July 2025
- Katie Peterson
- Jul 3, 2025
- 6 min read
Something old, something new, something steamy, something true-ish
(Hint: If you click on the image of a book below, it will take you directly to the section about that book!)
Something old: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Something new: The Block Party by Jamie Day
Something steamy: Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn
Something true-ish: In a League of Her Own by Kaia Alderson
Book club pick: God of the Woods by Liz Moore
The Ratings:
Like plain, black coffee. Strong dislike.
A little cream, a little sugar. Not bad. Not great.
Add some flavor or syrup, it's getting good.
I liked this a latte!
Love! Refill please!
The Steam:
No peppers: Love/romance not a major part of this story
One pepper: Mild! Some love scenes; nothing risque on the page; fade to black
Two peppers: Moderate! Slightly descriptive romantic scenes may occur on page; some implied innuendos
Three peppers: Hot! Blushing while reading may occur; lots of spice
Wild Dark Shore
Charlotte McConaghy
The Salt Family, Dominic and his three children, are the only remaining residents and caretakers of Shearwater Island. Located near Antarctica, surrounded by frigid, black waters, Shearwater is home to the world's largest seed bank. Once a bustling research center, the island is now at risk of disappearing completely due to rising sea waters...and with it, all of the precious seeds stored in the depths of the vault. After a ferocious storm, a mysterious woman is washed ashore...alive, but barely. Unfortunately, all the communication from the island has been destroyed...sabotaged to prevent any calls for help. No one is sure who destroyed the comm center, but know they have several weeks until the next scheduled boat arrives from the mainland.
Rowan, the woman rescued from the perils of the sea, makes a miraculous recovery. Relationships are formed, stories shared, and fragile plans for a future are made. But everyone here...everyone...has a secret they're keeping from the others. Rowan hasn't shared the full truth about why she wanted to come to Shearwater in the first place...and the Salt family hasn't shared the truth about what happened before she arrived. When the boat is just days away from arriving, the delicate bonds created among them start to unravel as all hidden truths are revealed. And when all is unveiled, raw wounds are left behind...the kind you may never recover from.
This is a book that I'll think about long after finishing. The details were so intrinsically connected, and yet didn't quite make sense until all of the pieces were in place in the final few pages. It's heart wrenching and unexpected...but beautiful, too.
My rating:
The Block Party
Jamie Day
This one is a firecracker thriller from the get-go. The residents of the Alton Road cul-de-sac are good looking, well-off, and envied by the locals not lucky enough to reside on the exclusive street. Although the families seem to lead idyllic lives, there's much more than meets the eye. For among them are liars, cheaters, stalkers, and...killers. The annual Memorial Day block party is something that the quintessential host, Alex, has been planning for weeks...and while it starts off with a bang, it ends with a...siren. The code over the scanner? Homicide. To find out what happened, we have to go back an entire year, to the Memorial Day party last year. Because while this street may seem picturesque, it's filled with secrets...deadly secrets.
Someone's in love.
Someone's in lust.
Someone's hiding a secret from their past.
Someone's accused of murder.
Someone's being blackmailed.
Someone's trapped in a marriage.
and
Someone wants revenge.
As the secrets unravel and unforeseen connections are realized, Alex and the other wives try to piece together all the clues to figure out who is threatening their safety. Is it the newcomers, with overheard arguments and questionable interactions? Or is it someone much closer to the group....someone whose been there all along? The celebration comes to a lethal crescendo...and when the decorations are all cleared away, more than one body will be left in their wake.
A light, fast thriller/mystery. I normally don't love this genre, but this one never felt too suspenseful. If anything, you'll feel as if they all got what they had coming. A fun summer read!
