66. Book number 15 for #Ekpesbookclub! That was the goal we set for the year, and we are all excited that we reached the goal. This book, The Searcher, was set in the Irish countryside. The author does a wonderful job of describing the landscape, so much so that the location becomes a character in the story as well. I really enjoyed this book. I was drawn in by the characters and the story and the location. What I thought might happen at the end didn’t come to pass, but I still thought it was solid storytelling. (December)
65. I'm scurrying to meet my reading goal here in the final days of the year. I confess that I picked up a couple of books from the library that I thought would be fun, quick reads to get me to my goal. Paris for One and Other Stories is one of the books. It was a quick and fun read. The title story is more of a novella about an English woman, Nell, who books a weekend getaway to Paris with her boyfriend, Pete. The thing is that Pete is a jerk and doesn't go with her and doesn't tell her that he's not coming until she is already in Paris. Nell, a timid woman, goes out exploring the city anyway and of course, has a wonderful time and meets fun people. It's a super cute story. My other favorite story was the last one called "The Christmas List" which is set in London and involves Barcelona. Really, all the stories are pretty great. (December)
64. After a tragedy and a somewhat scary book, it's Jasmine Guillory to the rescue! Party of Two once again features characters that we have met in her previous Wedding Date books. This story is about Alexa's sister, Olivia, who has moved from New York to LA to start her own law firm. She meets a man in a hotel bar, but their initial meeting goes nowhere. They meet again a few weeks later, and sparks fly. They fall in love, everything is great, they have a falling out, and they get back together. That should not be a spoiler - this is a Jasmine Guillory book and her books are all basically the same: charming, sexy, and sweet. That said, I didn't like this one as much as I've liked some of the others. Max and Oliva eat a lot of cake and pizza and tell each other "I love you" frequently. There was just a little sexy-sexy, but mostly just sweetness. (December)
63. The Last Story of Mina Lee was a Reese's Book Club selection from earlier this year. This story is a straight up tragedy that just made me feel sad for every character. I spent most of the book wondering how on earth this story could possibly be resolved, and although there was a little bit of resolution, it was still just tragic. Sometimes the American Dream just doesn't come true. (December)
62. I was extremely excited to read Mexican Gothic. I think I heard about through a Buzzfeed list and it sounded great. I was psyched when it showed up on an Amazon email on sale for only $2.99. It's set in the 1950s in Mexico City. Noemi, a wealthy young woman, is commissioned by her father to go check on her recently married cousin, Catalina, who is living in a remote mountain village with her new husband and the husband's family. Recent letters from Catalina have the father worried. Noemi goes to the mountain house, which is in a state of disrepair and is filled with creepy people. You know shit is going to go bad when the bad dreams/nightmares start. It does go bad and it does get creepy, but not enough to make me say "Aw hell no! Get out of that house Noemi!" I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, but it was okay. (December)
61. Red at the Bone is book 14 for the year for #EkpesBookClub. It's the story of two families brought together by teenage pregnancy. The story is told from the points of view of the various family members. It is a fast read. Each character is pretty unforgettable. I liked this book. (December)
60. Untamed was a Reese's Book Club selection earlier this year, and I waited and waited for it to be available at the library. It was SO WORTH THE WAIT. I loved this book. From the first mention of Tabitha the cheetah, I was hooked. I found many things that Doyle talked about to be completely relatable, like raising children and boys in particular to her thoughts on anxiety and depression, I made so many notes in my phone. I think I'd like to buy this book for myself so I can highlight sections to go back to when I need to get a perspective on different crap I think about. I liked the style of the writing, familiar and friendly without being over the top, if that makes sense. It worked for me and was just what I needed. (December)
59. This book of short stories and a novella is the thirteenth book that Ekpe's Book Club has read this year. It's the second book of short stories I have read this year, which I think is two more than I read last year. The stories in this book were about family, race, and relationships. Two stories in particular stood out to me: "Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain" and "Anything Could Disappear." I like the way "Richard of York" ended because you, the reader, gets to decide how you think everything is resolved. "Anything Could Disappear" just kind of crushed me. I felt all the feels while reading it. Finally, the novella that shares the name of the collection is simply fantastic. I read the last few pages of it at least three times. That's some good story telling. (November)
58. Back in June, Oprah did a series of Zoom meetings (big ones!) for WW. She had guests on each of the meetings, and in the first or second meeting, she had this guy, Jay Shetty. Jay is a British man of Indian descent who spent three years as a monk in India. In the WW meeting, Jay led a meditation and talked about taking TIME every day: Thankful, Intention, Meditation, and Exercise. His words stayed with me and I've been following him via his podcast On Purpose frequently. When his book came out, I was really interested in it. I like what Jay is putting out into the world. The book is great. It took me awhile to get through it, not because it was difficult or hard to read, but because I wanted to think about what he said and incorporate some of what he is teaching into my life. His words hit on many levels for me, like weight loss, work, personal growth, and meditation to name a few. I read the book, and I could totally hear Jay talking. I know it is a book I will read again. Highly recommend. (November)
57. Verity is the twelfth book I've read this year with Ekpe's Book Club. It's a thriller about a woman who signs on to co-write the final three books of a series because the author, Verity, was in an accident and is incapacitated. Lowen, the co-author, goes to Verity's home at the invitation of her husband, Jeremy, in order to review all of the notes on the final books. Lowen finds more than the notes for the final books; she also finds Verity's unpublished autobiography that goes into explicit detail about her sex life with Jeremy, her feelings on being a mother (she did NOT like it), and her feelings when her daughters die. There were plenty of times while I was reading this book that I said out loud, "Oh hell no!" but in the end, it left me feeling a little flat. (November)
56. I saw this book at the library and I absolutely judged the book by it's cover and it's title. Of course I want to read about a magical tea shop in Paris! The story is about Vanessa who has clairvoyant powers that she doesn't want or have any control over. She goes to Paris with her aunt Evelyn, who is also clairvoyant. Evelyn plans to teach Vanessa how to control her powers of clairvoyance while opening her beautiful little tea shop. The lessons don't go well, but the descriptions of Paris and food are fun. I thought the book was okay, but it wasn't as magical as I hoped. (November)
55. This is the eleventh book I've read with #EkpesBookClub this year. I didn't really enjoy it, although many people in the club loved it. By the time the author began putting everything together toward the end, I was already annoyed with the characters and it was hard for me to start to care about them. Probably my own anxieties got in the way of enjoying this book. There were some excellent observations from the author/omniscient narrator, but it wasn't enough for me. (November)
54. I don't remember how the book Normal People got on my radar. I think it was one of those "acclaimed" books that I thought would be good and important to read. I almost didn't make it through the first ten pages, to be honest. In Cormac McCarthy fashion, there isn't punctuation on dialogue, so it was a little hard to follow to begin with. I persevered, but thought about giving up after 100 pages, mainly because I was kind of annoyed by Connell and Marianne and their strange relationship. It's clear they love each other (most of the time) but they can't/won't stay together or acknowledge their feelings for each other in front of their friends. It's like they are ashamed of each other and their feelings even though they can't stay away from each other. It's complicated and annoying and kind of enthralling too. (October)
53. This is gonna sound crazy, but this book was also recommended by Erin Craig. I saw a post she had on Twitter in which she talked about this book, so I put it on hold at the library. I think the Twitter post happed in July, and I just got the book in October. It was worth the wait. It is a sweet YA story about two high school seniors, Luke and Vada, and the people who surround them. Luke has a secret crush on Vada. Vada has a secret crush on Luke. When circumstances happen in which they get to work together, flirting happens and there's chemistry but each of them think they are imagining it all, until they realize it's real. There's a lot of cool music stuff and their people are all great, especially Phil. I really liked this book. (October)
52. Ninth House was Ekpe's pick for October and I think it was suggested to him by an author we have read and who participated in our discussions, Erin Craig. Ninth House is about the secret societies of Yale University and the (I think fictional) ninth house that oversees the activities of the Ancient Eight. the main character is Alex, a freshman who was selected to join Lethe House as their newest Dante. Alex is "guided" in her work at Lethe by her Virgil, a fellow called Darlington. Somehow Darlington disappears, we learn about Alex's gifts and her past, and we get scared a bit along the way. This is the first book in a series and I'm excited to continue this tale! (October)
51. After Blacktop Wasteland and Transcendent Kingdom, I needed something light and romantic, and Roommaid totally fit the bill. Roommaid was a First Pick from Amazon. It's about a woman called Madison who comes from a wealthy family, but who is cut off from the family funds when she decides to be a teacher instead of going into the family business. Her aunt, a realtor, helps her find a place to live, as a roommate to a super-hot dude, Tyler, who doesn't want any romantic entanglement. He's a workaholic who is looking for someone to hang out with his separation-anxiety riddled dog while he is on frequent business trips. Of course Madison and Tyler fall in love. Of course there is a twist that tears them apart. Of course they get back together (spoiler). On the way to all that, there is a lot of squeaky-clean, sparkly-eyed romance. I kind of loved it. (October)
50. Transcendent Kingdom was the September choice for #Ekpesbookclub. It is the second book we have read by this author. This novel was about a woman called Gifty who is a scientist, studying at Stanford. Her specialty is observing the effects of addiction in mice. She came to that field of study after her brother died of an overdose and her mother fell into a deep, debilitating depression. The story goes back and forth from present-day to Gifty's childhood, and we watch as her brother becomes addicted to opioids after he suffers an injury playing basketball in high school. It is a heavy story, for sure, but very well written and weirdly hopeful. Some people in the book club didn't care for the ending, but I felt it was sufficiently vague to allow me to finish it how I wanted. (September)
