Monthly Book Review: November 2019

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett - One reviewer hit the nail on the head when calling this "obsessive nostalgia". Maeve and Danny grew up in The Dutch House and the story chronicles their decisions and relationships through the years. I found this to be a love story between siblings. Because who else knows your history, warts and all, better than they? The audio version is read by Tom Hanks which I was excited about but neither loved nor hated. B+

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center is a bit predictable but I found it to be an honest portrayal of the aftermath following a traumatic injury - something I know a bit about being the former wife of a quadriplegic. The characters are extremely likable and the bonus short story gives another perspective. B-

I just could not get into Circe by Madeline Miller, the fabled story of a daughter of the Greek god Helios. I gave up three hours in, lasting only that long due to the melodic voice of the narrator, Perdita Weeks.

Next up:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

American Royals by Katherine McGee
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Monthly Book Review: October 2019

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton - Kate is an unhurried and detailed writer, I knew that going in, so one book at 22 hours was all I could manage this month. Edith stumbles upon a secret about her mom that takes her to a castle in Kent where even more secrets lie buried for over 50 years. I enjoyed exploring the very different personalities of three single sisters living in the shadow of their famous author father and unrequited love. Percy is stoic, formidable and can harbor a grudge like nobody's business. Saffy is sweet, nurturing and a bit naive. Juniper is lively, self-assured and idealistic. All five leading ladies, including Edith and Meredith (Edith's mother), are bound by duty and their secrets to Milderhurst Castle and each other. And they all have a relatable sense of longing - to be understood, to matter to someone, to feel loved. 

I've already started The Dutch House (4 hrs into 10 hrs total) so feeling very accomplished. Tom Hanks is the narrator and I was really looking forward to hearing him - the jury is still out. Jury still out on the story as well ... not seeing where it's going but enjoying the journey.

Next up:

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

Monthly Book Review: September 2019

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang - Pretty Woman meets 50 Shades. Autistic successful career woman hires sensitive escort to teach her how to have a relationship. Predictable and graphic but not completely awful. C+

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - A young boy, Nobody Owens is raised by a makeshift family. The catch? They're all dead (or kind of). A man named Jack will murder Bod if he leaves the protection of the graveyard. A delightful coming of age story. LOVE! A

Delicious! by Ruth Reichl - Billie the baker goes to NYC to escape the pain of a traumatic event only to find a bit of gastronomic mystery (milkweed pods taste like cheese?!). Billie also finds an eclectic family of foodies along the way. This was like four stories in one. B+

Next up:

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Circe by Madeline Miller
How to Walk Away  by Katherine Center

Monthly Book Review: August 2019

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is superb! Deftly handles race, abortion, adoption, the Richardson's lives are forever changed when transient Mia and her daughter Pearl become their duplex rental tenants. The orderly world of Shaker Heights is rocked on multiple fronts.

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo is raw and brutally honest. A biography of three real women: Maggie in ND who had an affair with her high school teacher and wrestling with the depth of its impact (and the trial that resulted); Lina in Indiana who is in a loveless marriage and having an affair with her high school boyfriend; and Sloane who lives in upper class New England and has sex with other people at the request of her beloved husband. The author also tells a bit of her own story, or actually it’s her mother’s. The author does not analyze the relationships, that is left to the reader. For me, it reinforced the belief that a woman’s sexuality, and very identity, is complex as a culmination of childhood experiences, cultural expectations and basic need to be seen. I most identified with Maggie - or with the author’s portrayal of her. It continues to amaze me how scrupulously women's behavior is judged vs. men’s.

Next up:
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Monthly Book Review: July 2019

I was intrigued about Daisy Jones & The Six as soon as I saw it as a Reese Witherspoon book pick. It was a nice departure after the languid and delicious (yes!) The Night Circus. Daisy chronicles a 1970s soft rock band documentary style, giving each band member’s perspective on the same events 30+ years later as the interviewer chronicles the timeline. I loved how different those perspectives could be. The author has a real gift for giving each character their own voice and emotions - you could swear these people are real. I had to google it to confirm if the band was truly fictional. I’ll be honest, it was a bit hard to get into with a different voice for each band member, but I stuck with it and was thoroughly engrossed by the third chapter. B+

Next up:
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng 
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Monthly Book Review: June 2019

I just realized that I didn’t post the one book I read in June and since I’ve already finished another, decided to log two for the month. It’s my blog and I’ll cheat if I want to. 

In Pieces by Sally Field - I expected a bit more “dish” than this served up. Sally spends a lot of time on early trauma and never explains how that shaped her as an actor or influenced her adult decisions - the reader is left to play armchair psychologist which is far more work than I was willing to do. The only costar she deemed worthy of spending significant time on is Burt Reynolds. Spoiler - he was not the love of her life. 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - this was delicious, I didn’t want it to end. The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. Celia and Marco are “trained” for a competition that takes place in a circus much like Cirque du Soleil - defying feats of gravity and playing on the imagination - only more magical. The descriptive images evoked from Morgenstern’s fantastical writing create a world you want to escape into and never leave. I loved the relationships, the exploration of ‘both and’ vs ‘either or’. The rich layers rival the best buttery croissant. This is for sure at the top of my favorites list for the year thus far. A++

Next up:

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Monthly Book Review: May 2019

Only one book read last month but it was worth three. The Huntress by Kate Quinn tells the stories of three disparate characters post WWII on a Nazi hunt. Nina is a Russian pilot with dreams of more than the motherland can provide and a killer survival instinct. Ian is a British veteran hell-bent on vengeance for his younger brother and a deep love for independent women. And Jordan is a young woman with dreams and a keen sixth sense. All three lives have been forever changed by an Austrian woman with many names - Lorelei, Annalise, Anna, the huntress. This was long but necessary for character development - I was deeply invested. Justice is a deep-seated need no matter how much time has past or who gets in the way.

Next up:
In Pieces by Sally Field

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton