June has happened, my summer reading has not....

This month was 5 books, 1715 pages.  Better than last month, but still not great.

Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki (296 pages).  The memoir of "the best geisha of her generation."  Mineko began her training at age 5, meaning that's when she left her parents' home.  She was legally adopted by the Iwasaki geisha house, to be the eventual heir to everything the geisha house owed (which was millions of dollars worth of assets).  And at age 29, she walked away from it all.  The geisha culture is absolutely fascinating, at least to me.  The people/celebrities she interacted with, the hardships that she faces, the heartbreak she experiences, the dramas of her life- all of it was so intriguing.  Her reasons for walking away were very admirable.  And the fact that she was able to find love at the end of it all- even better!  I did find myself confused at times with the Japanese words, but overall, really enjoyed the book.

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight (380 pages).  One of my favorite books I've read in awhile!  Literally, I finished it in one afternoon by the pool.  Kate Baron was in law school when she got pregnant.  She decided to keep her daughter and her legal career, never telling her daughter who her father was.  15 years late, Kate gets a call from Amelia's school that her goody-two-shoes daughter is being expelled for cheating.  By the time Kate makes it to her daughter's school, she learns that Amelia has jumped from the roof and is dead.  It's initially ruled a suicide.  But when a text arrives from a blocked number, stating that Amelia didn't jump, Kate begins a search to find out what really happened to her beloved daughter.  What she uncovers is a heartbreaking look at mean girls, bullying and friendship.

Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. (359 pages plus LOTS of notes).   From the moment I read about Huguette Clark when she passed away, I found her whole story very fascinating.  So I decided to read a little more about her.  And I was right- her family's story was amazing!  From her father's start in Montana (he literally had the Midas touch with finding copper) to a virtual castle in New York that cost more than the others on Millionaire Row put together, Huguette lived a fairytale existence in many ways.  Hers was not a life untouched by sorrows (her beloved older sister died while a teenager, her only marriage lasted a few months), she managed to keep herself happy.  But removed from the world in many ways.  She spent millions on dolls, doll houses and furniture.  She owned two homes that she hadn't seen in over 50 years (one of them she never even spent a night in).  And when she moved into Doctor's Hospital, she gave over $30 million in gifts and money to her nurse.  When she died at age 104 (after nearly 20 years in the hospital and in perfect health), she left behind two wills.  Two completely different wills.  That caused a big fight between all of the possible beneficiaries.  Was Huguette a victim of her attorney, accountant, nurse, people who took advantage of her generosity?  Or was she an iron willed woman who knew exactly what she was doing?  Honestly, I still don't know.  I feel like there was a little bit of both going on.  This book was absolutely fascinating - the life she lived, the photos, amazing.

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani (367 pages).  This was my book club book.  It was a good beach/pool read.  Valentine Roncalli's family has operated a couture wedding shoe company since 1903 and Valentine is learning the business from her beloved grandmother.  But the business isn't what it used to be.  Valentine, in addition to starting a new relationship and dealing with family drama, now has to figure out how to save the business and her home.  Valentine takes advantage of her grandmother's annual buying trip to Italy to learn more about her craft, and even herself.  It was a fun and easy read.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (313 pages).  I bought this book because I was reading an article that suggested some books to read before the movie came out (my copy is hardback, btw.  So this article was quite a while ago).  I didn't even read what it was about.  Then I started seeing trailers for the movie.  Yay- I bought a cancer book.  Dumb move on my part.  But I decided to read it anyway.  The book is lovely- Hazel and Augustus' love story is sweet, deep and sad, all at the same time.  I'm not sure I can go see the movie- it's one thing to read about people dying and quite another to watch them do it.  But for anyone who wants a good gut-wrencher, this one's a good choice.  Oddly enough, I didn't find myself as upset as other cancer books have made me.  Maybe because it wasn't a parent dying of cancer.  I don't know.  But I found myself enjoying the life in the story rather than being sad about the death.