Two stars = eh, it was okay
Three stars = liked it
Four stars = really, really liked it
Five stars = absolutely loved it
1-Star (0)
2-Star (0)
3-Star (1)
***The Body (Fiction, S. King)
Hmm. This
is the short novel written by Stephen King that was adapted into the popular
80s movie, ‘Stand By Me’. I LOVED the
movie. But the little novel was just
okay. I found myself skimming. I think this is one of the few times that I
can actually say the movie was better than the book. And what’s interesting is that the book is
categorized as YA, probably because the four main characters are
teenagers. However, the book is DEFINITELY
not YA in my opinion. It’s very adult.
4-Star (5)
****Lilac Girls (Fiction, M. Hall)
The first half of this book is very slow. But the second half is amazing. It’s based on the life of Caroline Ferriday,
a philanthropist during World War II, and the ‘godmother’ to the women of
Ravensbruck, a Nazi concentration camp.
It’s a difficult read (don’t let the pretty cover fool you…this book is
very dark in places), but well worth it.
I plan to read the pre-quel, ‘Lost Roses’.
****Postmortem (Fiction, P. Cornwell)
This is book one of a series of about 24 I believe. It follows Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay
Scarpetta and her grisly murder cases.
It’s pretty gross in detail (she does autopsies and is usually one of
the first ones on the scene) but I LOVED it.
I couldn’t put it down. Of
course, I like all of the gross medical details. I’m looking forward to starting the next one
in the series.
****The Gown (Fiction, J. Robson)
A complete 180 from Postmortem, this book is historical fiction about
the ladies who made Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown. It follows 3 women, Ann (1940s), Miriam
(1940s), and Heather (present day, Anne’s granddaughter). I loved this book too and flew through
it. Although the writing is good (not
great), the story is phenomenal. I never knew how interesting embroidery could
be! Ha ha. It was really good and one that I would
recommend to ANYONE without hesitation.
****Things My Son Needs to Know About the World (Non-Fiction, F.
Backman)
Fredrick Backman (author of two of my favorites, Bear Town and Us
Against You) has an amazing sense of humor, which shines in this book. You should also follow his Instagram which
makes me laugh out loud constantly. This
is a good one!
****All You Can Ever Know (Non-Fiction, N. Chung)
I enjoyed this book on audio (it’s quick). Listening to Nicole’s perspective on adoption
and culture and being different was very interesting. “I didn’t know how to tell people about
surviving a loss I didn’t even remember.”
5-Star (2)
*****Caroline (Fiction, S. Miller)
This book was the perfect read at the perfect time for me. I was having a rough couple of weeks getting
caught up in the rat race of work and life and errands and so on and so
on. This book was a calming, serene
escape. Little House on the Prairie told
from Caroline’s perspective. The
contentment she had for such simple things was so refreshing and a wonderful
reminder for me to enjoy and NOTICE the simple things in life and be more
grateful in general. And the writing was
really good as well!
*****Where the Crawdads Sing (Fiction, D. Owens)
I LOVE a good, atmospheric book.
And boy did this one deliver. I
could vividly picture the marshes along the southeastern coast all throughout
this book. And not just the marshes…the
birds, the grasses, the ocean, everything.
We follow Kya though her rough childhood, abandonment, and watch her
navigate her way to adulthood being known in her community as ‘the Marsh
Girl’. I loved it!
Total Books Read: 8 (6 fiction, 2 non-fiction)
DNF (Did Not Finish) : 1
The Secret History (couldn’t get into it)
