Yesteryear

 

 

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, 391 pages 

Natalie Heller Mills is a "tradwife" social media influencer, who lives the perfect life in the eyes of her Instagram followers. Her posts hide the less "perfect" aspects of her life, like her nannies, farmhands, and martial problems. One day Natalie wakes up in the 1800s and has to learn to navigate her life without her usual modern amenities.

I was really excited for this book, and did enjoy the beginning. I enjoyed the book less as it progressed, and found the story line got muddled in attempts to keep the suspense alive. Similar to many readers, I did not like the ending. The concept of this book was very intriguing, and I am looking forward to the movie, however it did not hit home for me. 

The Road to Tender Hearts

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (2025), 384 pages

PJ is struggling. He is a 63 y/o divorced alcoholic that is drifting through life. He gets a wake-up call when he suddenly become the caregiver to his orphaned grand niece and nephew. On top of that, his ex-wife (of whom he is still very close to) and her fiancé take an extended trip to Alaska while his somewhat estranged daughter comes back into the picture. To round out the sudden changes, a death cat appears to provide comfort, warnings, and security. PJ decides that best way to handle all of this is to take a road trip west to reconnect with a recently widowed former high school crush and to get a paternity test from a Soap Opera star for his grandniece. 

 ALL of that is in this book. There is also a bunch more. Despite PJ being a man-child and a bit irritating, I ended up really liking the book. Fair warning, there are a lot of heavy topics covered in the book. It is not a breezy read, but there is enough warmth and humor to keep you invested.  

The Silver Fish

The Silver Fish by Connor Martin, 384 pages

Fresh off a personal tragedy, journalist Dani has come to Ghana determined to expose corruption and write an investigative article that will restart her career in the high-risk world of international journalism. While she seeks a story uncovering corruption in the oil industry, she stumbles upon something much more sinister and explosive, involving the fiberoptic cables that traverse the ocean, international spies, and oh so much danger.

As much as I wanted to like this book at the outset (it's a spy novel! in a setting we're not used to! with a female journalist as the lead character!), it was kind of a mess. Dani's journalistic ethics are almost nonexistent and she makes some REALLY stupid moves, which is what leads directly to the danger and suspense. Would've loved to see a smart woman exposing corruption without corrupting herself in the process. But alas...

The Final Target

 The Final Target by Nora Roberts (2026), 419 pages

Arden Bowie's first book has just been published and her book signing was a success; except that it is also the first time she meets her future stalker. 

This is a somewhat new genre for me as I didn't realize Romance Thriller is a thing. Now that I know it is, I understand the book better. I couldn't figure out why there was this crime, but a lot of the book centers around her meeting nice guy Gideon. The parts surrounding the stalker were pretty intense, but then the book would refocus to Gideon and it was like a nice Hallmark show. So, if this is your thing, it was a good summer read. If it isn't, I would move on. 

Please See Us

 Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen (2020), 341 pages

Clara, a teenage psychic/prostitute, and Lily, an embarrassed art gallerist, form an unlikely friendship to reluctantly solve a string of Jane Doe murders in down and out Atlantic City. I really didn't care for this novel. The writing was clunky, the character arcs both tropey and unbelievable, and it was told from too many points of view. Definitely not one I will be recommending. 

July Totals

Please talk to us about our books!

 

Annie: 2 books, 852 pages

Byron: 4 books, 1209 pages

Jan: 5 books, 1334 pages

John: 2 books, 746 pages

Kara: 9 books, 3054 pages

Kevin: 9 books, 2308 pages

Regan: 10 books, 4087 pages 

Sarah: 6 books, 1716 pages

Tracey: 9 books, 3322 pages

 Totals: 56 books and 18, 628 pages

 

More Weight: A Salem Story

More Weight: A Salem Story by Ben Wickey (2025) 532 pages 

I loved the in depth history, mostly in black and white, of the 1692 events. So much more disturbing than Arthur Miller's version of events in The Crucible. The focus on Giles and Martha Corey works well. I also appreciated poets Longfellow and Hawthorne's tour of Salem in the 1860s. It goes in an otherworldly direction, which seems odd, until you realize that this part has been a ghost story all along. The two parts connect because Longfellow had written a play about the Salem Witch Trials focusing on the Coreys and Hawthorne is related to one of the judges with his family living in the Salem area for generations. The Intro and Outro about the aftermath of the witch trials leading to modern day Salem is super dense with litigation from mishandled justice, politics, consumerism, and ongoing fictions and frauds. So much fascinating educational material. It took longer to complete than I expected, but I'm glad I stayed with it.

A Zoom with a View

 

A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon (2026) 370 pages

Leo (short for Leonora) has reluctantly moved back to her hometown, a small city just south of Austin, Texas. Reluctant because she has most often felt that her mother is standoff-ish and doesn't want her to come back. Reluctant, too, because moving back is an admission that after her multiple post-doc years, she can't get a permanent job as an English professor. However, she accepts a summer job taking photos of new listings with a realtor (Kay) who happens to be her mother's best friend as well as the mother of Leo's best friend.

At the town's 4th of July parade, there is an altercation between Kay and another realtor, Chaz.  Chaz and his girlfriend have been spotted sabotaging Kay's float for the parade. Just hours later, Chaz is dead and Kay is arrested for his murder. On the surface, this story looks to be a standard whodunnit. However, there are hints early on that something more nefarious is going on, something which started way before this murder. This is the hook that led to this book being finished in a day, which does not happen often anymore.

Social media skills come into play while collecting evidence; Leo knows her stuff and finds herself helping the local detective. Are the characters believable? Mostly. Is the storyline solid? Reasonably. Is Leo a protagonist we can get behind? Most definitely. She's smart, measured, and takes time to think.  The only negative might be a positive: the book is calling for a sequel.

Mississippi Solo

Mississippi Solo by Eddy Harris, 250 pages

At the age of 30, aspiring writer Eddy Harris decided to find a canoe and paddle his way from the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota all the way down to the delta in New Orleans. Never canoed before, yet here he was, doing it all by his lonesome. Except that he wasn't really alone. Along the way, Harris met dozens of folks from all walks of life and swapped stories with them, getting as familiar with people as he did with the river itself. 

This was a fascinating memoir, and I'm so glad we read it as part of the Big Book Challenge this year (and even happier that Eddy came to visit! The dude give really good hugs.) I'll be recommending this widely.

The Underground Railroad

 The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016), 306 pages

This sometimes hard to read novel follows Cora, a young slave woman, fleeing the South for somewhat freedom in the North. Books about slavery aren't enjoyable, but should be required reading for all Americans. Whitehead does not hold back on the horrors Cora, her compatriots, and aiders experienced during this era. He does a great job exploring all the aspects of the Underground Railroad and how risky it was for the folks using it and for those running it. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you check this one out.