49. I heard about this book on NPR and thought it sounded interesting. I think enough time had passed between when I heard the review and when I got the book that I had forgotten the plot. I was unprepared for the violence and extreme action, but I totally loved it! The story is about a man named Beauregard who is a loving husband and father, and a man with money problems. His business is struggling. His daughter wants to go to college and needs some help financially. His mother's long-term care facility is planning to kick her out because she can't make the payments. His son needs braces. You get the idea. Beauregard has something of an alter-ego, a getaway driver known as Bug. Bug agrees to take on one last job in order to get the money he needs to take care of his money problems. It's never easy though, is it? I can totally see this as an action movie. It took me a little time to get into Cosby's writing style, but once I got used to the flow of the story, I really got into it. I feel like there are more stories about Bug to come. (September)
48. The Giver of Stars was #Ekpesbookclub pick for August/September. I read the book last year, in December, and I enjoyed it so I was okay with reading it again. It had been long enough that I'd forgotten some of the smaller plot points. It's the story of a Packhorse Library in eastern Kentucky in the 1930s, specifically about the women who rode through the mountains delivering books to the people who lived far from town. There's a villain, there's a death, there's forbidden romantic longing, and there's a group of women with personality to spare. (September)
47. This book came highly recommended by my sister. She totally loved it, so I had to read it. It is the story of a Cambodian woman who was able to escape the Khmer Rouge regime when she was a child to go to America. She returns to Cambodia in the late '90s following the death of her aunt, with whom she fled to the U.S. The woman, Teera, is also meeting with a man known as the Old Musician, who wrote her a letter saying that he knew her father. There's a lot going on in this book. There are two stories happening: Teera's and the Old Musician's. Through the Old Musician, we learn about the horrors within the Khmer Rouge. Through Teera, we see a woman who is between countries: too American to be Cambodia, too Cambodian to by American. The actual words used in this book are beautiful. The author has a way of using language that pulled at my heart.(September)
46. This book was selection from Amazon First Reads. It's about a woman, Cleo McDougal, who is a single mother and a U.S. Senator who is considering a run for the Presidency. She's kind of a mess because she has all this unresolved baggage that she's carrying around with her that makes her seem pretty unfocused and scattered. I didn't much care for her. I kept thinking that she would get herself together, and maybe she will, but those pages weren't written. (September)
44. This collection of short stories was Reese's Book Club pick for August. The stories were about Haitian people, although the stories didn't necessarily take place in Haiti. I was especially touched by a couple of the stories, "Sunrise, Sunset" and "Without Inspection", although every story was interesting and well-written. I don't read many short story collections, and whenever I do, I wonder why I don't read more. I really like the format. (August)
45. This memoir was a Reese's Book Club pick in July, but I was only able to get it from the library this month. The first sentence, "White people can be exhausting," made me nod my head and cringe. This quick read is one of the best books I have read about how Black people feel about how they are treated. Ms. Brown is articulate and thoughtful and her plainly spoken, beautiful words made me think, too. (August)
43. I bought this ebook for cheap from Amazon. I liked another Lian Dolan book I read, so I was willing to spend a couple of bucks on this book. It was good too, but not quite as charming as Elizabeth the First Wife. This story is about three sisters who are mourning the death of their father, who was a noted novelist with some secrets. How the sisters support each other as they learn the secrets and how they come to terms themselves with the father they thought they knew was good reading. I liked each of the sisters and the story moved along well. (August)
42. The Vanishing Half was this month's selection in #EkpesBookClub. I found it interesting and compelling. It is the story of twins, Stella and Desiree, who come from such a small town that it isn't even on the map. They run away from the town and go to New Orleans and then Stella disappears. The story of the sisters and their daughters follows. Everyone has truths they don't reveal to others. This novel has inspired great discussions in our book club. (August)
41. I finished Kevin Kwan trilogy about the crazy rich Asians. I enjoyed all the books a lot! The toughest book was the first one, Crazy Rich Asians, because it wasn't like the movie. The next two books were enjoyable because I didn't have anything to compare them to, I guess. The books were like a mini-vacation since the characters were flying all over the world in their swanky private jets and staying in the best hotels. The books were just plain fun. (August)
40. Oh my goodness I love Jasmine Guillory's books! Royal Holiday is the fourth book in the Wedding Date series. It's not really a series, necessarily, but each book has characters from previous books. This book is about Maddie's mother Vivian. This book was like a delicious candy bar or giant cookie. I gobbled it up and smiled in satisfaction at the end. (July)
