The Housemaid

 

“The Housemaid” by Feida McFadden
Published by Grand Central Publishing
Finished 8/29/23 – 4/5 stars
 
This is one of those books that will keep you up past your bedtime.  It’s quite the page turner, with very short chapters so you continually tell yourself “just one more chapter” and then the next thing you know, it’s midnight.  Makes for a quick read but tired mornings.  I definitely recommend it though.
 
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The Storyteller

 "The Storyteller" by Dave Grohl
Published by Harper Audio (I normally don't review audiobooks but have decided to start)
Finished 8/25/23

This memoir is aptly titled because Dave Grohl is a great storyteller.  And you don’t need to be a Nirvana or Foo Fighters fan to enjoy it.  It’s full of stories of his upbringing, love of music, and love of musicians who helped shape his life.  A bonus for me were his stories of growing up in Northern Virginia because we are the same age and grew up in the same county.  Leaves me wondering if we were ever in the same place at the same time…..probably not, but you never know.  Either way, I loved the book and listening to him tell me all about his life so far.

Side note – I don’t know about the physical book but if you listen to the audio, continue past the credits to hear one last story.  I’m not sure why it wasn’t included in the main part of the book but it’s there at the very end.

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Magpie Murders

 

“Magpie Murders” by Anthony Horowitz
Published by Harper Perennial
Finished 8/23/23 – 4/5 stars
 
As a fan of murder mysteries, I truly enjoyed this one.  One of the main characters is a book editor so there is a mystery book within a mystery book.  Plus, there is insight into the writing of books like the naming of characters and places as well as hints to finding important clues.  It added a little extra enjoyment while trying to figure it out.  If you enjoy a good, old fashioned, tech-free mystery, I recommend picking this one up.
 
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Local Woman Missing

 

“Local Woman Missing” by Mary Kubica
Published by Park Row Books
Finished 8/13/23 – 4/5 stars
 
I greatly enjoyed this one and stayed up way too late to finish it.  Obviously, from the title, you know it’s about a woman who has gone missing but there’s more.  Shortly after the first woman goes missing, another woman and her young daughter also go missing.  All from the same neighborhood.  Are all these disappearances related?  I won’t say.  But I can tell you I enjoyed how it was written.  Some chapters are current time and others are 11 years prior when they all went missing.  For extra insight, it is told in 4 different points of view to help you try to piece it all together.  It’s not confusing though because the title of each chapter tells you who it is and when it is taking place – very easy to follow along.  I definitely recommend this one.
 
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“California Golden” by Melanie Benjamin
Published by Random House
Finished 8/8/23 – 3/5 stars
 
Another good historical fiction from Melanie Benjamin.  I didn’t find it to be nearly as good as “The Children’s Blizzard” (5 star read), but I did enjoy it.  It starts off pretty slow and at times I felt like there were historical “events” thrown in unnecessarily, but overall, it was a good story and I learned a little about surfing.  And if you enjoy books about dysfunctional people and/or families, this one is for you.  It is full of them.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for gifting me with an advanced copy to read and provide an honest review. (Finished just in time for publication day today)
 
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