I thought that I would like the plot more than I did. I am not a huge fan of regency era romance but I do like to read it once in a while. This was not it for me.

In five years was a fast, fabulous, five star read. Any book that makes you appreciate life, friends, and found family is a great book in my opinion. I also enjoyed the book because it was it wasn’t one dimensional. It made me laugh and cry!

Charming and funny follow-up to The Guncle. Fast forward several years, and Patrick is once again a working actor, and newly single after ending things with Emory, feeling that their age difference is too big. His niece Maisie and nephew Grant are entering teen/tween years, and his brother Greg is about to remarry an Italian marchesa. But the kids are not entirely on board—and so once again Patrick comes in to support them and teach them--this time about love. What ensues is a charming, funny, and heartfelt lesson, both for the kids and Patrick himself. A story of family emotions and love; light but also real; funny but also heartfelt.

This was rough to read. I was excited to read it but then I struggled. This character was so whiney it became annoying at times. He just went on and on and on. I feel it just went on for so long. I did a lot of skimming for a large portion of the book. I will say I enjoyed the ending, it was good, but my goodness it took a looooong time to get to that point - which it did not need to. One review said read the last 40 pages as it’s all you need to know, that’s true. I also had a friend reading (audio book) this at the same time (random) and she felt the same way! We enjoyed our misery together :) If you read it, enjoy and maybe you will have a different perspective.

A post-WWII historical novel about two women (the Golden Doves) who were resistance members during war and are left with loose ends after it concludes. Josie is hunting Nazi scientists as part of a government program and Arlette is searching for the son taken from her at Ravensbruck concentration camp. Fascinating background on the ratline that saw Nazis flee prosecution, leave Europe through Italy with help from (some members of) the Catholic church, and settle in South America, as well as the battle between Russia and the US for the Nazi's scientific brainpower. A long book but also fast-paced and a good blend of fiction and history. The ending wrapped up pretty quickly/neatly, but it kept me turning pages late into the night to find out how it ended.

I loved this book! The riddles in it were original and kept you guessing the entire time. Much less predictable than I had anticipated!

The club is a book about finding the true meaning of family and it is about a boy who finally meets his half sister that him or his mother didn’t know about until she moved to town. This was a surprisingly great book! I highly recommend it.

I love how this book called out stereotypical romance tropes and became the anti-trope trope. I also love how it focused not only on romantic love, but also on sibling love.

Jennifer Weiner's latest book that does not take place on the Outer Cape but in Philadelphia and New York in August of 2023. The main character of the book is Abby Stern who is a "larger" person that struggles with criticism from her Mother as well as society. Abby is also an avid biker who ends up leading a 14-day bike trip on the Empire State Trail from NYC to Niagra Falls. Among the fifteen riders on the trip is Sebastian whom Abby had a one-night-stand with two years earlier. The rest of the book centers around Abby, Sebastian, and Abby's current boyfriend, Mark. I enjoyed the book as well as the different stories of the characters on the bike trip.

As I have read it, the Scarlet Letter is a fictional story inspired by historical events with major themes of religion, guilt, and human morals. Hester Prynne is publicly shamed for having a child outside her marriage and is forced to wear a red garment on her clothes as a constant reminder of her shame and guilt. Her daughter, Pearl, also serves as a reminder of her crime and plays a supernatural role in the story. It is revealed that Hester’s husband is not dead, but now goes by Roger Chillingworth and chooses to hide his identity, now becoming the village doctor. Hester had her affair with the Young Minister Mr. Dimmesdale but she keeps this fact a secret from the public during the course of her punishment. Despite this, Mr. Dimmesdale suffers by becoming physically weak and holding a hand over his heart, which conceals a (physical or metaphorical) letter A mark on his skin: the same letter sewn into Hester’s garment. Over time, Roger Chillingworth figures out that Mr. Dimmesdale is the man behind the crime and he begins to enjoy watching him suffer, causing him to become evil and connected to the devil (the minister does not realize this until Hester tells him). As years, progress, Mr. Dimmesdale's health continues to decline; Roger Chillingworth, who originally moved in with the minister to watch his health, becomes consumed by revenge and only worsens his state. After meeting in the woods and telling Mr. Dimmesdale of his "enemy", Hester and Mr. Dimmesdale devise a plan to travel to Europe (but soon realize they will never be able to escape the devil personified in Roger Chillingworth). In the climax event of the story, the Election Proceedings, Mr. Dimmesdale becomes revitalized (due to his motivation to speak the truth and the promise that his suffering will soon be over) and delivers an electrifying Election Sermon. As soon as the minister finished his sermon, all the energy left his body and he began to die. Wanting to die entirely truthful, he calls Pearl and Hester onto the scaffold and finally admits his part in the sin and his remorse for deceiving everyone over 7 years. He also reveals a literal Scarlet Letter "A" on his chest. After making a few final remarks to Hester, Pearl, and the general public, Mr. Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold, causing the public to go into shock. Roger Chillingworth dies within the same year and leaves Hester and Pearl with estates in both Europe and the colonies, causing the family to gain great wealth. The story ends with Hester returning to her New England cottage to live out the end of her life (continuing to wear the scarlet letter) and suggests that Pearl is living a happy married life in Europe with a newborn child. Overall, I thought the story was interesting, unique, and a great example of symbolism. The text even refers to talismans throughout the text and I believe they are a major part of the story's depth. The scaffold and scarlet letter are the most prevalent physical talismans, but Roger Chillingworth and Pearl serve as physical symbols for morals and virtue. I also think there is symbolism in the usage of reflections and alter personalities, though I’m not sure if it reflects different realms or the evil and pure sides of humans. Pearl is a very special case in the story, serving as a symbol in a variety of ways. I interpreted her as being a supernatural being who sends messages from Heaven and the universe (like a bridge or messenger between the spiritual and living world). At the same time, she is a deeply natural/wild being, known for being one with the forest and utilizing the color green. There is symbolism in her name, Pearl, as it usually represents purity, despite Pearl consistently being described as a physical representation of the Scarlet Letter. With Mr. Dimmesdale's death, Pearl is described as finally developing empathy and no longer tormenting her mother as a "messenger of anguish". To me, this implies that Pearl knew more than she was letting on, was a spiritual being with a mission to communicate spiritual messages, and was only able to be a fully functional member of society (for the time standards) when both parents were truthful and present in her life. In a way, Pearl carried the central themes of the text.