June was a great reading month! I have FOUR five-star recommendations for you this time. Ten books read this month, three books were in print, and the remaining 7 were digital copies. I read across multiple genres: literary fiction, thriller, mystery, historical fiction, and romance. There will definitely be something for everyone.

The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff was a terrific way to start out the month. The book begins with a devastating housefire that destroys the home of April and Leo Torres.The couple escapes with their two young children, but the blaze only exposes the deeper fractures already threatening their marriage. Forced to move into April’s childhood home in Dallas, they must navigate the emotional aftermath of loss while living alongside her loving but complicated family. Told through the alternating perspectives of April, Leo, and April’s mother, Deb, the novel explores the burdens of guilt, infidelity, parenthood, aging, and forgiveness. The comparison of what April and her mother Deb were both going through was so well done. You see, both women are losing their husbands: April through estrangement and Deb due to Alzheimers. The topic was heartwrenching, but ultimately hopeful. The author crafts a moving family saga about what survives after tragedy, the ties that bind generations together, and the difficult work of rebuilding love, trust, and the meaning of home. It was so well done. 5 stars. (Only $5 on Kindle Unlimited as I write this).

The Missing Pages by Alyson Richman. In 1912, passionate book collector Harry Elkins Widener boards the Titanic carrying a priceless rare book. After the ship strikes an iceberg, he disappears, leaving behind a mystery that inspires his grieving mother to build Harvard’s Widener Library in his memory. Eight decades later, Harvard student Violet Hutchins works as a page in the library, where inexplicable events suggest Harry’s ghost is trying to reach her. As Violet uncovers the truth behind Harry’s final voyage, she reveals a long-buried secret about love, loss, and legacy, discovering that books preserve not only knowledge but the stories—and hearts—of those who came before us. Harry Widener was a real person who lost his life on the Titanic, and there is a library in his name at Harvard. The book had a great premise, but was longer than necessary and dragged a bit. 3 stars

Annabel Monaghan is an Auto Buy author for me, and her new book Dolly All the Time was a big hit in my opinion. Nobody does Rom Com better than this author. Dolly Brick has spent her entire life solving everyone else’s problems—raising a son, juggling jobs, rescuing her family’s crumbling Rhode Island home, and apparently becoming the town’s unofficial roadside assistance when she helps billionaire heir Stewart Whitfield with a flat tire. He ends up offering to pay her to pretend to be his girlfriend. Do you love a fake dating trope?. What could possibly go wrong? Naturally, their fake kisses become suspiciously convincing, and chaos ensues. Dolly discovers that the hardest problem she’s ever had to solve is accepting help herself. Filled with sparkling banter, swoony romance, and laugh-out-loud moments, Dolly All the Time proves that love can survive a very questionable business arrangement. If you pick one Rom Com to read this summer, pick this one! 5 stars

The Forgotten Midwife by Laura Anthony is a work of historical fiction inspired by real-life events. This author also wrote The Women on Platform Two, which I really enjoyed. In this book, it is 2023, and Riley Carmichael discovers a mysterious Irish birth certificate among her grandmother Betty’s belongings just as dementia begins to steal Betty’s memories. Hoping to uncover the truth about her family’s past, Riley travels to Ireland, where a hidden history unfolds. In 1950s Tipperary, Margaret Lannigan is forced to abandon the man she loves and enter a convent, where she serves as a midwife in a mother-and-baby home for unmarried women. Witnessing cruelty and injustice, Margaret risks everything to protect a vulnerable young mother and her child. The Forgotten Midwife is a moving story of courage, family secrets, resilience, and the enduring power of compassion. 4 stars (Free on Kindle Unlimited right now).

Here it is, friends: possibly the best book I will read this year. Whistler by Ann Patchett is a masterpiece, her best book ever. The book begins with Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan wandering through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they notice an older gentleman who seems to be following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Tripplet, a man who was Daphne’s stepfather for a brief time in her life. Daphne and Eddie shared an experience when she was nine years old that has shaped both of their lives. Now that they have been reunited, they don’t plan to let anything come between them again.
“Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.”
This book was so moving and compelling. At one point, the author said something so profound that I literally burst into tears as I read her words. This book was a remarkable experience. 5 stars isn’t enough, so I give it 10 stars

The Shippers by Katherine Center is another Rom Com by an author I have enjoyed in the past. I have to say that this one was not my favorite offering by her, as I found the premise silly and the characters annoying and ultimately not very memorable. The plot: “After a whole lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo Burton decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship”. Of course, our main character focuses on all the wrong men, ignoring the perfect guy she has known all her life. It was predictable, but could be just the mindless and forgettable book you want to read on vacation. 3 stars

Down with the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore is a very summery family saga about three sisters who return to their family beach house in New Hampshire for what they think is a family reunion. Upon arrival, they learn that their father and his new wife are planning to sell the family home. Old memories are stirred up and the sisters all are navigating personal crises of one sort or another, as well as grieving for their recently deceased mom. I enjoyed this family drama and didn’t find the characters tiresome, as happens to me with a lot of books in this genre. It was good summer book and would be a great vacation reading choice. 4 stars

Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer. Our main character is a young American man; a recent college graduate who finds himself directionless and broke. He takes a job as an assistant to an elderly Baroness in Tuscany. Her villa is full of objets and works of art that need to be cataloged before she passes away. Once he arrives, however, it seems his actual duties include investigating the ancient faulty septic system, clearing away over grown bamboo, and entertaining an endless trail of eccentric guests of the Baroness. I enjoyed the description of the Tuscan countryside, and the author’s sense of humor depicting the characters and situations. However, this was a book with an appealing premise that didn’t fully deliver for me. 3 stars

Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray is a really good legal thriller set in Great Britain. Leila Reynolds is shocked to find that the accused murderer of a well known judge has requested her to defend him at his trial. Not only is this her first murder case, but the accused refuses to talk, and the powerful prosecuting attorney is none other than her husband and mentor. Additionally, a mysterious figure from her past seems to be stalking her. Nothing is as it seems, everyone is lying, and there is a twist you won’t see coming. The author is terrific and it was fascinating to learn about the British legal system in this page-turning novel. This book is without a doubt, the best legal thriller since I don’t know when, so if that is a genre you enjoy, don’t miss this one! 5 stars

Nine Lives by Catherine Steadman will scratch any itch you have for a fast paced thriller. I think this is the perfect book to read by the pool or on your beach vacation. Or on your patio. You are going to have to bear with me as I describe the plot: Our main character Frankie is newly divorced and has just moved into a posh London neighborhood with her cat Blue. For some reason (and I don’t even recall why it made sense), Frankie attaches something called a “Cat Cam” to her cat’s collar. We follow her cat Blue all over her new neighbothood- into her neighbor’s gardens and even into their homes. It turns out this type of camera device is highly illegal, but Frankie enjoys learning more than she should about her neighbors and their private lives. Things take a turn when our feline friend Blue happens upon the basement where a young woman is being held captive. Now our main character Frankie feels obligated to share her findings with the police and help rescue this captive woman. Ok, it was so far-fetched, but I was along for the ride. Natually all the men in the neighborhood are suspects, and Frankie finds herself in grave peril. It was a goofy book, but I read it though to the end and have to say I enjoyed it. 4 stars

I read some real winners this month, so let me know if any of them sound good to you!