December, and 2019, are over So here’s what I’ve read!

December was a month that just was. I read what I needed to read. And that’s about it. Only 3 books.  But a total of 1,663 pages which is an average of 54 pages per day. So here goes!

The Source by James A. Michener (1088 pages). I’m pretty sure this book was given to me. For two reasons. One- it’s clearly a used book (taped spine, torn cover) and I tend not to buy used books too often. And two- there’s not a snowball’s chance that I actually picked up this book and thought “yes, this seems like my type of book.”  I didn’t like it from the moment I read the first page. But I am cleaning off these shelves and reading stuff I don’t want to read. So it got finished. Basically, it’s several stories in one. All of them connected to the fictional location of Makor in Israel. Stories of Makor’s beginnings in 9800’s BC all the way up to the 1960’s when Makor was the site of an archeological dig. Each chapter represented a different level of Makor’s history. Which was a very interesting way to write the novel, even if I didn’t enjoy all of the stories. I finished in 21 days. 

Francona: The Red Sox Years by Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy (343 pages).   As a lifelong member of the Red Sox Nation, this was a great read for me. My dad actually gave it to me after he finished it. Francona was the greatest manager in Sox history. He was the manager who finally broke the Curse of the Bambino with the 2004 Idiots. For any babes all fan, the book was great. I learned a lot about the behind the scenes things that were happening. I finished in 6 days. 

Kate: The Life of Katherine Hepburn by Charles Higham (232 pages). I recently read Hepburn’s own diary from The African Queen.  So it was interesting to read more about her life. She was quite a character- outspoken, liberal, and utterly devoted to Spencer Tracy. I finished in 4 days. Because that’s all that was left in the month. 

This month’s favorite was... Francona. Without a doubt. 

The year in review. I read 91 books. That’s 7 1/2 books a month. And a total of 32,238 pages for an average of 88 pages a day. That’s the most books I’ve read in a year since I started blogging in 2011. Considering the last third of the year was reading books I wasn’t excited about, I’m actually SUPER proud of how many books I read this year!!

Almost a No Read November

So I didn’t read a lot this month, just what I needed to read. Let’s face facts, I’m just trying to struggle through books I clearly didn’t want to read in the first place or I’d have read them long ago. But I read 4 books, at a total of 1,570 pages. So that was an average of 52 pages a day (slightly better than my commitment, but not much. So here we go....

Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor (760 pages).  A Pulitzer Prize winning historical novel about the debacle that was Camp Sumter, aka Andersonville.  I knew nothing about Andersonville prior to reading this book. And in true fashion, I did a little research of my own. Andersonville was a POW camp for Yankees in Georgia. It was in active use starting in 1864. For those of you who know Civil War history, that’s the year before the war ended. During that time, over 45,000 prisoners were there. And a third of them died, mostly of disease. The officer in charge, Captain Henry Wirz, was charged and convicted of war crimes. The book covered a LOT of characters, both historical and fictional. Their stories were fascinating. But there were a few too many storylines for me.  It was well written though. And a truly remarkable novel. I finished in 15 days. 

The Widow’s Guide to Sex and Dating by Carole Radziwill (302 pages). Claire Byrne is 32 when her husband of 9 years, famous sexologist author Charlie Byrne, is killed in a freak accident. And all of a sudden, Claire is left trying to figure out who she is without him. She dates.  She questions life. She falls in love. And she learns that she is enough. I finished in 5 days. 

Clothes Make the Man by Elliott White Springs (433 pages). This ended up on my shelves through inheritance. And when you are friends with the great grandson of the author, you read it!  It was a collection of short stories, essays and letters. I found some fun family history that I had a blast texting my friend about (obviously none of it was news to him).  I finished in 9 days. 

The Captain’s Verses by Pablo Neruda (151 pages, but only half were in English). This was actually a book of poetry. Which is usually not my favorite. But it was on the shelf, so I read it. All of the poems were in both Spanish and English, thus why I wonky read half the book. The poems were love poems and actually not awful. I finished in 2 days. 

This month’s favorite was...The Widow’s Guide. It was just easy and fun. I kind of wish I could’ve read it poolside!

October readings went spookily well!

October ending up being a pretty good reading month over all, cleaning off those shelves.  I read 7 books.  A total of 2,108 pages.  Which is an average of 68 pages per day.  Without further ado, the October books....

The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Prince by Machiavelli, On War by General Carl von Clausewitz and Instructions of His Generals by Frederick the Great (358 pages).  Wow- 4 war books in one.  That's a lot of war booking at one go.  And as I have no plans to go to war or take over a country, I didn't really find it to be very enlightening.  Or exciting.  In fact, this was one of those books that I had to force myself to read.  I mean, I read every word.  But I didn't retain anything.  It was torture.  Much like war itself must be.  I finished in 6 days.

Pocahontas: The Life and the Legend by Francis Mossiker (337 pages).  Poor Pocahontas, forever Disney-fied with all the colors of the wind.  While I definitely knew more about Pocahontas than Disney taught us, there was still a lot I didn't really know about her.  Like the fact that even though she was young, she was still a woman in the eyes of her community.  And there actually may have been a love affair with John smith (although in all likelihood, her saving his life was actually a ritual that adopted him into their tribe rather than an actual threat on his life and therefore they had an intimate relationship that might not have been physical at all).  I think I always thought that Pocahontas' transition to Rebecca was more under duress.  But it seems like she truly enjoyed everything the white Englishmen represented.  And she also seems to have truly loved her husband, John Rolfe (who is the reason tobacco was the cash crop of Virginia).  Sad that she died at such a young age and across the ocean from her home.  I finished in 7 days.

Morning Comes Softly by Debbie Macomber (374 pages).  Mary, the single librarian in a small Louisiana town, has never done anything out of the ordinary.  After the loss of her mother and brother, she finally does- she answers a personal ad for a wife.  Travis, a bachelor rancher in Montana, has just adopted his nephews and niece after his brother and sister in law are killed in a car accident.  He realizes that ranching and being a single dad isn't an easy job.  So when Mary answers his ad, she seems like the answer to his prayers.  And of course, being a romance novel, they really and truly fall in love.  Not without their share of arguments and misunderstandings along the way.  It was easy and cheesy.  King of a nice break from the heavier stuff I'd been reading this month.  I finished in 2 days.

