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:

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (Length: 372 pages).   This novel is SO good! It’s my favorite kind of set-up, where there are seemingly disparate characters (in different time periods and locations) who all come together in the end, to a satisfying conclusion. The character development, the plot and the various settings are all so good here. The settings vary from Italy during and post WWII, modern-day Hollywood, 1990s grunge and they all somehow work together. This is admittedly not every reader’s cup of tea, but if you’re willing to go along with the journey, and enjoy some truly stellar writing along the way, this escapist novel may be for you!

Book #2:

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubinstein (Length: 322 pages).  This is a non-fiction book that truly reads as fiction, both because of the writing style (like a novel) as well as how strange the subject matter is here. This is a true account of a prolific bank robber (and part-time hockey goalie) in Hungary, in the 1990s, who captures his (newly-adopted) country’s imagination. The writing is excellent, and overall, this is a very fast, enjoyable read (although I found it dragged a bit in the middle). The subject matter is both funny and sad, and I loved learning about a country amidst the fall of communism, especially through the lens of a very compassionate author. I really loved this book, and would absolutely recommend it.

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:

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (Length: 402 pages).   Another excellent memoir! This book was recommended to me multiple times by good friends, and I’m so glad I finally picked it up. Fast-paced, interesting, and lots of personal development . . . none of which I expected from a more business-focused memoir. Knight does discuss how his company Nike was formed and evolved, but he also writes extensively about his travel experiences, which are riveting to read. I also enjoyed how a ragtag crew of individuals created a monster athletic brand. I would have enjoyed this memoir even more if Knight included more information about the company once it went public in 1984, as he skips ahead to 2006, but this is still worth the read.

Book #2:

Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (Length: 170 pages).  I really enjoyed reading this book, after a somewhat slow (ie, confused) start. The unusual format threw me off a bit, but I found myself really loving this sweet novel about a woman spending a year with her father who is newly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. My favorite part is how her father slowly shares his written journal entries with his daughter, having written observations of his daughter during each day of her childhood. (I have a similar journal, though nowhere as detailed, filled with funny things my daughters said when they were younger.) Later on, his daughter does the same for him (filling one amazing chapter), listing some “funny” things her dad does while struggling with his progressing disease. This novel is written with such heart, and filled with witty moments. (I also adore how his former college students let him keep teaching a (fake) class after he is fired from his teaching job). Please read!

Book #3:

The Idiot by Elif Batuman (Length: 427 pages).  Um. Nope. This novel was recommended by a book blogger whose taste and recommendations I trust, but this (admittedly polarizing) book was just NOT for me. It felt like 400 plus (!) pages of intense navel-gazing, which is very annoying to me. I was told that if I went to college in the 90s (which I did, very early 90s) I would appreciate the references. But I think that possibly holds true if one went to an IVY LEAGUE college. I did find the last third of the novel (when the narrator teaches ESL in Hungary) to be more interesting, but not by much. There is no real plot here (other than wondering if the narrator will finally get to together with her very odd crush), and several reviewers mention the narrator’s very dry humor (which I typically love) but I honestly didn’t see that here). This was not my cup of tea.

Book #4:

A Promised Land by Barack Obama (Length: 753 Kindle pages).  Sigh. This is an incredible book! It’s VERY long (700 printed pages) and it’s only on his first 4 years as president, but honestly, every word here is necessary and is absolutely wonderful to read. No ghost writer either (which, given the last 4 years of bumble head idiot, needs to be highlighted here!). What a cathartic delight this is to read, with words written by an incredibly intelligent, compassion leader. I loved reading an insider’s view of the White House and the Oval Office, as well as Obama’s historical overview of the events that occurred in his first term. I learned quite a bit about the how and whys certain things happened. This is a must read!

Thank you for joining me here!   (Reminder: the page numbers I list here reflect the number of Kindle pages, not paper pages.)  I hope you enjoy this series and I’d love to hear from you about what you are reading these days.

