66. Look! I managed to finish one more after all, and it was an awesome book to end the year with. This is the second Kristin Hannah book I read this year, and they were both fabulous. The Great Alone is set in the 1970s and is about a family of three who move to Alaska to get away from everything and live off the land. The dad is a Vietnam POW with serious PTSD issues. The mom is a seemingly fragile woman who can't stop loving this man who is dangerous. The daughter watches it all and tries to understand. This book is heart-wrenching and so great. (December)
65. Here it is, the last book I finished in 2019 and one of my least favorites of the year. The Haunting of Hill House was a #Ekpesbookclub selection. so I slogged through it. I doubt I would have finished it if it wasn't for book club. I couldn't relate to the characters. The writing, the dialogue, and the overall feeling was old-fashioned (the book was written in 1959 and was meant to take place at that time, I believe). There is a Netflix movie based loosely on the book that I've heard is pretty scary, but the book wasn't scary to me. There was some interesting parts, but not as many as I hoped. Other book club members pointed out to me that this book was meant to be more psychologically scary as you watch/read about a person's decline into madness. Okay. It just wasn't for me. (December)
64. Seriously, I love me some Jojo Moyes. This novel was a Reese's Book Club pick in the past few months, but I would have read anyway just because Jojo Moyes wrote it. The Giver of Stars is about packhorse librarians in Kentucky in the late 1930s and early 40s. The librarians, all women, would take books up into the mountains for people. I immediately liked all the characters and the story was great. I really liked this one. (December)
63. A #Ekpesbookclub selection, this YA retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses was a delight from start to finish. I liked it so much that I gave it as a Secret Santa gift to my co-worker. This story has all the parts that make books fun for me: mystery, romance, a little scary stuff, and sisterly love. I'm pretty sure I will read it again. (December)
62. A friend at work told me about this Harlen Coben novel. She said the subject was difficult. She was right: all the subjects in this book were difficult. The book started out with one tough premise, then the author added another layer and another layer and another layer until it was so convoluted I wasn't sure he would be able to wrap up the story in a way I could believe and buy into. I didn't like this book. (December)
61. Another vacation read and freebie from Amazon. The author of this book also wrote The 100 Foot Journey (loved the movie; book was okay). What drew me to this book was that the main character, Jose Maria, is from Spain. Jose often said curse words that my grandfather used to say, so I liked that. (Weird, I know). Jose Maria is diagnosed with a terrible form of cancer and he has to reconcile his often terrible behavior and long-held secrets with his grown children and his wife. There is a lot of descriptions of salmon fishing. I thought this guy was an ass and I wondered if he could possible redeem himself in any way by the end. You'll have to check it out if you're curious. (November)
This book was another vacation read. It was a freebie from Amazon. It is a fantasy novel about a witch who is gifted at making wine. When she returns to her home vineyard following seven years of being cursed to live as a frog, she finds that the vineyard is under new ownership and the new owner does not prescribe to the vine witch philosphy, until Elena, the witch, changes his mind. This fun book is full of action, romance, murder, and magic. Fun. (November)
59. My poolside vacation read choice! This book came up on an email from Amazon or BookBub a long time ago, and I thought it sounded interesting, but I didn't want to buy it. As I was getting my ebooks in order before vacation, I saw this was available on Prime Reading or something for free, so I downloaded it. It's the story of Margo. She comes to her niece's wedding in California only to see that her niece is a runaway bride. Margo's sister, the mother of the bride, offers Margo money to track down her daughter. Margo won't fly, so she ends up riding with the jilted groom on a cross-country trek to find the girl. Pretty comical. Good vacation read. (November)
58. The latest John Grisham novel, The Guardians, was the early November selection for #EkpesBookClub. This story is about a lawyer, Post, who works to free innocent people who are wrongly sentenced to death. The main case is about Quincy Miller, a man is was sentenced to death for the murder of his former divorce attorney. Post is convinced Quincy is innocent and sets about proving it. Typical Grisham: easy to read, interesting story, lots of characters, satisfying conclusion. (November)
57. Angie Thomas wrote The Hate U Give, which I read and loved last year, so I was excited to read her latest YA novel, On the Come Up. It's the story of a 16 year old girl whose father, a well-known rapper in their town, was killed in gang violence. The girl wants to be a rapper, too, and the story is about how she goes about fulfilling her dream. I confess that sometimes the slang made me feel like I wasn't getting a good understanding about what was happening, but eventually I got a feel for the language and the flow of the words. I enjoyed this book. Good story. (November)
56. #EkpesBookClub read this book in February while I was on vacation, so I didn't participate. I bought the book anyway because MT told me it was a classic and worth the read. I admit that it was a slog for me to get through it. I did not admire Malcom X as I was reading this book. It's sad that he died a horrible death. I learned a lot, but I can't say I liked it. (November)
55. I have been wanting to read The Nickel Boys for a few months. I'm happy to say that I recommended it to #EkpesBookClub and it was the book Ekpe chose! I heard an interview on NPR with the author, Colson Whitehead, and my interest was piqued. Plus Whitehead is a superb writer and this story was exceptionally told by him. Set in Florida in the 1950's, it is the story of a young man who is at the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up at the Nickel Academy, a reform school. The way the young men are treated is horrible and tragic and what makes it even more savage is that the book is based on actual events. The ending...oof. (October)
54. I've been wanting to read a book by Ruth Ware, for some reason. I think I read somewhere that Reese Witherspoon likes her books, and usually Reese picks books I like, so let's try it. The Turn of the Key is Ruth Ware's latest novel. It is a mystery/thriller set in Scotland. Some of the story was a bit far-fetched, and I'm not talking about the ghosts. I thought the parents were weird. There are a lot of twists and turns and the end really made me say, "Whoa Ruth Ware! I did NOT see that coming!" (October)
53. I read this book for #EkpesBookClub. One of the other members suggested it. It's about the 1930s rowing crew from the University of Washington that goes to the 1936 Olympics. Most of the focus is on one young man on the crew, but there is a lot of explanation about what it takes to develop a championship eight man crew and what times were like in the U.S. and particularly the northwest during the '30s. (October)
52. I'd read another book by this author, Tracey Garvis Graves that I really liked so I figured I'd give this one a try. Like the other book (On the Island), this one is also about a couple. The story alternates between when the couple first meets in college and when they reunite ten years later. The story is sweet and wonderful and sad and hopeful. (October)
51. A Thousand Splendid Suns has been in my to-be-read pile for years. I think that I shied away from it a little because The Kite Runner was a book that made me ugly-cry and I wasn't sure I was ready for that level of emotion. It was different from The Kite Runner, still emotional and heart-twisting certainly, but I kept myself in control. Even a couple of months later, I think about this book. It was great. (September)
50. Another book that was highly recommended by my sister. I don't know that I loved it quite as much as she did. I kind of found Ilse hard to relate to, but the other characters were all quirky and fun. I really like the ending. (September)
49. It's been awhile since I read a YA book and it was time. First and Then is sort of a high school Pride and Prejudice. Not bad at all. (September)
48. My sister read this book and thought it was very good, so I had to read it too. It was very good. It's the story of a family of sisters (and a brother) who are in the midst of a crisis. One of the sisters has gone to prison and the other two sisters and the brother are trying to figure out how to care for the incarcerated sister's children and get through their own troubles. Compelling. (September)
47. The Last House Guest was a Reese's Book Club pick this summer. I don't usually read a lot of thrillers, and this one was fun. It was set in a resort town in Maine and was about the death of a wealthy socialite whose best friend, a local, was suspected of having something to do with the death. There were lots of twists and turns and I even thought we might have an unreliable narrator (I hate that!) I sure didn't figure it out. Fun read! (August)
46. This book was a freebie from Amazon. I'd read another book by this author, and it was fine, so I thought I'd give this one a try. The story pretty much immediately went in a direction I hadn't expected, but it was a well-told story and I liked it quite a bit. (August)
45. Shortly after Toni Morrison passed away, #EkpesBookClub was choosing the next book and Ekpe wanted to read this novel by the late author, so we did. It was troubling. The writing was excellent and the theme (beauty ideals for young black girls) was interesting, but what those girls went through. Goodness. This book bothered me for days. (August)
44. I purchased this book last summer and it has been patiently waiting for me to go ahead and read it. Set in France during World War II, it is the fictional story of the Rossignol sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, and how they survived the war. I was enthralled by this book. I'm sure that the author took liberties with the history, but I didn't care. I loved the pre-war description of Le Jardin, Vianne's home and the countryside. The way everything changed during the war was also well described and heartbreaking. I cried plenty of times. So good! (August)
43. Whisper Network was Reese's Book Club selection for July. I got it from my elibrary. It is the story of four women who work in the legal department of a big corporation based in Dallas. The future CEO, a man, leaps or falls, from the 18th floor days before he is named as the CEO. The women are under suspicion of driving this man to his death because days before, they filed a lawsuit naming him as a sexual predator.