The Making of the African Queen: Or How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind by Katharine Hepburn (129 pages).  Hepburn decided to write a journal about her experience in Africa while filming this movie (which I haven't seen in years).  The subtitle kind of says it all.  Between the weather (always damp and hot) and the conditions, it was a tough go of it.  But she actually seemed like she had a marvelous time.  And the movie was amazing and one she was very proud of.  I kind of want to re-watch it now.  I finished in 2 days. 

The Search for Justice by Robert L. Shapiro (360 pages).  I'm still convinced that OJ killed Nicole and Ron.  Or at least had them killed.  There's not much that will convince me otherwise.  Fortunately, Shapiro doesn't try to convince me of OJ's innocent.  He merely discusses the trial prep and strategy.  Including a lot of behind the scenes things and the misrepresentations in the press.  The prosecution had a tough row to hoe- the DNA evidence was all of the place and the police just tossed procedure right out the window during the investigation.  The defense team did a great job proving reasonable doubt as to OJ's guilt.  I was a senior in high school when the murders took place and a freshman in college when class was halted for the reading of the verdict.  I think I'd have payed closer attention to the whole thing had I already been a lawyer.  So this was an interesting read.  Especially for this former prosecutor.  I finished in 6 days.

The Breaking Point: Hemingway, Dos Passos and the Murder of Jose Robles by Stephen Koch (281 pages, plus 27 pages of notes that I did not read).  This one had a sticker from the Ernest Hemingway House on it.  Which means it's been in my possession for nearly 6 years!  Man, this clearing off of the shelves has been a long time coming.  I was wondering why in the world I bought this book.  And then mentioned it to Popsicle.  Turns out HE bought it and then passed it on to me when he was finished.  Also turns out he didn't enjoy it either.  It was kind of dull.  Long story short- Hem and Dos (another famous author) had been good friends.  To the point that they joined forces to produce/create a film called The Spanish Earth.  But one of Dos' best friends, Jose Robles, was murdered during the Spanish Civil War for some political reason.  And when Hem gleefully told Dos about it and accused Robles of being a fascist traitor, their friendship never recovered.  I put a lot of the blame on Hem- he went through friends the way he went through wives.  No loyalty, no explanations.  The personal stuff about Hem and Dos was interesting.  After all, I find Hem to be one of the most tragic authors in history (even if I don't care for his writing style).  But the political stuff was boring.  I finished in 5 days.

Primates of Park Avenue by Wednesday Martin, PhD (242 pages).  The author is an anthropologist.  When she and her husband moved from downtown to the Upper East Side after having their first child, she entered a whole new world.  And decided to study it like an anthropologist would.  The habits, the attitudes, the grooming, the hierarchies.  It was a fun read.  And a world I'm glad I'm not in!  My Louis Vuitton isn't on par with a Birkin!  I finished in 3 days.

This month's favorite was...The Search for Justice.  I know, I'm as shocked as all!

September was vacation month, so I got some good reading done!!

This month was a combination of clean out the ante-library and new books on vacation. Vacation books began with book #3 of the month (yay) and ended with book #12 (sad). But as St Jordi is my witness, I WILL finish all the books in the ante-library this year!  This month, I read 13 books. A total of 5070 pages. An average of 169 pages a day. Man, I love vacation!

Four Past Midnight by Stephen King (732 pages). Four novellas in one book. First up, The Langoliers (234 pages). This novella was turned into a miniseries in the 1990’s (which I remembered was about people disappearing on a flight, an abandoned airport, some weird creatures and the guy who played Cousin Balky). Turns out that was pretty much the book. Obviously, there’s more to the story. But I don’t want to give everything away. Suffice it to say, it does involve a rip in the time space continuum. Second, Secret Window, Secret Garden (147 pages). This one was turned into a Johnny Depp movie in the early 2000’s. All I remembered from it was that Johnny Depp played an author with writers block. And there was a crazy man who accused him of plagiarism. And a beautiful round window that overlooked a garden. Where he ended up burying his ex-wife after he killed her. Not exactly the story that King wrote. Yes, the author had writers block. Yes, he was accused of plagiarism by a crazy man. Who may or may not be a figment if his imagination, ala Fight Club. And yes, he had an ex-wife. But he doesn’t kill her. The story was quite an interesting look at a descent into paranoia and madness. Third, The Library Policeman (195 pages). No prior knowledge of this one from any movies. Sam Peebles is the only insurance agent in a small town. When he is called upon last minute to make a speech at the rotary club, he heads to the library for some books to spice up his speech. The librarian, Ms Lortz, helps him and promises that the Library Police will get him if he doesn’t return the books on time. When he forgets and goes by the library to talk to her, the library is entirely different. And Ms. Lortz doesn’t seem to exist. From friends Dave and Naomi, Sam learns the story of Ms. Lortz. She is most definitely NOT what you think!  Fourth, The Sun Dog (149 pages). This one involved a Polaroid camera. Kevin wanted a Polaroid camera for his 15th birthday. And when he got it, it turned out to be paranormal. Every time a picture was taken, it was never of the subject. It was always of something else. Something terrifying. Stephlen King is a strange, strange man. The books that come out of his brain are crazy. Of course, I’ve seen his house in Maine. Around midnight. And I kid you not- it’s the stuff of haunted houses. I finished in 8 days. 

Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards (248 pages). This was a memoir. The author was in her 40’s, divorced, and broken by her childhood. But the one thing that brought her joy was her horses. When the SPCA called her about taking in a rescue horse, Susan finds her horsey soulmate. Two broken creatures who help each other heal. It was such a sweet story. I found myself in tears by the end. There is not as pure, as amazing, as the love of an animal. Especially because the horse, Lay Me Down, was the horse version of my parents’ first cat. The cat who was so docile, so loving, so devoted, that her humans could do no wrong. Which made me love this horse even more. I finished in 4 days. 