Book #1:

Funny in Farsi  by Firoozeh Dumas (Length: 210 pages).   I love memoirs and this one is a winner! The writing style is truly funny and engaging, and i enjoyed reading about a young Iranian woman growing up in California for much of her childhood. I loved her depictions of her family (especially her father with all of this money-saving quirks) as well as the stories of family vacations, going to school and meeting her French husband. This is very much worth a library check out. There is a sequel of sorts that I’m interested in reading next, and I’ll keep you posted here if I read that.

Book #2:

All the Money in the World by Laura Vanderkam (Length: 254 pages).  My husband and I each read The Millionaire Next Door before we got married over 18 (!) years ago, and the philosophies espoused in that book have absolutely informed how I think about money. However, new year, new budgets make me always interested in learning about different financial philosophies. I read that this book is a good one for book clubs as it elicits interesting discussions about how people feel about money, so I decided to check it out. As I was reading this, I found that I had already read this a few years ago, but I continued reading it and learned more the second time around, so the reread was worth it. This book isn’t dry at all, thanks to lots of real-life examples. This is not a how-to book, but is more helpful with regard to framing you think of and value money. It is absolutely worth a read (and would, in fact, be a fun book club choice!).

Book #3:

The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum (Length: 386 pages).  I ADORE this book! I’ve read (and reviewed) this author’s young adult novel What to Say Next, so I was excited to read this one. The protagonist is a strong female lawyer. The writing is retrospective and prospective which makes for interesting reading. There are strong themes of workplace sexual harassment and family deaths (cancer), plus the plot is fast-moving with excellent character development. This is not your run-of-the mill chick lit as the plot (and the writing) are memorable. Worth purchasing as you’ll want to loan it to a friend immediately after finishing this one.

Book #4:

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare (Length: 379 pages).  A book club friend recommended this one, and since I trust her taste, I immediately picked it up. This is a fantastic book! The beginning is a bit slow, and VERY stressful as it has to do with a young girl in Nigeria being married off to a much older man in her village. Adunni is an incredible protagonist, with a unique narrative voice (her English improves as the book progresses, so the writing changes to reflect her increasing grasp of the language). The writing is beautifully descriptive, and the dialogue is wonderfully evocative of this culture. The plot is fast-moving beginning in the middle of the novel. I also enjoyed learning so much about the Nigerian culture. I absolutely would recommend this novel!

Thank you for joining me here!   (Reminder: the page numbers I list here reflect the number of Kindle pages, not paper pages.)  I hope you enjoy this series and I’d love to hear from you about what you are reading these days.

Book #1:

The Light We Lost  by Jill Santopolo (Length: 332 pages).   This book was called THE romance book of 2017, and I’m finally getting around to it! 😉 I will say that I understand the hype . . . this novel is really well done in terms of my fiction trifecta. There is strong character development, the plot is interesting and the setting (or theme) of romance really works here. The narrative format is interesting in that the protagonist is writing a letter of sorts, reminding her boyfriend how they first met (in college) and takes him all the way through to the (somewhat) surprising ending. The plot twists were sufficient to keep me fully-engaged, and the writing is very well done in this fast, very enjoyable read. I would recommend checking this one out if you’re in the mood for a romance novel.

Book #2:

Make Change by Shaun King (Length: 275 pages).  I was given this book by one of my best friends who just told me to make sure I read it. It’s written by the de facto founder of the Black Lives Matter movement. The writing here is excellent, and I enjoy how the author gives very concrete steps on how to effect change on any social justice issue, on any level. He walks you through how to volunteer (it’s not just showing up somewhere) all the way through to how to build on a movement. He humanizes the BLM movement as well as sharing stories of his own (often horrifying) experiences growing up. This is a must read!

Book #3:

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (Length: 400 pages).  This is the favorite novel of a good friend of mine (who happens to teach high school English to seniors) so I was excited to finally check it out. This is a post-apocalyptic novel, set in a worldwide pandemic, so it’s not for everyone. It is very well-written, as any Atwood novel always is, but the plot is VERY disturbing. The details of the extremely deadly plague (with accompanying gruesome deaths), with some child sexual abuse, are A LOT. But I will say that if you can stomach those details, the plot is excellent–very fast-moving with lots to try to understand. I enjoyed the various literary devices Atwood employs here to propel the narrative (and I get why English teachers enjoy this book), and I will always remember this book.