None of the people in this book, with the exception of maybe one or two characters, was exactly likable. All of the characters were realistic, though. I think I have known all of them. I liked the way this story moved along and the way that nothing is ever as clear as you would want it to be. (August)
42. This book was the latest #EkpesBookClub selection. One of the other members of the group recommended it so highly and thoroughly that it felt imperative that we read it. The most interesting thing, to me, about the book was the presentation and format. The author is an artist and the book is full of drawings and cartoon-like illustrations as well as scrap-book like photos. The story is the author's quest to define her relationship to her German homeland and learn of her family's history, especially her grandparent's involvement in World War II. (August)
41. All the Nancy Thayer books I have read have been set in Nantucket. I felt like reading something beachy and easy and Thayer's book fit the bill. I picked this one because it was available through the elibrary. It was fine. (August)
40. This novel was on a Buzzfeed list of hot summer reads or something and I had written it down as something I might enjoy. Then Taylor Jenkins Reid, the author of Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, recommended it via Instagram and I thought, "If TJR likes it, I'll give it a try."
It is a fairy tale in which a woman from Texas is the Democratic President of the United States. Her son falls in love with the prince of England during an election year. International chaos ensues. There is also White House intrigue, sexy interludes and fun parties. It was pretty cute. (July)
39. First, let me just say how much I love Elizabeth Gilbert. I follow her on Instagram, and she seems like an absolutely lovely person that I would enjoy talking to and hanging out with. I was so excited that she had written a new novel, City of Girls. It was released in June the day before my birthday, and I decided to buy it as a gift to myself. I didn't actually get around to doing that until July, but that's actually pretty timely for me and remarkable that I paid full price for the Kindle edition.
The point is that I was super-excited and I wanted to love this book. The truth is that I didn't love it. I liked it, but it just didn't light me up like I thought it would. Maybe my expectations were too high. Here's what I did like about it: the conversational tone. The main character, Vivian, is relaying her life story to Angela and it felt like I was Angela and Vivian was talking to me. The problem was that I didn't really care for Vivian. I wanted to like her, but I felt like she wasn't strong. She didn't really make her own choices; she fell in with things and they happened to her but it wasn't of her own doing or will. Kind of a bummer. (July)
38. This book was the latest selection for #EkpesBookClub. Ekpe spent the day at Random House/Pengiun Publishing and this was one of the books that was pitched to him as a book club selection. It's about a Russian teenager who comes to America on a student exchange. The story goes back and forth between the time in Russia before Ilya comes to the States and when he is in the States and thinking about Russia. There's also a drug-addicted brother who confesses to murders he did not commit, an American love interest and a random Mormon missionary. This book was just all right for me. (July)
37. I've been wanting to read this book for awhile and bought it on a whim of retail therapy when I was shopping in Target on July 3. This is the second book by this author I have read this year (#17 on this list was the first), but this is actually the first book by the author, so if you want to read her books, I'd say read this one first and The Proposal second because characters from this book show up in the second book. This is a cute story about a man and woman who meet in an elevator. The man asks the woman, a stranger, to be his date at a wedding and she agrees because the guy is cute and what could go wrong? Nothing goes wrong; everything goes right and they find themselves having a bit of an affair. The problem: he lives in LA and she lives Berkeley. Nothing frequent flyer miles and a willing heart can't handle though! Sexy, fluffy good time read. (July)
34. YA book time! I Believe in a Thing Called Love is about an over-achieving Korean-American girl named Desi who has never had a boyfriend. She falls for the new kid at school and after a disastrous first impression, decides to study the romantic Korean dramas that her dad loves to watch and learn how to get the guy. Cute enough premise, but the things she does ends up getting the boy injured or in trouble, so I didn't really care for that aspect. Still, it was cute enough. (June)
33. From Scratch was Reese's Book Club's selection for May. It is the memoir of Tembi Locke, an African-American woman who falls in love with an Sicilian man. Despite opposition from his family, they marry, have a child, and he gets cancer and dies. The bulk of the story is how Tembi and her daugher mourn their loss and deal with their grief and find solace with his mother in Saro's hometown on Sicily. I enjoyed this book. I absolutely love the cover. The look on her face is precious. (June)
