You'd think the insane amount of rain we had in July would have allowed me to get more reading done, right? Not so much. I get much more reading done when I am forced to sit by my pool. I know, I know, feel so bad for me for my tough weekends. But I still got 7 books and 2460 pages read this month.
Tumbleweeds by Leila Meachum. (466 pages). This was my first book club book. It was marketed as Friday Night Lights. Texas high school football?! Yes please! After reading it, I'd say Friday Night Lights is a stretch, but it was really good. I seriously had a hard time putting the book down. I read 2/3 of it in one day! Eleven year old Cathy moves to Kersey, Texas, when her parents die. John and Trey Don (yes, his name is Trey Don) are the two most popular boys in the class. They also happen to be orphans (of a sort) as well. They've been told they must look out for her, but both boys fall hard and fast for the beautiful Cathy. A friendship quickly develops and the three become inseparable. A few years later, Cathy and Trey Don become a couple. But all three of them still make plans to spend the future together- at University of Miami so the boys can eventually make it into the NFL and so Cathy can become a doctor. But the week of the big rival game, the game that will clinch their futures, the boys are involved in something that forever changes the relationship. And after that, their worlds fall apart. Trey Don goes on to the U of M and a career in the NFL. John becomes a Jesuit priest. And Cathy stays in Kersey, raising Trey Don's son. A son he refuses to acknowledge (for the most interesting reasons). After 22 years away, Trey Don arrives home in Kersey, with some bombshells of his own. What follows will shake up the lives of them all. The ending was quite shocking. In a good way. I thoroughly enjoyed every page!
Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. (381 pages). The Devil Wears Prada, the sequel? I am ALL in! It's been 10 years since Andy Sachs screamed "F you" at Miranda Priestly on the streets of Paris (a scene I hate that the movie changed). Gone is Alex, the teacher boyfriend (or Nate, the chef boyfriend if you've only seen the movie) who never understood what Andy truly went through at Runway. Best friend Lily has moved to Colorado. In the ensuing years, Andy and former first assistant/enemy Emily have become best friends and own their own high-end bridal magazine. Both are married and Andy has become a mother. One would think everything is perfect without Miranda in their lives. Until Elias-Clark comes calling, wanting to purchase their magazine for a staggering amount of money. And the woman Andy still has nightmares about is back in her life. No one but Andy seems to see the problem with letting this woman back into their lives. And no one is prepared for how right Andy is when it happens. If you liked the original, this one does a fantastic job of following up on Andy, who you just can't help but root for!
Becoming Sister Wives by Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn Brown. (269 pages). I am obsessed, OBSESSED, with the sister wives. I watch every episode of their show. I can't get enough of polygamous marriages. Couldn't imagine living in one, but find them fascinating. So of course, when I saw this book on sale, I just had to buy it! The book focuses on four things: matrimony, sorority, family and celebrity. Each of the wives has an opportunity to voice her own thoughts about her marriage, her sister wives, their children and their new found celebrity status. I feel like I learned more about them than the show offered. Certainly not the best book I've ever read and probably not everyone's cup of tea, but as a fan of the show, I enjoyed reading more.
Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, MD. (171 pages). This was my second book club book. I kept comparing it to Heaven Is For Real, which isn't really fair. Other than the fact that they are about near death experiences, they are totally different books. In this one, Eben is a neurosurgeon who is barely more than a holiday church goer. As a man of science, he has no place in his life for faith. Out of nowhere, he contracts E. coli bacterial meningitis, which is rare for an adult. He goes into a coma for seven days. While his family surrounds him, praying for his recovery yet expecting the worse, Eben is somewhere else. He is ready to stay in this place forever, until he feels a pull. He looks around and sees faces. And knows he must return to them. The next thing his family knows, he is waking up. They have been told he will never return to his prior self, his brain has been too damaged. But he does. His oldest son tells him to write down everything he experienced, then to learn as much as he can about near death experiences. As a neurosurgeon, Eben knows everything worth knowing about brains. He knows that his own brain was dead while he was in the coma - no part of the brain that creates fantasies or dreams was alive. So he knew, from a scientific perspective, that he hadn't imagined this place where he went. While I appreciated his explanations (it was definitely cool to have something faith based described by a man of science), I just didn't like his experience in heaven and with the Om (as he described God). His descriptions were of a place that didn't sound all that enjoyable to me - stuck in the Earthworm's View until he could either go up into heaven full time or back down to earth? Never in the physical presence of God, only able to feel a presence and hear the sound of Om (which is why he referred to God by that term)? I'm not sure that's a heaven I want to go to. I liked Colton's experience in Heaven Is For Real much more. Sorry, Dr. Alexander. I'm glad your near death experience worked for you, I'm just not sure it did for me.
Entwined with You by Sylvia Day. (356 pages). The last in the Crossfire Series. The book was just like the ones leading up to it. Lots of sex (but not disturbing sex like in 50 Shades). And a good story. Eva has finally learned why Gideon was pushing her away. And for public appearances, they stay apart (even though they've gotten back together). Reporters stalk them, exes reappear, and surprises are around every corner. But there is no way either of them are going to let the other go. A weekend trip to the Caribbean clinches that determination. I was a little sad going into the last chapter. So much was happening. Imagine my joy at learning Day was going to write another book to continue this most unusual of love stories!
Serena by Ron Rash. (371 pages). I love some Ron Rash and this is one of his more well known. They are even making it a movie. So I was super excited about reading it. And oh. My. Gosh. Was I right to be excited! Seriously, I finished the book in a day. It's 1929. George Pemberton owns a lumber company in the mountains of North Carolina. He travels to Boston for a few months, where he meets and marries Serena, the daughter of a lumber man from Colorado. Together, they return to the lumber camp and begin to ruthlessly take over anything that stands in their way. Unfortunately, George left behind a pregnant young woman when he left for Boston. And this woman stays in the area with George's son. Serena learns, after miscarrying a child, that she will never be able to have another. And her vengeance takes on a more personal note. No one is safe, not the men who cross her and definitely not the illegitimate son her husband barely acknowledges. The ending was absolutely phenomenal. I cannot wait to see Jennifer Lawrence tackle this role!!
Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella. (446 pages). I had to return to chick lit because, well, because it never disappoints. Lottie is ready for her boyfriend of 3 years to propose. When a "special lunch" goes horribly awry, she ends the relationship. Her older sister, Fliss, worries that she will make another Unfortunate Choice. Fliss has no idea this time! Ben, Lottie's boyfriend when she was 18, suddenly enters the picture and reminds her of their pact to get married at 30. They immediately get married and jet off to Inokas, the Greek island where they fell in love. It's up to Fliss and Lorcan (Ben's best man) to derail this marriage, or maybe just the wedding night. After all, a marriage isn't a marriage until it's consummated, right? The book was an easy read and fantastic to have on the beach (which is where I read most of it!)
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