Monthly Book Review: May 2024

Well, I jinxed myself by thinking I'd sneak in a third book for April when I should have saved it for May. Travel, home & garden projects, and youngest moving out all competed for my time.

The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer alternates between Noah, a former SOE operative (British secret service agent during WWII), and his daughter Charlotte in 1970 and two other female SOE agents in 1943-1945. Noah is on a mission to piece together the parts of the war his memory lost following an accident. His history intersects with Chloe and Fleur, a double agent and of course Nazi atrocities. Charlotte helps her father, and in the process connects with a man seeking his own history. The SOE women are examples of the bravery and heroism of so many whose stories were in the background until recently ... so many great books about the role women played in fighting against authoritarianism.

TBR List: 

• Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
• Flying Solo by Linda Holmes, 
• The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Blue Love: Blue Valley High by MJ Fields 
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
• Homecoming by Kate Morton
• Life Worth Living by Miroslav Volf, Matthew. Croasmun, Ryan McAnnally-Lins
• Outlive by Peter Attia, Bill Gifford

Monthly Book Review: April 2024

Late to post once again but I snuck in a third book on a recent flight to/from Phoenix for grandparent time so decided to bump up my monthly average. 

I don't recall why I added Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout to my reading list, and I wondered several times at first if there was a point to it all. I'd call it a "compound" read. Lucy is a widowed writer whisked away by her ex-husband to the coast of Maine at the start of the COVID pandemic. William, Lucy's ex, is an ex-Marine and parasitologist so he sees the warning signs and potential impact early on. What follows is Lucy's very thoughtful, honest reflection on her life ... as a child living in poverty with a less than nurturing mother, as a sister, wife to two husbands, mother, and friend. I was struck by how often Lucy's evaluations echo my own inner mechanics, the way she examines current situations against life's learnings and perspective the way only hindsight can. One of my favorite excerpts is when Lucy recalls seeing ping-pong balls bouncing around randomly and thinks now "that is like people. My point is if we are lucky, we bounce into someone". I love that metaphor ... there are so many people I've been lucky enough to bounce into and others I've learned from that make me appreciate a future bounce all the more. Four years after the onset of the pandemic, it was a bit surreal to hear Lucy document the new rituals of her life as well as the horrors ... the deaths, knowing someone affected and it some cases gone as a result, meeting people only outside, distancing, wearing masks, etc. Solid A.

I added The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton to my list after seeing it on a Modern Mrs Darcy post in January about books to read before or after a cruise. We took a weeklong Caribbean cruise at the beginning of April, so it seemed appropriate to read this upon our return. Catherine and Elena are on a roundtrip cruise from New York to Havana in 1933 aboard the SS Morro Castle, albeit under very different circumstances and they both have secrets. Catherine is traveling with her never present fiancé and Catherine has a score to settle. When an accidental murder occurs, Catherine enlists the help of a suave passenger with secrets of his own. Cleeton does an excellent job of conveying the glamour of a luxury cruise juxtaposed with intrigue. betrayal and the haves vs. have-nots. A fun read with a twist. like a sparkly cocktail. And ... the Morro Castle was a real ship that caught fire and burned off the coast of New Jersey in 1933. Solid B.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue was my favorite read of the month. It is set in Ireland and details the co-dependent lives of new coworkers and fast best friends and roommates Rachel and James. Rachel is a student with a crush on one of her professors. What unfolds culminates in the "incident". The story is told with great detail, but not in a tedious way - meticulous deconstruction is necessary to understand why everyone behaves the way they do and the compromises they make along the way. Warning: abortion is a topic threaded throughout. A+

TBR List:

• The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer
• Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
• The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren
• Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Blue Love: Blue Valley High by MJ Fields 
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
• Homecoming by Kate Morton
• Life Worth Living by Miroslav Volf, Matthew. Croasmun, Ryan McAnnally-Lins
• Outlive by Peter Attia, Bill Gifford

Monthly Book Review: March 2024

The last day of my least favorite month. And only two days until my birthday. I'm one of those weirdos who love their birthday. 

A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K. Runyan jumps between the 1870 Siege of Paris and post-WWII 1946. Lisette grows up in the lap of luxury in 1870 where her mother all but ignores her and she feels more at home in the kitchen, comforted and tutored by the head cook. The trajectory of her life is forever changed one day when she does the marketing for an ailing kitchen maid. Micheline is Lisette's great granddaughter who is trying to make ends meet and raise her younger siblings following the disappearance of their mother. They both start a bakery. The story was very light on history and a bit predictable but good. I had to look up the word "privation" as it was used very liberally.

Privation: a state in which things that are essential for human well-being such as food and warmth are scarce or lacking.