32. I have read another book by the author, Camron Wright, whom I met thanks to #EkpesBookClub. Some of the other book club members had read this book, The Orphan Keeper, so when it came up on my eLibrary wish list, I decided to get it. It's the true story of a little boy in India who is kidnapped from his family and sent to an orphanage where he is later adopted by an American family. When he grows up, he decides to try to find his family in India. It's an interesting story, almost too unbelievable to be true, but that's what makes it interesting. (June)
31. The Bride Test was probably on the same Buzzfeed list as book number 29. I had it on hold at the library in book and ebook format, and the book got here first. I think I had a virgin copy of it! (First reader of this particular copy, you know.) It is the story of a Vietnamese woman who comes to the U.S. at the invitation of a mother who is worried that her son will never marry. It kind of reminded me of The Rosie Project, but I liked this one a lot better. I loved the character of Esme. She is a lot stronger than I expected. I kind of fell in love with Khai too. Delightful. (June)
30. It was my second time through the book Educated. I read it in January when I happened to find it at the library. This time it was the choice for #EkpesBookClub and I couldn't resist reading it again to be able to discuss it with the other participants. The writing is exceptional. The story is compelling, interesting, disturbing and also a testament to the desire to change and learn. As with most memoirs, I wonder what makes a person bare their soul like that. (June)
29. I learned about the book I Hate Everyone But You through a Buzzfeed newsletter about hot reads for the summer (I think). I just happened to be able to get the electronic version through the library. I bet there's a wait for it now. Timing is everything. The story is about two best friends who are in their first year of college. One of them has stayed near home in southern California and the other has gone across the country to Boston. The story is told through emails and text messages and it is well done. I felt like I understood the characters and what they were going through and how each impacted the other through this format. Clever. (June)
28. The Bird King was Buzzfeed Book Club's selection for May. I got it from the library...ooh...just had a thought! I think I might include if I read the book n my reader or if it was a real book. I haven't kept track of that info before. This one was a physical book. It is fantasy and takes place in 15th century Spain just as Ferdinand and Isabella are forming the country. Inquisitors go to the Alhambra in the south to tell the sultan he is no longer the ruler of that part of the land. One of the concubines, Fatima runs away with the mapmaker, Hassan, who the inquisitor's accuse of being a sorcerer because he can bend geography to make things appear on his maps. I am a terrible summarizer: this book was much better than I am making it sound. Fantasy is not my favorite genre, but this book drew me in and was enchanting. (May)
27. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler was a First Read selection from Amazon. It appealed to me because of the library reference (see #23 below!). Amy Byler is a librarian at a private school. Her husband went on a business trip to Hong Kong and didn't come back for three years, leaving Amy with their two pre-teen kids, a mortgage and all the bills. She copes, as most women do, and when John, the estranged husband returns and wants to spend time with the kids, Amy says, "HELL NO!" but is convinced to go for a week to New York to attend a librarian's conference and spend the week with her college roommate. Lots of stuff happens, including a romance, a make-over, a week that turns into a month (a momspringa!) and a traumatic brain injury. It sounds like a hot mess, but it's super entertaining. (May)
26. I like Jojo Moyes, so I was happy to see this book on the Lucky Seven rack at the library (you can only have it for seven days, no renewals. These are usually books that are in high demand and hard to get.) I didn't feel like this was typical Jojo Moyes, though. I read more like a Maeve Binchy novel in that there were lots of characters and it kind of skipped around before sort of getting it all together toward the end. Certainly not as good as Me Before You and the other two that follow it. I just saw that this book came out in 2004, so she was still getting her groove. (May)
24. I like to write about how I find these books, if you haven't noticed. The Lost for Words Bookshop was a Reader's Choice selection at the library. When I picked up The Night Tiger, I wandered over to the Reader's Choice table and saw this one. I'm kind of a sucker for any book about a bookshop or library. This book takes place in England, in the town of York. The main character's name is Loveday, which to be honest kind of turned me off at first until I learned it is a Cornish name and is pronounced Luvdee. At least that's how her friend and boss call her. This is a charming little story about how Loveday comes out of her shell when she meets a cute poet and learns to accept herself. (May)
23. The Night Tiger is Reese's book club pic for April and I was excited to be able to read it during the actual month of the pick. And I didn't have to buy it! I got it from the library! It is an interesting book, set in 1930's Malaya (before it was called Malaysia). It's a bit hard to describe. All the characters and their stories are intertwined but some never actually meet up and some don't meet until late in the book and some don't even seem like they belong. It doesn't sound like it should work, but it totally does. I was enthralled with this book. (April)
