Jun 15, 2024

Travel Can Be Fun or Not: Sunday Salon

Books read and to-be-read




The Trip by Phoebe Morgan, May 25, 2024; HQ, NetGalley
Genre: mystery, adventure, travel fiction, adult fiction

Braving it in Thailand. Four friends enjoy their vacation, until one of them commits a crime, and they all keep it a secret. I read this mainly for the details of a trip to Thailand, but enjoyed the straightforward plot of trouble found not in that country, but trouble that follows one of the travelers from the U.S. The last half of the book was suspenseful even though most of the plot was somewhat predictable. The very end of the book was a plot twist I didn't see coming, however.




A rom com set in Vietnam
Adam and Evie's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen, September 24, 2024; Avon, NetGalley
  
Description: A rollicking romance about two strangers finding love as they embark on a matchmaking tour through Việt Nam - from the bustling streets of Hồ Chí Minh City to the soaring waterfalls in Đà Lạt.




The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis
May 21, 2024; Atria, NetGalley
Genre: travel, thriller, suspense

Description: A thriller author arranges a luxury train trip along Italy’s Mediterranean coast on the famed, newly renovated Orient Express, traveling from Cinque Terre to Rome to Positano. All who are invited by the author are hiding secrets. And there might be a murder or two.


Hurricane season


Storm Warning by David Bell, June 25, 2024; Berkley. Genre: suspense, thriller

It's hurricane season in Florida! Here is a book that might make you think twice about going south during the storm season. 

The setting during a strong hurricane on a barrier island in Florida is new, but the mystery thriller situation is familiar. There is a killer (among the residents who are sitting out the storm in their delapidated building), and the residents are isolated from the mainland and from help. They must fend for themselves and each other the best they can.

There is some supense when the first building resident is found murdered, and more suspense from the relentless storm that threatens to destroy the building in which they live. Who the murderer is and why, and how and if they survive is the crux of the story.

Not extremely original in plot, but a good read nevertheless. 


Immigration and the American Dream


Love Can't Feed You by Cherry Lou Sy, October 8, 2024; Dutton, NetGalley

Description: a heartbreaking look at coming of age, shifting notions of home, and the disintegration of the American dream. It asks us: What does it mean to be of multiple cultures without a road map for how to belong?        

Queenie, her younger brother, and their elderly Chinese father arrive in the United States from the Philippines to finally reunite with Queenie’s Filipina mother, a nurse. But her mother is not the same woman she was in the Philippines: Something in her face is different, almost hardened, and she seems so American already.


What are you reading/watching this week?  

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated BookreviewerAlso, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves 


27 comments:

  1. Nice selection especially the travel related ones.

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  2. I really enjoy David Bell, so I have my eye on Storm Warning.

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  3. The Main Character sounds like fun -- trains are such an interesting setting for murder stories, and really seem to have attracted writers, over the years!

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  4. All of these sound good, especially The Trip.

    Have a great week!

    Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
    My post:
    https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2024/06/15/stacking-the-shelves-library-loot-childrens-edition/

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  5. Did you enjoy The Main Character? I picked it up from the library today.

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    1. I’m reading it right now and like it

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  6. I like a good plot twist, but don't love when a book is predictable. I hope you have a great weekend!

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  7. That's an interesting group of titles.

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  8. I love the idea of taking a train trip along Italy's Mediterranean coast. I may look for The Main Character.

    And the rom-com set in Vietnam sounds fun. Keep sharing books centering on travels with us, please, if you run across more.

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  9. The storytelling in The Main Character was not as good as I’d like. Not at all like Agatha Christie

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  10. I'm curious too about the details of Thailand in the first book ... were they any good? Do you get to know much about Thailand ? thx

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  11. You do get to know something more about Thailand. It’s a good book to read for the interesting things and things to watch out for as well. The beach atmosphere in the south was spot on

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  12. Traveling through books and movies are my favorite ways to travel. Have a great week! :)

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  13. Your books sound great. Traveling through books is an awesome way to travel. SP: https://bonniereadsandwrites.com/2024/06/16/sunday-post-back-to-business/

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  14. Great books on your list. I want to read them all. I especially enjoy David Bell's books. I have to go add these to my wish list. Have a great week!

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  15. Next up is 'The Testimony of Alys Twist' by Suzannah Dunn. To round out the week it'll be ''How to Make the World Add Up - Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers' by Tim Harford.

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  16. You are doing a lot of traveling in these reads. Fun!

    Anne - Books of My Heart

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  17. Storm Warning caught my eye. I'm supposed to go to Florida next month. I think I'll wait to read it until I get home :)
    Mary @Bookfan

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  18. Sounds like the perfect list for an armchair traveler. I also have Storm Warning. Hope we both love it!

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  19. It is fun to read about other's trips, even if fictional. Enjoy!

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  20. I have seen a lot of people reading Adam and Eve's Matchmaking Tour! Sounds like a good one.

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  21. I love traveling by book! The first two are the ones that appeal to me the most...I've been to Thailand, so love reading books set there, and I've always wanted to go to Vietnam. :D

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  22. I love the premise of The Main Character--armchair traveling in Italy with suspense thrown in sounds like a perfect summer book to me!

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  23. Adding The Main Character to my TBR immediately. It looks great! The rest of these look good - especially The Trip. I love that premise. I hope you're having a great week!

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  24. I’m curious about the romcom set in Vietnam, adding it to my TBR!

    Wishing you a great reading week

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