Book #4:

The Switch by Beth O’Leary (Length: 333 pages).  Such a sweet, fun read, that is perfect for this time of year! This is a British novel with a fun plot . . . a grandmother and granddaughter switch flats (and lives) for two months. I love how elderly-friendly this novel is and it’s clear the author understands and adores elderly people, which makes this a joy to read. The plot is very fast-moving, there is excellent character development, the writing is very well-done. The vibe of this book is very A Man Called Ove to me, so if you enjoyed that book (if you haven’t read that one yet, you MUST!) you will very much enjoy this sweet novel.

Thank you for joining me here!   (Reminder: the page numbers I list here reflect the number of Kindle pages, not paper pages.)  I hope you enjoy this series and I’d love to hear from you about what you are reading these days.

Book #1:

Sea Glass by Anita Shreve (Length: 394 pages).   I really enjoyed this historical fiction book! It’s set in the Great Depression (just before and after the crash), and a house on a beach in New England is the home base of the plot here (Fortune’s Rocks). I didn’t realize until I started reading this, that this is the second book in a series. I had previously read The Pilot’s Wife years ago when it was Oprah’s Book Club pick,, and that book is the third in the series and features the same house in present day. The house is fixed up by a newly-married young couple, and then is the setting of meetings of union organizers protesting mill closings. The character development is excellent, and these characters are the primary focus of the book as there isn’t a ton of action. I really enjoyed how the author started to weave together seemingly disparate characters by the middle of the novel, and they all begin to interact. I would definitely recommend this book! However, if you’re a Kindle reader, I’d urge you to buy the entire series (it’s less than $4 for all 4 books!).

Book #2:

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham (Length: 224 pages).  I am a HUGE fan of the TV show Parenthood, and a casual fan of the TV show Gilmore Girls (my teen daughters are massive fans of the latter), so I was excited to pick up this memoir. This is a fun read–Graham writes like she talks as Lorelai in Gilmore Girls, so I think her tone here makes this memoir different than most. Her writing is excellent, and I found her to be charming, self-deprecating and witty. I’m looking forward to reading her debut novel next (Someday, Someday, Maybe). I will say that I wish I had listened to this memoir on audiobook as Graham herself narrates it.

Book #3:

Troubles in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand (Length: 355 pages).  Ugh. I did NOT enjoy the first two books in this series (and have reviewed each of them earlier this year), but there were enough loose ends in the series’ central mystery that I couldn’t help myself and had to find out what happened. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, especially in comparison to the first two novels. The characters who annoyed me in the first two books redeemed themselves sufficiently, in my opinion, and the resolution of the mystery was satisfactory. As with her first two books, I still enjoyed the author’s references to other authors and books, as well as the island of St. John. The major hurricanes in the Virgin Islands formed the basis for the hurricane story arc here, which was a semi-interesting plot point. I STILL wouldn’t recommend this series as I don’t think it adequately reflects this author’s talents but at least my curiosity was resolved by my reading this last book. 😉

Book #4:

Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years A Slave, and Four Years in the White House by Elizabeth Keckley (Length: 170 pages).  This is an autobiographical account written by Mrs. Lincoln’s dressmaker, a former slave. This is extremely interesting, historically, especially regarding her early life as a slave and how she was able to “buy” her freedom, but as written is a bit dry in parts and in others, it’s entirely too gossipy (she and Mrs. Lincoln had a falling out at the end of their lives). The writing here is very formal and a bit stilted, but granted, that’s reflective of the style of writing back then. I’m very glad I took the time to read this book, and to educate myself further about this period of our country’s history, but ultimately I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book for the reasons above. Jennifer Chiaverini’s Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker is probably a better read about this subject.