Reviews of the 5 Books I Read in August 2020

1. Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman

Another mystery book that I really enjoyed, this book was a bargain find at The Strand Bookstore in New York for $2! It’s currently on the New York Times Bestsellers list and in the shops for $20.

The story reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing as each chapter flipped between character perspectives which I really liked. The twist at the end was clever and the book touches on racism, classism, feminism and oppression in the 1960s.

2. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

This is the second book that I’ve read this year by Liane Moriarty, and I was eager to read it as I really enjoyed Big Little Lies.

The Husband’s Secret revolved around three women, all with a secret that connected the three. Like Lady in the Lake, the chapters flipped between perspectives which I really liked. At the beginning it was hard to understand as it wasn’t overly clear that the chapters were changing between perspectives.

It was an easy read and I really enjoyed it. I could see the similarities between this and Big Little Lies and would love to read more from Liane Moriarty.

3. Maggie & Me by Damian Barr

I picked up this book in a Little Free Library in Princeton, New Jersey. It’s not very often you pick up a book in the US that is set in Glasgow of all places. I don’t know much about Margaret Thatcher but I do know that she wasn’t much liked by the population of the UK and Ireland.

Each chapter begins with a quote from the Iron Lady herself, yet the book depicts a memoir-of-sorts from Damian Barr of what it was like to grow up gay in 1980’s Scotland in a council house while defying the odds and being top of his school.

Damian writes how Margaret Thatcher took away his school milk, closed down his dad’s steelworks plant and rose like a phoenix from the ashes of the Grand Hotel in Brighton and lived a long life to almost spite those who hated her. A good book that looks at the history of life in 1980’s Scotland and a country under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher.

4. Sully by Chesley B. Sullenberger III

Do you remember the time an airplane made an emergency landing in the Hudson just off Manhattan? And remember they made a movie about it? Well this is the story told by the pilot that landed that plane.

I haven’t seen the movie, but since living in New York and looking at the Hudson every day, I thought it would be quite an interesting read. I mean, if it was to happen today, most likely we would have been witness to the event.

I won’t lie, I wasn’t overly fussed on the book. It didn’t really talk about the landing in the Hudson until around the last chapter. Plus, there was a lot of complaining about airline cuts and loss of pensions, which was mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. For me, it just took the taste off the story a little.

5. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

This was my first Agatha Christie novel and another book-turned-movie that I haven’t yet seen. I loved it. I don’t usually read detective novels but I really enjoyed this one.

I enjoyed all of the twists and characters (and had to Google a lot of French that was included) and am very much looking to add more detective novels to my collection.