One star = did not like it at all
Two stars = eh, it was okay
Three stars = liked it
Four stars = really, really liked it
Five stars = absolutely loved it
1-Star (1)
*The Lying Game (Fiction, Ruth Ware)
I’m not giving up on Ruth Ware. I just did NOT like this plot. And it started off so well. But about 75% through I got really bored and the main characters became more and more unlikable (and they weren’t even that likable to begin with). This was one of Reese Witherspoon’s book club picks (if that means anything to you at all).
(free from Libby audio)
2-Star (2)
**Blonde (Fiction, Joyce Carol Oates)
I had high hopes for this book, but was a little hesitant because it’s Joyce Carole Oates (NOT one of my favorite authors). Sadly, I did not really like this book. I think maybe if I would have read it instead of listened to it I may have liked it a little better. The audio reader was just….annoying. Her reading of Norma Jean was just really breathy and high pitched and while maybe that’s how Norma Jean really spoke, I found it annoying and childlike. I don’t know….it was just an incredibly depressing and annoying read.
(free from Hoopla audio)
**The One (Fiction, Kiera Cass)
So book 3 of The Selection series is out of the way. Ha ha. What can I say….I KNOW how these books are going to be, yet I continue to read them. There are two left, and I can listen to them free through Libby audio.
(free from Hoopla audio)
3-Star (6)
***This is Me (Non-Fiction, Chrissy Metz)
Chrissy Metz plays Kate on the fantastic TV show ‘This is Us’ (one of my favorites), and ‘This is Me’ is her memoir. Now…I thought it was a bit odd for her to publish a memoir already. She is a relatively new actress. This is Us was her first big break (she reveals in the book that she had .81 cents in her bank account when she drove to her audition), and they’ve only done two seasons. But it’s still a nice read, and she reads the audiobook herself which is fun.
(free from Hoopla audio)
***Names for the Sea, Strangers in Iceland (Non-Fiction, Sarah Moss)
I wavered back and forth for about a day whether to give this book 3 stars or 4 stars. Some of the chapters were SOOOOOO good and some were….not. For example, there was an entire chapter devoted to elves and how some Icelandic people believe in them and claim to see them. ? But then the next chapter would be all about knitting and Icelandic wool and the history of it and how kindergarteners are taught to knit even today, and how knitting is just such a way of life for Icelanders that there is typically a knitting aisle in the grocery store. I found the book very informative and I marked it up quite a bit (highlighting passages, places, etc.). Also, did you know that Icelanders buy the most books per capita in the entire world??? Now I’m thinking I should have given this book 4 stars ha ha.
(real book, keeper)
***Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk (Fiction, Kathleen Rooney)
This book was *almost* a DNF for me. I listened to the audio, and it was REALLY slow in the beginning. And then it picked up a LOT and was delightful in the middle. And then it kind of slowed down at the end. But I still enjoyed it and glad I kept on listening. It follows Lillian Boxfish (based on Margaret Fishback, the highest paid copyrighter at Macy’s back in the day), who is an 85-year-old woman who takes a stroll in New York City and reminisces about her life, her writing, her failed marriage, her electro shock therapy, etc.
(free from Hoopla audio)
***Everything Here is Beautiful (Fiction, Mira Lee)
Wow. So….a couple things about this book. #1 – content. Beware. I mean, it’s not horrible, but there are very few people I would feel comfortable recommending this book to. #2 – mental illness. This book is about two sisters, Miranda and Lucia. But it’s mostly about Lucia. After their mother dies, Lucia starts to hear voices and acting very erratically. She is in and out of the hospital, she gets better then she spirals out of control, then she gets better, then she spirals, etc. Her husband and her sister (Miranda) try desperately to help her. Miranda is afar though…she lives in Switzerland while Lucia and her husband and daughter are in Ecuador. The story is told from multiple viewpoints (the sisters, the husband, etc.). The book jacket I think focuses on the ‘sisters’ part of this story, however, the book seemed to be mostly told from Manny (the husband) and Lucia’s perspectives. I listened to this on audio though, so maybe I’m wrong. But Miranda’s parts in the book were short. Her thinking was that as long as her sister takes her pills, she will be fine and will have ‘control’ of the ‘situation’. The writing is strong, the plot is strong, and the author really seemed to show how difficult it is to be a person with mental illness. The parts told from Lucia’s perspective were my favorite. I just felt for her so much. This would have been a 4-star read for me….but the content kept it at 3-stars. And the cover? Beautiful.
