Like Mohter, Like Mother - Susan Rieger

 This was the best read so far this year.  My sister recommended it based on the story that is about a family whose mother was put in an asylum...or was she?  The story follows her daughter, Lila, who bore the brunt of her abusive father's treatment but didn't learn to parent herself and leaves her daughter to be raised by her husband.  Her daughter, Grace, resents her absent mother and goes on a quest to find out what happened to her grandmother.

The book is mostly dialogue, rapid moving, sharp witted and insightful as it explores the relationships between mothers and daughters.  It even uses DNA to explore the mystery of the grandmother's disappearance.  Recommended.

Quote:

[Grace reflecting on her self] "I don't so much lose my temper as I give in to it."

Published: 2024  Read: August 2026  Genre: Fiction

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore - Matthew Sullivan

 I ordered this for a new book club I'm in and it's a good starter!  A young woman who suffered a traumatic experience as a child ignores her past and immerses herself in her job at a library modeled after the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, Colorado.  A cast of quirky characters help her solve the mysterious suicide of one of the stores patrons while revealing a link to her past.  Fun read.

Published:  2017  Read: October 2021  Genre: Mystery