39. This novel was in my 2019 To Be Read pile. It's the third book in they To All the Boys I Loved Before trilogy. It continues the story of Lara Jean and Peter. It's their senior year of high school and thoughts of college are on their brains along with prom and graduation and staying together through it all. All the books are darling. (July)
38. This book was a First Read from Amazon. Honestly the books offered there can be hit or miss. This one was a hit. I liked it a lot. It was about a woman who returns to her childhood home following the death of her grandmother. There's family drama and an old murder that needs to be solved and a hot neighbor who complicates matters. I thought the story moved along nicely and I liked that characters. That's a big thing for me. (July)
37. My mamacita recommended Marina to me, a book written by one of her favorite authors from her home city of Barcelona. The story is set in 1970's Barcelona, but it feels like it could have taken place even farther back in the past. I loved reading about places I have heard of or been to, including a roadtrip to a secluded beach between Tossa del Mar and Blanes. I could totally picture it in my head. I liked Oscar and Marina and my heart beat a little faster as they worked together to figure out a scary mystery. So good. (July)
36. China Rich Girlfriend is the second in Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. I liked this book a lot, maybe because I didn't have a movie to compare it to. All of our favorite characters from the first book are there, as well as some new characters and interesting twists. Very fun reading! (July)
35. The Guest List was Reese's pick for July. I feel pretty lucky that I got it so early. It is a murder mystery set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. It's told from various points of view of different guests at this wedding. You don't find out who was murdered until near the end; there are plenty of people that could be murdered and plenty of people who could do the murdering. Very engaging; I liked it a lot! (July)
34. The Jetsetters was a Reese's Book Club pick from earlier this year. I really liked the premise: a woman enters a contest to win a all-expense paid cruise from Athens to Barcelona. She wins, and takes her three adult children with her. What I liked about the premise is the travel, of course. Each chapter was named for the port the family was visiting. The woman who won lives in Savannah, GA. The mom and the kids sounded like interesting characters. The thing is, each one of them had a shit-ton of emotional baggage and the book mostly dealt with their dysfunctional way of handling that baggage between them. I kind of expected it would be that way, but it felt kinda clunky and was mostly uncomfortable. (July)
33. This book hit my radar recently, I don't remember where I heard about it though. Amazon had it on sale for a couple of bucks so I decided to get it. This book is a quick easy read that is so sweet it will make your teeth hurt. Sloane and Jason has the cutest meet-cute and they fall in love hard and fast, but there's complications. Jason is too good to be true. As I was reading the book, my thought was that there is NO man who would do the things he does for Sloane. I totally loved it. (July - yes, I read most of it in June but I finished it on July 1).
32. This extremely topical book was #Ekpesbookclub selection for June. Before Ekpe announced we'd be reading it with the group, I checked it out from the virtual library and started it. I stopped so I could read with the book club, so it felt like it took a long time to read, even though the book club cruised through it in two weeks. I admit it wasn't a cruise for me. Written very much like a text book and full of facts, figures, and definitions, it wasn't a technically easy read. The subject matter was difficult as well. I liked the author's personal story woven throughout, and I learned stuff for sure, but it didn't grab me. (June)
31. This book was my TBR pile choice of the month. I loved this movie! I've seen it a bunch of times. This book only vaguely resembled the movie, to be honest. There is so much more detail on all the main characters. At first I got a little confused about who everyone one was and I was wondering where Nick and Rachel were in all of this, but then I got into the flow and started putting faces from the film to names in the book and I started to like it a lot. Fun! (June)
30. I heard about this book last year on NPR. The reviewer liked the book a lot and made it sound really good, so I put it on my list and it just became available through the library as an ebook. The story is set in Baltimore in the 1960s. It is about a woman in her late 30s, Maddie, who abruptly leaves her husband and sets out on her own. She decides she wants to work at a newspaper, so she figures out how to get a job there, then sets about finding stories to write. The novel is told from different points of view and there is a surprise at the end. I didn't really care for the character of Maddie, so it was difficult for me to like the novel as a whole. Maybe I was meant to appreciate the fact that Maddie made her own stuff happen, but I thought she was kind of sleazy about it. (June)
29. My Goodreads "read" list tells me that I read Elizabeth the First Wife several years ago, but I really didn't remember it at all, I think I would have because it was kind of adorable. Easy to read, likable characters, fun plot. I would like to read more books from this author! (June)
28. This was my TBR pile book choice for May and I actually finished it in the month I chose it! I borrowed this book from my sister but I don't remember what drove me to ask her to borrow it. The story is a bit creepy. It is set in Paris and is about a woman who becomes the nanny for a couple of children for a hard-working French couple. The nanny, Louise, is great in many ways, but she has some mental health issues. It's pretty creepy to watch as she sinks into the illness. The whole book made me go "Ew" with a shiver. (May)