The Blythes are Quoted by LM Montgomery (520 pages). I am a HUGE fan of anything Maud Montgomery has ever written. I’ve been to Green Gables for Pete’s sake. But until recently, I had NO idea that this, the 9th book in the Anne of Green Gables series, even existed!  In my defense, it wasn’t published until 2009 (she died in 1942). So it’s not like it’s been out there since I first was introduced to Anne. But what a wonderful way to kick off vacation. So this book was in two parts, one set prior to the Great War and the other after. It was a combination of short stories (all of which were published in other short story collections) and Anne’s and Walter’s poems (along with commentary from the Blythes during her nightly readings). The very first poem on the very first page was “The Piper”. The poem Walter wrote during the Great War that posthumously made him famous (see Rilla of Ingleside for more on that). I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t all new, never before published works. But I will never truly be disappointed with anything Maud has written. It’s like a comfortable sweater that you love to curl up in or your favorite chocolate cake that you will never get tired of eating. I finished in 1 day (thank you, travel time). 

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (415 pages). When I found out that Atwood had written a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, I was both excited and skeptical. Would it be as good as the original?  How would she deal with the fact that the tv show has surpassed the original storyline?  Why did I worry?  Atwood is such an amazing author, I never should have doubted her. For this sequel, we fast forward 15 years after Offred (or June if you only watch the show) got into a van with Mayday operatives. The story is told from 3 perspectives- Aunt Lydia (still a high ranking Aunt in Gilead), Agnes (the daughter of a high ranking Commander in Gilead) and Daisy (a teenager living in Canada). Conditions in Gilead are no better. And the country is still up in arms about the kidnapping of Baby Nicole, stolen by her Handmaid mother and taken to Canada (so yes, Atwood is using some of the storyline and character names from the show).  Aunt Lydia’s backstory is great- finding out more about how Gilead became Gilead is fascinating. The way the stories of these three women come together is great. I would be 100% satisfied if they ended the show with this ending. Obviously they’d need to fast forward some. But I’d be okay with that. I finished in 2 days. 

P. S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han (337 pages). Sequel to To All the Boys I’ve Loved. They are finishing up filming the sequels to that movie, so I thought I’d read the sequels before watching the movie this time around. Lara Jean and Peter are a full fledged, not faking it couple now.  But things are never smooth in teenaged romances (or any romance for that matter). And when the recipient of one of Lara Jean’s other letters shows up, things get a little complicated. The book was sweet and perfect for a vacation read. I finished in half a day. 

Always and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han (325 pages). The third and final book in the series. In for a penny, I guess. It’s finally senior year and Lara Jean is perfectly happy. Perfect boyfriend?  Check. Prom?  Check. College applications?  Check. But sometimes plans don’t work out exactly like we want them to. And sometimes that’s for the best. I found yet another reason to love Lara Jean (I feel like I was her in high school, a little nerdy and always up for a night in watching movies. Wait, I’m still her...). But she reveals that her dream guy is Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables. Same, Lara Jean. Same. I finished in the other half of a day. 

The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian (354 pages). Cassie Bowden is a flight attendant. Who takes advantage of the job by drinking heavily and hooking up with strange men in every new country (although she is equal opportunity and does the same at home in NYC). But one morning, after a blackout bender, she wakes up next to the dead body of last night’s lover. She leaves the hotel without alerting anyone, thinking that she’ll be done with this mess if she can just escape. But she’s now in a bigger mess than she ever thought was possible. Who killed him?  And why did they spare her?  And should they have?  It was pretty twisty and turny, as expected from a Bohjalian novel. I finished in 2 days. 

The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus (337 pages). This is a sequel to One Thousand White Women (which I loved). Backstory- 1000 white women were promised to the Cheyenne nation in exchange for 1000 horses and a peace treaty (of sorts) in 1873. That part of the novel is actually true. Only it was merely an idea and never happened. These books assume it did. This novel is the journals of Margaret and Susan Kelly, the feisty twins from Chicago who were some of the only survivors of the massacre that killed most of the Brides for Indians, AND Molly McGill, new recruit for the Brides for Indians program. After watching their friends and husbands die, and having both of their sets of twin babies die of hypothermia after the massacre, there was one thing on the twins hearts and minds- vengeance. As for Molly, she is much dismayed to learn that the program is officially dismantled. But she finds that life with the Cheyenne might actually be what she’s needed all along. I finished in 2 days. 

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (388 pages).  This was Jimmy Fallon’s book club book (although I’d had it on my list to buy before he announced it). Francis and Lena Gleeson and George and Anne Stanhope have known each other for years. From when Francis and George were new recruits on the NYPD to their respective moves to the suburbs that made them next door neighbors. Kate Gleeson (youngest of three girls) and Peter Stanhope (only child) have been best friends from the moment they were born six months apart. But in one tragic moment during eighth grade, the lives of the families forever change. This novel was a fascinating look at how both mental illness and alcoholism effects everyone, the person suffering from it and their family and other people in their circle. I finished in 2 days. 

The Wife, the Maid and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon (308 pages). Historical fiction and I didn’t even know it when I first picked it up!  It was an oppressively hot evening in August of 1930 when NY Supreme Court Justice Joe Crater was seen getting into the back of a cab, never to be heard from again. He left behind three very different, but very important, women. His wife Stella. His maid Maria. And his mistress Ritzi. All of them know something about his disappearance. But none of them are talking. The disappearance of Judge Crater is still one of the most famous missing persons cases- it’s been nearly 90 years and still no one knows what happened to him. But his disappearance did help eventually bring down the political bribery machine that was Tammany Hall. This novel was more of a “this is one option of what could have happened to him” and some made up characters. I finished in 1 day. 

