Sometimes, when I count up my actual reading days, I realize I don't read nearly as much as I thought I did. But then I also realize I get a lot of pages read in not a lot of days. 9 days of actual reading time, 4 books, 1344 pages. That's an average of 150 pages a day. If I could read that much every day, dang, I'd read a LOT! Like 12+ books a week. Oh well. Here we go with this month's reading.
Love Comes First by Emily Giffin (380 pages). I decided to return to my roots and read a little chick lit. And it had definitely been a while since I'd read any Giffin (like 4 years or so). It's days before Christmas when the Garland family's lives are forever changed by the death of oldest child, Daniel. Fifteen years later, their lives are still wrecked. Middle child Josie isn't where she thought she'd be- she's single and currently a teacher with her ex's daughter in her class. Youngest child Meredith also isn't where she thought she'd be- she's unhappily married to her brother's best friend, has a daughter she loves, and is a lawyer rather than the actress she wanted to be. As the sisters try to repair what remains of their family, deep truths are revealed. I really liked this book- it was a little deeper than typical chick lit. It took me three days to finish it (only 2 days of actual reading time)
Ape House by Sara Gruen (303 pages). John Thigpen is a reporter, sent to cover a human interest story about the language skills of bonobos at the Great Ape Language Lab. He quickly becomes fascinated with them and the scientist in charge of them, Isabel Duncan. When an explosion blasts the lab, it changes Isabel's life and her family of the apes. She must go up against great odds to rescue her apes from their new torturous life. With the help of John and several others, she travels to New Mexico to save her apes. It was a very fascinating and intriguing story. Knowing the true language abilities of apes, it was very interesting to read (an albeit fictional) account of their abilities. And their personalities. Now I want to go to a bonobo sanctuary and actually interact with them! It took me four days to finish it (only 2 days of actual reading time).
A Woman Named Damaris by Janette Oke (219 pages). This was actually a reread for me. I've read pretty much every book written by Janette Oke and loved them all. I'm currently reading Acts and there is a verse about a woman named Damaris who believed. Which reminded me of this book, so I decided to pull it out and reread it. Damaris is barely 15 when her mother plants a seed in her mind- that she doesn't have to live her mother's life with her abusive, alcoholic father. So she runs away and joins a wagon train. She finds a new life in a small town. She also learns that family can be created, all men aren't alcoholics, and God is good. Oke is a Christian author, so all of her books focus on faith. Which I love. And most of her books take place in the Wild West. Or at least the time of wagon trains and tough living. I had actually forgotten some of the story, so was thrilled to read it again. It only took me one afternoon to read it
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann (442 pages). The movie has been on Netflix and I just read an article that it's not going to be streaming after this month. So I rewatched it. And after watching it, remembered that the book was so much better. So I decided to reread it. It's been at least a decade since I've read it. And it was sooooo much better than the movie. Why in the world they completely butchered the movie by changing the ending, I will never understand. The book opens in New York City in 1945. Twenty year old Anne Welles has just moved there to start a life far away from her Puritan hometown. She quickly befriends seventeen year old Neely O'Hara, a vaudeville kid with big talent, and twenty something year old Jennifer North, a gorgeous girl with no talent. Their friendships span nearly twenty years of success, failure, love, heartbreak, and more dolls than you could shake a stick at! The dolls (or pills) help you sleep, help you diet, help you have energy, anything you need. I get that it's hard to condense a nearly 450 page book into a good movie. But boy, did they mess up the story. Oh well. It took me seven days to finish it (only 4 days of actual reading time).
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