(free from Libby audio)
***The Couple Next Door (Fiction, Shari Lapena)
This was a good mystery-page-turner. A few twists and turns, but nothing too crazy. I enjoyed it.
(free from Libby audio, however I own the book also, will donate to LFL)
Two stars = eh, it was okay
Three stars = liked it
Four stars = really, really liked it
Five stars = absolutely loved it
1-Star (1)
*The Lying Game (Fiction, Ruth Ware)
I’m not giving up on Ruth Ware. I just did NOT like this plot. And it started off so well. But about 75% through I got really bored and the main characters became more and more unlikable (and they weren’t even that likable to begin with). This was one of Reese Witherspoon’s book club picks (if that means anything to you at all).
(free from Libby audio)
2-Star (2)
**Blonde (Fiction, Joyce Carol Oates)
I had high hopes for this book, but was a little hesitant because it’s Joyce Carole Oates (NOT one of my favorite authors). Sadly, I did not really like this book. I think maybe if I would have read it instead of listened to it I may have liked it a little better. The audio reader was just….annoying. Her reading of Norma Jean was just really breathy and high pitched and while maybe that’s how Norma Jean really spoke, I found it annoying and childlike. I don’t know….it was just an incredibly depressing and annoying read.
(free from Hoopla audio)
**The One (Fiction, Kiera Cass)
So book 3 of The Selection series is out of the way. Ha ha. What can I say….I KNOW how these books are going to be, yet I continue to read them. There are two left, and I can listen to them free through Libby audio.
(free from Hoopla audio)
3-Star (6)
***This is Me (Non-Fiction, Chrissy Metz)
Chrissy Metz plays Kate on the fantastic TV show ‘This is Us’ (one of my favorites), and ‘This is Me’ is her memoir. Now…I thought it was a bit odd for her to publish a memoir already. She is a relatively new actress. This is Us was her first big break (she reveals in the book that she had .81 cents in her bank account when she drove to her audition), and they’ve only done two seasons. But it’s still a nice read, and she reads the audiobook herself which is fun.
(free from Hoopla audio)
***Names for the Sea, Strangers in Iceland (Non-Fiction, Sarah Moss)
I wavered back and forth for about a day whether to give this book 3 stars or 4 stars. Some of the chapters were SOOOOOO good and some were….not. For example, there was an entire chapter devoted to elves and how some Icelandic people believe in them and claim to see them. ? But then the next chapter would be all about knitting and Icelandic wool and the history of it and how kindergarteners are taught to knit even today, and how knitting is just such a way of life for Icelanders that there is typically a knitting aisle in the grocery store. I found the book very informative and I marked it up quite a bit (highlighting passages, places, etc.). Also, did you know that Icelanders buy the most books per capita in the entire world??? Now I’m thinking I should have given this book 4 stars ha ha.
(real book, keeper)
***Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk (Fiction, Kathleen Rooney)
This book was *almost* a DNF for me. I listened to the audio, and it was REALLY slow in the beginning. And then it picked up a LOT and was delightful in the middle. And then it kind of slowed down at the end. But I still enjoyed it and glad I kept on listening. It follows Lillian Boxfish (based on Margaret Fishback, the highest paid copyrighter at Macy’s back in the day), who is an 85-year-old woman who takes a stroll in New York City and reminisces about her life, her writing, her failed marriage, her electro shock therapy, etc.
(free from Hoopla audio)
***Everything Here is Beautiful (Fiction, Mira Lee)
Wow. So….a couple things about this book. #1 – content. Beware. I mean, it’s not horrible, but there are very few people I would feel comfortable recommending this book to. #2 – mental illness. This book is about two sisters, Miranda and Lucia. But it’s mostly about Lucia. After their mother dies, Lucia starts to hear voices and acting very erratically. She is in and out of the hospital, she gets better then she spirals out of control, then she gets better, then she spirals, etc. Her husband and her sister (Miranda) try desperately to help her. Miranda is afar though…she lives in Switzerland while Lucia and her husband and daughter are in Ecuador. The story is told from multiple viewpoints (the sisters, the husband, etc.). The book jacket I think focuses on the ‘sisters’ part of this story, however, the book seemed to be mostly told from Manny (the husband) and Lucia’s perspectives. I listened to this on audio though, so maybe I’m wrong. But Miranda’s parts in the book were short. Her thinking was that as long as her sister takes her pills, she will be fine and will have ‘control’ of the ‘situation’. The writing is strong, the plot is strong, and the author really seemed to show how difficult it is to be a person with mental illness. The parts told from Lucia’s perspective were my favorite. I just felt for her so much. This would have been a 4-star read for me….but the content kept it at 3-stars. And the cover? Beautiful.