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (343 pages). Tom Sherbourne has returned from the front. And by 1918 has joined up as a lighthouse keeper. He is assigned to Janus Rock, alone on a small island off the coast of southern Australia. But when he meets spirited Isabel, they marry and she joins him. Years pass, with miscarriages and a stillborn marring their perfect life. One night, they discover a dinghy, with a dead man and a very alive baby girl. Isabel quickly decides this child has been sent to take the place of their recent stillborn son. Tom, desperate in his grief for his wife, agrees. After all, the baby is alone in the world. But every baby has a mother. And after years pass, the Sherbournes’ choice reveals all of the lives that were rocked by their decision. I finished in half a day (airports are great places to read). 

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (308 pages). Nora Shaw is a little shocked to receive an invite to her high school best friend’s hen party. Mostly because they haven’t spoken in over 10 years. But when she shows up with 4 other guests and the bride to be, the hen weekend turns into a nightmare. After too much drinking, Nora ends up in a hospital after a car accident. And someone is dead. It was awesomely twisty and turny. I kind of thought I knew what happened, then doubted it. The. Was a little shocked by the end. I finished in 2 days (I had to spill over to one day after vacation because I still had 100 pages to go). 

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (455 pages). I’m pretty sure I’d read this book in maybe high school (based on the fact that I’d written by name on it and underlined two full ages, with the note “comic, yet serious”). But I had absolutely no recollection of it. So time for (re)read another classic. It’s set during World War II. The main character is bombardier Yossarian. And it covers all of the misadventures of Yossarian and the other men stationed with him during the war. The book is absurd. And dark. And absurd. I can’t say that I liked it.  I did get a giggle out of the character named Major Major Major Major. Yep, a major (promoted solely based on his name) who’s father named him Major Major Major. Insane! I finished in 9 days. 

This month’s favorite was ...The Testaments. Vengeance of Mothers and In a Dark, Dark Wood tied for second. I wanted it to be the “new” L.M. Montgomery, but it wasn’t new stories so it couldn’t win the monthly favorite. Let’s face facts though- Montgomery will be a LIFE favorite, not just a monthly favorite. 

August is done. So here are my books.

August was a continuation of “let’s clean off the shelves of the antelibrary”!  Even though I did buy some new books in anticipation of an upcoming vacation, they have their own shelf and I’m not allowed to touch them u til the first day of vacation. But let’s get back to this past month, shall we?  I read 7 books at a total of 2,006 pages. That’s an average of 65 pages a day. Staying above the average. So away we go!

Four Novels by Ernest Hemingway (878 pages total, I read 623). The novels were The Sun Also Rises (183 pages), A Farewell to Arms (236 pages. And no, I did NOT reread a book I’d just finished), For Whom the Bell Tolls (391 pages), and The Old Man and the Sea (49 pages, which was a reread from maybe middle school). Yes, I know I just complained about Hemingway. But this has been on the shelf for a long time and I want it out of the ante-library!  First up, The Sun Also Rises. I actually enjoyed this one. Probably because it felt like a reread of portions of The Paris Wife (which I loved). Other than the names being different, it was literally a story from Hemingway’s life. It was an adventure in Pamplona to experience the running of the bulls and the subsequent bullfights. There was love, cheating, fights. It was actually good. Next, A Farewell to Arms. Which again, I did not reread. Didn’t like it a few weeks ago. Figure I probably wouldn’t like it again.  Third, For Whom the Bell Tolls. I didn’t really like this one either. It takes place during the Spanish Civil War when a young American joins with a guerrilla unit to blow up a bridge. Finally, The Old Man and the Sea. Santiago is a down on his luck fisherman is Cuba. After a long streak of no fish, he feels that his luck has changed. He goes out alone. And hooks a huge marlin. A marlin who takes him for a 2 day ride before he can kill the fish. On the way back to shore, sharks attack the fresh marlin and Santiago has to fight them off. When Santiago arrives home, he is left with only the carcass of an 18 foot marlin.  But he now has the respect of the other fishermen. So, for the record, here’s the order that I liked the novels. The Sun Also Rises, The Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls. And also, for the record, I’m officially done reading Hemingway.  I finished in 9 days. 

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (353 pages). Dr. Marina Singh works for a big pharm company. When her coworker and good friend Dr. Anders Eckman goes down to the Amazon to check up on a long term fertility project lead by the elusive Dr. Annick Swenson and dies of some fever, her world is turned upside down. She is sent down to follow up on the work and Dr. Eckman’s death. And realizes that the world of the Amazon isn’t at all what she imagined. Nor is Dr. Swenson’s project. It was not what I expected from the cover blurb. But it wasn’t the worst book ever. I finished in 7 days. 

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (432 pages). For a book that won the Nobel, I found it VERY confusing. Too many storylines that seemed all over the place. And for some reason, Pasternak referred to each character by different names (even in the same paragraph.). First their first name, then their last, then a nickname. It was beyond confusing. Long story short- over the course of his life, Zhivago has an affair with and loves Lara (despite being married twice and having children, never to or with her). And it takes place in post-Revolutionary Russia. But kind of like Anna Karenina, there were soooo many other storylines that the one of Zhivago and Lara covers less than half of the book. It was also very depressing. Sadly, the line from the 98 Degrees song kept running through my mind every time I picked up with book. I finished in 7 days. 

The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb (305 pages). Am I the only person who knew the song about Tom Dooley but did not know it was based on a real life murder? I’m not?  Okay, that makes me feel better. Tom Dula (yes, that’s the right spelling, but it was pronounced Dooley) was a confederate soldier. He had been involved in a long time affair with Ann Foster Melton (like since they were 12 and 13). But then he took up with her cousin Pauline AND her other cousin Laura. Despite Ann being in love with him and not with her own husband, Tom got Laura pregnant and planned to elope with her. She rode away on the morning she was to meet him and the next time she was seen, she had been stabbed and buried in a shallow grave. Tom Dula was found guilty of her murder and hanged. But was he actually guilty or was it really the result of a jealous rage by Ann?  The novel was told from the perspectives of Pauline and Tom’s attorney Zebulon Vance. And the song has the story a little wrong, in case you were wondering. I finished in 3 days. 

