Monthly Book Review: October 2022

We travel to Phoenix, Arizona at least three times a year to see kids & grandkids. You would think spending at least three hours on an airplane would be conducive to reading, but sleep is often the priority with early morning flights (looking at you 4am wake up alarm). So only one book this month, but it was a really good one. 

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle is a love letter from a grieving daughter to her mother set in Positano, Italy. The audio version is read by Lauren Graham (aka Lorelai Gilmore) which I loved. She definitely embodies One’s Katy Silver, but it is so much fun to hear her recite a love of coffee and a few other quintessential Gilmore Girl references. I felt transported to Positano and surrounding areas (e.g., Capri) … the salty air, blue water, steep hills, fragrance of lemon, taste of fresh watermelon all enriched the story and made me want to add this region to the Italy trip I am planning for 2023 or 2024. Katy Silver finds herself alone, leaving her husband behind, in Positano taking the trip she had planned with her mother and best friend, Carol, who has just died. She is immediately befriended by the family running the Hotel Poseidon and another guest. Soon after she meets another American “runaway” and finds they have a great deal in common. The present and past collide and a startling discovery forces Katy to reckon with how present she has truly been (or not) in her life up to this point. As well as what matters most. Serle’s storytelling is playful and heartwarming - I will definitely be looking at her other titles. Solid A. 

TBR List

• We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
• Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore
• A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell
• Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
• The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
• The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
• The Good Widow by Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke 
• The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz

Monthly Book Review: September 2022

The Secret Life of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw is scandalous and insightful. Each chapter features a distinct story, raw and vulnerable, from a black woman’s (or girl's) point of view. Some are sad ... a woman and her best friend rendezvous ever New Years Eve while the best friend laments not being married ... and others are mournful ... a grandmother reading her granddaughter's diary learning that the teenager has a crush on the pastor's wife. My favorite is a mistress’ rules for her suitors. 

I chose Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson for two reasons - my favorite genre, WWII fiction, and author of one of my favorite books, The Gown. Set in 1940's Italy, Nina and Nico, never having met before, must leave their lives for the countryside with Nico's family in order to keep Nina safe. Their lives are soon consumed by farm chores (Nina is a city girl), small town judgment, and Nazi persecution. The bonds Nina forges with Nico's family and Nico's insistence on helping others are a heartening balance against the terrors they all face.

TBR List

• Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore
• We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
• A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell
• One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
• Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
• The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
• The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
• The Good Widow by Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke 
• The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz

Monthly Book Review: August 2022

Oh September - you are still summer but everyone is already promoting their orange/brown outfits and pumpkin spice drinks. Settle down and give me dahlias, sunflowers and a pumpkin patch. Happy Labor Day!

Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer - I loved Rimmer's The Things We Cannot Say (read February 2020). Like Things, Truths tackles tough subjects with agility - postpartum depression, dementia, women's rights (or lack thereof in the 50s) - and great character development. Beth Walsh is a new mom struggling with the baby blues, the decline of her father's health and her siblings. Her own mother died young and Beth doesn't have many memories of her, but she begins to learn missing pieces she never knew while cleaning out her father's home. What does she really know? What does her father remember? The man described in the letters doesn't sound like the man she knows as her father at all. I loved this, but you have to have faith, slugging through all the details in the beginning to get the reward. B+

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow reminded me a bit of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (read June 2019 and still one of my absolute favorite books), though didn't quite rise to meet it. January is a person, a ward of a very wealthy collector, Mr. Locke, while her own father is globetrotting collecting valuable artifacts. One day she finds a story book in her room about two young people who find each other against all odds and about doors to fantastical worlds. The books entices her, pushing her to learn more. One day she also learns that she has the ability to open these doors and that others want to use her talents for their own purposes. That's when her adventure really begins. January is VERY long and takes a few turns I didn't find necessary, but I enjoyed the journey. B

The Last Think He Told Me by Laura Dave will definitely be in my list of top reads at the end of the year. Imagine you're an independent woman, successful in your niche line of work, woodturning, and you fall in love with a smart, loving single father. You move across the country and set up residence on a floating home with this man and his daughter, a girl who barely tolerates you no matter how hard you try. Then you wake up one day and your husband is gone. Without a trace. You receive a note, "Protect her". This can only mean his daughter, the one who thinks you are beyond annoying. His company's CEO is arrested for fraud, but you don't think that's why he's disappeared. You start searching for answers and find so much more than you imagined. A story of love, faith and working with what you've got. A++. Reese Witherspoon's production company is making this into a limited series for Apple with Jennifer Garner. Will subscribe just for this (and Ted Lasso, duh).

TBR List

• We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
• The Secret Life of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
• Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore
• Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson
• A Woman of Nor Importance by Sonia Purnell
• The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz

Monthly Book Review: July 2022

Happy summer - savoring every moment and thrilled there's officially two months more.

