Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez -  This is the story of four slave women who spend their summers at Tawana House, a real life resort in Ohio in the 1850s.  Ohio was a free state but southern slaveowning men would vacation here and bring their slaves.  The story explores the four differing reactions of these slave mistresses as they interact with free blacks, northern whites, and their masters.

This story started slow for me but by the end it was very compelling. The many aspects of thr cruelty of slave owners is discussed.  I thought it was interesting that this was a real place that closed because the northern whites quit coming in part because they were uncomfortable with having slaves there. It then became a church school and eventually Wilberforce University, the country’s oldest private African-American college.

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie- Andie is getting married. But first she wants to get closure with her ex. He asks for a final favor. He will pay her a lot to take care of some orphaned relatives for a month until he can figure out what to do with them. They’ve driven off three nannies already. What Andie doesn’t know is that she is walking into a house controlled by some very territorial ghosts.
This is what you expect from Jennifer Crusie- a funny fast read with good characters and a fast moving story.

A Cup of Friendship by Deborah Rodriguez – This is a novel by the author of KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL. Sunny, an American, owns a coffee shop in Kabul. This is the story of the family that she gains there. Yazmina is a pregnant widow. Halajan owns the building and is hiding a secret love from her very traditional son. Isabel is a British journalist and Candace is a wealthy American who left her husband for an Afghan man.

This book is a great slice of life about what it is like to live in Kabul today.