27. The Splendid and the Vile was the #Ekpesbookclub selection for May. The book details the first year of Winston Churchill's time as Prime Minister, May 10, 1940 (his first day on the job) to May 10, 1941. The book is filled with anecdotes and true stories told by various people close to Churchill. Meticulously researched, this is a deep dive into the British history of that year. (May)
26. This book was in my TBR pile and was the book I picked to read in March (I'm a month behind!) It is also a former Reese's Book Club selection. It is the story of a young American woman, Charlie, who goes to Europe to look for her French cousin after World War II. To aid in her search, she enlists the help of Eve, an older British woman. Eve comes with a driver, Finn. The three of them head to France and on the way, Eve tells the story of her time as a spy in the Alice Network during World War I. Good storytelling, good character development. (May)
25. My sister turned me on to this book. It is a quick, 200 page read that is anything but easy. Explicit and unflinching as well as engaging and thoughtful. (May)
24. This book was an Amazon First Reads choice this month. I often will pick a First Reads book and not read it because I'm reading something else and I tell myself I'll read it later, but I actually decided to read this right away. Um...I now know why I often skip the First Reads. I thought there might be potential here: three women, vastly different, move into a house that has been divided up into three apartments. The women all have something in common: they have been "ghosted" by former friends. Turns out, they may be living with ghosts in the house. The landlord is weird and not likable. The women are weird and not likable. The only reason I got through this book was because I was hoping they would eventually redeem themselves. Spoiler: they don't. (May)
18. This book, The Muse, had been in my virtual TBR list for awhile. I'm pretty sure my sister read it and liked it and I liked her review of it, so I wanted to read it. When it became available through the eLibrary, it wasn't a Kindle book, just an epub and I didn't know how to find it on my device, but then I did and I whipped through it. Such a great story, alternating between 1967 London and 1936 southern Spain. The tie between the times is a painting. I liked everything about this book. (April)
17. This was my second time through this book this year (I read it in January, book #5). It was the selection for #Ekpesbookclub this month. Since I already knew the twisty ending, I read the book a little differently this time. The bummer was that I couldn't really participate much in the book club discussions because everyone was trying to figure out if Alicia really did it and if she didn't who did? It was fun to follow along with the discussions. I enjoyed it the second time through as well. (March)
16. Such a Fun Age was the Reese's Book Club pick for January. I was lucky to get it from the library before they closed. The writing is superb: light and crisp that might make you forget about the underlying story about race and relationships. (March)
15. Jasmine Guillory has created a group of characters in a set of three books whose lives cross and mesh together and it's really fun. The first book was The Wedding Date which focused on Drew and Alexa, though we met Maddie, Theo and Carlos in that story too. The second book was The Proposal which focused on Carlos and Nik; Drew and Alexa showed up in that story. This third book, The Wedding Party, focuses on Maddie and Theo, and everyone else is there too. The books are sweet and sexyand easy to read and really great anytime, but I especially liked the escapism of this one during these Trying Times. (March)
14. I felt like this book was about 100 pages too long. It was a take on Pride and Prejudice, but with the female character being rich and prejudice and the male character being poor and proud. Or is he prejudice and she is proud? It goes back and forth. It wasn't quite as compelling and likable as I hoped. (March)
13. I purchased this book last year, so it's been in my TBR pile for awhile. It is the book I selected from that pile to read in February, but I didn't get to it then. It is a World War II story set in London. It follows Mary, a wealthy young woman who wants to join the war effort and gets assigned to teach school since all the men have been sent to fight the war. It's kind of a rambling story that goes from 1939 to 1942 and switches between Mary and Alistair. All the horrors of war show up in the book as well as the toll it takes on civilians. It was all right. (March)
12. This is the second of a planned 15 books we'll read with #EkpesBookClub this year. Reading this novel was a constant struggle for me. I considered abandoning it many time. I could really only get through in ten minute intervals. There was so much description of land and animals that by the end of a giant descriptive paragraph, I'd lost track of what was being described in the first place. Yes, the imagery was beautiful and symbolic. Yes, the way Momaday didn't really let you hear directly from the main character was a wonderful metaphor for the isolation felt by that character, a Native American struggling to find his place in the white world. I understand the concepts, but I did not enjoy this book. (March)
11. I heard about this book from the Buzzfeed book club. I think it was the January choice. I wasn't sure to expect from this quirky store, but I was completely charmed by it. Nothing about it was believable, but somehow it almost seemed possible that it could happen. I really liked potty-mouth Lillian and the twins. I also liked the twist that happened near the end. So cute. (February)