On the Road by Jack Kerouac (293 pages).  Another “classic” that has been on the shelf forever. And sorry, I’m with Paris Geller on this. I am not a fan. I don’t get the whole Beatnik generation. Dang lazy bums if you ask me. I’ve never understood the whole “stick it to the man, screw normal behavior” mindset. The idea of just bumming around the country, with no money and no job and no home gives me anxiety. I finished in 5 days. 

This month’s favorite was ... The Ballad of Tom Dooley. Because you know I love some good historical fiction!

July readings. I've nothing more pithy to use as a title

This month was pretty strong.  I decided it's time to just clean off the shelves of the ante-library (of which there is less than one of four currently occupied).  I promised myself I wouldn't buy new books until I got it below one shelf.  So read the stuff I'm not necessarily super excited about I must!  I read 9 books at a total of 2,646 pages.  That's an average of 85 pages a day.  So let's get to it!

Theodosia by Richard N. Cote (327 pages).  This was an autographed copy btw.  Other than knowing that she was named for her mother, that she was lost at sea and that her dad sings a song to her in Hamilton (you know, because they were truly unusually close), I knew very little about Theodosia Burr Alston.  I didn't know that she was quite possibly one of the best educated women in her age.  I didn't know that she had only one child because of a prolapsed uterus and lived in near constant pain because of that condition.  I didn't know that she lost her only child, son Aaron Burr Alston, at a young age and shortly before her ill fated sailing.  I REALLY didn't know that her father fully planned on installing her as the Empress of Mexico when he took over the Louisiana Purchase and declared it a separate country.  The book was quite fascinating.  I finished in 6 days.

The Spy by Paulo Coelho (174 pages).  As anyone who doesn't live under a rock knows, I LOVE Coelho.  Mata Hari was one of the most famous (and infamous) women in the world.  A shocking dancer and courtesan, she was also a sort of spy during World War I.  Germany asked her to be a spy, but she told France about it.  Then, her contact in France turned on her (turns out he was probably a spy himself).  The novel was a retelling of her last known letter to her attorney at her espionage trial.  After being found guilty, she was shot by a firing squad in France.  I finished in less than 1 day.

The Sound of Red Rising by Sue Duffy (288 pages).  Another autographed book btw.  Liesl Bower is a world famous, Harvard trained pianist.  15 years earlier, she saw a Russian agent kill her beloved mentor (who happened to be a double agent himself).  Now, the Russians and the CIA are after her, for something she may or may not know.  I didn't start out enjoying the book, to be honest.  It was a little hard to follow and kind of meh.  But then the story headed to Charleston.  And faith and God entered the picture.  I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would.  I finished in 4 days.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (518 pages).  I went for another "should've read it long ago" classic.  And another one that I felt like I knew before I actually read it.  Young Pip, orphaned and living with his older sister and her blacksmith husband, is invited into the home of eccentric Miss Havisham to be a playmate for her adopted daughter Estella.  Pip immediately and utterly falls under Estella's spell.  But Miss Havisham has raised her to be heartless in an attempt to seek revenge against all men because of the man who left her at the altar.  As Pip becomes a young man, he comes into great expectations- an unknown benefactor wants to turn him into a gentlemen and gives him money.  Turns out having great expectations isn't always the answer.  This edition actually had the original ending that was not liked and the published ending that was.  I finished in 6 days.

Cranberry Hearts by Lisa Harris, Lena Nelson Dooley and Elizabeth Goodard (347 pages).  3 little novels in 1.  All of them were Christian and love stories.  The first was about a woman who learned, upon the death of her mother, that the father who raised her had not been her biological father.  And that her biological grandfather actually wanted to meet her.  Her appearance does not please everyone in her grandfather's life, including his stepson.  The second was about a woman who left her fiance when she learns he wasn't the man she thought he was.  But a man who will give up everything to follow the woman he loves to her hometown and who will offer up evidence against his corrupt boss is a man worthy of a second chance.  The third is about a woman who returns home to the family cranberry farm to help her grandfather and raise her orphaned nephew.  But her deceased brother's business partner changes everything when he shares with her what he is scared has actually happened to cause her brother's death.  The novels were sweet and a little sweetly suspenseful.  I finished in 5 days.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (343 pages, including introductions and appendices).  I bought this particular book at the Ernest Hemingway House, like 6 years ago.  See, this is why I have to stop buying books until I've read what I've had for years!  Honestly, I don't get the Hemingway appeal.  I find his life fascinating, but I don't particularly enjoy his writing.  This book was (very loosely) based on Hemingway's own life.  Fredric Henry, an American who is a lieutenant in the Italian army during World War I, falls in love with British nurse Catherine Barkley.  Between being injured and an unexpected pregnancy (out of wedlock no less), the deck is stacked against this couple from the start.  The ending was horrifically sad.  But I just didn't love the novel.  I finished in 7 days.

Death by Petticoat by Mary Miley Theobald (125 pages).  This book was great.  63 American history myths that are debunked.  I'm embarrassed by how many of these I believed to be true!  Some of them I'd never heard of.  And some of them I knew to be myths.  Either way, it was kind of fun.  I finished in less than 1 hour.

Breakthrough by Joyce Smith (243 pages).  This book was the story of a miracle.  14 year old John falls through thin ice into a 40 degree lake in Missouri.  He is underwater for 20 minutes.  And clinically dead for an hour.  But his family is a family of believers.  When his mother arrives at the hospital, the doctor is ready to pronounce time of death.  But before he can do so, Joyce cries out to God to save her son.  And John's heart starts beating again.  Against all medical odds, John walks out of the hospital 16 days later in absolute perfect health.  As one doctor said, "there's science and there's God.  This was God."  The faith of this family was amazing.  They decided to only speak life in John's room.  And through God's healing power, life was there.  The book was turned into a movie recently.  I finished in 3 days.

