The Wayward Reader

Book reviews

The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland

Publisher: Simon and SchusterPublishing Date: April 4, 2023Length: 384 pages, hardcover I received this book from the publisher. In the early years of the United States, there was little in the form of entertainment. Richmond, Virginia was fortunate to have a beautiful theater. The theater had three stories, boxes for the well-to-do, and even an […]

The Search For Synergy by Brett Salter

Length: 220 pages, Kindle Publication date: May 31, 2017 I received this book from the author. Rome Lockheed and Julian Rider are average middle school students, or are they? Rome accidentally set the neighbor’s tree on fire by looking at it. Julian is a soccer player that always carries a die with him. He catches […]

The Maid by Nita Prose

Publisher: Ballantine Books Length: 304 pages printed Publication Date: January 4, 2022 I bought this book to read for book club. Molly is a maid. Her job at the Regency Grand Hotel is her happiness. Molly loves cleanliness and order, she does her job with pride. She also likes the anonymity of being a maid. […]

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing Length: 240 pages printed Publication Date: March 7, 2023 I received this book from the publisher. The Ramirez family lives in Staten Island. Jessica, Ruthy, and Nina are being raised by their parents ina Puerto Rican neighborhood. When Ruthy tragically disappears on her way home from school, the Ramirez family changes […]

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Publisher: Forge Books Length: 336 pages printed Publication Date: February 7, 2023 I received this book from the author. Imagine being blindsided by your husband as he walks out the door telling you your marriage is over. Bill Macallan casually mentions this to his wife as he leaves, suitcase in hand. Alyssa Macallen thought life […]

The Book of Everlasting Things by AAnchal Malhotra

Publisher: Flatiron Books Pages: 480 in print Publication Date: December 27, 2022 I received this book from the publisher. In Lahore, Hindustan the family Vij had a well-respected fabric shop. They changed their business to perfume after Vivek Vij returned from an apprenticeship in France following WWI. Soon the name Vij became synonymous with custom, […]

The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham

I received this book from NetGalley. Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi living two streets apart. They played baseball, listened to baseball games, and dreamed of playing professionally. They played against each other and with each other. Being part of the team was the foundation for their early friendship. As they grew […]

Long Shadows (A Memory Man Thriller) by David Baldacci

I received this book from Grand Central Publishing for an honest review. This book is part of the Memory Man series. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, but it wasn’t a problem since Baldacci provides ample backstory in the book’s early chapters. The main character, Amos Decker, is an FBI […]

The Prisoner of Fear by Chad Miller

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Two friends, John Doyle and Thomas Braham, are investigators of the strange events. Think of Watson & Holmes working as myth busters. While living in Philadelphia in 1889, John developed a reputation for investigating cases that challenged belief. There are an abundance […]

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

I downloaded this book from Kindle Unlimited. Freida McFadden is stealthy. She tells the story of a dysfunctional family with a magician’s touch. While we are led to believe in one reality, another is lurking and is the truth. The main characters are interesting and the circumstances are imaginative. You can sense the growing tension […]