10. This book was Reese's Book Club selection for February. I was able to get it at the library, which was fantastic. Sometimes you can't get her book picks right away because they are in such demand. I liked this book about a girl named Emmeline who lives with her dad on an island. The descriptions of the scents were excellent; I swear that my sense of smell was heightened from reading this book! I didn't always like Emmeline and the things she did, but I did like this book. (February)
9. The Water Dancer is the first book of the year for #EkpesBookClub. Ekpe has a goal of 15 books for us, so we'll see how that works out. This was an interesting book set in Virginia before the Civil War. One thing I found compelling was the terminology: the slaves were the Tasked and the whites were the Quality. The Quality seemed pretty ironic to me since there wasn't much quality to the white people in the story at all. There was a unique take on the Underground Railroad as well. It was interesting, but I confess that as I was reading it, I don't think I absorbed as much meaning as the other book club members. I really liked all their takes on this story. I guess that is what's cool about being in a book club. (February)
8. YA time! This book was on my radar before it became a movie, but I just didn't get around to it for whatever reason. I haven't watched the movie yet because I wanted to read it first. When it popped up as available on my elibrary, I was all over it! It's the story of Natasha, a Jamaican-born young woman who is about to be deported, and Daniel, a Korean-American who believes in love at first sight and meant to be. They meet and spend one day together. I particularly liked the side stories of other characters and science that added depth to the story of Natasha and Daniel. I'm excited to watch the movie! (February)
7. I really enjoyed this epic novel. It starts in Spain in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War and follows Victor and Roser as they escape Spain to France after Franco declares victory. They are separated in France, but reunite to flee to Chile. They live a nice life there until Pinochet takes over the country, and then they flee to Venezuela before eventually returning to Chile. The descriptions of what Victor and Roser go through, how they live their lives and the people they meet along the way is great reading. Historical fiction at it's best. (February)
6. Oh Alice Hoffman...you are just so wonderful. This story of Jewish girls from Berlin escaping to France and trying to stay alive during World War 2 is touching and beautiful and scary. The characters are interesting - especially Ava. Magic, mysticism, real-life scary situations, love...it has everything. (February)
5. The Silent Patient is another Reader's Choice selection. It was also the winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for best mystery/thriller of 2019. I was immediately drawn into this story about a woman, Alicia, who kills her husband and then goes silent for years. Alicia, the silent patient, lives in a facility for mentally ill criminals, when Theo, the narrator and psychotherapist, gets a job at the facility and wants to be the one to get Alicia to speak again. There are lots of things going on in this story. By the time the twist is revealed, I thought, "Wait. What?" I thought it over and realized my mind had just been twisted. Good one. (January)
4. The County Library does a Reader's Choice collection two or three times a year. This book, The Dinner List, in a Reader's Choice selection this quarter. I liked the cover, and when I read the jacket, I knew I wanted to read it. It's about a woman's birthday dinner and her guests. Surprising, sad, sweet, magical. (January)
3. Ann Patchett is one of those authors that I can't pass up. Her books dive into characters and their lives and I love it. This story is about a sister and a brother who are basically kicked out of their house by their step-mother. I liked Maeve and Danny a lot. Sometimes I didn't really understand what they were doing, but it made them more intriguing, somehow. I really liked this book. (January)
2. The Starless Sea is a story about stories. It is magical and twisting. I knew that Erin Morgenstern would manage to pull it all together in the end, of course, but I did not expect how she would get there. I admit I got a little lost sometimes, which also happened when I read The Night Circus, but it was worth it. (January)
1. I received this book for Christmas from my sister. Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the second novel in a series; I read the first book last year in February while we were on vacation in Thailand. I loved it. I was excited for this second book and I was not disappointed! The world that author Tomi Adeyemi creates and the characters that inhabit it are unforgettable. I love the strong females that are the heart of the book. Magic, mythology, mayhem - it's all there. So good. (January)
23. I don't know how I stumbled on this book. Maybe because Hank Green is John Green's brother and they seem fun and John can write, so maybe Hank can too. He can, by the way. And if you don't know John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down and others) why don't you? I mostly liked this book. It was unique and original. It turns out I didn't really like April very much, but it was interesting to watch her obsession with fame. This book probably isn't what you think. I hope there is more to this story. (May)
22. YA break! I gobbled this book up as if it were a delicious cookie. It made me smile and be a little sad, too. (April)
21. This book was my March TBR pick. I'm a month behind, but it's okay. I had a hard time getting into this book. There were lots of characters and each chapter is told from a different character's perspective and I had some difficulty keeping everyone straight. It's the story of a suicide-or-murder in a small town in England, a town that has a history of suicide-or-murders of women. Once the story started rolling, I enjoyed it. Figuring out if the latest incident was a suicide or a murder, and if a murder, figuring out whodunnit, was fun. Lots of red herrings and the possibilities of ghosts. (April)
