12. An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole – steamy inter-racial romance amidst a Civil War spy thriller – very enjoyable if either of those is your jam – part of a series that I will definitely continue
13. Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan – two sisters emigrate from a tiny Irish town to Boston in the 1950s – their paths diverge when the younger sister becomes pregnant – a tragedy fifty years later forces the two to confront the decisions of their youth – this family puts the fun in dysfunctional!
14. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown – the subtitle pretty much says it all – interesting story told in a thorough but compelling way
15. The Awakening by Kate Chopin – a young woman at the turn of the last century decides she wants more from her life than her staid role as wife and mother – scandalous for its time and hailed as a feminist classic, but it didn’t really do it for me – good atmospheric writing but frivolous characters and an unsatisfying story
