Reading list #1 2026

1. No Strangers Here by Carlene O’Conner murder mystery takes place on the Dingle peninsula in Ireland a lot of twists and 27 year old secrets the heroine has mint green eyes like the ice cream.  The only mint green eyes I have seen are in a cat in a cat food commercial. The few individuals I have met with green eyes are best described as olive green.  
2. Home Again by Kristen Hannah I just about quit this book after the first chapter the main character was so self centered I didn’t want to read about him but the next day I read chapter 2 and the characters got more interesting. The main character needs a heart transplant mostly because of bad life choices, his cardiologist was his teenage sweetheart. Turned out to be a very good story. Published in 1996. 
3. The  View from Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani about a 30+ year old Italian/American woman with self esteem and family issues she inherits her uncles marble importing and construction business. She goes to Italy to learn more about the marble business and her family. A nice story. I have read other books by Adriana Trigiani that I thought were better.
4. The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skendandore interesting story about a traveling medicine show in the late 1800’s. Main character is a woman physician who was at the top of her class but made a mistake. Everyone in the medicine show troupe has a past and the show master holds it over them. They decide to ‘winter’ in Galveston then the hurricane hits.  Near the end of the book the author uses the phrase “on accident” how could an editor miss that?!? It was a good story otherwise.
5. Julia by Heather Moore novel about Julia Child, her civilian service during WW2, she was too tall to enlist with WACs or WAVEs, then learning to cook and writing a cookbook. Good story of her life.
6. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese for book club I was expecting a story about renaissance art and marble that was not what the story was about, it was about doctors and nurses in Ethiopia by way of India then to America in the 1960’s and 70’s. A revolution was happening in Ethiopia I had no background knowledge of that. Was not a favorite book. 600+ pages too many
7. Light Changes Everything by Nancy E. Turner Arizona territory early 1900’s a young woman goes to art school in Illinois learns photography returns to Arizona. She read some of Jane Austen’s books and learns happiness is not a man with lots of money. Good story
8. The Children of Hamelin by Jannie Ireland a fantasy story, I usually don’t read much fantasy but this one intrigued me, it’s about the Pied Piper of Hamelin and the children who disappeared on Midsummer in 1284. Where did they go what if they reappeared in 1978? A modern day story in a psychiatric hospital, a young nurse her journalist fiancée and a retired cop. Fun story.
9. Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly by Marie Bostwick this book really spoke to me about a grandmother, Adele, who was an artist and quilter and her granddaughter, Esme, who wanted to be a writer but became an editor.  Esme is learning about Adele after she passes away. This book got me back in my sewing room so far I’ve just pulled out fabric for two more baby quilts but the ideas are swirling.
10. When the World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward about the munitions explosion in 1917 at Halifax, Nova Scotia the largest man made explosion prior to the atomic bomb in WW II.  It’s also a love story, a young nurse and a doctor. It was a good story but could have used Esme from previous book to edit, a lot of repetition and mundane details. I scanned over much of it.
11. The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel very good contemporary story a woman recently engaged to a nice enough guy but started having vivid dreams of her 12 years deceased husband. She is a music therapist working with children.  The dreams make her question her current life and fiancé. Very good story.
12. The World’s Fair Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini financial problems at Elm Creek Manor the roof needs repairs, the apple orchard is open to u- pick, the historic society wants to display Sylvia’s worlds fair quilt that she made with her sister in 1933. Sylvia is telling the 1933 story.  This story was interesting to me because my grandparents took the train from South Dakota to Chicago to go to the fair.  My grandmother kept a little notebook about the trip,  I wrote a blog to share with my cousins about my grandparents travels.  https://travelswithselmaandroy.blogspot.com/2021/10/1933-train-trip-to-chicago-for-worlds.html  if you are interested in reading about “The Century of Progress” 1933 World’s Fair.  My grandmother did not write about seeing the quilts, after reading this book I can’t believe she didn’t see the quilts because she made quilts in the 30’s, the picture above is one of hers.

Happy reading —Ann—