August 2019:
Fall of the Giants // Satisfied the need for something deep and wide, and I'm all in for reading the next two in the trilogy, though this one took me about half a month to finish reading at a steady pace. It's long! It follows five families before, during, and immediately after WWI. It's a historical novel in the most literal sense of the word. So much technical history. But character development was also strong, and I found myself crying once on a walk while I listened, and I'm not usually a crier when I read, so that's saying something. Loved it. Follett is one of my favorite authors of all time.
The Rumor // Beach read material. Someone has an affair, someone writes a book, someone runs a prostitution ring on Nantucket Island.
Circe // Have loved Greek mythology since I was little and found their stories in our World Books. I so enjoyed this one. Loved how she wrote about motherhood, almost as if it were another creature come to visit Circe on her island. It brought back memories of colic and that sweet bond that comes after.
The Woman in Cabin 10 // Felt like a derivative of a derivative. I'm pretty willing to go along with lots of bogus twists, but the big reveal in this one felt dug up from some random hole.
July 2019:
Caleb's Crossing // This one wasn’t at all what the book flap said, the story of Harvard’s first native scholars. Instead it ended up being more about Bethia, a Puritan girl denied an education or any sense of controlling her fate. Even “the good men” did everything in their power to thwart and control her, believing it their god-given right. It was maddening. I’ve read 3 novels by this author this summer, and this one was probably my least favorite of the trio. I can always tell how much I love a novel by how willing I am to sit down and sew while I listen, and I was reluctant to with this book.
The Girl on the Train // Completely satisfying. Listened to the last hour with wide eyes and squeaked out loud at the big resolution. Love how Hawkins made me doubt the unreliable narrator one minute, then think "I can see myself doing something that stupid," the next. If you loved Gone Girl, you'll love this one too.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane // Told my friend who likes books about magical things, witches, spells, and otherworldly beasts that she would like this book. Though I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy lit, this was enchanting and imaginative storytelling.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz // Based on a true love story. I loved the idea that just helping "the one" was more than enough when faced with atrocities, loved following the trickle down, seeing how one seed of goodness could spread. "To save one is to save the world." Loved the epilogue, author's notes, and afterword the best of all.
The Selection // The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games meets The Royal We. A short read with I don't think a single resolution, most likely because it's a series of books meant to make you hop right from one to the next. I would have probably recommended it to my 8th or 9th graders.
Friction // Sometimes after I read a book that requires a lot of thoughtful digestion, I find myself swinging in the completely opposite direction for my next pick, and this was one of those times. I found this one in the popular section of the Libby app and started it without even reading a summary because I'd seen her section of books at the library, and it was impressively large. Part western, part murder thriller, part smutty sexual tension over almost 12 hours of narrated text. The main characters were a judge "with a smoking hot ass" and a Texas ranger, and I believe we were supposed to root for them, though it seemed he could barely contain his hatred of her from start to finish--I think that's a thing? Oh he's being mean to me because he's hurt, deeply damaged, but I can change him! For what was supposed to be a thoughtless read, I ended up thinking a lot about its messaging for women (and men for that matter, aka if she says no, just press harder).
June 2019:
People of the Book // My second by her, and while I didn't love it as much as the first, it would be hard to measure up. I fell most in love with this when I had 6 of 14 hours to go (I listened on the Libby app). By then she had build so much structure and momentum that it didn't matter how foreign the subject matter was to me. It's the story of a very old book, and all the people who intersected with it: the artist, the gifter, the protector, the restorer. Just like Year of Wonders, this one was also based on a real book. I love her writing.
You Are a Badass // Overall kind of a "meh" feeling about this one, but something I did like was her suggestion for coming up with a mantra and this part: "When you love yourself enough to stand in your truth, no matter what the cost, everyone benefits. You start attracting the kind of things, people, and opportunities that are in alignment with who you truly are."
Year of Wonders // Oh to be a storyteller like this. Added more of her work to my list as soon as I finished. Based on the true story of a rural village in England visited by the plague. A delicate dance between dipping you down into the true horror of it, then pulling you back up into the humanity of a person outside of their suffering, their friendships and babies and husbands and dark thoughts and on and on. It's so good.
You Need a Budget // I could go on and on about planning with your money, but quickly--this book felt like an upgrade from Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover, which I've followed since 2015. Dave is more black and white, this is what's right so do it, go hard and be strict with yourself. And that has its place: we got rid of all our consumer debt, paid off my student loans, and saved for a downpayment following his plan. I felt like YNAB expanded beyond those basics, asking more "feelings-based" questions like: What are your priorities? What does your dream life look like? How can you plan your money to make those dreams reality? Loved it.
May 2019:
Outlander // I started this one when I was pregnant with Benjamin (2014) and had to put it away once he was born because the content became too hard to read during the newborn phase. Has that happened to anyone else? Listened to the last half this month while I sewed orders, and I loved it. My favorite scenes took place in Lallybroch, I think probably because it felt like one of the few moments in the book where the characters are where they're meant to be, not hunted, not afraid, just at home and in love with each other.
The Bear and The Nightingale // Recommended to me by my best friend. Long, but never felt like it. I listened to this one, and the cadence reminded me a lot of The Night Circus--magical, detailed, fairy tale-ish. It's the story of an old Russian village set in the wilderness, and its people, who have traditionally believed in guardian spirits and fairytales and monsters, and what happens to them when devout Christianity enters into their world.
Before We Were Yours // Based on the real story of children stolen from their parents and sold to wealthy families wanting to adopt them. Hauntingly sad, but also suspenseful, so I never felt like I was drowning in my feelings. There's quite a lot out there on the real life villain behind this story, if you're interested in reading further (I was! I couldn't wait to finish the book to start reading about Georgia Tann).