TBR List:

• Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
• Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
• The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren
• The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton
• Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Blue Love: Blue Valley High by MJ Fields 
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
• The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer
• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
• Homecoming by Kate Morton
• Life Worth Living by Miroslav Volf, Matthew. Croasmun, Ryan McAnnally-Lins
• Outlive by Peter Attia, Bill Gifford

Monthly Book Review: February 2024

I am over the moon that it's finally March! I am anxious to start seeds and dahlia/canna tubers over the next two weeks. This has been called the "lost winter" here in the Twin Cities - it was 60 degrees today and no snow in sight. Only one book for February - 18 hours. I will definitely be reading something shorter next.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee chronicles four generations of a Korean family in Japan. The story was rich (though extremely long), with themes of discrimination, perseverance and honor. The title of the book references a popular gambling game, similar to slot machines. It was very educationnal. I had no idea that Japan annexed Korea in 1910 and that Koreans living in Japan were treated as second class citizens. It was difficult to become a Japanese resident and Koreans had to register as "special permanent residents". They felt shame in abandoning their country and giving allegiance to their oppressors yet had no voting rights in South Korea.

TBR List:

• Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K. Runyan
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Life Worth Living by Miroslav Volf, Matthew. Croasmun, Ryan McAnnally-Lins
• Blue Love: Blue Valley High by MJ Fields 
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
• The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer
• Outlive by Peter Attia, Bill Gifford

Monthly Book Review: January 2024

Happy 2024!

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami was a sweet Audible exclusive to kick off the new year.  Tsukiko is a single professional in her thirties who likes things the way she likes them and is fond of routine. One day, she meets a former teacher at the bar. He is significantly older, and she calls him Sensei partially out of respect and partially because she can't remember her name. What follows is a deepening friendship over sake and old-fashioned love story. I found the description of Japanese/Tokyo culture just as interesting as the budding relationship.

I have a love/hate relationship with Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. A sort of backstory to Shakespeare's Hamlet. Farrell's writing is beautiful and vivid - every inner thought and character nuance explored. It was a bit of a slog, yet worth it in the end - I thought about giving up at least twice but so glad I didn't. Absolutely loved the narration - that's what got me through the rough spots.

TBR List

• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
• Blue Love: Blue Valley High by MJ Fields 
• Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
• The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer

December 2023 + Year in Review

Two books to round out the year and both were excellent. 

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi is the story of Sitara, a young girl orphaned by the Afghanistan communist coup in 1978. She is “saved” while the rest of her family is slaughtered. She lives a comfortable but anxious life, then thirty years later a chance meeting gives her an opportunity for accountability. My favorite part of the story follows how she is sheltered by an American diplomat and her mother, and how they are able to get her out of Afghanistan and become family.

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau was so good it ended up tied for 5th place in the year’s top 10. It's a coming-of-age story set in the 1970's. The title character is a 14 yo summer nanny for the daughter of a therapist who is treating a famous musician for drug addiction. The family is completely different from her own - no perfunctory rules, no judgments, no structure. Her eyes are opened and there’s no unseeing the racism, discrimination and other societal tensions surrounding her. The real star of the novel is the young daughter Izzy who acts and speaks with complete abandon, the way a child should. My favorite excerpt “Until I met Jimmy, I hadn’t understood that people you love could do things you didn’t love. And still you could keep loving them.”

Year in Review

I read/listened to 30 books in 2023 and here are my top 10:

• Carrie Soto Is Back
• Remarkably Bright Creatures 
• The Midnight Library
• Lessons in Chemistry 
• The Golden Couple
• Mary Jane
• The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion
• One Night on the Island
• Vacationland
• Pineapple Street 

Monthly Book Review: November 2023

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Unless of course it's not ... I love Christmas but am keenly aware that for some it is a very difficult season. If you're reading this, I hope you have the love and support you need regardless of your current "spirit". 

I started reading Violeta by Isabel Allende and Frances Riddle but just couldn't slog through it. I gave it about 4-5 hours then decided life's too short to read bland books. I loved Allende's The Japanese Lover (10/10) and liked Long Petal (7/10) so this was super disappointing.

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen was right up my alley. Avery Chambers is the anti-therapist. She's developed an unorthodox method for helping people overcome their issues in 10 sessions and she gets all up in their business to accomplish this. Enter the Bishop's, the "golden couple" who ostensibly need Avery's help to get past Marissa Bishop's infidelity. The story follows the couple's sessions, Avery's inner dialogue and backstory as well as Marissa's backstory. Nuanced and juicy with great characters and surprising twists. Definitely in the year's top 10!

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson is about three women - Georgiana, the spoiled younger sister living off her trust fund; Darley, the older sister who didn't sign a prenup and is madly in love with her husband; Sasha, married to Georgiana and Darley's brother Cord and definitely not part of the 1%. The Stockton's are old money rich and the siblings' parents, especially mother Tilda are used to things being a certain way. The Stockton's are very close (though as the story unfolds, they don't really know each other) and Sasha very much feels like an outsider. All three women face their own challenges in their journeys to discover who they are and what wealth means to them. Very good, explored progressive ideas without getting too deep or preachy. I loved this excerpt from Sasha when describing her family as compared to her husband's ~

"Her own family was a restaurant booth - you could always scoot over and make space for one more. Cord's family was a table with chairs and those chairs were bolted to the floor."

I loaded up with Audible's recent 50% off sale so my TBR list has gotten VERY long.

• Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi
• Blue Love: Blue Valley High by MJ Fields 
• Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
• Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
• Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
• Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue