Author: Kristin Hannah

Firefly Lane

This book was on my To Read list and we binge-watched Season 1 on Netflix. The story was interesting but I didn’t like the way it switched between three different time periods. So I bought the book for my Kindle, along with the second in the series.

The book is so much better than the show; so much of the original story was changed for the series. Best friends Kate and Tully grow up on Firefly Lane. The story takes us from their early teens to their mid-forties. Even as their careers move forward and they move to different sides of the country they remain best friends.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *

Fly Away

Maybe all second books in a series repeat from the first book but I didn’t think there was enough new material in this one. The story focuses on Tully and Kate’s daughter, Marah.

Goodreads Rating: * *

Author: Shirley Jackson

Not my usual genre for reading but we watched a movie (Shirley) on Netflix that was loosely based on the author. The book cover says her stories “are among the most terrifying ever written”. I knew Netflix had a series by the same name but I didn’t think I was ready to watch it without knowing what was going to happen.

I kept waiting for a point in the book where I felt the need to switch my reading time from bedtime to the daylight hours. That never happened and I can’t say the book was in any way scary and certainly not terrifying. A quick look at the Netflix episodes (through IMDb) sound only slightly familiar and, I expect, are much more terrifying so I’ll give it a pass.

Goodreads Rating: * *

Author: Wilbur Smith

This was one of Dad’s books – Deloise gave it to him for Valentine’s Day in 2003.

I’m not sure about the book – it’s almost 900 pages so I should have had ample time to decide whether or not I liked it. The story is set in South Africa during the time when apartheid is taking hold of the country. The characters in the book reflect the view of the Afrikaans as well as the various political protest groups. Hunting and safaris play a role in the book and I found that unsettling. Also, women weren’t depicted as strong characters. I thought that might be a sign of the times (the book was published in 1987) but Smith did not have a happy private life (according to Wikipedia) and that may have influenced his writing.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Emma Donoghue

The word influenza comes from the ancient belief that the disease was associated with the influence of the stars. The book was delivered to the publishers just as Covid-19 began to surface.

The story takes place towards the end of the First World War and in the midst of the Spanish Flu. Hospitals are overcrowded and Julia, a midwife, works in a makeshift ward (a supply closet) with three beds for women who are pregnant and infected. A volunteer, Bridie, comes to the ward and she and Julia strike up a friendship (and love) after working together for only three days.

I wonder how different the story would have been had it been written to describe the conditions of this current pandemic.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *