Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

  Excavations is the type of book that will keep you thinking long after you read it.  Sae is a stay at home mom in Seoul, South Korea with two toddlers.  She is waiting for her husband to come home when she hears the news that the building he worked at had collapsed.  Refusing to believe that he could possibly be dead, Sae searches for answers as to what happened.  While trying to uncover what happens she meets Myonghee, who runs an upscale brothel.  The two of them will uncover that there is so much more to this story and their personal lives as well.   There was mystery and intrigue as well as different ties and connections between characters that I did not see coming.  The setting of South Korea brought a whole new world to life for me as I got a sense of the culture and background of the characters.  This book was very well written and will keep you guessing as to what is going to happen next.  An interesting read that will kee...

  A cute novel about falling in and out of love with a rock and roll twist.  Billy is a single dad who teaches music and lives a simple and happy life.  One day his son who is ready to go off to college is worried that his dad is lonely so he reaches out to his dad's old crush, Margot Hammer.  Margot was a famous drummer but her band broke up many years ago.  Margot and Billy meet and sparks fly but old flames threaten to derail the budding romance.   There were some good moments in this book but overall this book lacked a wow factor. Baltimore was the setting and I liked how the author brought the city to life.  I just wanted a little more action.  I was not glued to these pages and could easily put the book down.  Overall, not a bad story especially if you love a story with a rock and roll theme.  Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this arc. 

  Historical fiction at its best!!  "The Last Lifeboat"  is a gripping story inspired by actual events of a ship carrying evacuated children being torpedoed during WWII on their way to Canada.  Told from two different points of view, one a mother, Lily, who is trying to keep her children safe, and another a school teacher, Alice, who wants to do something to help the war effort. Lily makes the difficult decision to send her children to Canada.  Alice decides to volunteer to escort the children on board the ship to help them arrive safely.   Little do they know that their lives are going to change in ways they never thought possible.    This is a unique story about survival and courage as not much is out there about children being taken overseas during WWII to escape the war.  I did not want to put this book down as I had to know what was going to happen to Alice and the children in the lifeboat.  A truly remarkable and emotiona...

  Nora Murphy is one of my new favorite authors!  I loved her first book and this one is excellent as well.  She also 100% nailed new motherhood in this fast paced thriller!  Even though it has been 16 years since I was a new mother I could completely relate to Natalie.  I went through almost the exact same emotions and feelings as I moved into a brand new house with a baby who was colicky and never stopped crying.  I shed tears while I was reading as it was amazing to read about a character who experienced some of the same thoughts and emotions that I had as well.  This book was not just about motherhood but also about a murder in this idealistic neighborhood.   Natalie is struggling as she is doing all she can but is getting no sleep.  Her prayers seem to be answered when her neighbor, Paul, strikes up a friendship with her.  Paul is a stay at home dad with a ten year old daughter and seems to be able to soothe Oliver, Natalie's b...