(free from Libby audio)
***The Couple Next Door (Fiction, Shari Lapena)
This was a good mystery-page-turner. A few twists and turns, but nothing too crazy. I enjoyed it.
(free from Libby audio, however I own the book also, will donate to LFL)
***Home Sweet Maison (Non-Fiction, Danielle Postal-Vinay)
Home Sweet Maison...Maison is French for house or home. This book is another little hardback gem full of thoughts on how to master the art of French home making. It was a bit long for my taste and a bit....snooty. But I still really enjoyed it and I just LOVE reading about different cultures. And there were a lot of points in there that really hit home with me. How each room should have a set purpose. Like your dining area should be as separate as possible from the kitchen. How most French kitchens are very private, because they are only used for cooking (and not eating). How everyone eats together at the dining table, with no books, magazines, tablets, televisions, etc. Just food and conversation. I love that.
(real book, keeper)
My little collection of culture books is growing:
4-Star (3)
****The Blue Castle (Fiction, L.M. Montgomery)
Yes, THAT L.M. Montgomery, who famously wrote Anne of Green Gables. The Blue Castle is I believe the only piece of ‘adult’ fiction that she wrote. And it was really good! It’s about a ‘spinster’ (29 years old and unmarried!!! The horror!!!) with a heart condition. She is told she only has a year to live, so she decides to escape her family and depressing household and become a caretaker for another family. And the story takes off from there. I won’t say any more because I don’t want to spoil anything. But I really enjoyed this book and I loved the main character (named Valancy).
(free from Hoopla audio)
****Instructions for a Heatwave (Fiction, Maggie O’Farrell)
My third Maggie O’Farrell book. It did not disappoint. She writes about a family, all of whom have secrets and tension between one another. But they are brought together when the patriarch of the family suddenly goes missing. They come together to try to find him, and throughout the journey their pasts and secrets are revealed.
(free from Libby audio, however I own a copy of this book as well, which I will keep)
****The Thing About Jellyfish (Fiction, Ali Benjamin)
This is a young reader book. I'm not exactly sure what age group it's targeting, although I would guess between 10-13? The main character is Suzy, a 12 year old girl going through the ups and downs of adolescence and awkwardness and that horrible time in your life when your best friend becomes popular and finds a new group of friends. And then something tragic happens. This book made me feel all the things. It's about grief and.....science. Jellyfish, in particular. It's just so so good.
(real book, keeper)
5-Star (2)
*****I Am I Am I Am (Non-Fiction, Maggie O’Farrell)
I would expect nothing less from Maggie O’Farrell, who wrote one of my 5-star reads last month. This book is a memoir of her 17 brushes with death. And they’re all pretty legit (with the exception of one….a blood test?). Anyways. She has traveled all over the world and with that comes danger, sickness, etc. Coupled with a childhood disease, complicated childbirths, etc. And you have 17 brushes with death. Her writing is just SO good though that I kept turning the pages because I HAD to see which one was next. And each chapter started with an illustration of the part of the body that was in danger and/or damaged. It was just such an interesting book and unlike any other memoir that I’ve ever read.
(real book, keeper)
*****The Great Alone (Fiction, Kristin Hannah)
I think there are two Kristin Hannahs. There’s the Kristin Hannah PRE Nightingale, and the Kristin Hannah POST Nightingale. The Nightingale was a game changer for her in my opinion. Before the Nightingale, she wrote (mostly) what I consider ‘fluff’. And while I LOVE some good ‘fluff’ every now and then (hellooooo…Selection Series!), I only read some of her books, because, well, most of them were to fluffy for my taste (with the exception of Winter Garden). And then came the Nightingale, and I thought to myself “she is capable of writing something like THIS and has been writing fluff all this time?!?”. It was good. If you haven’t read it, go read it please. And then….her latest one: The Great Alone. This book is about 440 pages.
