Monthly Book Review: May 2020

I liked Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng so much (Aug 2019) that I decided to read Everything I Never Told You by the same author and written three years earlier. Everything handles race, coming of age and mid-century societal norms. Ng is adept at describing the nuances of relationships and letting the reader draw conclusions to ethical dilemmas. I didn't find this as good as Fires but still enjoyable. 

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. What if you suffered amnesia and couldn't recall the last 10 years of your life? You don't recall the birth of your children, the petty things that wore on relationships or how you subtly changed from a carefree person deeply in love with your husband to an unhappy, inpatient woman obsessed with routines. Moriarty is an expert storyteller, especially with capturing the inner dialogue we all have. I'm a big fan of her books and this did not disappoint. 

The Gift of Forgiveness by Katherine Schwarzenegger is a compilation of personal stories of those who have both given and received forgiveness. The stories range from Elizabeth Smart who was abducted as a teen and raped almost daily for nine months, a man who lost his wife and child in a car accident, a man who would do anything to be worthy of his wife's forgiveness following an affair, a man abused by his Catholic priest, the mother of one of the Columbine high school massacre shooters, the mother of one of the children killed in the Sandy Hook elementary shooting, to a woman who hid in a neighbor's home for 100 days while her family was murdered during the Rwandan genocide. Key takeaways about forgiveness:

• It is a choice, for some it must be practiced consistently, for others it is given easily
• It is personal - every journey to forgiveness, way in which it is experienced is unique
• It is a gift you give yourself to free yourself from others' power over you

To Be Read queue:

• The Gown by Jennifer Robson
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
• The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
• Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

Monthly Book Review: April 2020 + Quarantine Life

I had a separate deep thoughts post all ready to go but it's lost. I blame my husband's touchscreen laptop that defies me at every turn. I hit 'save' like a hundred times and it still popped up with the first two sentences from first draft a week old when I went to do final edits. Blurg!!!

I'm in my seventh week of working from home and the days ebb and flow - sometimes there are huge holes in the day and then I'm working into the evening hours to catch up on the flurry of emails and decisions for action the next day. Other days my butt is parked in a chair in the same position for hours while on conference calls or prepping documentation. Working in the health insurance industry provides a unique vantage point. I see daily care delivery emails that balance grim reality with positive we're-all-in-this-together messaging. I chair meetings where we discuss experience - employees who fear losing coverage and patients who fear whatever ills they feel could be the dreaded virus. It's very sobering. I am very grateful to have the love of family and friends, a home where I feel safe, and a job where I can work from home.

Without a commute, I find myself lacking as much opportunity to "read". With terms such as unprecedented, pandemic, social distancing, furlough and lockdown part of our everyday vernacular I found it hard to find something to get into. So I chose the shortest of all the books in my queue, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. #lazy

The Silent Patient is a psychological thriller, a good whodunnit with a rich plot. It reminds me of a certain Shyamalan movie. Alicia is an artist in an asylum for the criminally insane following the murder of her husband. Theo is a psychotherapist intent on “helping“ her. Why? What’s in it for Theo? Why won’t Alicia speak? 

Queued up next:

• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng 
• The Gown by Jennifer Robson
• The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
• Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Monthly Book Review: March 2020

March started so full of hope … for Spring, for a European family vacation, for all the simple things of life. COVID-19 has robbed of us any security and certainty we might have felt a month ago. I only read one book for the month as my work from home life was consumed by all COVID-19 all the time on conference calls and video meetings, so the last thing I wanted to do was listen to anyone squawk at me. The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell is full of hilarious cultural bumbles resulting from a couple's move from London to Denmark. The move is a result of the author's husband taking a job at the headquarters for Lego (he is referred to as "Legoman" throughout). They decide to give it a go for at least a year. As a freelance writer, the author gives herself the assignment of uncovering why Danes rank so high on the world happiness scale. In addition to entertaining personal experience, she collects data and interviews subject matter experts regarding every aspect of "living Danishly" so there's a fair amount of statistics. She adds her own research by asking every Dane she encounters how happy they are on a scale of 1-10. Each month has it's own chapter which ends with "things I learned this month". My favorite anecdote was learning that her washing machine flashing "slut" was not personal shaming, but rather letting her know that the wash had finished.

