
The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne
His father, Dominick, wrote the great crime stories for Vanity Fair, his aunt was Joan Didion, and his sister was in the Poltergeist movie. Griffin is a child of the entertainment industry, but at arms length from a star-studded or glamourous life. He tells his family story with pathos. A really wonderful read. A

The Cure For Women by Lydia Reeder
A detailed history of the treatment of women by society in regards to their health and their struggle to be accepted into the field of medicine as physicians. This should be required reading for all teens, but it would probably be banned. A

All The Worst Humans by Phil Elwood
The author is a mental health mess, but somehow he is a very effective manager of disasterous situations for the PR agency which employs him to mitigate unsavory crises and the people who cause them. You will cringe as you read this book and realize how we are all manipulated by these planted stories and half-truths. Outrageous and unsettling. A

You'll Never Believe Me by Kari Ferrell
A breathless memoir by Ferrell, adopted from South Korea as a baby, she never felt she fit in to her Utah Mormon community, but also, appreciates much of the love and ritual of her childhood. She went bad early in life, and was a high profile scammer in NYC for a bit until she went to prison. How she navigates jail and comes out to become a productive citizen is an engaging read. Reminiscent of Corrections in Ink which I have recommended in the past. A

Gabriel's Moon by William Boyd
Spy thriller but without the breathless pace of many. More of a slow burn with loads of ethical issues posited all the way to a rather shocking end. A

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
A tragic accident shatters two teenager's lives. But both carry on, just unbeknownst to each other. This is a fast reading debut novel by Fagan, a sports journalist and talented writer. A

The Collaborators by Michael Idov
Sophisticated, of the moment thriller with CIA agents, double agents, billionaires, travel, guns-everything you want in a spy novel. Fast and fun. A
Rental House by Weike Wang This is the second book I have read by Wang and I liked but did not love either. But this one did receive great reviews, so while I enjoyed it, it does not get an "A" from me.
Trouble Island by Sharon Short This author has a good reputation in historical novels, but this didn't do it for me.
Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham I anticipated a historical novel about French colonial Viet Nam, but this book, while descriptive, is also unnecessarily violent.
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