21. This book is the sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes which I just finished the other day. When I found out there was a sequel, I looked for it on my library's ebook site and it was available so I thought I'd get it while the story was still fresh in my mind. It is a quick, easy read. I like the characters - although Keith got on my nerves in this one. He was mean. I feel like there could be more to this series, even though all the envelopes are accounted for. (April)
20. Daisy Jones and The Six was Reese's Book Club selection for March. I was on the wait list at the library for the whole month of March and just got the book at the start of April. I was excited to read it because I read another book by the same author in March and I liked that book (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) a lot and was hoping for more great writing and storytelling from this book. I was not disappointed. I loved the way this book was written, like an interview. The story unfolds beautifully and the characters almost develop themselves with this style of writing. It is the story of a fictional rock and roll band in the '70s, maybe loosely based on Fleetwood Mac. The thing is that you kind of believe that this band, Daisy Jones and The Six, could have been real. I'm pretty sure I will read all of Tara Jenkins Reid's books. She's two for two with me. (April)
19. #EkpesBookClub selected Becoming as our final book of the season (the host of the book club plays for the Utah Jazz, so when the regular season is over, we take a break.) I admire Michelle Obama and I enjoyed reading about her life. She talks about growing in Chicago, going to Ivy League universities, working at a big law firm and meeting (and falling in love) with a man who would eventually become President of the United States. Her stories about life in the White House, including raising children there and trying to find her way as First Lady, were interesting and thought-provoking. I especially like the writing style. It was conversational and approachable. It felt like she was chatting with you. I liked this book very much. (April)
18. This book came up on some list from Buzzfeed Books. I think the theme was Books-That-Will- Whet-Your-Appetite-To-Travel or something, because this book is about traveling. Ginny receives a package in the mail from her deceased aunt Peg. Each envelope is numbered and the first one instructs her to go to London and meet up with Richard. The money for the airfare is provided. The thing is that Ginny is 17, but I guess her parents are okay with her taking off on this quest that her late aunt has given her, because off she goes. From London, Ginny goes to Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Corfu, meeting people along the way and trying to do these quests her aunt has outlined in the letters. It's a pretty cute story, although maybe a little unbelievable, but sometimes that's okay too. (April)
17. Don't confuse this book with the Sandra Bullock movie of the same name. They are not the same at all. The book was Reese's February pick and I just happened to receive it for Christmas last year! It's about a girl, Nik, who gets a marriage proposal from her boyfriend of five months at a Dodger game via the Jumbotron. When Nik turns the guy down, he storms off and leaves her sitting there with all of Dodger Stadium watching her reaction. Enter Carlos who pretends she is a friend he hasn't seen for a long time. It's super cute and kind of sexy and romantic. (March)
16. The Snow Gypsy was a freebie from Amazon in the First Reads program. I think it was the January selection. It is set in the early 1950s I want to say. It follows a young English woman, Rose, whose brother went to Spain to fight in the Civil War and she never heard from him again. Rose is trying to find out what happened to her brother and she ends up meeting a bunch of gypsies, some from Spain, whom she befriends. In particular is a young woman named Lola who is a talented flamenco dancer. When I describe it like this, it kinda sounds dumb, but I thought it was pretty good actually, especially for a freebie. (March)
15. I picked this book because I thought it was going to be the February selection for Reese's Book Club. I wasn't, but I got it anyway because it sounded interesting and it totally is! It is the story of a fictional movie star, Evelyn Hugo, and her life and husbands and friends, etc. It was completely engaging and believable in that I found myself wondering if there really had been a movie star named Evelyn Hugo. Good story, good writing, good characters. Just good. (March)
14. Did you know that Buzzfeed Books has a book club too? Of course they do. They pick one book each month and this one was the January book (I think). I'd heard of it, so I decided to give it a try. It is set in Lagos, Nigeria and focuses on Korede, a nurse, and her beautiful younger sister Ayoola. Ayoola carries a big knife and isn't afraid to use it or to call her sister to help her clean up after the murder is done. This book is outlandish and yet believable in a weird way. I was enthralled. (March)
13. After Ghost Wall, I had to get back to YA, I guess. Leah on the Offbeat is the second in a series, the first of which had a movie made based on the book. The movie is called Love, Simon (not the the name of the book.) I've been trying to get the book, but it's popular, so I haven't read the first book but I did see the movie. That's important to know because as I was reading this book, I got a bit confused with the characters. I remembered them from the movie, but it's been awhile.
