Books I read in October 2017

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys ****

We read this for book club and I'm glad I read it, even though it was sad and depressing.  It's about a part of World War II I know little about.  It was about a group of refugees from Lithuania and Poland and Germany who were being squeezed between Germany and Russia.  They escaped and made their way onto a heavily overloaded cruise ship.  What followed was the worst maritime disaster in history that I'd never heard of previously.  The characters were great and the book was interesting.

The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley ***

I am 90% sure I had already read this book (the amnesia is real sometimes) but I couldn't remember how it ended so I went ahead and read it anyway.  It is about a great character Flavia de Luce who is eleven years old and fascinated by death and chemistry.  She feels misunderstood by her absent minded dad and mean older sisters.  And she also solves murders.  It was delightful.

Emma by Alexander McCall Smith ***

I thought Alexander McCall Smith and Jane Austen were a match made in heaven.  Maybe my expectations were too high because Jane Austen remakes usually don't work for me.  This one was really good but the end fell a little flat.

End of Summer by Rosamunde Pilcher ***

This was a really short book but just simple and nice and Rosamunde Pilcher can always be counted on for homey domestic scenes and beautiful countryside.  Sometimes that is exactly what I'm looking for.  It's about a girl from Scotland who was living in America with her dad.  She gets called back to Scotland by her grandmother and familial drama ensues.

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella ***

I loved this book but am holding off on 4 stars (like that really matters to anyone) because this book was definitely not PG.  The language was not fabulous, let's just say.  It was a great story and wonderful characters just like everything Sophie Kinsella has ever written.  It's about a young woman trying to make it in her career in London.  I loved the office scenes and also her parents who lived in Somerset.