Books I read this summer, part 2

And here is July..I love free books on Amazon..
Whisper My Secret (JB Rowley) A somewhat fictionalized memoir, written by the subject's daughter.  It was based on what the daughter knew, but there were a lot of gaps that she filled in with guesses of what could have happened.  It was interesting, told about how single mothers were treated (or mistreated) in 1930's Australia, but not spell binding.
Restoreth My Soul (Debbi Viguie)  My parents hooked me on this series a couple of years ago.  Its main characters are a Protestant church secretary and a Rabbi who solve mysteries.  And might be in love.  Or not.  I can't turn away...I just want to know what happens next.  Somehow I missed that this book was released in March (April?) and a new one was advertised as coming out at the end of July, so I wanted to read this one..It was well worth the $7.99 on Amazon and then I impatiently waited for the next one which was delayed until August 3...
Cuckoo's Calling (Robert Galbraith)  Best book I read this summer...actually (really) saw it on Amazon in mid-June, thought it looked interesting, but it was $7.99 and I had just purchased the book above...so I didn't get it.  Then one Sunday morning I happened to see on Facebook that the author of the book was really (wait for it) JK Rowling.  And that a sample of the book was free for my Kindle.  After attempting to read Rowling's first Harry Potter book and not finishing it...I was in no hurry to buy this book.  But, the sample was free, so why not, right?  After reading the sample in about 6 minutes flat, I "rushed" back to Amazon to buy the book...and discovered that it was nearly sold out in hardback and paperback and the Amazon price had risen to $9.99.  Worth every penny...a return to her Harry Potter style and potentially the first book in a series.  It is about a private detective who is almost bankrupt who hires a new secretary who helps him solve crimes...kind of a grown up (non magical) Hermione...
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) I probably would not have read this if it wasn't on the "book list" for one of the English classes I am teaming this fall.  I procrastinated reading it, and, if didn't need to read it, might have not finished it, not because it was bad (it was well written and engaging) but because of some of the topics and my hesitancy to have "my" high school kids read it.  Its about a group of kids who have a friend who committed suicide and the kids all take drugs, drink, and party way too much.  It was short, now I've read it.
Inferno (Dan Brown)  I really do like Dan Brown's writing style--one of my favorite books is his Deception Point.  I was kind of hesitant to read this one, I guess it is the 4th (5th? ) in the Robert Langdon series.  Angels and Demons was good, The Da Vinci Code was interesting (but not quite worth the hype) and the next 2 (3?) were not a waste of time, but nothing to get excited about either.  So I picked up this one at the library, just to see what happened to that crazy Robert Langdon next.  This one was a lot less antagonistic to "The Church", it had a lot of religion and literature (and adventure) but was more like Deception Point.  I don't think you need to read any of the others necessarily to read this one.
The Storyteller (Jodi Picoult) This book flashes between present day and World War 2, specifically the Holocaust--I haven't read much Picoult lately, because all the stories are so sad.  This one definitely has sad parts, but was a good read.
The Light in the Ruins (Chris Bohjalian)   See, more Bohjalian...good stuff.  This time he flashes back and forth between WWII and the mid/late 1950's as he follows a family and a series of murders are investigated.  A little slow in the middle, but the ending was good.
Tuesdays at the Castle (Jessica Day George)  For several years the kids have participated in Barnes and Noble's summer reading program  usually The Boy is exponentially more excited about this than The Girl.  Since this is her last summer she can participate, I kind of made her.  After reading and reviewing 8 books, we trekked over to B and N to get "out" free books.  The Boy ended up with some super hero book and The Girl chose this one.  It sat on the homework table for a couple weeks, until we were packing for the Family Backpacking Trip.  We were all instructed by Mr. Ranch to pack a paperback novel and this one made it into The Girl's backpack.  When we dove into the tents during the evening rain storm, I started reading it out loud to the kids (and Mr Ranch).  I enjoyed it so much, that when we got home I finished it (and I think The Boy did as well) and I'm currently reading the 2nd book in the series.  Very much written for little girls (about 8 years old, perhaps) about a princess who "saves" her family.  Very fluffy and entertaining stuff.

We also listened to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the car again--for about the 8th time...it's still entertaining, in case you were wondering.