With the cooler temps, we’ve curated a list of books that will allow you to travel across time and geographies without ever leaving your couch.
The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian is a suspense novel set in 1964 when a famous movie star, Katie, treats her closest friends to a luxurious Tanzanian safari … which results in a kidnapping. The imagery of both the African landscape and the old Hollywood glamour is captivating. Each character is well developed, leaving readers at the edge of their seats as to who will survive and who will succumb to the forces of either nature in
the Serengeti or their Russian captors.
The Arsonists’ City by Hala Alyan is a character-driven multi-generational family saga that follows the Nasr family. Three grown siblings from across the U.S. journey to Beirut to reunite as a family, but each is committed to not revealing the secrets they are harboring. The book alternates between past and present timelines as well as across the U.S., Syria and Lebanon. Each character is flawed and quirky, but somehow you are rooting for all of them. The novel oozes family drama including layers upon layers of secrets, resentment, jealousy and shame, which continued
up until the novel’s conclusion.
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter is a beautifully written novel based on a true story about a Jewish family separated during WWII. The Kurc family is full of optimism and strength during a desolate time, which is the key element that brings them back together. I loved how this book follows everyone in the family, the different routes they take for their safety and how it is brought together at the end of the war.
Local bookworms Katie Timcho and Amy Sundet run the book blog @overbookedmoms on Instagram.
