Book Club

I read three books this week:

Kate Morton's The House at Riverton



(from her website)
Summer 1924: On the night of a glittering Society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, onetime housemaid of Riverton Manor,is visited by a young director making a film about the poet’s suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long-consigned to the dark reaches of Grace’s mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge; something history has forgotten but Grace never could.Set as the war-shattered Edwardian summer surrenders to the decadent twenties, The House at Riverton is a thrilling mystery and a compelling love story.

I will admit that I didn't like this novel as much as The Forgotten Garden but it was still an enjoyable and intriguing read. I loved the character of Grace and I just felt so sad for Hannah's character. Also, I did think that it was rather slow moving the first 150+ pages but then it picked up and really started delving into the juicy parts. Kate Morton is so good at transporting me to a far away fantasy land, I love it. I give this novel a solid B.

Then I raced through one of my old favorite authors, Richard Paul Evans; Miles to Go



(from his website)
Miles to Go is the second installment of The Walk Series, and continues to follow the physical and spiritual journey of Alan Christoffersen as he walks across the country.

I started reading this book before I realized it was the second installment of a 3-part series but I couldn't put it down. I never felt lost or confused while reading it, Richard did a good job of quickly and efficiently recapping what happened in the first book for us readers. I liked this character and the overall idea of his. I wanted to keep reading! There was hope, grace, mystery and love in this quick-paced story. The ending was so abrupt but it had me on the edge of my seat; I am thoroughly looking forward to the last installment of this series which comes out next April.  I give this an A.

And last but not least was another Jill Mansell novel, Thinking of You

(from her website)


Ginny Holland’s daughter Jem has headed off to university, leaving single mum Ginny with a severe case of empty-nest syndrome. To make matters worse, the first gorgeous man she's clapped eyes on in years has just accused Ginny of shoplifting. So Ginny decides to advertise for a lodger but what she gets is lovelorn Laurel, who can only talk about her ex-boyfriend. However Laurel has a dangerously charming brother, Perry, and add to that the offer of a great new job, and things are looking up…until Ginny realises that her potential boss is all too familiar.

Is it too late for Ginny to set right the first impression she made when Finn Penhaligon got quite the wrong end of the stick? And is either Finn or Perry quite what they seem?

Just like the majority of her other books, I really liked reading this one and getting to know these characters. I laughed out loud at a couple parts and wanted to scream at some characters  (Jem, Rupert, Clara) at the same time. A fun, energetic, could-be-true-life story. I give it a B.

What have you read? Share with us!

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Happy Reading & Happy Friday!