It is hard to believe that August is almost over; the bright, hot days of summer just fly by while the cold, dreary ones of winter just endlessly linger.  

 

There are still two weeks to Labor Day and here are some novels that you might want to pick up for those last slow reads on the porch or the beach. 

 

 “The Exiles” by Christine Baker Kline is a historical novel about a group of female inmates who are given a second chance in Australia.  19^th century Australia is not a walk in the park considering the lengthy and dangerous transit there; and conditions are particularly hazardous in this frontier outpost of the British Empire not only from the climate, the terrain, and the other immigrants. 

 

 “Sisters in Arms” by Kaia Alderson looks at another group of women who become friends as they struggle to make a place for themselves in the military in World War II.  Jennifer Chiaverini brings her novelist’s skills to the woman’s suffrage movement who risked everything in the fight to win the vote in “The Women’s March” 

 

Lucy Foley’s “The Guest List” follows a group of guests who are participating in a destination wedding on an island off the coast of Ireland that turns deadly when a body shows up shortly after the ceremony. 

 

Megan Abbott’s “The Turnout” is garnering a lot of attention with its thriller plot set in the world of ballet.  Two sisters and the husband of one run a ballet studio that is teetering on the edge.  Just as they are working on their annual performance of “The Nutcracker,” everything comes to a totally unexpected climax. 

 

Karen Rose writes a page-turning crime novel as an FBI agent investigating a cult known as Eden is faced with a deadline.  The cult has seized a young pregnant woman and the FBI is forced to find her before she gives birth.  “Say Goodbye” is action-packed, full of twists, romantic suspense.