I read it in 3 settings.
So basically, HOURS at a time. I just couldn’t put it down. The story takes place in 1974. It follows the Albright family: mom, dad, and their daughter Leni (short for Lenora). The dad is a former Vietnam POW suffering from severe (what we know now as) PTSD. When he finds out that he has inherited some land in Alaska, he decides now is the time for change because he needs to breathe and get out of busy Seattle. So he packs up his wife and daughter and they head to Alaska (a.k.a. The Great Alone).
To say that where they live is ‘roughing it’ is the understatement of the year. No water, no electricity. Hunting for food daily. You get the picture. There are good times, but…..mostly bad times. And the bad times are really bad. But, the bad times aren’t because of Alaska and it’s harshness (although that just adds to the awfulness). The bad times come from something else rooted very deeply within the family.
This book has strong descriptions, strong writing, and strong women. And while there were a few areas of the book that I took issue with, such as the dad blaming EVERYTHING on his PTSD (that’s not how it works), and also the ending (pretty rushed and neat and tidy), this book still gets 5 stars from me. I’m still thinking about it. I’m already trying to figure out when I can read it again. She’s set the bar really high with this one. I hope we get another novel from her soon!
(real book, keeper)
Total Books Read: 14 (4 non-fiction, `10 fiction)
Formats
E-Books:
Audio: 9
Real Books: 5
DNF (Did Not Finish): none this month!
5-Star (2)
*****I Am I Am I Am (Non-Fiction, Maggie O’Farrell)
I would expect nothing less from Maggie O’Farrell, who wrote one of my 5-star reads last month. This book is a memoir of her 17 brushes with death. And they’re all pretty legit (with the exception of one….a blood test?). Anyways. She has traveled all over the world and with that comes danger, sickness, etc. Coupled with a childhood disease, complicated childbirths, etc. And you have 17 brushes with death. Her writing is just SO good though that I kept turning the pages because I HAD to see which one was next. And each chapter started with an illustration of the part of the body that was in danger and/or damaged. It was just such an interesting book and unlike any other memoir that I’ve ever read.
(real book, keeper)
*****The Great Alone (Fiction, Kristin Hannah)
I think there are two Kristin Hannahs. There’s the Kristin Hannah PRE Nightingale, and the Kristin Hannah POST Nightingale. The Nightingale was a game changer for her in my opinion. Before the Nightingale, she wrote (mostly) what I consider ‘fluff’. And while I LOVE some good ‘fluff’ every now and then (hellooooo…Selection Series!), I only read some of her books, because, well, most of them were to fluffy for my taste (with the exception of Winter Garden). And then came the Nightingale, and I thought to myself “she is capable of writing something like THIS and has been writing fluff all this time?!?”. It was good. If you haven’t read it, go read it please. And then….her latest one: The Great Alone. This book is about 440 pages.
I read it in 3 settings.
So basically, HOURS at a time. I just couldn’t put it down. The story takes place in 1974. It follows the Albright family: mom, dad, and their daughter Leni (short for Lenora). The dad is a former Vietnam POW suffering from severe (what we know now as) PTSD. When he finds out that he has inherited some land in Alaska, he decides now is the time for change because he needs to breathe and get out of busy Seattle. So he packs up his wife and daughter and they head to Alaska (a.k.a. The Great Alone).
To say that where they live is ‘roughing it’ is the understatement of the year. No water, no electricity. Hunting for food daily. You get the picture. There are good times, but…..mostly bad times. And the bad times are really bad. But, the bad times aren’t because of Alaska and it’s harshness (although that just adds to the awfulness). The bad times come from something else rooted very deeply within the family.
This book has strong descriptions, strong writing, and strong women. And while there were a few areas of the book that I took issue with, such as the dad blaming EVERYTHING on his PTSD (that’s not how it works), and also the ending (pretty rushed and neat and tidy), this book still gets 5 stars from me. I’m still thinking about it. I’m already trying to figure out when I can read it again. She’s set the bar really high with this one. I hope we get another novel from her soon!
(real book, keeper)
Total Books Read: 14 (4 non-fiction, `10 fiction)
Formats
E-Books:
Audio: 9
Real Books: 5
DNF (Did Not Finish): none this month!
