and awakes to find that a decade has passed.  She has three children that she doesn’t recognize and is in the process of divorcing a husband she loves.  Without giving away any spoilers, Alice experiences personal growth… majorly.  I thought of the silly, romantic movie from 2004, 50 First Dates.  The book wasn’t silly, but it did have romance.  It also had a lot of food for thought.  It made me wonder how I would cope if I suddenly lost ten years of my life.  The narration by Tamara Lovatt-Smith was great.  Definitely a good listen and/or read!

Fieldwork

by Mischa Berlinski

I loved Fieldwork by Misca Berlinski.  Berlinski began the book as a nonfiction account of the lives of native tribes in Thailand.   Although he turned the book into fiction while writing, the book seems very real.  Berlinski writes in first person as a reporter who is spending a year in Thailand with his girlfriend.  He investigates the death of an American anthropologist, exposing the conflicts between religion and spirituality, civilization and primitive cultures.  I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading fiction.  The book was haunting and a really good read.