Total Books: 6 Total Pages: 1845 Longest: 382 Shortest: 223
Genres: 3 (Biography – 1, Mystery – 4, Thriller – 1)
I kicked off August by reading John Grisham’s latest thriller – Camino Ghosts. This is the third book set on the fictional Camino Island located off the coast of Florida, near the Georgia border. It follows the eponymous Camino Island and Camino Winds. I felt like his writing style, character, and plot development in this one was more like his earlier works that I really love. Grisham seldom disappoints!
Back in April, I read A Play for Revenge by Cynthia Ellingsen, which turned out to be the 4th book in her Starlight Cove series. Since I enjoyed it, of course, I had to go back and read the first 3 – which I did this month. #1 – was The Lighthouse Keeper, #2 was The Winemaker’s Secret, and #3 was A Bittersweet Surprise. There are character overlaps in each novel, but the protagonist is different in each. All four are a mix of mystery, overcoming adversity, and romance.
The Lighthouse Keeper finds a young woman buying a lighthouse that she loved as a kid and renovating it while trying to solve a family mystery and fit in with the tight-knit community of Starlight Cove.
In The Winemaker’s Secret, we find another young woman who dreams of one day running the family winery and is unexpectedly given her chance. But is she ready – and what does she not know that could ruin the family’s reputation and business?
The third book, A Bittersweet Surprise, has a young woman struggling to follow in her late father’s footsteps as a candy maker while finding her confidence and a “mystery” to solve along the way.
This series reminds me of our trip in 2022 along Lake Michigan where we encountered small towns that could have been the inspiration for Starlight Cove.
My non-fiction selection of the month was J. D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy. Actually, it was my 90-year-old mom’s selection as she asked me to put it on her Kindle app! So, I decided to read it too.
I have to admit, I was surprised my mom stuck with it when I started reading it and realized how “rough” the language is! That aside, however, Mom and I enjoyed talking about the similarities and differences between our family and Vance’s. Similar to J. D.’s grandparents, my grandparents left the small East Texas community they grew up in for better job opportunities in the oil fields near Houston. Neither finished high school, but they instilled in their children – my mom and uncle – the importance of an education and encouraged them and later their grandchildren in pursuing better opportunities than they had. On the other hand, my family did not experience the levels of poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, and dysfunction that J. D. experienced. His story of overcoming those situations is truly inspirational while being a sobering read. It shows that the American Dream is not dead, but it also shows that it takes hard work, discipline, and sacrifice to achieve it.
Lastly, I closed out August with a quick read of LJ Ross’s The Haven. This is the 4th in the “Summer Suspense Series” set in the Cornwell region of England. I read the previous 3 last October (before I started my monthly Books posts). There are some repeat characters, but like the Starlight Cove mysteries, the protagonist in each is different.
Ross’s descriptions of the geography of the locations of her novels (this series as well as her DCI Ryan series) really make me want to visit these locales. The setting for The Haven is in the vicinity of the real-life Tintagel Castle, the supposed birthplace of King Arthur. Ross creates engaging, well-developed characters, but the landscape and historical setting are as important as the characters. This was a fun, quick read, as I said, with a couple of mysteries to be solved and a little romance involved, too!
Until next time, read what pleases you!
Notes By Nancy 
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