Sunburn by Laura Lippman - I read this while in Mexico and it was the perfect beach read. The opening lines pulled me in and I was hooked on all the twists and turns. Polly/Pauline is playing a game ... is it a long game or a short one? Is she villain, victim, or both? The best part? It was good all the way to the end!
The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo Lee, David Johng - Soooooo good! True story of a young girl’s journey to freedom. I was shocked to learn of the insidious abuse North Korean’s deal with in everyday life (e.g. monthly compulsory criticism sessions at school and work).
Next up:
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
We’ll be going back to Mexico yet this year so I also added “Learn Spanish” audiobook to my queue. Excited to see how that works.
January 31, 2019
January 2, 2019
Monthly Book Review: December 2018
I absolutely loved Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (who also wrote my favorite book of 2017, A Gentleman in Moscow). The writing is wonderful with rich character development and the audio version is expertly read. Set mostly in 1938, the novel follows Kate (Katey, Katia) Kontent through a year of defining relationships and painful self awareness. Part of growing up is finding out that doing the right thing isn't always easy and it's more difficult for some than others; our expectations and judgments will never be fully met. Another is learning that what we do has far-reaching consequences.
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty - This felt like a modern grown-up version of The Breakfast Club. Nine strangers arrive at an Australian health resort with a variety of issues they hope to resolve and leave with a lot more than they bargained for.
Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor, Heather Webb - similar style to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in that the story is told through exchanged letters between Evelyn Elliott, her brother Will, her friend Alice and Will's best friend Thomas Harding from 1914 to 1918 (WWI). Beautifully written and satisfying end.
I read 25 books this year. In addition to Rules of Civility, these knocked my socks off in 2018:
- Small Great Things (Feb)
- Broken Angels (Mar)
- City of Thieves (May)
- As Bright As Heaven (Aug)
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