The thing about this book was that it was a bit angst-y for me. I get that we are talking about high school romance and figuring out who you are and that all feeds into angst, but it seemed overblown. Plus I guess I didn't really like Leah, if it comes down to it. Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind. I read another book by this author last year and I really liked it. Maybe if I read the Simon book first and got to know Leah through that book, I would like her more in this book. I don't know. (March)
12. I heard about this book on NPR and thought I'd give it a chance. It's a quick read at only 132 pages, but there's a lot going on. It is the story of Silvie, an English teenager who goes on vacation with her mom and dad on a two week summer archaeological expedition in northern England. Silvie's dad is really interested in Iron Age Britons and is eager to recreate that lifestyle during the vacation. The dad is abusive to Silvie and her mother. The expedition is lead by a college professor and three of his students. They all spend time wearing Iron Age tunics and foraging for berries and hunting rabbits. The men get the idea to build a ghost wall, which the Iron Age people did to protect their villages. It gets a little creepy and intense at the end. (February)
11. Yep, YA. That's what I read on vacation! This story is great. It's about a girl, Viv, who lives a small life in a Texas town. Football is king and the football players are the lords of the school. Viv starts to notice things that she has always taken in stride that now make her ferociously angry. For example, the football players wear t-shirts with sexually suggestive wording and the girls have wardrobe checks to make sure they are not showing too much cleavage. Viv, whose mom was into the '90s riot grrrrl scene, makes an anonymous 'zine to unite the girls of the school to fight back in peaceful ways. What I loved about the book was how Viv and her friends woke up to and embodied feminism and just realized that feminism isn't about burning bras and declaring that men are bad, but that it's about standing up for yourself and acknowledging that women have rights too. (February)
10. Another YA book - I really love them. This one also has magic involved in the story, but more magical realism, I guess. It's the story of a girl named June (short for Junior but she's also called Jack at times). June comes from a family that has a long history in her small town. Her family is mortal enemies with another family in town, so of course June falls in love with the boy from the other family, Saul. The story is about June trying not to fall for Saul as they try to piece together exactly why their families are so at odds. The love story is pretty wonderful. (February)
9. My sister read this book. Fun fact, the woman who wrote this lives in San Diego and goes to the same gym as Lizzie's friend, so I know this author by like four degrees of separation sort of (lol). The novel is a young adult fantasy, science fiction type story about a young woman who has untapped magic powers that are forbidden in her country. Things get crazy when Zelie goes to the capitol to sell a fish and meets up with the princess who really wants to get away from her awful family. Zelie, her brother and the princess then begin a quest to bring magic back to the land as they are pursued by the prince and the powers of the kingdom. There was a lot of action and a little innocent romance and a really great story with a cliffhanger ending. Can't wait for the second book! (February)
8. This book is the third selection of the year for #Ekpesbookclub. Gail Miller is the owner of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, of which the Utah Jazz is part. The book club is actually doing the meeting tomorrow (2/7) with Ms. Miller. I'm pretty excited to meet her.
Her book is a quick, easy read. Ms. Miller is LDS and her faith plays a huge part in this book. The LDS terminology that is used extensively throughout the book is familiar to me, not because I am a member of this faith but because I grew up around it. When I get past all the spiritual references, there is a lot of good advice tucked into this slim tome. (February)
7. I have read a few books by Jenny Colgan and I like her easy style. I really liked the setting of this book: Mure, Scotland, which may or may not be a real place. (I Googled it but couldn't find it on any list.) It is an island off the coast of northern Scotland. The heroine of the story is Flora. She has left the small island to find her way in London. She works at a law firm and is in love with her boss. The firm takes on a wealthy American client who is setting up a hotel on Flora's home island so her boss sends her back to Mure to convince the locals to support the client's efforts. Flora goes back to her childhood home full of sad memories and a bit lovesick. Total Jenny Colgan. Total chick lit. I was into it. (February)
6. I bought this book a long time ago from Barnes & Noble for my Nook. One of my goals for the year is to read all the books I have purchased or been given that I haven't read.