Anonymity by Janna McMahon (281 pages).  I'm pretty sure this book has been in the ante-library for several years as well.  Emily is a bartender in her late 20's in Austin.  Through a series of events, she comes into contact with Lorelei, a homeless teenage girl.  Emily attempts to befriend Lorelei and several of the other homeless kids (as Austin has a large homeless teen population).  But Lorelei isn't looking for friends.  Or for help.  She's figured out how to make it on her own and she revels in that.  But she manages to affect Emily and her friends more than she realized.  The book was actually surprisingly sad.  I finished in 3 days.

This month's favorite.... a tie between Theodosia and Anonymity.  They were so drastically different that I can't choose which I liked more.

June means pool time. And pooltime means lots of reading time!

I got a lot of reading done this month. 9 books at a total of 3,542 pages. That’s an average of 118 pages a day. I chalk it up to several days spent reading a whole book in a day by the pool. So without further ado, here’s my rundown of June’s books. 

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer (416 pages). There are literally no words for this book. I cried about 4 times. It was so beautiful. Alina Dziak is 15 years old when the Nazis begin their occupation of Poland. Her fiancé, Tomasz Slaski, has been in Warsaw for college. But he has always said he will come back for her. They have a love that will defy distance, time and the Nazis. Alice Michels is a frazzled mother of two, dealing with the fading health of her beloved Babcia, Hanna. When Hanna sends Alice to Poland with just a few words, names and addresses, Alice has no idea the story that she will uncover. I literally bawled for the loast 50 pages!  Thanks to perfect pool weather and inability to put this book down, I finished it pretty quickly. This might be the second month in a row of the month’s favorite being the first one of the month!  I finished in 1 day. 

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (455 pages). I decided to head back to an unread classic. Again, I feel like I knew this book before I even picked it up. It’s the story of the Joad family and their quest to find a better life in California in the 1930’s when the dust bowl and machines destroyed the small farms of the Midwest. It was oh so horribly depressing. But beautifully intriguing and written. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I finished in 5 days. 

The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper (405 pages). I’ve read Little Women (and seen about 3 different movie versions at least). I don’t think I realized that Louisa May Alcott based the March sisters on herself and her sisters. In fact, I’m not really sure I gave too much thought to Alcott’s life in general. One sister, May (yes, same name as her sister), did not appreciate being the basis for spoiled Amy March. So she set out to make a name for herself as an artist, out from under the name (and financial support) of her famous sister. She was bold and brave. And had a heartbreaking end to her fascinating life. I finished in 8 days. 

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan (332 pages). Librarian Nina Redmond is the victim of the downsizing of libraries. Which is a shame, because her true gift is finding the right book for every person who crosses her path. But it also allows her an amazing opportunity. She uproots her life when she buy a van. And moves to a small town in Scotland to open a mobile bookstore. She learns that life is about living, not just about reading. She meets new friends and becomes a part of a community. It was a sweet book. And perfect for poolside (which is where I read it). I finished in 1 day. 

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate (339 pages). Another one that left me speechless. Starting in the 1930’s, there was a horrible woman named Georgia Tann. She ran the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. And by ran, I mean she literally kidnapped and sold children. This was the fictional version of those children. In Memphis in 1939, Rill Foss has the life of her dreams. She and her 3 younger sisters and baby brother are river gypsies with their beloved parents. But when their mother has complications with a pregnancy with twins, Rill and her siblings are carted off to one of Tann’s “homes” to await adoption. In modern day Aiken, Avery Stafford has a life of privilege. She’s the daughter of a senator, happily engaged to her best friend. But when a family health emergency calls her home from DC, she learns some family truths in some long hidden history. After finishing the book, I read some stories about Georgia Tann. What a horrible woman. Truly horrible. Some of the families she destroyed were never reunited. Some children died simply because they cried too much and were left alone without food and water. The damage inflicted is beyond what I can imagine.  I finished in 1 day. 

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (316 pages). Another classic I’d never read. And the first Pulitzer Prize book written by a woman!  The novel begins with the elite society of New York in the 1870’s. Newland Archer is engaged to the lovely May Welland. He faces a known future of perfect domesticity with her.  But her cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, returns from her disastrous marriage in Europe. And Archer finds himself drawn to her. He feels that he must make a choice between the two women. What he doesn’t realize is that the women actually hold the cards. I really enjoyed it. It was surprisingly forward thinking (in some respects) for a novel written in the 1920’s. I finished in 6 days. 

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand (504 pages). Three women and two boys arrive on Nantucket for the summer. Vicki is dealing with her cancer diagnosis and the possibility of leaving her young sons motherless. Her sister, Brenda, is dealing with the demise of her career in academia (all her own fault). And her her friend, Melanie, is dealing with a much wanted pregnancy colored by her husband’s infidelity. College student and local Josh enters their life as the boys’ summer babysitter. And helps each woman come to terms with her personal struggles. It was mindless and easy. Legit, a perfect beach read (I had to make do with the pool). I finished in 3 days. 

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld (397 pages). Kate and Violet are identical twins who could not live more unidentical lives. Kate is married with 2 kids. Vi is a free spirit. But both of them have senses. Only Vi truly embraces hers. When Vi gets a premonition of an earthquake in their town of St Louis, Kate gets a premonition about a date. And they immediately assume that’s the date the earthquake will hit. Turns out both of their premonitions are a little bit off. It was a perfectly fine book. And one that had been on my shelf for a while. I finished in 4 days. 

The Centurion’s Wife by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke (378 pages). Janette Oke is one of my favorite authors ever and definitely my favorite Christian author. However, this is the most Biblical of all of her novels that I’ve read. It takes place during the time from the Resurrection to Pentecost. Leah is a servant in Pontius Pilate’s household. Albany is a centurion. In fact, he is the centurion who’s belief in Jesus’ power allowed his servant to be healed from afar. Leah and Alban are betrothed, for somewhat political reasons. Pilate will allow the marriage to go forward if Alban can find out the truth behind the disappearance of Jesus’ body from the tomb. Pilate’s wife sends Leah out to track down the truth as well. Through their separate interactions with believers, both Leah and Alban come to faith and experience the miracle of Pentecost.  I finished in 1 day (because there was only one day left in the month!)

