On March 31, 2025, my father died.
On April 1, 2025, I was the one who found him.
Maybe I will write more about that later, maybe not. But one thing is for sure, I was profoundly affected by it. And the month of April was profoundly affected too, with all the busy-ness and business that death entails.
So you might think I would not have read at all, but I did, because reading is comforting to me. I distinctly remember how important it was for me, those first few days, to escape into my book whenever I could.
The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh by Claudia Gray
And how fortunate for me that this was the book I was reading. I love the Mr. Darcy/Miss Tilney mysteries, as I have written before. And who doesn’t love to hate Lady Catherine? And Mr. Collins? She writes them both so well. Absolutely delightful, as always. And the subplot about Jonathan Darcy, who is autistic in a time when the condition was not yet named, and his attempts at “masking,” another concept that we now have a name for that he simply intuits, and Miss Tilney’s reactions to it all, are heart-wrenching and heart-warming in equal measure.
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
I was so excited about Lady Catherine that I abandoned the two books left from March’s used bookstore trip, but I eventually returned to them. Wouldn’t you just know that this book was about a girl who is faced with deciding whether to pull the plug on her possibly brain-dead father? Because of course it was. Good book, but not pleasant for me at that time.
Mortal Fear by Greg Iles
I had not read any Greg Iles for awhile, and this book was a welcome distraction, although gruesome and devastating. No happy endings here, just a decision on how to move forward through the pain, which I guess is realistic.
Three Mothers by Hannah Beckerman
This is about–you guessed it–three mothers, whose lives intersect when the child of one is tragically killed. This story explores what lengths a mother will go to for the sake of her child. It’s another that will keep you guessing.
The Fourth Girl by Wendy Corsi Staub
Four women made a pact as teenagers on the night that one disappeared forever–or did she? Now three have returned to their home town, as they promised. Predictably, all hell starts to break loose and many secrets are revealed. I figured this one out way too early. It was still good.
All the Lasting Things by David Angrim
This book made me angry. I still don’t know what meaning I am supposed to take away from it. Someone dies who just should not have died. I do not read books to have things like that happen. Real life is seriously full enough of that.
I used to have a convenient way to end these posts because I would tell you I was linking up with An Open Book. But because I have been writing these so late I have not been able to do that. We will see if I am able to catch up and stay caught up so that I can participate again.
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
I’ve come back to add this, which was our book club selection for the month, because I forgot it when I wrote this post. See the first line for an explanation. Anyway, it was a very fun read and I won’t spoil it for you. I was mystified the entire time, and I want to read more by this author.
