Show Us Your Books July 2024

June was a great reading month. I read some new books for summer reading challenges, and finally got to a book from last summer’s reading guides.

Five Star Reads

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe - This was one of my most anticipated summer reads and it did not disappoint. I loved this completely dysfunctional family so much.

Four Star Reads

The Postcard by Anne Berest - What to say about this book? I was so mad at first that the family stayed in France. The book did such a good job showing how evil the Nazis were in hiding what they had planned. Of course they didn’t believe the worst would happen. Unbelievably sad and sobering. I thought I’d read all of the WWII books by this point but I’m glad I read this one too.

Butter by Asako Yuzuki - I think the publishers did this book a disservice by billing this as a book of food and murder when it really wasn’t that. Really it was about living up to expectations in Japan, and how people are judged for their weight. Once I let go of the food and murder thing I really liked this book.

Challenger by Adam Higginbotham - We listened to this chunkster of an audiobook on trips from Virginia to Tennessee and then from Virginia to West Virginia. We all really enjoyed it, although it almost went too much in depth. I did appreciate that it focused on all the astronauts not just McAuliffe.

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby - I love the characters and the setting in S.A. Cosby’s books. In this one a former getaway driver gets behind on his bills, and needs to do one last job. Fun summer reading.

Long Island by Colm Toibin - This book was quiet but so complicated. I am still trying to wrap my head around each of the characters. They were all so flawed but in a way that makes you want the best for them.

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Show Us Your Books February 2022

This year I finally gave in to reading glasses.

Given that I had two week reading slump in January it is amazing to me that I read so many great books. Like really good, cry all night, book of the year type books.

I started logging my books in Storygraph this year. I don’t log everything it wants me to- that would become a job. I’m enjoying it even though I still prefer my good old fashioned handwritten book journal and spreadsheet for logging, and Litsy for sharing reviews. My favorite thing about Storygraph so far is how it assigns moods to each book and I am clearly a emotional and reflective reader.

Five Stars

The Storyteller by Dave Grohl -- I would have never listened to this if so many people on Litsy hadn‘t said how excellent it is. And I agree! This has got to be one of the best audiobooks I‘ve ever listened to. You can really hear the emotions in Grohl‘s voice as he talks. I loved too that he grew up not too far from where I live.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles -- I bailed on this one years ago because it doesn‘t have quotation marks, but a book club brought it to me again. I‘m so glad because it was a beautiful book. This is just a pleasant story, and I’ve heard the movie does it justice. A hug of a book. It made me feel good.

Four Stars

Transcendent Kingdon by Yaa Gyasi -- A lot has been said about this book so I won‘t add my clumsy synopsis, but I will say that I really loved it. I put off reading it for so long because I didn‘t think it would hold up to Homegoing. It was different but still just as heart wrenching in all the best ways.

The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook -- This was another one from the bottom of my TBR list, and it was a good read. It takes place in Germany just after WWII, and is understandably grim. It was very interesting though to examine each person‘s reactions to the terrible conditions and to imagine how I would have fared. A good book to read on a cold, dark January day.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte -- What a wild ride! Not a boring classic!

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman -- Great poetry collection. This almost read like a time capsule from the last two years.

Three Stars

The Quiet Zone by Stephen Kurczy -- I have traveled through this area several times, and was interested in learning about it. This book wasn‘t what I thought, but it was interesting enough to listen to on a long drive.

The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly -- I picked this book based on the cover alone, and I‘m happy to say it worked out! It was told in three timelines but all centered around one English garden. It‘s so super cold here lately. I enjoyed reading about a garden in bloom.

The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty -- This one was a bit slow in the middle but wow, what an ending.

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[REVIEW] The Angel of Forest Hill by Cindy Woodsmall

This has been a rough couple of weeks in the way that normal weeks can be rough. No emergencies, but grinding, persistent nonsense that has been wearing me down. There was nothing I needed more than a Saturday afternoon on the couch with a pleasant romance to fill my tanks enough to face another week.

I was so glad when The Angel of Forest Hill by Cindy Woodsmall arrived in my mail box. Rose and Joel, two members of the Amish faith, both feel that they have no choice but to marry after Joel's wife dies. Joel has no one to care for his three small children while he keeps his business alive, and Rose can see no other way to get away from her abusive family. They form a practical partnership, but eventually individually decide they want more. The only problem is the series of mishaps and misunderstandings that keeps them apart. That this all plays out on the days before Christmas makes for a delicious and heartwarming tale that soothes all your mental aches.

Note: The book was provided in exchange for a honest review from Blogging For Books.

REVIEW: The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

I used to hate books told by two narrators to the point where I wouldn't even pick them up, but lately I have been giving them another chance. I'm not sure if old age has mellowed me, or if I just needed to find some good ones. The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy is a good one.

The novel is narrated by two childless women struggling to find their purpose. In the present day we have Eden, a former PR worker who moved to West Virginia to start a family. In the past we have Sarah Brown, the daughter of abolitionist John Brown, who reacts to her father's hanging with a resolve to fight on. Both characters are sympathetic, and the way their stories eventually come together is very creative.

If you like historical fiction, you'll love this book. The chapters that deal with the present enhance rather than distract from the engrossing tale of Sarah Brown and her family.

(Note: Blogging For Books sent me this book, but all opinions are my own.)