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(oops...hit "enter" too soon the first time)

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin - A true crime podcaster goes to a small town to cover the trial of a golden boy and potential Olympic swimmer who's accused of raping the police chief's granddaughter. While in town, she's contacted by another woman whose sister died two decades earlier in a mysterious swimming accident--was it actually a murder? An icky topic covered fairly well, but I have no desire to re-read the book. Writing: A-, subject: C. Interestingly, Dad got this out of the library not knowing it was on one of my "to read" lists. He didn't much care for it.

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan - This was somehow simultaneously a delightful (almost literal) beach read, (almost) all syrupy sweet goodness...and also really frustrating. A woman separates from her husband and flees to the fictitious small Cornish town Mount Palbearne where, with a little elbow grease and a can-do attitude, she opens a bakery and magically turns her life completely around. It's sweet, it's light (except for one dark part), it's reasonably predictable...and when you're frustrated with your own life and wishing YOU can turn it around with a little elbow grease and a can-do attitude, it's kind of annoying. If you're in a great place in life, this book will likely be a solid A for you...if not, it's more like a B.

Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang - Julie Chan is stuck in a lower class life working as a cashier at a supermarket while her estranged twin, raised by a different family (their parents were killed in a car accident when the girls were 4) is a famous social media influencer. When Chloe turns up dead and Julie discovers her sister's body in her posh NYC apartment, she does what any of us would do...she takes her sister's place. This is billed as a "dark comedy"...the comedy wasn't all that funny to me. This is the second book I've read recently that was written by a Gen Z author...I'm starting to think I'm just not the right audience for Gen Z authors because a lot of what I don't like about the Gen Z stereotype shows up here (and in the other book). C-.

Autocorrect by Etgar Keret- This is a book of short (and in some case extremely short) stories by well known (in his country) Israeli author Keret. Most of the stories were pretty forgettable, though there were a few with really interesting premises. Almost all the main characters are angry young men who treat women poorly...not sure who wants to read about that. Not me. C.

The Boy From the Sea by Garett Carr - I ended the month on a high note, reading Carr's debut novel about a baby found in a barrel in the cove of a small Irish fishing town and taken in by a local fisherman. This book was well-written, well-paced and had a lot of interesting characters, though many weren't particularly likeable, and all were flawed. There's a gentle humor throughout the book and a strong sense of place that I appreciated...despite once saying in an older book post that I prefer story to scenery. The author strikes just the right balance here though, and my only complaint is I wanted more at the end, or perhaps a sequel. Solid A.