This month’s favorite was ... The Things We Cannot Say. I will say this month had no bad books. I did enjoy all of them. 

It MAY have been the pool worthy weather, but it was a good month!

May was a great month for my reading. I read 8 books at a total of 3,060 pages. That’s an average of 99 pages a day. Yay me!!  So here goes

Sycamore Row by John Grisham (447 pages). I’m not a massive Grisham fan. He’s fine, but not my fave. This one might have changed my mind. It takes place in a small town in Mississippi. Jake is a lawyer, famous in the town for winning a big trial where his client,  black man, was found not guilty of murder by a juror of white people. Seth Hubbard is a somewhat reclusive businessman, who is mostly estranged from his children. When he commits suicide, his holographic will that he sends to Jake rocks this small town that is so racially divided. He has left 90% of his fortune to his black housekeeper as the trial to contest the will heats up, secrets of generations come out. I couldn’t put it down!  Plus, I got some good pool time over the weekend. I finished in 4 days. 

My Husband’s Wife by Jane Corry (373 pages). Lily is a young lawyer and a newlywed when she takes on the appeal of a murderer. She realizes she has an attraction to this man, but continues to work on his case. While she and her husband struggle to find their footing in married life, they befriend their neighbors, a single Italian mom and her beautiful daughter Carla. But everyone has secrets. And grudges don’t die. After 12 years, Carla shows back up on their doorstep. And the lives that had so carefully been laid out all fall apart. It had just enough intrigue. But wasn’t over the top. It was a great pool read (which is where I read most of it). I finished in 3 days. 

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling (455 pages). I didn’t really like The Casual Vacancy ( her other pseudonym novel). But decided to give this one a try. Cormoran Strike is a private detective in London. When he’s hired to investigate the apparent suicide of a famous model, Lulu Landry, by her brother, he and his secretary Robin learn there’s more to the case than they thought. As they trace Lulu’s last days, they learn about her search for her birth parents, her relationships and who might have wanted to kill her. It was a great whodunnit. And so not like Harry Potter!  Or her other Galbraith novel. I liked this one. I finished in 6 days. 

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (310 pages). Last month, I read another novel by Guillory. And liked it. I wish I’d read this one first, as it had some major overlap characters. But I still enjoyed it. When Drew randomly gets stuck in an elevator with Alexa on the weekend of his ex’s wedding, he impulsively asks her to be his pretend girlfriend for the wedding. Just a one time thing. That turns into another weekend and another weekend and another weekend. Obviously, the path of true love is never easy. Let’s face facts- rom-coms have a pattern!  But it always end in true love. I finished in 3 days. 

Dracula by Bram Stoker (399 pages). Seen the movies. Seen the ballet, for Pete’s sake (and yes, you should go see Columbia City Ballet’s version if you never have). So how have I never read the book?  Honestly, if you don’t know the story of Dracula, I don’t know what to say. The Count holds Jonathan Harker hostage for a month while he plans his “trip” to London. Once there, he kills Lucy. Her bestie, Mina (eventual wife of Jonathan) and all the men (Lucy’s fiancé, two of her prior suitors and Van Helsing) join forces to take down the Count. The end. I finished in 5 days. 

Advent by James Treadwell (451 pages). Reminded me way too much of Neil Gaiman, in that it was all about weird magic and storylines that I couldn’t follow. No, no, no.  Not enjoyable at all. This was literally one that, if I hadn’t committed to read at least 50 pages a day and sat by the pool, would have never been finished. It goes back and forth between the 16th century story of the greatest magus ever (Johannes Faust) meeting the love of his life, prophetess Cassandra, and the modern day story of Gavin, who seems like he might be a natural wizard due to his second sight. He’s definitely something unusual. Gavin is sent to spend holiday with his eccentric aunt. She isn’t there to meet his train and the estate where she is living is rather magical. I finished in 6 days. 

The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes (389 pages). Suzanna Peacock has always struggled with the memory (and notoriety) of her deceased mother, Athene. Athene was reckless and thoughtless. And Suzanna has always struggled a little bit with being raised by her father and stepmother. When she and her husband have to return to her hometown, she decides to open a little shop, The Peacock Emporium. There, she finds the friendships she always needed. And eventually learns the truth about her own family. It was a great read. And a perfect pool read. I finished in 2 days. 

The Lo-Down by Lo Bosworth (236 pages). I literally only bought this book because Lo was one of my favorites in Laguna Beach/The Hills. Turns out it’s a dating advice book. From a then 24 year old. Which didn’t do me a lot of good.  But hey, it was on the bookshelf and the perfect number of pages to finish out the month. So I read it with a grain of salt and a few eye rolls. And shockingly, a few times of thinking, wow, she’s not wrong. Even about my life as a 40 year old woman. It was cute. I would totally recommend it to a younger girl who’s just starting to date. Or a reminder that sometimes, as great as a guy is, he’s not your right puzzle piece match. And that’s okay. I finished in 4 days. 

This month’s favorite was ...Sycamore Row. 

April showers brought about some good reading

I killed it this month!  I ran the gambit of historical fiction to chick lit to crap I didn’t enjoy. All for a total of 11 books, 3199 pages, an average of 106 pages per day. Which is pretty darned impressive, if I do say so myself!

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (254 pages). Another round of my favorite, (mostly) historical (very little) fiction. This novel was the true story of Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who managed to survive the Holocaust by becoming the man who tattooed other prisoners when they arrived at Auschwitz. My first thought was, what an insult to this man. And to the Jews in general. As tattooing is prohibited in the Old Testament, this was just the ultimate insult. Which I never really thought about until reading this book. Lale meets his future wife, Gita, when he tattoos her arm. He promises her that they will both survive and they will have a life together. Even knowing that they do, I wiped away tears when they were finally reunited after the Russians arrived at the concentration camps and they were sent to different places. Every time I read about the horrors of the Holocaust, my heart breaks. For the evil that humans can exhibit. And for the people who refuse to believe it happened. I finished in 5 days (although w of those days were last month). 

