Thank you for joining me here! I hope you enjoy this series and I’d love to hear from you about what you are reading these days.
Book #1:
Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn (Length: 366 pages) This is the third novel I’ve read by this author, and while I really enjoyed her other two I’ve read (Love Lettering and Love at First), this novel, her most recent release, is my favorite. This is a rom-com featuring Georgie who returns to her small hometown to help her pregnant BFF prepare for labor, and to visit her hippie parents (so cute!). She is also home to figure out what’s next for her career as she’s recently been laid off from her job as a personal assistant to a successful director in Hollywood. There’s a cute stranger, a VERY cute pittie rescue pup and Georgie’s quirky parents who all make this novel heartwarming in fun. There’s a storyline arc re: Georgie and her BFF’s “fic” notebook from high school that is a bit annoying and immature but overall, I really enjoyed this sweet novel. Give it a try–you won’t regret it!
Book #2:
Spare by Prince Harry (Length: 409 pages). Full disclosure–I’m a fan of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and always have been. That said, I really thought this book was well-written (he had a ghost writer co-write with him, of course) in the sense that he was able to convey his perspective about how the horrible British press/ghouls affected first his mother’s life and now his and his wife’s. For those people who think he and Meghan are fame-seekers, maybe reading this book will create some empathy for what they’ve been through (and are still going through). They’re damned if they cooperate and they’re damned if they don’t. I read this in print but I wish I would’ve held out for the audiobook as I’ve heard his narration is excellent. A must read even if you aren’t a fan of the Royal Family (I’m not–just of Prince Harry and Princess Diana.)
Book #3:
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (Length: 288 pages). I listened to this on audio because I enjoy listening to his narration. His tone is very cranky and persnickety, and he has a very dark sense of humor. There were a few chapters where I laughed out loud, especially the one on the pets he and his family had when he was a child. I did enjoy his previous book of essays, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls a bit more but this was still a great listen during my commute and during hikes, because the essays make it easy to pick back up again without losing the thread of the plot. I’ll keep checking out his other books of essays for sure.
Book #4:
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth (Length: 331 pages) I’m a big fan of this author, and while I’d consider her novels “popcorn thrillers”, I think her writing is so good that the term is selling her novels a bit short. Sally actually calls this particular novel, her most recent, a “murderous love story” and it really is. This thriller begins with Pippa Wright watching her husband Gabe fail to stop a woman from falling to her death off the cliff behind their home. (Gabe has developed a reputation as an “angel” for preventing a few suicide attempts from this same cliff). This novel is a journey into the intricacies of mental illness (ADHD, postpartum depression, etc) as well as family life. This is very well-written, per usual, and it’s a FAST read! I read this in one afternoon. I think it’s a perfect vacation read as it’s not too heavy and it’s easy to come back to and pick up the plot if you need to stop reading.
Book #5
Fairy Tale by Stephen King (Length: 607 pages) I LOVE this book! What a fun read! This is a fantasy adventure novel that isn’t horror at all. There are a few monsters of a sort, but the main story is about 17-year-old Charlie Reade who lives outside of Chicago in modern day. He discovers another world beneath our world that is populated by many characters based on traditional fairy tales, of the Grimm variety, not the Disney variety. This was difficult for me to put down, even at 600 pages, so that’s something. The plot is a bit slow to get going but I enjoyed the build-up to Charlie’s ultimate entrance into the Empis world. There are a few action bits that are stressful to read but the world building that Stephen King accomplishes in this novel is truly amazing. I loved every minute and I would love to see this on TV as a series. This is 5 stars from me. I’m going to loan it to my dad, who is a voracious reader as well, and I’m curious if he will enjoy it as much as I did.
Lora Terrill 