I read some great books these past two months, here is what I thought of each of them:
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book takes place in the ‘80s and tells the story of a female astronaut and how she became an astronaut but more importantly about her relationship with a colleague. It starts with an emergency in space and then goes back to tell the story leading up to that moment.
You may already be familiar with other books by this author. I have enjoyed a few books by her. My only critique about this book was that it seemed very much like the show For All Mankind, if you're seen that on Apple TV. It is a fictional retelling about the space race and focuses on women in the program and relationships between the astronauts, similar to this book. It was an enjoyable read though and with the recent attention to space with Artemis II, it was a timely.
The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand with her daughter Shelby Cunningham
A story about a private boarding school in the United States. We get the perspective of different students and staff. Like many Elin Hilderbrand books, there are lots of characters but their stories are well woven together and it’s not hard to follow. She brought her daughter in as a co-author as someone who had attended boarding school and could give a unique perspective to the story.
I found this book pretty fascinating as I have no knowledge of the private school or boarding school systems but I know they are a thing. I know they are just teenagers, but there is a different level of maturity (and immaturity for that matter) for kids that are living away from their parents. I see there is a sequel, which I guessed since the main characters in this book still had one more year of school.
The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen (Canadian!)
A young woman has recently inherited an apartment in Paris from her grandmother. No one knew she even had an apartment in Paris, but when we get inside it appears to be untouched since the mid-1940s. It is full of art, fancy clothes, and a hidden compartment with even more art. There is also Nazi magazines and a personal note from one of Hitler's top commanders. Was the grandmother a Nazi sympathizer?
The main character finds an art dealer to try and figure out where the works came from, and together they try to untangle the mystery. Fortunately we also get to go back in time to hear from two women, including the grandmother, from those war years.
This was a very good book and I had a hard time putting it down. I had a few things figured out but was kept guessing by others. I wanted more.
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
This book was floating around on a few book lists, so when I saw it on the Best Bets shelf at the library I picked it up. We meet the main character living with her husband on a farm. An old boyfriend has just moved back in next door, about 10 years later from when they dated. He is a famous writer and has brought his son to live with him, having gotten divorced. There is an immediate interaction between the two families and the story goes from there. There are also flashbacks to when they dated, and broke up, and the early family life between the woman and her farmer husband.
This was an extremely moving book and I cried a few times reading it. It's not just what happened in the plot, but the compassion shown to various people at different times.
My only critique is that although the book took place in England in the 1960s, it felt like it was set in modern times. Aside from the lack of cell phones, and a passing commentary on women attending college, the way the characters interacted with each other seemed more modern. Not sure why that bothered me, but I think it's because I would forget it was set in the "olden days".
Last Call at the Savoy by Brisa Carleton
Cinnamon (yes, that's her name) is called to be with her sister who is on bed rest for the last few weeks of her pregnancy. Her sister has just moved to London for a job but since her flat isn't ready yet, she is staying at the Savoy Hotel. Cinnamon has to hang around the hotel to make sure she is close by to her sister in case something happens. She meets some new (and old) friends, spends time in the bar, and learns about a female bartender that worked at the hotel in the 1920s. This part of the story is true and the Savoy Cocktail Book is a real book.
This was a fun book, but had some serious themes as well. She drank a lot of cocktails created by the aforementioned bartender, as the "American Bar" at the hotel was the original cocktail bar, and they sounded so tasty. I am planning to go to London later on this year so now I want to go to this hotel bar to try one of them.
