August reading roundup #3

Lots of reading happening this month – I’m blazing through quick YA novels and mysteries while working more slowly through a few longer, more contemplative novels. Here’s the most recent roundup for you:

The Apprentices, Maile Meloy
This sequel to The Apothecary (which I loved) finds Janie Scott and her small band of unusual friends scattered across the world. When Janie gets wrongfully expelled from her boarding school, then kidnapped, her friends Benjamin and Pip team up to save her and prevent nuclear activity on a remote Pacific island. I enjoyed seeing these characters again, but the plot often felt disjointed and crowded (too many subplots). Not as good as its predecessor, but I’d read a third novel just to see what happens to Janie and Benjamin.

A Royal Pain, Rhys Bowen
Lady Georgiana Rannoch (aka Her Royal Spyness) is asked to entertain a visiting Bavarian princess, while moonlighting as a maid and trying to build an independent life in London. When three dead bodies turn up within a week, Georgie starts sleuthing, trying to figure out how the deaths are related and who’s responsible. Fun and frothy, like its predecessor (second in a series).

Jayber Crow, Wendell Berry
Orphaned as a child, Jonah Crow (known as Jayber) lived first with relatives, then in an orphanage, where he began studying and trying to “make something of himself.” But he found his way back to his home county, where he became the barber of Port William, Kentucky, and also became inextricably tied up with the life of that small community. This quiet, wise, gently meandering, melancholy book was a pleasure to read, and a loving portrait of a vanishing time and place. I’m glad I finally picked it up.

Sunshine on Scotland Street, Alexander McCall Smith
Our friends on (and near) 44 Scotland Street are dealing with the usual problems (crying babies, overbearing parents, baffling relationships) and several new ones (Danish filmmakers, Scottish doppelgangers). I missed Angus and Domenica, who were honeymooning in Jamaica for most of the book, and Pat, who appeared very seldom. But I always enjoy spending time with these characters, particularly Bertie (so wise for a six-year-old) and Cyril (the world’s only gold-toothed dog).

Royal Flush, Rhys Bowen
After a disastrous attempt to hire herself out as a dinner companion, Lady Georgiana Rannoch flees home to Scotland, where she must deal with a large, unruly house party (those gauche Americans!) and do a spot of sleuthing for the British government. A series of unfortunate accidents, including a near-death experience for Georgie, makes her wonder if someone isn’t trying to kill her or her brother – or if the real target is closer to the throne. The dashing Darcy O’Mara reappears, as do several other recurring characters. Great fun – these books are highly enjoyable brain candy.

The Sisters Weiss, Naomi Ragen
Rose and Pearl Weiss grow up loved and sheltered by their ultra-Orthodox parents in Brooklyn in the 1960s. But when Rose discovers a love for photography, she is shamed and sent away. Though she agrees to an arranged marriage, she flees before she reaches the altar, breaking off all contact with her family. Forty years later, when Rose’s niece (Pearl’s daughter) learns the truth about her aunt, she embarks on a reckless, rebellious journey of her own. A fascinating portrait of an ancient, insular community, and a sensitive look at a painful dilemma: the choice between freedom and family, loneliness and an often stifling community. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Oct. 15).

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What are you reading?