This book is historical fiction about Loretta Young and the golden age of Hollywood. It goes through Loretta's romances with Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable. I did a lot of Googling while I was reading this book so I could remind myself what all these people looked like. The account of Young and Gable is sanitized; turns out Clark had his way with Loretta on the train back from Washington and that's really how she got pregnant with their love child.
It was a pretty good book. I have read several novels by this author. Usually I really like her fictional characters. What I liked best about it was learning, through Google, about all those old Hollywood stars and their friendships and love affairs. The 1930's was an interesting time for movies. (February)
5. The second book this year for #Ekpesbookclub. I don't really even know where to start with this book. It is heavy in so many ways. It's a story about abuse, racism, sexuality, education, relationships, weight, addiction and family. I can't say that I loved this book. There were parts that I didn't like at all, parts that were hard to read. Everyone in the book club was gushing about it because it is a Very Important Book. I get it. As a white woman far removed from the racial injustice of the Deep South, the story this man tells is eye-opening and heartbreaking and far, far away from anything I myself have experienced. One thing Kiese Laymon and I have in common is our struggle with weight and even I had a hard time reading about what he did to his body. I can't gush about this book, even though the writing is superb and the narrative is extraordinary. You can learn a lot from this book, but it is a tough read. (January)
4. I first heard of the book Educated last February when the author, Tara Westover, did an interview with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air. Westover's story was compelling and interesting and I really wanted to read it. I remember almost purchasing the book at Costco once, but I am cheap, so I didn't. I remember seeing it at the library on the Lucky 7 rack last year but I didn't have the time to read it in just seven days. Still, the desire to read this book stuck with me. A week ago I was at the library to pick up a book that was on hold for me and I again saw Educated on the Lucky 7 rack. I couldn't resist, and I'm glad I didn't. What a story! The writing and the narrative blew me away.
I realize there are two sides to every story, and I'm sure Westover's parents and brother have their own tale to tell. The thing is that I believe Tara. The way she walks us through her life and the stories she tells about some things make it easy to believe her when the stories get really sick and twisted. In addition, the way she writes about herself and how she handled or mishandled the situations rang true for me. (January)
3. My sister read this book and gave it a good review on Goodreads, so I thought I'd give it a try. The first few chapters are pretty grim, although the way the story is told, it doesn't seem so awful, strangely. The use of the first person narrative is really effective in making you feel like you are right there with Margaret the whole time. The other characters, especially Kitty and Ian, are wonderful and charming, even though they are not always that way (again through Margaret's eyes). I liked it. (January)
2. I bought this book a few months ago because I thought it would be interesting and good to know a little bit about Buddhism since I will be visiting a primarily Buddhist country very soon. I did not have the first idea about the principles and tenets of Buddhism and this little book was a good way to get the basics. I really liked how the author used examples from her own life to illustrate the principles. (January)
1. The first book of the year is The Rent Collector by Camron Wright, this month's selection from #Ekpesbookclub. It is the story of a family who lives in a dump in Cambodia, so as you can imagine from the living situation, this family is extraordinarily poor. One day while picking through the trash the husband, Ki, finds a book. Of course neither of them can read, but the book has pictures so he brings it to their shack so their baby can look at the pictures. When the Rent Collector comes to get their rent, she sees the book and the wife, Sang Ly, realizes the woman can read and begs the woman to teach her how to read so she can find a better life for her family outside the dump. What follows is quite a lovely story about the power of literature and the difficulties of life, especially in a country where poverty is so prevalent. This book really worked its way into my heart. Yes, it was predictable and sappy, but also pretty wonderful. Lots of great quotes. (January)
1 comment:
I always enjoy reading the lists of books you've read. Some I have also read and liked and some I may read at some point, and some I have absolute no interest in reading. But it's nice to read your opinion about them .
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