A Couple Good Books

I haven’t had much reading time lately and only got two books read in the last month. But they were good ones!

The House on Tradd Street by Karen White

Practical-minded Realtor Melanie Middleton hates to admit – even to herself – that she can see ghosts. But she’s going to have to accept it, because an old man she met just days ago has died, leaving Melanie his historic Tradd Street home, complete with a housekeeper, a dog, and a family of ghosts anxious to tell her something…

Enter Jack Trenholm, a gorgeous writer obsessed with unsolved mysteries. He has reason to believe that some diamonds that went missing from the Confederate treasury a century ago are hidden in Melanie’s home. So he decides to charm the new tenant, only to discover that suddenly he is the smitten one.

But it turns out that Jack’s search has caught the attention of a possibly malevolent ghostly presence. Now Jack and Melanie need to unravel a mystery of passion, heartbreak, and even murder. And they must hurry…for an evil force – either dead or alive – lies in wait.

I don’t usually read ghost stories but the mystery aspect of this one interested me. I liked the setting too, Charleston SC. Both of my sons were born there! Ghost stories set in the south are usually pretty good, I have to admit. This one was really good, I hated for it to end and thought about it after I was finished. It looks like its a series so I think I’ll look for more of these. I did notice I have another Karen White on the shelf when I was rearranging to fit the new books in! Not with this character though.  You have a wonderful mysterious unsolved disappearance, years old, history, missing diamonds, romance and ghosts, not to mention a really cute dog named General Lee. Worth the read!

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The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor

The Gault family leads a life of privilege in early 1920’s Ireland, but the threat of arson leads the parents of nine-year-old Lucy to abandon their country house. Lucy cannot bear the thought of leaving Lahardane, with its beautiful land and nearby beach, and a dog she has befriended. On the day before they are due to leave, she runs away, hoping to convince her parents to stay. Instead, she sets off a series of tragic misunderstandings that affects everyone at Lahardane and one of the perpetrators of the failed arson attack for the rest of their lives.

In this brilliant, subtle and moving story of love, guilt and forgiveness, William Trevor has written a novel that stands among the best in the English language.

Reading about William Trevor over at Cathy’s 746 Books I’ve wanted to read one of his desperately. I got this one through Paperbackswap. I LOVED it! It is so very sad though. A insightful look at how our actions and choices affect everyone around us and the healing power of forgiveness. I don’t want to tell you too much about it because I want the story to unfold for you as you read it and I highly recommend you read it! Thanks, Cathy, for bringing this author to my attention! I’ll be reading more.