Carla A

The Cleaner by Brandi Wells provides a view of a working office from the night cleaner. She knows everyone and has created her own names for many of the employees based on what they have on or in their desks or what is in their wastebaskets. None of the employees know she exists, except an intern.
To the rest of the world, her job is simply cleaning but she believes she is part of the team. She believes she can help the struggling company. Be careful of what you leave when you leave for the day. The cleaner sees all and knows what no one else does.

I recently read The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell. Although the writing was good, I found the reading to go slow as the story didn't hold my attention. I struggled to make my way through the book. The story follows a family of women and the lives they live in a marsh on the outskirts of a Michigan town. Their primitive life seems difficult to comprehend. Their struggles with love and identity are very real. I found myself feeling very sorry for the younger members of the family as they deserved better than being sequestered away from the world only to safeguard them from the bad behaviors of the men in town. I will not be recommending this book to my book club friends.

The Gifts is an historical fiction story based in London in the 19th century. As the story unfolds we follow the lives of eight characters and learn how their lives intertwine. In those times, in a dominant man's world, it is interesting to see how the female characters deal with the gender limitations and remain strong. Diverse traits including greed, ego and determination bring the characters to life. The storyline leaves the reader on the edge waiting to see what a turn of the page brings. I suggest this book to friends who enjoy a thrilling storyline. I found the very short chapters made it easy to squeeze in a little reading when I didn't have a lot of time to spare. Well done!

Clytemnestra is a tale of a sister of the infamous Helen of Troy. The book set in Ancient Greece is a gripping, page-turning story of her life from young princess to brave queen in such barbaric times. The characters were well developed as well as their relationships with each other. History may say otherwise but Clytemnestra was a courageous woman, a loving and protective mother, and a fearless leader. There is a lot of life lived in these pages. I highly recommend this book and I plan to share this book with my book club in 2023.