Catherine Coles
Coles’ Notes
The staff of the County of L&A Libraries are avid readers and always eager to share their favourite books. Here we bring you a list of some of the reads we’ve enjoyed this month. You’ll find a glamorous historical murder mystery, a sweet and spicy contemporary romance, and a spine-chilling horror novel in the vein of Stephen King. Hopefully you’ll discover something that piques your interest!
Kelly suggests Death at the Savoy by Ron Base and Prudence Emery
“The main character Priscilla is a young, transplanted Canadian who works in the press office of the storied Savoy Hotel in London, England. This is the Savoy of 1968 full of glitz and the interesting and glamorous guests drawn to the hotel. Priscilla doesn’t drink tea but prefers champagne, wears her skirts a little too short for management’s preferences, and has had a few too many men of dubious character in her life. The book starts quickly with a suspicious death of an Egyptian businessman whose business is more illegal than legal. A housekeeper says she has seen Princess Margaret leaving the man’s room just before she discovers his body. No one believes her. When a mysterious incident happens to an up and coming politician more intrigue follows and Priscilla finds herself to be a suspect in both incidents, that her job is on the line as a result, and that she’s suddenly drawing even more attention than she prefers.”
Coleen suggests The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig
“As a diehard fan of Stephen King’s horror novels, I was eerily entertained with a recent read-alike: The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig. A rural Pennsylvania setting and a haunted house sounded right up my alley. From 666, Room 237 in The Shining, to Friday the 13th, Chuck Wendig introduces us to number 99 and he doesn’t mean The Great One. A suspense-filled character-driven novel rather than gore-fest or slasher, it still contains elements that will shock, and inspire you to turn the lights back on.”
Marg suggests All the Little Hopes by Leah Weiss
“All the Little Hopes by Leah Weiss is a charming and heartwarming coming of age tale set in WWII era North Carolina. I loved Lucy Brown with her use of “ten dollar words” and her love of books, Nancy Drew mysteries in particular. She has a charmed and idyllic life. She comes from a loving, hard-working family of bibliophiles. They host regular community storytimes for all who care to attend. Bert aka Allie Bert Tucker is not as fortunate, she is raised in an impoverished family and is sent to live with her less than stable Aunt Violet after the death of her mother and stillborn baby brother. Lucy takes Bert under her wing and a lifelong friendship is formed. As WWII looms and family members are shipped off to war, lives of this family will be changed forever. This story is delightful, heartwrenching and ultimately uplifting. The friendship between Lucy and Bert made for a terrific story! If you enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing be sure to add this one to your to-be-read shelf.”
Karen suggests Sweethand by N.G. Peltier
”Cherisse is a pastry chef on the island of Trinidad and is known far and wide as the Sugar Queen. She bakes like a dream, swears like a sailor, and just recently had a very public breakup with her famous singer boyfriend. Keiran King, a top music producer, and Cherisse have always rubbed each other the wrong way (despite him always harboring a secret crush for her), but now with Cherisse’s sister getting married to Keiran’s best friend they find themselves as Maid of Honour and Best Man, having to plan the Jack & Jill party. Sparks start flying, and after one hot night together, they decide they can keep it to a strictly sexual relationship, given that they claim they don’t like each other, and besides Cherisse has vowed never to date anyone in the music industry again. As they start to see their preconceptions of each other may have been wrong, who knows where this might end up. This is a fun book with a strong sense of place and a diverse cast of characters. It’s also the first in a series, and I look forward to what comes next.”
Amy suggests Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
“Finlay Donovan is a struggling suspense novelist and stressed out single mom. Her fiction turns dangerously close to the truth when she’s mistaken for a contract killer after being overheard discussing the plot of her novel with her publisher. She inadvertently accepts the offer to dispose of a problematic husband in order to make ends meet and sets off a string of wildly hilarious consequences. “Getting the job done” takes on a whole new meaning as Finlay adds “hit-mom” to her resume. There is never a dull moment in this off-the-wall series starter. Part comedy of errors, part genuine thriller there is plenty of humor, bad decisions, satisfying twists and memorable characters. This book is perfect for fans of Stephanie Plum.”
You can reserve any of the titles mentioned here at your branch of the County of Lennox & Addington Libraries or online at CountyLibrary.ca.