One True Loves is my fifth read by Taylor Jenkins Reid (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six, Maybe in Another Life, Evidence of the Affair). In One, Emma has lost the love of her life, improbable high school sweetheart, presumed dead when his helicopter goes missing over the Pacific. She tries to move on, redefining her vision for the future in work and love when her husband calls. What will she choose - the perfect past or promising future? I appreciate how each of Reid's books are truly unique and though somewhat predictable this was a light summer read.

The Mountain and the Sea by Kwame Dawes is a novella about Esther, a Jamaican woman grieving her husband and preparing for a hurricane, who discovers a naked man with amnesia in the road. Something stirs her to care for him as she prepares for the storm. A sweet story of rediscovering yourself when you list expect it and there are zero expectations. 

The Paris Apartment is my third read by Lucy Foley (The Guest List, The Hunting Party) and I am hooked! Jess is escaping the UK to visit her journalist brother, Ben, in Paris. Jess arrives to find the apartment empty and Ben nowhere in sight. She tries to piece things together by talking to each of the apartment building's tenants. But each seems to have their own agenda and something is definitely off. Who are they and what do they know? Foley expertly weaves backstories with "current" events to create suspense and drama. Can't wait for her next one!

TBR List

• Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer
• We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
• The Secret Life of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
• The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz

Monthly Book Review: June 2022

I can't imagine that Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge won't be in my top 5 of the year. Barry, a New York banker, and Sophie, a French architect, are deserted on a tiny uninhabited island following a twist of fate. They could not be more different, but they must rely on each other to survive. I love how the author weaves in back stories. Basically 'Castaway' for two.

I almost stopped reading The No-Show by Beth O'Leary. Something made me stick with it though and I'm glad I did. Joseph Carter stands up three women on Valentine's Day. Jane is escaping something by immersing herself in books and work at a charity thrift shop. Miranda is a tree surgeon and Siobhan is a life coach. Each of them think he's too good to be true and they may be right. 

TBR List

• One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
• The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
• Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel
• The Mountain and the Sea by Kwame Dawes
• The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz

Monthly Book Review: May 2022

I had the best of intentions to post on June 1st. There was no reason I didn't other than not making it a priority and then we went to Phoenix/Tucson for a week so here we are. 

I was ready for an English countryside "bodice ripper" and The Beastly Earl by Mia Vincy delivered. I'm so glad that Bridgerton has made these cool and I'd call this Bridgerton meets Beauty and the Beast. It was a bit predictable but delightful nonetheless. I was hooked when it began with Thea's three rules of mischief. Thea is on a mission of revenge against a former beau and is all-too-happy to help her sister in a rouse so that her sister can skip town to marry her true love (his family does not approve of her). But the joke is on Thea when she is caught in the Earl of Luxborough's own rouse and ends up marrying him while posing as her sister. But he knows who she truly is and wants a disposable wife so he can inherit his family's fortune. Oh what a tangled web.

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane reads like a modern Greek tragedy. Two cops in the 70's move next to one another in the suburbs and this sets their lives on a course neither could ever imagine. The Gleeson's are down-to-earth with loving parents and three girls. The Stanhope's - Brian, Anne and son Peter are just ... off. It's clear Anne Stanhope is not "regular", but no one knows how irregular until she snaps when Peter Stanhope and Kate Gleeson form a close bond. I love a story that delves into the flaws lurking in us all and Ask Again does not disappoint. Love, disappointment, forgiveness and happiness in the little things of everyday life.

I almost stopped reading Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones at least three times, but I hadn't read a novel by a black author in too long and wanted to stick with it. The opening line “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist” sets the tone. Dana is the secret daughter, fiercely devoted to her mother and cannot stop thinking about her father's "real" daughter. The first or two-thirds is from Dana's point of view and the last is from Chaurisse's. The ending left me a bit confused after feeling royally ticked by James' choice.  

TBR List

• Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge
• One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• The No-Show by Beth O'Leary
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
• The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
• Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel
• The Mountain and the Sea by Kwame Dawes
• The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz

Monthly Book Review: April 2022

I can't believe it's already May. Where I am it feels like late March - cold, dark and rainy. I am itching to get plants in the ground and take Lulu on long walks in the warmth of sunshine. As mentioned last month, I presumed I'd have read three books in April due to two 8 hour overseas flights, but sleep proved to be the better option than reading for both. More on our amazing European vacation in another post. 

Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams is set during the Cold War following twin sisters who took very different paths at the start of WWII. Iris goes missing, in Russia, and Ruth is gently nudged by American intelligence to find her. I typically love Williams' books, but this is likely my least favorite. Iris' story was very thin - too much focus on her husband and cohort, likely intent was to underscore the prominence of men and gain an element of surprise, but it fell flat for me. 

The Good House by Ann Leary was excellent, especially due to the fabulous narration of actress Mary Beth Hurt. Hildy Good is a raging alcoholic who doesn't think she's an alcoholic. The story follows Good's highs and cringe-worthy lows as a self-centered fixture of her small New England town.