Queued up next:

• The Gown by Jennifer Robson
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
• The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
• The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
• Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng 

Monthly Book Review: February 2020

Two completely different reads this month, equally awesome.

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer is a gut wrenching story of survival, sacrifice and redemption. The story alternates between present day America and WWII-era Poland - dual timelines with Alice and Alina as protagonists. Alice is a daughter, wife, mother and granddaughter who's present life is consumed by being a fierce advocate for her autistic son and her dying mother-figure grandmother whom she lovingly calls "Babcia" (grandmother in Polish). I especially loved the internal dialogue both Alina and Alice have - real and honest. A+

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb is a therapist’s account of some of her patients as well as her own therapy experiences. Lori is an adept storyteller - no doubt related to her journalism and television background. The patient experiences are extremely relatable - we all have issues we're grappling with which are variations on a theme (fear of death, abandonment, regret, etc.). Lori relays sessiosn with Julie, a young newlywed with terminal cancer; Rita, a mature woman who longs for love yet pushes everyone away due to self loathing; John, a successful Hollywood writer tormented by the probability he caused the death of his young son. I'm a bit of a self-help geek so appreciated Lori's account of many psychology principles and their roots. A+

Queue:

The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell
The Gown by Jennifer Robson
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

Monthly Book Review: January 2020

American Royals by Katherine McGee imagines what America would be like if George Washington had agreed to be king instead of president. This story chronicles the three children of America’s present day king. Beatrice is the first female heir and her entire life is scheduled and monitored. She’s a gilded bird in a cage. She has to marry someone suitable and not likely for love. Samantha (Sam) is the spare who knows nothing and acts accordingly. She and her twin brother Jefferson (Jeff) globetrot and party like rockstars with no aim or purpose. Neither of them can love who they want, but for different reasons than Bea. There are two other characters - Sam’s best friend Nina and Jeff’s former girlfriend Daphne - that add dimension. What starts out as a rom-com becomes a likely realistic perspective on the sacrifice monarchs make (or should ;) for their country. This did not end at all as I expected. I was unhappy about that at first, but upon reflection it seems more plausible than what I imagined. 

Queue:

• The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
• The Year of Living Danishly by Hellen Russell
• The Gown by Jennifer Robson
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
• The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
• The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
• Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

Monthly Book Review: December 2019 + Year in Review

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Monique is plucked from journalistic obscurity by iconic actress Evelyn Hugo to write her biography. Why? What events transpire to warrant seven marriages? Who was the love of Evelyn's life? Evelyn is obviously heavily inspired by Elizabeth Taylor. The "behind the scenes" look into rivalries, friendships and beards (gay people marrying to appear straight) was interesting. Two twists I never saw coming made this an excellent vacation read. A-

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams - Like Kate Morton, Williams is all about rich character development and details so her books are long, very long. This tells the stories of German Elfreide and English Wilfred at the beginning of the 20th century alternating with American Lulu in 1944 Bahamas. The intersection is punctuated by an "interesting" storyline about the Windsor's. B-

Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham - It's hard to imagine Lorelai Gilmore being played by anyone other than Graham - like her Gilmore Girls character she is fast talking, witty and quirky. I loved Graham in GG and Parenthood and she describes her experiences on both. No spoilers.

I read 24 books this year - I slid in that last one at only 4.5 hours - plus three in which I made a significant investment (looking at you with major side-eye Circe). I moved and got married this year so priorities, but definitely want to up my game for 2020.

My top 5 favorite books of 2019 in order:

1. The Night Circus
2. The Graveyard Book
3. Little Fires Everywhere
4. Delicious
5. The Dutch House

I liked The Graveyard Book so much that I'm going to go re-read The Ocean at the End of the Lane by the same author. I gave it two thumbs down in September 2016, but admitted then it may have been over my head.

Queue (there was a sale on Audible, hence I loaded up):

• American Royals by Katherine McGee
• The Year of Living Danishly by Hellen Russell
• The Gown by Jennifer Robson
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
• The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
• The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
• Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

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