20. I've read some heavy books recently and I needed to lighten it up a bit, so I was excited to see The Kiss Quotient pop up as available on my Overdrive list. There's not much to say about this sexy, easy read. I enjoyed it. (April)
19. American Dirt is the third book this year for #Ekpesbookclub. I was surprised and delighted when it arrived in the mail because it was definitely on my To Read list after I'd heard about it on NPR. I was unprepared for how much the story scared me. It is the story of a middle-class family who is killed by a drug cartel. The woman, Lydia, and her eight year old son Luca are the only survivors because they happened to be inside the house during the massacre. Lydia and Luca become migrants, certain that they will only be safe when they get to el norte, the United States. From the constant fear that the cartel will find them to riding on top of speeding freight trains, to crossing the Sonora Desert, to dealing with the overwhelming grief of losing their whole family, my heart was in my mouth throughout the book. There are also many tender moments between Lydia and Luca and some people they meet. (April)
22. YA break! I gobbled this book up as if it were a delicious cookie. It made me smile and be a little sad, too. (April)
21. This book was my March TBR pick. I'm a month behind, but it's okay. I had a hard time getting into this book. There were lots of characters and each chapter is told from a different character's perspective and I had some difficulty keeping everyone straight. It's the story of a suicide-or-murder in a small town in England, a town that has a history of suicide-or-murders of women. Once the story started rolling, I enjoyed it. Figuring out if the latest incident was a suicide or a murder, and if a murder, figuring out whodunnit, was fun. Lots of red herrings and the possibilities of ghosts. (April)
20. I've read some heavy books recently and I needed to lighten it up a bit, so I was excited to see The Kiss Quotient pop up as available on my Overdrive list. There's not much to say about this sexy, easy read. I enjoyed it. (April)
19. American Dirt is the third book this year for #Ekpesbookclub. I was surprised and delighted when it arrived in the mail because it was definitely on my To Read list after I'd heard about it on NPR. I was unprepared for how much the story scared me. It is the story of a middle-class family who is killed by a drug cartel. The woman, Lydia, and her eight year old son Luca are the only survivors because they happened to be inside the house during the massacre. Lydia and Luca become migrants, certain that they will only be safe when they get to el norte, the United States. From the constant fear that the cartel will find them to riding on top of speeding freight trains, to crossing the Sonora Desert, to dealing with the overwhelming grief of losing their whole family, my heart was in my mouth throughout the book. There are also many tender moments between Lydia and Luca and some people they meet. (April)
18. This book, The Muse, had been in my virtual TBR list for awhile. I'm pretty sure my sister read it and liked it and I liked her review of it, so I wanted to read it. When it became available through the eLibrary, it wasn't a Kindle book, just an epub and I didn't know how to find it on my device, but then I did and I whipped through it. Such a great story, alternating between 1967 London and 1936 southern Spain. The tie between the times is a painting. I liked everything about this book. (April)
17. This was my second time through this book this year (I read it in January, book #5). It was the selection for #Ekpesbookclub this month. Since I already knew the twisty ending, I read the book a little differently this time. The bummer was that I couldn't really participate much in the book club discussions because everyone was trying to figure out if Alicia really did it and if she didn't who did? It was fun to follow along with the discussions. I enjoyed it the second time through as well. (March)
16. Such a Fun Age was the Reese's Book Club pick for January. I was lucky to get it from the library before they closed. The writing is superb: light and crisp that might make you forget about the underlying story about race and relationships. (March)
15. Jasmine Guillory has created a group of characters in a set of three books whose lives cross and mesh together and it's really fun. The first book was The Wedding Date which focused on Drew and Alexa, though we met Maddie, Theo and Carlos in that story too. The second book was The Proposal which focused on Carlos and Nik; Drew and Alexa showed up in that story. This third book, The Wedding Party, focuses on Maddie and Theo, and everyone else is there too. The books are sweet and sexyand easy to read and really great anytime, but I especially liked the escapism of this one during these Trying Times. (March)
14. I felt like this book was about 100 pages too long. It was a take on Pride and Prejudice, but with the female character being rich and prejudice and the male character being poor and proud. Or is he prejudice and she is proud? It goes back and forth. It wasn't quite as compelling and likable as I hoped. (March)
13. I purchased this book last year, so it's been in my TBR pile for awhile. It is the book I selected from that pile to read in February, but I didn't get to it then. It is a World War II story set in London. It follows Mary, a wealthy young woman who wants to join the war effort and gets assigned to teach school since all the men have been sent to fight the war. It's kind of a rambling story that goes from 1939 to 1942 and switches between Mary and Alistair. All the horrors of war show up in the book as well as the toll it takes on civilians. It was all right. (March)
