The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

  The Dutch House by Ann Patchett-337 pages


 Maeve and Danny are siblings who grow up in a grand home nicknamed The Dutch House, after the wealthy Dutch family that had it built. Maeve and Danny's mother abandoned their family when they were young, so they are raised by their father and the household help instead.  Never knowing what happened to their mother the siblings wondering if she was dead or alive.  Then the father remarries and the new wife is not kind to Maeve and Danny.  Maeve was the oldest and always took wonderful care of Danny throughout his life.  They had a very tight bond.  It is wonderful how the author brings it all around to make sense to Danny, now well into adulthood.  I enjoyed it very much.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - 370 pages

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.

Beetle Boy by Margaret Willey

Beetle Boy by Margaret Willey - 198 pages

Charlie  never intended to become the world's youngest published author at the age of seven.  He did it to cheer up his dad after his mom left.  However, it turned into a nightmare for him as his father started publishing the bedtime stories Charlie's mom told him as Charlie's own stories and then making him dress up as a beetle for author appearances.  Now it's twelve years later and Charlie is trying to pick up the pieces of his life . . .

This was an interesting book.  It was mainly told in flashbacks and introspective musings by Charlie.  While it was not my favorite book it was interesting to read.