Happy Friday, Readers!
Recommend a book that has a title beginning with the letter “P.” Tell us a little about the book and why you loved it.
The Passage by Justin Cronin was excellent if you enjoy vampire stories and chunky books. It is as realistic as that type of story can be and very well written.
Paper Wife by Laila Ibrahim was also very good. It is historical fiction (1923) about a Chinese woman who comes to America and marries a California man under false pretenses.
Pastel Orphans by Gemma Liviero. WWII historical fiction about a brother and sister who are half-Jewish. The sister is very Arian-looking and is taken away and placed in a German family.
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict. Historical fiction based on a real woman named Belle da Costa Greene who passed as white to become J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian.
A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn is the second installment in the Veronica Speedwell series. Again, this is historical fiction (London, 1887), but it involves a mystery and I love the relationship between the two main characters.
Finally, there is the classic, Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde, which I still need to read. It is about a 12 year old boy who sets change in motion with his social studies project. His idea: “Do a good deed for three people and ask them to “pay it forward” to three others in need.”
A few others that I really want to read that are highly rated: Pachinko, The Paris Architect, and The Perfect Son.
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The Picture Bride, by Lee Geum-yi, is a great historical fiction of when brides-to-be came to Hawaii to marry. With a promise of a better life. The story follows three of the brides, who’s paths took different directions than what they expected. I highly recommend.
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A Psalm for the Wild Build by Becky Chambers (just won a Hugo award!) is a solarpunk book about Dex, a traveling tea monk who blends custom teas for the people in the villages they travel through. Then Dex meets a robot in the wildlands and they set out on a road trip together to learn about what people need. It’s a pretty short book (a novella) and it’s a gentle and thoughtful story.
Peg and Rose Solve A Murder by Laurien Berenson. It’s a cozy type mystery and made me laugh. It’s about two women who are seniors - a woman and the sister-in-law she never got along with. They have to join forces to solve a murder. Imagine Sophie Patrillo and Rose Nyland from the Golden Girls solving a murder - it’s just like that.
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Than sounds like a real fun read. I’m going to look into that book. Thanks for sharing.
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Leif Enger’s writing is, in a word, delightful. A simple story of a boy and his younger sister and father searching for his outlaw brother becomes so much more in Enger’s hands.
This book is narrated by 11-year-old Reuben Land. His descriptions, especially those of his father and Swede, deserve my highest praise.
I enjoy lots of different genres, so here’s a little something for everyone 
If you enjoy Urban Fantasy, Part Time Gods by Rachel Aaron. Lots of supernatural fun with dragons and a bit of a cyberpunk feel.
If you like slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance, People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry was excellent. I love her writing!
If you like epic historical intrigue, Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett was enjoyable. I will admit that something happened early on that bothered me throughout the entire LONG LONG book, but I suppose I can get over it.
The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum was a pretty interesting look at the birth of forensics. I read a lot of forensic books, but this one is more about the start than where we are at today, which was pretty cool to read about.
Even if you don’t enjoy Science Fiction, I still recommend Project Hail Mary by Andy Wier, which was fabulous. I have lots of friends that don’t enjoy the genre and still love his books. They are all so entertaining and funny. (If hesitant, maybe start with The Martian, though to get a little taste).
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo was a great coming-of-age story. Because it’s written like poetry, it’s a quick, emotional read.
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PRINCE OF THIEVES By Chuck Hogan.
This is an older book. I read a long time ago. So I don’t remember much about it except that I loved it. Here’s part of the review I wrote at the time.
. PRINCE OF THIEVES is an excellent story of four thieves, with Doug as the prince among them; the victim Doug falls in love with; the FBI agent who pursues all five of them, maybe confusing his mutual attraction to the victim with his duty; and the Boston town they live in.
At first this book seems too detailed when it describes the bank heist. But soon you will discover that this is necessary to understanding how and why Doug is the prince. Not only is he the brains behind their plans, he is also the compassionate one who feels responsible for the other three and for the innocent victims.
This is an unputdownable book.