TBR List

• A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy
• This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell
• Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
• Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
• One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge
• The No-Show by Beth O'Leary
• The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz

Monthly Book Review: March 2022

It's my birthday month and it kicked off with a wonderful weekend of family, friends and food. I am really looking forward to a dedicated weekend with my BFF (first time in four years!) and fingers crossed our rescheduled family trip to Europe (Germany/Austria). This trip was canceled a week before we were scheduled to leave in 2020 due to COVID (borders shut down and all), but we're cautiously optimistic that it's going to happen this time - though I won't allow myself to get fully excited until we're officially through customs at our first destination. I know we'll have to show our vaccination cards constantly so have plastic sleeves for those. but it'ss super confusing about what's required for testing. Do we have to test to get on the plane or only for entry, if so how many hours in advance, is it x hours before departure or arrival, will we need to test again between countries, etc.? Looking forward to a couple of books with dedicated reading time during long flights as well. This month's reads were excellent.

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - this is a must read if you loved A Gentleman in Moscow (which I did!). Towles writing you on the journey (literally in this case) of Emmett and Billy Watson from Nebraska. There are several other main characters germane to the story and I love how Towles weaves the between each characters version of the same events to connect all the dots. This is one of those stories where you don't want to give too much away because the journey is just as good as the destination. Great ending - left me wanting so much more. 

Address Unknown by Katherine Kressman Taylor was originally published in 1938 and unfortunately is just as relevant today as it was 84 years ago. A short story of two business partners originally from Germany with one of the partners returning to Germany and telling of the goings on there and the impressions abroad for a brief period between the two world wars. Of course Germany was left stinging after WWI which gave rise to the politics of the third Reich. The story is told through letters between the two partners. How each interprets their reality is a stark reminder of how fragile humanity and peace really is.

I made a couple of attempts to get into The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson but just couldn't do it. A healthy dose of honesty and self-awareness caused me to return the audiobook (one of the features I love about Audible). I'm already a third of the way through Our Woman in Moscow so hoping that I get at least three books in this month. Bon Voyage!

TBR List

• Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams
• A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy
• The Good House by Ann Leary
• This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell
• Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
• The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz
• Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Monthly Book Review: February 2022

Ok, I've been putting this off. February's books were surprising and not in a good way. I don't recall where I picked up recommendations for either of these and I'll admit neither will in my top 5 for the year and will likely be at the very bottom. 

I saw a warning that Verity by Colleen Hoover was disturbing, but didn't dig deeper because I like to be as unbiased as possible. The title character is a famous novelist who has become incapacitated. Her publisher and husband seek a ghostwriter to finish her successful series. Lowen, who is close to penniless and homeless, meets Verity's husband in a very unusual way and is made an offer she cannot refuse. Lowen goes to Verity's home to conduct research and finds a manuscript of Verity's - her own personal story of twists and plots. There were several cringeworthy moments where I physically recoiled in response to what I was hearing. This book was psychological manipulation and leaves you wondering what is truth vs. fiction.

I assumed The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle would be a chick lit book, but I wasn't prepared for the sex. Now I'm no prude, but it seemed rather gratuitous. Two royals, ala Harry and Meghan, abandon royal life for the peace and tranquility of a small Canadian town. Piper Evans and her mother happen to live in the cottage next door. Piper is a school teacher about to start her summer vacation when a run-in with the royals' lead protection officer leads to a predictable will they/won't them storyline. 

TBR List

• The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
• A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy
• The Good House by Ann Leary
• This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell
• Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams

Monthly Book Review: January 2022

•The beautiful one
•The golden couple 
•The volatile one
•The new parents 
•The quiet one 
•The city boy
•The outsider

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley is a proper whodunnit. Friends from university and a couple significant others on their annual holiday. There is also the staff at the remote Scottish highlands getaway and a couple from Iceland. Which one of them is a murderer? It’s a slow burn … Foley navigates each of the character’s pasts and their relationships with one another. Who is presenting themselves as someone other than who they are? Or better yet, who isn’t? The tension is dialed up by alternating chapters between the days leading up to the murder and the day of. Solid A.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes staying alive is the only form of resistance you have.

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris is the companion book to The Tatooist of Auschwitz (read January 2021). The heartbreaking story of a woman freed from Auschwitz-Birkenau only to end up in a Siberian gulag, accused of being a Nazi sympathizer for impossible choices. Beautiful Cilka Klein is fated to be in situations that draw unwanted attention … some to her benefit and others most definitely not. Morris deftly weaves Cilka’s past - as a girl, in the concentration camp - with current circumstances to create a layered, complex character. I especially loved the family-of-choice amongst the women prisoners. Solid A.

TBR List

• Verity by Colleen Hoover
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
• A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy
• The Good House by Ann Leary
• The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle
• This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell
• Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams
• The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles