Jencey's Writer's Corner

  Colleen Oakley likes to pick interesting topics to write about in her book The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.  The main character is having a hard time moving forward with her life after the death of her husband.  What could go wrong?  Synopsis:  “Piper Parrish's life on Frick Island—a tiny, remote town smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay—is nearly perfect. Well, aside from one pesky detail: Her darling husband, Tom, is dead. When Tom's crab boat capsized and his body wasn't recovered, Piper, rocked to the core, did a most peculiar thing: carried on as if her husband was not only still alive, but right there beside her, cooking him breakfast, walking him to the docks each morning, meeting him for their standard Friday night dinner date at the One-Eyed Crab. And what were the townspeople to do but go along with their beloved widowed Piper? Anders Caldwell’s career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he’d rather hoped he’d be a national aw...

  Susan Nelson, in her adult debut, delves into the world of a librarian during World War II, which is inspired by real people.  What did a librarian do for the government?  Learn from Bea and Selene about their roles.  These roles were important and helped get critical intelligence to the allies.  Synopsis:  “Lisbon 1943. As two American librarians are drawn into a city of dangerous subterfuge and unexpected love affairs, they are forced to choose between their missions and the men they love. Brimming with evocative writing and meticulous research, award-winning author Suzanne Nelson spins a web of secret aliases, sweeping romance, and great sacrifice. With World War Two raging across Europe, best friends Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan are enlisted by the U.S. Intelligence Office and sent to Lisbon—a sparkling city and hotbed of trouble, harboring exiled royalty, hunted refugees, and spies trading double-edged secrets in seductively dark corners. In ...

  While I love reading historical fiction, I am not a huge fan of the great depression.  Stephanie Dray is an author who focuses on women we may not know about in history.  Frances  Perkins was the first woman cabinet secretary.  She was the Secretary of Labor in FDR’s administration.  She was responsible for the New Deal and Social Security.  How did it all begin? Synopsis:  “Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century, armed with her trusty parasol and an unyielding determination to make a difference. When she’s not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell’s Kitchen, Frances throws herself into the social scene in Greenwich Village, befriending an eclectic group of politicians, artists, and activists, including the millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey, the flirtatious budding author Sinclair Lewis, and the brilliant but troubled reformer Paul Wilson, with...

  Years ago, I listened to The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Jenoff. I totally loved the book and thought surely there would be a sequel.  Yes, The Diplomat’s Wife carries many of the characters readers loved into this new story.  Where will the story go from here? Synopsis:  “1945 . Marta Nederman has barely survived the brutality of a Nazi concentration camp, where she was imprisoned for her work with the Polish resistance. Lucky to have escaped with her life, she meets Paul, an American soldier, who gives her hope of a happier future. The two make a promise to meet in London, but Paul is in a deadly plane crash and never arrives. Finding herself pregnant and alone in a strange city, Marta finds comfort with a kind British diplomat, and the two soon marry. But Marta’s happiness is threatened when the British government seeks her help to find a Communist spy—an undercover mission that resurrects the past with far-reaching consequences. Set during a time of great upheava...

  Thank you to Tandem Literary for a copy of this book.  I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.  Cleo Ballard is a new author for me.  I do like thrillers, especially the ones that have you turning the pages quickly to find out what happens next.  This story explores the impact of AI on our society.  Synopsis:  “Penn, once a brilliant PhD candidate in Applied Language Studies, traded her dissertation for a “perfect” life as a suburban wife and social media-savvy mother. But after a brutal betrayal by her husband, friends, and even her own teenage daughter, Penn is left with nothing but the wreckage of her curated identity. Driven by a desperate need for something she can rely on, Penn returns to her abandoned grad school project. With the help of a former crush and a healthy dose of cutting-edge AI, she creates Aletheia: the perfect virtual friend. Aletheia is programmed with one core directive: The Truth. She can detect lies with 100%...

  This next book definitely has beachy vibes.  Kristy Woodson Harvey’s Beach House Rules is definitely a summer read.  This is a story with multiple points of view.  It has a mystery, romance, and Family.  Let’s dig into  Beach House Rules! Synopsis:  “When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Desperate and cut off from her bank accounts, Charlotte moves to a former beachfront bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town. Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they though...