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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

September 2021 Reading Recommendations for Adults by Fran Joyce

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In September, I typically choose books and authors who have been challenged or banned, but I decided to change things up this year.

I’m not going with a theme.

The books I’ve chosen are a mixture of new selections from many genres… end of summer romances, historical fiction, mystery thrillers – start your fall reading with one of these page-turners! Our first selection was suggested by Lilly Kauffman. Enjoy!

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner – In 1905, a young Irish immigrant in New York answers an advertisement by a man in San Francisco for a wife and mother. Anything was better than the tenement she shared with four other women. Sophie adores her stepdaughter, Kat, but her new husband, Martin’s strange behavior has her on edge. As she begins to unravel the mystery of this man, two women and the San Francisco earthquake change the course of her life. Martin, who was away on business, remains missing and unaccounted for weeks after the earthquake. When Sophie reports him missing to the local authorities, a United States marshal starts asking questions that will unravel a web of lies and test the bonds of friendship.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.A. Scwab – In 1714, a young woman in France makes a desperate Faustian bargain to live forever. In return, she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Addie travels across continents during the span of the next 300 years trying desperately to leave some sort of legacy until finally, a young man hiding in a bookstore remembers her name.

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny – Three Pines in Quebec is an idyllic setting in winter where its residents enjoy skiing, tobogganing, and sipping hot chocolate around the fire. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache was looking forward to a quiet holiday with his family when the phone call came. It’s only a small request according to his superiors…  provide security for visiting professor, Abigail Robinson. But why would they ask the head of homicide to play babysitter? When Gamache googles the professor, he’s horrified and repulsed by her beliefs and begs the university to cancel the lecture. He’s accused of violating her right to free speech and branded an intellectual coward. Her viewpoints begin seeping into every conversation-starting arguments that escalate into violent confrontations and eventually murder. As Gamache and his team investigate, they discover Robinson can transfer her delusions to the crowds of people she attracts.

Local Girls by Alice Hoffman – The Samuelson family is no stranger to tragedy, but they have a strong faith that keeps them together. Gretel watches helplessly as her parents’ marriage disintegrates and her brother throws away his acceptance to Harvard to work at the neighborhood grocery. She witnesses her cousin Margot’s hapless search for Mr. Right and wonders about the nature of the human connection. Can things get better or is happiness just an illusion?

Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain – this is the epic story of the four-hundred-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present.

These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall – Mickie Lambert creates digital scrapbooks for clients to help them hold onto their most precious keepsakes and memories. When her client, Nadia Denham dies by apparent suicide, Mickie decides to honor her client by finishing the scrapbook. As Mickie begins curating Nadia’s prized collection of flea market treasures, she receives anonymous threats to leave the past alone.  Can Mickie unravel the mystery of Nadia’s past?

It Had to be You by Georgia Clark – A wedding planner dies and leaves their business to his wife, Liv… and his young mistress, Savannah. What will happen to the business? Can they learn to work together and rebuild their lives while selling their clients on the dream of “happily ever after” they’re both questioning?

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris – Nelia Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books, so she’s thrilled when Hazel gets hired to work in the neighboring cubicle. Hazel and Nelia seem to hit it off immediately, but changes in the company soon elevate Hazel to office darling and leave Nelia behind. Someone starts leaving notes on Nelia’s desk warning her to leave. Could it be Hazel? Would she turn on Nelia to protect her new success, or is there something far more sinister going on?

Just Like You by Nick Hornsby – Lucy thought she had her life planned out. She’d meet a man from a similar background who liked and valued the same things she did. They’d get married, start a family, agree about everything, and live happily ever after. Twenty years later she’s a forty-one-year-old nearly divorced teacher without a plan. She meets Joseph, a twenty-two-year-old jack of all trades who still lives at home when she’s looking for a babysitter. They couldn’t be more different, but he makes her laugh and challenges her to try new things. It wasn’t supposed to get personal, but sometimes opposites attract.

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton – Nina doesn’t mind being single. She’s a successful writer who owns a stylish apartment. She’s on great terms with her ex-boyfriend and she’s blessed with loyal friends. When Nina meets Max on a Dating App, she can’t believe how perfect they are for each other, but when Max starts ghosting her, everything starts to unravel.

September 2021 Reading Recommendations for Kids by Fran Joyce

Author Page: Where to Find Your Next Great Read