HOLLOW CITY by Ransom Riggs

The story of Miss Peregrine and the peculiar children continues in the second book of this trilogy.  It is September, 1940.  Miss Peregrine has been unable to turn back into her human form,  The children have escaped the island and are heading to London to find the last uncaptured ymbryne to cure their beloved headmistress.  Of course, the road is long and full of twists and turns and danger!     A number of new characters are introduced - some who are peculiar and some who definitely are not. Once again, I was completely drawn in by the fantasy, the time-travel, the compelling, creepy/cool pictures and the story.  It is helpful to read the first book in the trilogy as this book begins exactly where the first left off.   It ends with a cliff hanger that makes me eager to read the third and final installment of the series.

I absolutely recommend it!

WHAT ALICE FORGOT by Liane Moriarty

Alice Love wakes up in her spin class after falling and hitting her head.  Her first thought? ' Why am I in a spin class?'  You see, 29 year old Alice loves sleeping in, chocolate, her lovely life with her husband Nick, their eager preparations for their first child.  She definitely does not love the gym!

There is a much bigger problem than the gym, however. In fact, Alice has no memory of the past ten years.  Alice and Nick are in the middle of a nasty divorce, the baby is now ten years old (there are two more besides) and Alice has become a gym loving, obsessive control freak with a boyfriend and no idea where the past ten years went or how she got to be the person she is today. As Alice slowly regains her memory she has the opportunity to examine her life and determine what is important to her.

Two other storylines in the book are interesting as well.  Alice's sister, Elizabeth struggles with infertility and her grandmother, Frannie, writes frequent letters to a 'mystery man'.  The three stories intertwine to make an enjoyable read.

DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY?   by Bill Clegg

A recent serious illness in my family took up a large amount of my time - I did plenty of reading but not a lot of reviewing.



This book is one that I really enjoyed.

In the blink of an eye, June Reid's family is killed in a gas explosion on the night before her daughter's wedding (not a spoiler - the event takes place in the first pages of this novel).  The book explores the effect of this tragedy on a number of people who are impacted by it.  Each chapter is told by a different voice - what they knew, how they coped and how they were affected.  Overall, this is an engrossing story.  For the most part, the author fleshes out the characters.  We learn how their own loves and losses coloured their response to the tragedy.

Occasionally I was a little confused by the relationships and had to look back to get a good idea of who some of the characters were, but they came together in the end to make this an absorbing read.