This is one of those books I would have tossed aside because of the cover, which is extremely misleading. This is not a sappy love story, but instead an intricate (yet fictional) and historical portrayal of Martha Gellhorn, the third wife of Ernest Hemingway.

Gellhorn was a fledging novelist and “green” reporter when she met Hemingway, who encouraged her to cover the Spanish Civil War. While in Spain, the two fall in love and move to Cuba, where Gellhorn set up the famous “cat house” before their eventual divorce over her desire – and need – to continue working as a war correspondent.

This would make an excellent book club selection.

Well this was one of those books I kept seeing on social media, with expressions of July’s genius and creativity. The book features various unrelated stories, each featuring annoying or shocking characters who are not really likable. For example, one story, “The Sister,” is about a man who keeps getting set up by a co-worker who wants him to date a sister that doesn’t exist. I read them all, hoping for a gem at the end, but I was very disappointed.

This book was recommended by several friends, who read it with their book clubs, and I’m glad they did. The book focuses on a terrible time in American History – the “Reign of Terror” that plagued the Osage Indians in Oklahoma in the early 1920s. Family members were murdered, poisoned or just disappeared as white “guardians” were left in charge of very profitable Osage mineral rights to oil reserves under their reservation. Grann digs where others didn’t – most likely because they were part of the conspiracy – to uncover the truth and how a large number of the deaths were connected to one man. It’s a must-read for fans of true crime and Westerns.

I am in a books-by-mail club with a few friends in which we share books we enjoy. I received this gift in the mail a few weeks ago from a friend who read it while on maternity leave. I was glad she sent it along because it was such a fun book, especially for fans of “The Big Bang Theory.”

The book focuses on OCD-ish genetics professor Don Tillman, who decides it’s time to get married. So he begins the “Wife Project,” a science-based questionnaire that he hopes will find him a suitable spouse. His dates don’t go so well until he meets Rosie Jarman, a young woman who wants Don’s help in finding her biological father.

Rosie completely disregards Don’s schedule, but he finds he somewhat enjoys the slight interruptions. Don and Rosie work together to secretly gather the DNA from potential fathers to uncover the truth. But along the way, Don realizes that Rosie’s influence on him has been good, and he might just be in love. This is a sweet story and I’m glad there’s a sequel!

I bought this middle-grade book for my pre-teen daughters, knowing they might enjoy the story. However, I couldn’t put it down and read it in an afternoon. This is the story of the Penderwick girls – Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty – who are vacationing with their father in a cottage on the grounds of Mrs. Tifton’s Massachusetts mansion. Mrs. Tipton’s son, Jeffrey, discovers the girls and the five have a summer of adventure and misadventure that also includes a young gardener and his two pet rabbits. A great story and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series!

What a lovely departure from King’s more horrific works, and a short story at that! Reminiscent of “Thinner,” this story is about Scott Carey, who is losing weight on the scales but not in his outward appearance. No matter what he holds or wears, he is getting smaller and smaller; Scott figures he only has a few months to live before the scale hits zero. A retired doctor friend can’t find the solution and Scott decides to just make the best of his remaining days, rather than being hospitalized and tested.

But now that Scott is aware of his limited time, he’s also become more aware of those around him, including his lesbian neighbors and the prejudices the town holds against them. This is a sweet story about friendship and emphasizes how the way we act affects those around us.

If you read Reid’s previous book, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” then you know all is not what it seems with his stories.

Junior and Henrietta lead a predictable life on a farm until one day, Terrance appears. He was sent on behalf of the space research organization, OuterMore, to inform Junior that he’s been longlisted in a lottery for a temporary resettlement expedition into space called the Installation. Junior didn’t apply, and doesn’t think much of it until Terrance returns two years later. Junior doesn’t want to leave his wife, but thankfully, Terrance has a solution: a “clone” will take his place. As time goes on, Junior wonders what really is happening.

This is a sweet story about a boy and his grandmother and about the power of creativity when faced with loss. The Building Boy has a strong female role model in his grandmother, who was an architect. After her death, The Building Boy carries on their dream of building until a School for Young Architects has been created out of the building Grandmother started and finished by The Building Boy and the pieces he used to create his Robot Grandmother.

This was a fun coming-of-age story about Elise, who turns 12 and starts finding mysterious keys appearing. The keys open one of the eight rooms on the second floor of her aunt and uncle’s barn. She lives with her aunt and uncle since her parents died and these keys unlock some mysteries left by her father. The keys relate to characteristics her late father would like her to embody and so Elise learns more about herself and her parents as she starts to solve the mysteries contained in the meaning of each room.

This novel by first-time author Angie Thomas gives personality and understanding to the topical Black Lives Matter movement. When 16-year-old Starr Carter accepts a ride home from her childhood friend, Khalil, she doesn’t expect her night to end in terror as Khalil is pulled over and shot dead by a white cop.

This book examines racism with the heart of a teenage girl and her family and how it affects someone struggling to be accepted as black in a white world. The young adult book has won the William C. Morris Award, the Michael L. Printz Award and the Coretta Scott King Award. The film based on the book was released on October 19, 2018.