It’s time for an update on what’s currently on my nightstand. Here’s a bit on the four books I’m currently reading:

Hallowed Bones by Carolyn Haines. This was the book I was waiting for the other day as it’s my read for my mystery book group. I started this one last night but was so tired that I only read one chapter. I will say this started off with our main character conversing with a ghost so I think we choose a good book for the season.

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood. A story of two women who meet each other again after 25 years. The last time they saw each other they were convicted of murder. It took me a while to get into this story because I was a little bit confused with the characters and time change but once I got more into the story I really got hooked. There are various mysteries to uncover and even though I’m nearing the end I don’t have an idea on how this will work out.

My Name is Leon by Kit De Waal. I feel so much for little Leon who is in foster care and even now has been moved to another home while his foster mother recuperates. A tough life but I’m hopeful this will be a feel good ending.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. A dear friend gave me this book and we’ve been talking about creativity, pursuing your passions, etc. and I know how much she enjoyed this book. I haven’t read more than a chapter but to me this is one of those books I want to take my time with. Here’s one quote from the book that I really liked: “A creative life is an amplified life.”

Let me know if you’ve read one of these and what you thought.

I have two more quick recaps of books I read a while back which I did like and in case you were thinking about these maybe this will encourage to give them a try.

The Girls in the Garden
By Lisa Jewell

At the beginning of the book, a young girl goes in search of her 13-year old sister in the communal garden and finds her unconscious. As she calls for helps and she wonders what happened the scenes flashback to what led to this awful moment.

Clare and her two daughters move to Virginia Park after her husband has a psychotic breakdown and tries to burn their house. She chooses this spot hoping to give her children a peaceful place to start all over. At first everything seems to be going well. There are other children and young mothers about and the families all enjoy the gardens but all is not as idyllic as it seems.

The story is told through various points of view which helps the reader see the other characters from different perspectives. Where one character only sees the helpful and kind person, another may see the character behaving not appropriately. There are red herrings and twists but all this helps create an intricate plot and plenty of suspense. I enjoyed this story and found it quite different from some earlier Lisa Jewell books I had read, which were more of the chicklit variety.

Source: Advance Review Copy

The Expatriates
By Janice Y.K. Lee

Three women’s lives are entwined in this story of motherhood, loss and friendship. Mercy is a recent college grad but while she sees a lot of her friends begin their careers she seems to be floundering so she moves to Hong Kong where she thinks she may just find herself. Meanwhile both Hilary and Margaret find themselves in Hong Kong due to their husband’s jobs.

Life in Hong Kong for the Margaret and Hilary at first glance may seem easy. They have maids, go to company parties, but they are still there not by choice but by obligation. For Mercy, life in Hong Kong hasn’t been easy either until she meets Margaret and accepts to accompany her and her family on vacation to care for the children. A careless moment will change their lives forever.

There are alternating chapters so we are able to understand each character better although the character I found the most compelling was Margaret and when you read her story you will understand why. Overall I thought this was an interesting story exploring the expat life.

Source: Advance Review Copy

Let me know if you’ve read any of these and what you thought.