My rating
Georgie, All Along
Kate Clayborn
As a longtime personal assistant, Georgie is accustomed to putting others' needs before her own. So when her boss decides to leave the 'big city' lifestyle and is no longer in need of Georgie's services, she finds herself lost. She returns to her hometown to house-sit for her parents while they travel, as well as help her childhood best friend through her final trimester of pregnancy. Upon arrival at her parents door, she finds that the house is already occupied--by Levi Fanning, a local 'bad boy' with a reputation of trouble. Having forgotten they'd already asked Levi to watch over things while they were gone, Georgie's parents convince her to give him a chance...not everything is as it seems with him. Besides, Georgie has just found her teenage 'fic' that she wrote...filled with hopes, dreams, and a list of things she wanted to accomplish, and she's more than busy devouring the pages, hoping to gain some insight as to what she should be doing with her life.
Although the tasks were originally planned for Georgie and her friend to complete, pregnancy prevents many items from being completed...unless Levi is willing to step in? Together they make their way down the list...but nothing is making Georgie feel as fulfilled as she was hoping. The items she's checking off aren't helping her discover her purpose. As they near the end of their time together, Levi helps Georgie realize that she's been enough, all along. Will she return the favor for him, or is he trapped in his past decisions and perceptions?
My rating:
Steam rating:
In a League of Her Own
Kaia Alderson
If tasked with coming up with my favorite movie of all time, I would probably choose 'A League of Their Own'. So when I saw this book, even knowing the subject matter was slightly different, I was hopeful of loving it just as much. Unfortunately, the way it was written, as well as the main character's plot line and development didn't quite meet my expectations.
Effa is a passionate businesswoman with high hopes and big dreams for her fellow Black community members trying to integrate the city of Harlem. She's also an avid baseball fan who loves watching the young, talented Babe Ruth don the pin stripes of the New York Yankees. While attending a game, she meets her future husband, Abe Manley. Together, the Manleys buy a Negro League baseball team. Using Abe's wealth and networking contacts and Effa's ambitions and business knowledge, they create a successful team, winning the Negro League Championship in 1946.
However, with the end of the war meaning the return of many major league baseball stars, the Negro League teams are struggling to stay afloat. Integration, something that Effa has long fought for, also threatens her very livelihood, as some major league teams are showing interest in the players on her roster. Can she navigate the tumultuous waters surrounding her, her marriage, and the athletes? Or will she be forced to 'trade in' the baseball lifestyle once and for all?
This book is based on a real person and real-life events. The history is fascinating. The actual writing wasn't my favorite.
My rating:
God of the Woods
Liz Moore
Although Barbara's family home is located in the Adirondack woods next to Camp Emerson and it was her great-grandfather, Peter Van Laar who first started the camp, Barbara has never been allowed the freedom to actually attend. This year, her mother acquiesces to avoid yet more confrontation when it comes to her daughter and husband's differences in opinions. Although she is known in her family as troubled, having been sent away to school, Barbara thrives at camp. She leads her group during their survival test and proves how self-sufficient she can be. But one morning, her counselor finds an empty bed where Barbara should be sleeping. The disappearance is troublesome in more ways than one...because before Barbara, there was her brother, Bear.
Bear vanished during a walk with his grandfather in the Adirondack woods 14 years prior. Although Bear's body was never found, an accusation against a local was made. His family has maintained his innocence for years, and as he passed away soon after Bear went missing, could not possibly be involved in Barbara's case. Could there truly be a coincidence of two siblings meeting the same fate at the hands of two different people years apart? Or was the wrong person convicted years prior? One investigator in particular, a young female new to the force, will stop at nothing to ensure that the family finds justice. But what if someone in the family is trying to prevent justice from happening?
Good to know before reading: Multiple points of view and timeline switches. Can be hard to keep track of who/when you're reading about.
My rating
[This one was a five cup read for me until the ending...if you've read and want to discuss, message me!]
Read along with me in August
Something old | |
Something new | The Names by Florence Knapp |
Something steamy | Next to Heaven by James Frey |
Something true-ish | Stars Over Clear Lake by Loretta Ellsworth |
Book club pick | Til Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn |
As always, send any book recommendations to me at sosnssst@gmail.com.
Comments