August is my biggest reading month traditionally. That’s because my family and I go up north and live off the grid for a week. With no TV, internet or cell service, it leaves you with a lot of time for reading.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, that trip was canceled. Instead, I tried to read the sort of books that I especially enjoy when I’m at the cabin: thrillers and gothic novels.
The Safe Place by Anna Downes • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not long into this book, I thought I had the plot pegged. I thought I knew what the twists were going to be. I had it all wrong, and that was such a wonderful surprise.
This was the perfect suspenseful summer read: An out of work actress gets a too-good-to-be-true job as a housekeeper at a remote French estate. Sure, the owners are a little wacky, the home is kept under lock and key, but like that’s fine right? You guessed it: It’s not.
The Two Mrs. Carlyles by Suzanne Rindell • ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read The Other Typist by Rindell years back and absolutely loved it. When I saw this newer release of hers, I bit. Three grown orphans are scattered to the wind after San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake and find their footing (and lose it) in various ways.
It was a satisfying read (OK, listen—I got this one on Audible), but perhaps slightly predictable. It didn’t prevent me from enjoying the story though.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was looking forward to this release for months and it did not disappoint.
I loved how walked the line with its setting. Yes, it was indeed set in Mexico as the name indicates, but a lot of the story centered around an English family, tying in those classic Gothic motifs.
What Happens at Night by Peter Cameron • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It took me a minute to warm up to this read. Partially because I wasn’t in love with the narrator (but he grew on me) and partially because I rarely read books by men.
But I ended up really enjoying this story about a couple that travels a long distance (presumably to Siberia) to adopt a child. Of course, the plot is not as simple as that and I really found myself enjoying this listen.
The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell • ⭐️⭐️
This book just wasn’t for me, despite a thousand indications that I’d love it. A woman and her sister inherit a dusty old estate where some previously unknown (to them) family murders took place? And two witnesses to the murders live in a cottage as caretakers? Sounds like my sort of thing!
But it wasn’t. The reveals weren’t that shocking to me or even that important. And I absolutely loathed how the central character was the producer of a docuseries that was so similar to Making a Murderer—like point by point. It was just not original enough in that regard.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read The Hunting Party when it first came out last January. I devoured it. It was just the thing to read in the midst of winter.
The Guest List was just right for summer and just as intriguing. I won’t give too much away here because the fun of this book is getting to know all the characters, but the gist is a couple is set to get married on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. The story then follows the couple and a few others associated with the wedding. Oh and murder.
This was the perfect type of escapism for me. I highly recommend this book (and The Hunting Party).
The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I listened to The Widow’s House by Carol Goodman earlier this summer and absolutely loved it, so when I saw another one of her books was available for free with my Audible subscription, I instantly downloaded it.
This book checked a lot of boxes for me: girls’ boarding school, remote location, cult-like pacts, mysterious deaths. It doesn’t get much better!
I was kept guessing and intrigued throughout. Plus, it was a great listen during all the puzzling I’ve been doing.
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