summertime reading #3

Here in NZ, this weekend marks the official end of summer
It's still hot & humid
and we're still getting our toes wet in the sea!

photo by Nic

{follow the link to see more of my niece's nature pics}

And I'm still reading more than sewing! I really enjoyed 'Where the Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owens, a compelling story of a girl living in the unforgiving coastal marshes of North Carolina. It is a 'who dunnit' story, but it's wrapped up in beautiful writing, with delightfully delicate descriptions, and it's clear the author knows this land intimately.
And, it kept me guessing to the very end! Surely this could make a great movie!

'The Flat Share' by Beth O'leary was an easy, quick read. Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey is a hospice nurse, working nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it seems the perfect {if a little odd} solution, Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work during the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time. They haven't actually met, leaving each other post-it notes as a way of communicating.  Funny and sad. And the characters were interesting!

'The Place on Dalhousie' by Melina Marchetta was another great read. It's a novel about building a family and healing after the past tragedies.

"After Rosie Gennaro and Jimmy Hailler cross paths and enjoy a brief fling while travelling through Queensland, neither expect to see one another again, but fifteen months later, Jimmy learns Rosie has given birth to his son. Rosie has reluctantly returned to the house on Dalhousie Street in Sydney, the home she once shared with her family, before her mother succumbed to cancer, before her father’s sudden death, but in which now her hated stepmother, Martha resides.

The house on Dalhousie is more than just a home to Rosie, it is all she has left of everything she has lost. As far as she is concerned Martha, despite being the legal owner of the house, is an interloper with no legitimate claim. The two live together as if strangers, Marta is no more fond of her sullen stepdaughter than Rosie is of her. 

Marchetta explores this complicated relationship, and it’s progression, thoughtfully"

It's real, it's messy it's complicated, and I loved it!

The Seven Sisters series tell the story of adopted sisters and is based allegorically on the mythology of the famous star constellation.
'The Sun Sister' by Lucinda Riley was recommended to me by a friend and was to be my next book to read. However, on reading the blurb, I discovered this book is the sixth instalment, so I'm thinking I may need to start back at the beginning and work my way through the other books first.

Anyone else read this series? Can each book be read as a stand alone? Until next time, Linda