Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Small Favor by Jim Butcher-  In this Dresden files book, Mab, a queen of the Faeries, calls in a favor that Harry owes her. She wants him to rescue one of his enemies. This put him between several powers fighting amongst themselves. 

The Caliph’s House by Tahir Shah- The author vacationed in Morocco as a child. As an adult he decided to move his family from England to a run down house in Casablanca. The house had been empty for years and therefore was known to be occupied by evil spirits or jinns. The workers who came with the house are afraid of the jinn and refuse to do anything to anger them. This is the story of the first year of renovation. It makes me feel better about home improvement in the U.S. 

The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland-  Artemisia is an 18 year old painter in 1600s Rome when she is raped by another painter. Her father prosecuted her rapist only because he also stole a painting. The humilitation makes it impossible for her to stay in Rome so she enters an arranged marriage in Florence. She acclaim as a painter jeopardizes her marriage and her anger at her father for not truly defending her haunts her life.

This is based on the real life of Artemisia Gentileschi who knew the Medicis and Galileo.

The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady by Elizabeth Stuckey-French – In 1953 Marylou Ahearn was given a radioactive cocktail and was told it was prenatal vitamins. Her daughter that she was carrying died from bone cancer at the age of eight. In 2006 Marylou finds out that the doctor in charge of the experiments is living in Tallahassee. She moves to his neighborhood in order to kill him.  She ingratiates herself into his family and tries to strike at each family member to hurt them all. But she didn’t count on the family being so dysfunctional that no one notices that she is causing trouble.

This book was quite funny.

Being Mrs. Alcott by Nancy Geary-  Grace Alcott was raised to be a wife and mother. She has done her job for 40 years. But now she is coming to terms with the sadness in her life-  the death of her daughter, her distance from her husband’s life, her sons’ disdain for her. When her husband decides to sell their home on Cape Cod, she has to decide how she wants to live the rest of her life.

This was a heartfelt story about a woman facing the fact that her life may not have been successful and deciding what to do about it.

Where am I reading update- Illinois, Italy, Florida, Massachusetts