12. This is the second of a planned 15 books we'll read with #EkpesBookClub this year. Reading this novel was a constant struggle for me. I considered abandoning it many time. I could really only get through in ten minute intervals. There was so much description of land and animals that by the end of a giant descriptive paragraph, I'd lost track of what was being described in the first place. Yes, the imagery was beautiful and symbolic. Yes, the way Momaday didn't really let you hear directly from the main character was a wonderful metaphor for the isolation felt by that character, a Native American struggling to find his place in the white world. I understand the concepts, but I did not enjoy this book. (March)
11. I heard about this book from the Buzzfeed book club. I think it was the January choice. I wasn't sure to expect from this quirky store, but I was completely charmed by it. Nothing about it was believable, but somehow it almost seemed possible that it could happen. I really liked potty-mouth Lillian and the twins. I also liked the twist that happened near the end. So cute. (February)
10. This book was Reese's Book Club selection for February. I was able to get it at the library, which was fantastic. Sometimes you can't get her book picks right away because they are in such demand. I liked this book about a girl named Emmeline who lives with her dad on an island. The descriptions of the scents were excellent; I swear that my sense of smell was heightened from reading this book! I didn't always like Emmeline and the things she did, but I did like this book. (February)
9. The Water Dancer is the first book of the year for #EkpesBookClub. Ekpe has a goal of 15 books for us, so we'll see how that works out. This was an interesting book set in Virginia before the Civil War. One thing I found compelling was the terminology: the slaves were the Tasked and the whites were the Quality. The Quality seemed pretty ironic to me since there wasn't much quality to the white people in the story at all. There was a unique take on the Underground Railroad as well. It was interesting, but I confess that as I was reading it, I don't think I absorbed as much meaning as the other book club members. I really liked all their takes on this story. I guess that is what's cool about being in a book club. (February)
8. YA time! This book was on my radar before it became a movie, but I just didn't get around to it for whatever reason. I haven't watched the movie yet because I wanted to read it first. When it popped up as available on my elibrary, I was all over it! It's the story of Natasha, a Jamaican-born young woman who is about to be deported, and Daniel, a Korean-American who believes in love at first sight and meant to be. They meet and spend one day together. I particularly liked the side stories of other characters and science that added depth to the story of Natasha and Daniel. I'm excited to watch the movie! (February)
7. I really enjoyed this epic novel. It starts in Spain in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War and follows Victor and Roser as they escape Spain to France after Franco declares victory. They are separated in France, but reunite to flee to Chile. They live a nice life there until Pinochet takes over the country, and then they flee to Venezuela before eventually returning to Chile. The descriptions of what Victor and Roser go through, how they live their lives and the people they meet along the way is great reading. Historical fiction at it's best. (February)
6. Oh Alice Hoffman...you are just so wonderful. This story of Jewish girls from Berlin escaping to France and trying to stay alive during World War 2 is touching and beautiful and scary. The characters are interesting - especially Ava. Magic, mysticism, real-life scary situations, love...it has everything. (February)
5. The Silent Patient is another Reader's Choice selection. It was also the winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for best mystery/thriller of 2019. I was immediately drawn into this story about a woman, Alicia, who kills her husband and then goes silent for years. Alicia, the silent patient, lives in a facility for mentally ill criminals, when Theo, the narrator and psychotherapist, gets a job at the facility and wants to be the one to get Alicia to speak again. There are lots of things going on in this story. By the time the twist is revealed, I thought, "Wait. What?" I thought it over and realized my mind had just been twisted. Good one. (January)
4. The County Library does a Reader's Choice collection two or three times a year. This book, The Dinner List, in a Reader's Choice selection this quarter. I liked the cover, and when I read the jacket, I knew I wanted to read it. It's about a woman's birthday dinner and her guests. Surprising, sad, sweet, magical. (January)
3. Ann Patchett is one of those authors that I can't pass up. Her books dive into characters and their lives and I love it. This story is about a sister and a brother who are basically kicked out of their house by their step-mother. I liked Maeve and Danny a lot. Sometimes I didn't really understand what they were doing, but it made them more intriguing, somehow. I really liked this book. (January)
2. The Starless Sea is a story about stories. It is magical and twisting. I knew that Erin Morgenstern would manage to pull it all together in the end, of course, but I did not expect how she would get there. I admit I got a little lost sometimes, which also happened when I read The Night Circus, but it was worth it. (January)
1. I received this book for Christmas from my sister. Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the second novel in a series; I read the first book last year in February while we were on vacation in Thailand. I loved it. I was excited for this second book and I was not disappointed! The world that author Tomi Adeyemi creates and the characters that inhabit it are unforgettable. I love the strong females that are the heart of the book. Magic, mythology, mayhem - it's all there. So good. (January)
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