With the current nursing school term coming to a close at the end of August, I’ve not had as much time to squeeze in some ‘just for fun’ reading. I’ve also found myself leaning more into audiobooks at the moment so I can listen to a few chapters before falling asleep. For those of you who get your ebooks via Amazon, you’ll find that you can often get the audiobook at a discounted rate when you purchase the ebook. I highly recommend giving the audiobook clip a listen to decide whether the narrator works for you. Some narrators can make or break a book regardless of plot!
The Shampoo Effect | Jenny Jackson
With the end of the nursing school term nearing (much faster than I prefer), I’ve found myself leaning into audiobooks whenever I can. I’d already purchased the ebook of Jenny Jackson’s latest novel, The Shampoo Effect (loved her previous book Pineapple Street), and the audiobook was available for a fraction of the price, so I thought, why not? Told from various points of view, this is a story about childhood friends who, despite growing up and having families of their own, find that perhaps there are some relationships they aren’t quite ready to move on from.
Rating: A
When Caroline Lash arrives in Greenhead, Massachusetts, she falls head-over-heels for Van Whittaker, a fleece-wearing, litter-collecting kayak enthusiast with long, floppy hair and the personality of a Border collie. Born and raised in this picturesque coastal village, Van runs with the same crowd he did as a kid: His ex-girlfriend, Bailey, a beautiful girl who attracts men like moths to a flame; Augusta, old money, horsey, and snobbish; and Fran, surrounded by brothers and sons, too fed up with boys to ever consider marrying one.
Together, the group runs wild through the marshes, beaches, and bars of Greenhead, drinking on houseboats, spending long afternoons sunbathing with their children, and playing games the way they always have. But when Bailey discovers that she is pregnant with Van’s baby, the delicate balance of the group’s friendship is thrown off. Soon Caroline is cast out of the circle and what she does next—in a potent mix of fury and heartbreak—exposes long-held secrets and works the entire town of Greenhead into a lather.
Dazzlingly funny, sexy, and as juicy as it is astute, The Shampoo Effect is a story of late-night parties, early mornings with small children, the dawn of midlife, and a group of old friends finally growing up despite all their best efforts to the contrary.
The Marsala Chai Mystery Club | MJ Soni
Bollywood meets Agatha Christie in this debut mystery from author MJ Soni. After being forced into retirement, Neeti decides to investigate the death of her neighbor (and former childhood friend), unwilling to accept the conclusion provided by the local police. With the help of her newly formed Masala Chai Mystery Club, she is determined to find out who wanted her neighbor dead.
Filled with strong women, humor, and delicious recipes you want to share with your own book club, this is a novel you’ll want to check out before summer ends.
Rating: A
Retired librarian Neeti Shah was hoping for a restful life with her chai-loving friends, but when the body of a neighbor, a childhood friend of Neeti’s, turns up dead and the killer’s MO is similar to that of Neeti’s most recent book club read, things start to get out of control.
When Neeti hears a commotion at a neighbor’s house, she finds Rohit’s body sprawled across the bottom of the staircase with Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness nearby. Blackmailing his neighbors, threatening them with lawsuits, and calling them by nasty nicknames were only some of the hateful things that made him so disliked. But were they angry enough to kill?
Neeti is indebted to her old friend, and she’s determined to find his killer. But she can’t do it alone, so she enlists her mystery-loving friends, the Masala Chai Mystery Club, to get to the bottom of the murder.
But Neeti and her club members need to be careful. As more bodies turn up and more suspects start to appear, they’ll need to find the killer before they end up in hot water!
New Release
Shaken to the Core | Dara Levan
Joy Stern is a free-spirited photographer who built a jet-setting, child-free life with her architect husband, Andre. They seem to be living the dream—until her mother’s sudden death and the discovery of a secret diary entry unravel her “perfectly” curated life.
Just as she begins to question everything she thought she wanted, her husband receives devastating news. What follows is an emotional journey through love and loss, resulting in Joy’s courageous decision to reimagine her future.
With themes of chosen family and motherhood, Shaken to the Core is an empowering novel that speaks directly to the emotional core of women navigating major life transitions and rediscovering joy.
