I want to start this month’s column by showing you this wonderful book quilt made by my incredible, talented neighbor and friend, Ann Holmes. Isn’t it beautiful? She made it for me because she knows that I’m a book lover.
Coincidentally, my first book to share with you is Emily Henry’s “Book Lovers.” I read her 2020 “Beach Read” and was immediately a fan. As you might suspect from the titles, these are generally light reading. They are funny and sexy, and I like them. What I really like about Henry’s writing, though, is that beyond the tropes, her characters deal with deeper issues. I have an older sister who basically raised me, and in “Book Lovers,” the author examines this dynamic through Nora and her younger sister Libby. All of this, and it’s set against a backdrop of the publishing world, which I find interesting, as well as a small town book store, which I love.
Obviously, books and reading feature heavily in Henry’s books. I love that! One particular quote from Nora stands out to me: “Unlike me, Libby does not read the last page first. She doesn’t even read the jacket copy, preferring to go in without any preconceived notions. Probably why she’s been known to throw books across the room.” I’m like Libby. I will absolutely choose a book with no questions asked.
I chose “The Book of Cold Cases” by Simone St. James because I found the cover and the title intriguing, with no idea what I had gotten myself into. This book is a cross between a ghost story and a mystery. A mysterious ghost story, a ghostly mystery ... whatever you want to call it, it is completely engrossing and spine-tingling. One night I was having trouble sleeping and I had to debate with myself over reading it in the wee hours. I figured it would either help me doze off or it would have me hearing noises outside the bedroom door for the rest of the night. Of course, I gave in and read, but it didn’t help when one of the dogs nosed the door open. YIKES! It’s a must-read for thriller fans!
It has been, busy, busy around the Carstens home recently, so unfortunately there has been little time to commit to reading. Luckily, Audible offers several selections (many of them free) that can be completed in two or three hours. When searching for something that I could listen to in a short time, I landed on a March 2022 novella entitled “The Wrong One” by Dervla McTierman. It’s another mystery with a little bit of an eerie quality. In it, Simon, a police officer currently on medical leave due to injuries sustained in the line of duty, finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation that is out of his jurisdiction when an old (estranged) friend is arrested for murder. It doesn’t help his recuperation very much, but he is determined to find the truth.
I’m headed to the beach tomorrow with visions of books and beachy drinks dancing in my head. Until next time, Happy Reading!
by Nancy Carstens
Coincidentally, my first book to share with you is Emily Henry’s “Book Lovers.” I read her 2020 “Beach Read” and was immediately a fan. As you might suspect from the titles, these are generally light reading. They are funny and sexy, and I like them. What I really like about Henry’s writing, though, is that beyond the tropes, her characters deal with deeper issues. I have an older sister who basically raised me, and in “Book Lovers,” the author examines this dynamic through Nora and her younger sister Libby. All of this, and it’s set against a backdrop of the publishing world, which I find interesting, as well as a small town book store, which I love.
Obviously, books and reading feature heavily in Henry’s books. I love that! One particular quote from Nora stands out to me: “Unlike me, Libby does not read the last page first. She doesn’t even read the jacket copy, preferring to go in without any preconceived notions. Probably why she’s been known to throw books across the room.” I’m like Libby. I will absolutely choose a book with no questions asked.
I chose “The Book of Cold Cases” by Simone St. James because I found the cover and the title intriguing, with no idea what I had gotten myself into. This book is a cross between a ghost story and a mystery. A mysterious ghost story, a ghostly mystery ... whatever you want to call it, it is completely engrossing and spine-tingling. One night I was having trouble sleeping and I had to debate with myself over reading it in the wee hours. I figured it would either help me doze off or it would have me hearing noises outside the bedroom door for the rest of the night. Of course, I gave in and read, but it didn’t help when one of the dogs nosed the door open. YIKES! It’s a must-read for thriller fans!
It has been, busy, busy around the Carstens home recently, so unfortunately there has been little time to commit to reading. Luckily, Audible offers several selections (many of them free) that can be completed in two or three hours. When searching for something that I could listen to in a short time, I landed on a March 2022 novella entitled “The Wrong One” by Dervla McTierman. It’s another mystery with a little bit of an eerie quality. In it, Simon, a police officer currently on medical leave due to injuries sustained in the line of duty, finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation that is out of his jurisdiction when an old (estranged) friend is arrested for murder. It doesn’t help his recuperation very much, but he is determined to find the truth.
I’m headed to the beach tomorrow with visions of books and beachy drinks dancing in my head. Until next time, Happy Reading!
by Nancy Carstens
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