Amy Kay
Hooked on Books
The staff of the County of L&A Libraries are avid readers and are always eager to share their favourite books. Here is a rundown of some of the books we’ve recently enjoyed.
Marg suggests The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark
Our protagonist is known by many names, Meg, Maggie and Melody to list a few. She is a grifter and a con artist hell-bent on righting wrongs she and her mother endured at the hands of an unscrupulous man. Meg is a master of deception, a chameleon and a determined woman on a mission.
Kat is a journalist working to expose Meg who was responsible for unending her life years ago. When she finally tracks Meg down she makes a plan to befriend her. Kat’s plan appears to be working but it doesn’t take long for Kat to fall under Meg’s spell as she begins to doubt all she believes to be true.
This fast paced, engaging cat and mouse game of a story is a highly entertaining read. The Lies I Tell would appeal to fans of TV series such as Inventing Anna, The Tinder Swindler and The Dropout. Some other “con artist/swindler” novels include Lucky by Marissa Stapley, The Ex-Husband by Karen Hamilton and The Talented Miss Farwell by Emily Gray Tedrowe.
Kristin suggests The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentil
At the core of this book is a story of how four people are brought together by a blood-curdling scream that shatters the silence in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library. One of these four individuals is Freddie, an Australian author who is working on writing her next novel in the United States.
Freddie’s life is about to change forever though when she strikes up a friendship with the other three people seated at her table as they wait for security guards to determine the source of the scream. Little does Freddie know that she will meet her future lover, best friend and a murderer all in the same day because of that piercing scream in the library.
On top of this thrilling storyline, another unexpected twist comes to light when readers learn that Freddie’s tale is entirely a figment of imagination within a new character’s mind! Freddie, her new friends and the scream in the library are all part of another overlapping story being written by an Australian woman named Hannah. She is corresponding with an American writer named Leo, emailing him chapters of her mystery novel as she writes them. While Leo responds to each of Hannah’s chapters with helpful feedback and input, readers will quickly realize that there is clearly a mysterious, sinister side to this man.
The cat and mouse games between these two layered mysteries lead to several unexpected surprises, and a stunning final chapter that will leave you wanting more from all of these unforgettable characters!
Karen suggests The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews
You just know any Mary Kay Andrews book will deliver on quirky characters, a good mystery to solve, lots of humour, and some romance, and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Hattie Cavanaugh is a young widow who works alongside her father-in-law, as well as flipping houses on her own. Hattie broke the first rule of house flipping with a beautiful old Victorian – never let your heart overrule your mind – and she and her father-in-law both lost a lot of money. Enter Mo, a producer of reality TV shows (along the lines of HGTV) – after seeing Hattie at work he decides she’d be great starring in a home renovation show. After some convincing, Hattie goes against her better judgment and accepts an offer to host a house flipping reality TV show … because what could go wrong, right?
She buys a run-down, condemned little cottage on Tybee Island, and the fun begins. First the head of the network decides to bring in a self-absorbed “star” designer to add to the cast, then the wallet of a local wife, mom, & teacher who’s been missing for 15 years is found in the house, and the former homeowner’s family are resentful that she has their property and keep creating problems for her, and of course there are sparks between Hattie and Mo that they’re trying to deny. Lots of house porn, and snippets of the filming of the show, so if you’re a fan of HGTV then you might particularly like this one!
All of these titles can be reserved at your local County of Lennox and Addington Library or online at www.countylibrary.ca.