The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher (368 pages). Yep, more historical fiction for this girl!  There are so many Kennedy’s that I don’t know much about the “lesser” known ones. Kathleen (or Kick as she was known) was the fourth Kennedy child. She had her debutante season in 1938 in London when her father was there as the ambassador. And it was there that she fell head over heels for Billy Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington. While religion (she was Catholic, he was Anglican) and the War tried to keep them apart (and succeeded for nearly 5 years), Kick eventually followed her heart and married Billy. He was killed in action by a German sniper 4 months after their marriage and a month after her beloved brother Joe Jr was killed when his plane exploded. And 4 years later, Kick herself was killed in a plane crash. So much grief in such short lives. I found Kick to be a fascinating and inspiring character. I’d have loved to have seen what her life would have been had Billy not been killed.  I finished in 7 days. 

The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester (447 pages). To 22 year old Estella Bissette, her life working at an atelier in Paris could only be more perfect if she were the clothing designer with her own atelier. But the year is 1940 and the Germans are advancing. Her mother sends her to America for her safety. There, she makes friends and connections. Fast forward to 2015. Fabienne Bissette knows that her grandmother is an iconic fashion designer, but does not know her real story. A story of love, sacrifice, subterfuge, family and loss. Not going to lie, I bawled several times.   While Estella and Fabienne weren’t real people,there were actually several characters in the book who were. The novelist took a what if and turned it into an amazing story. I finished in 3 days. 

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han (355 pages). So I’d already watched the movie on Netflix. And dang, did Netflix do a killer job with it!  I mean, it was pretty much verbatim. Which I totally appreciate. Lara Jean Covey’s worst nightmare comes true. Five love letters that she wrote are sent out. And in an effort to make one boy think she wasn’t serious, she agrees to a fake relationship with another one. It was super cute. I finished in 3 days. 

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult (356 pages). A shooter enters an abortion clinic and takes hostage the women (and man) who are there (after killing several of them first). When the hostage negotiator arrives from the police department, he learns that his daughter and sister are in the building. He also slowly starts to piece together what led the shooter to this moment. The novel is written backwards in time- it begins at 5 pm and goes back to the beginning of the day. Each hour, you learn new things about each hostage. Like the doctor who is a strongly religious man, but feels that it is his calling to help women. Or the anti-abortion protester who has gone undercover to prove that they are forcing women to have abortions. Each fact in each hour made me more and more invested in their lives and was more effective than knowing everything upfront.  I couldn’t put it down. It was most definitely a difficult topic for a novel. I finished in 2 days. 

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory (325 pages). This would have been a perfect pool/beach read. If only it hadn’t been rainy and/or cold two days I was reading!  Nik has been casually dating pretty boy actor Fisher for only 5 months when he surprises her with a very public proposal (to Nicole) during a Dodgers game. She turns him down and it goes viral. Happily, doctor Carlos and his sister hop up to save the day and get her out of dodge (yep, I went there). Nik and Carlos begin a rebound fling that both of them seem on the same page about- casual, fun, food, sex. That’s it. But is that every really it when the other person gets you better than you get yourself?  I finished in 3 days. 

The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket (69 pages). This was a very odd collection of letters between Lemony Snicket and Beatrice Baudelaire and actual letters that you popped out of the pages. Seeing as I loved the series, I assumed I would love this book. Wrong assumption. I finished in 1 day. 

The Storied Life of A.J. Fiery by Gabrielle Zevin (258 pages). It was like Silas Marner, except the baby (Maya) was left in AJ’s bookstore.  AJ and his wife opened Island Books on Alice Island. About a year after her death, AJ awakens from a drunken stupor to find his rarest and most expensive book of poems has been stolen. But a few weeks later, AJ comes home to find that Maya’s mother has left her for him to raise before she commits suicide. No connection, no explanation, just a note and a toddler who now has no family.  And just like with Silas Marner, AJ’s world is opened up by the introduction of this little girl. It was a cute modern take on an old classic. Ironically, AJ (book snob that he was) probably would’ve hated this novel!  I finished in 3 days. 

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers (349 pages). So this is supposed to be one of the great Southern American novels. It was just, meh. It takes place in a small southern mill town in the 1930’s. The central characters are John Singer (deaf-mute who turns into the confidante of most of the town), Biff Brannon (owner of the cafe. And possibly a closeted homosexual in my opinion), Jake Blount (alcoholic, Communist drifter), Dr Copeland (African American doctor who has a deep hatred for most white men), and Mick Kelly (young girl with musical dreams). The town has its own set of issues. I finished in 5 days. 

The Unauthorized Autobiography by Lemony Snicket (212 pages). Again, loved the original series. Did not like the addendums. This one was, like the other, a collection of letters and photos. I did not like it. I finished in 1 day. 

And the Rest is History by Marlene Wagman-Geller (206 pages). 34 stories of the first meetings of some of the greatest (or simply most infamous) couples in history. From Jacob and Rachel to Celine Dion and Rene Angelil. Most were couples I had heard of (and even read novels about), others were new to me. It was sweet. It was lovely. I finished in 2 days (because I had to). 

This month’s favorite was ...The Paris Seamstress. The two historical fiction came a close second. 

I just Marched right through my bookshelves!

This month was a good month, reading-wise. I started a book on the 30th and did not come close to finishing it. So I didn’t count it towards this month’s readings. But this month I read 7 books, at a total of 2724 pages, which is an average of 94 pages per day. Let’s get to it!

Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy (291 pages). This was a prequel to Anne of Green Gables. The author said she was inspired by Marilla telling Anne that John Blythe had been her beau. The book opens with the Marilla we know and love (don’t kid yourself, you know you loved her, crotchety old love bug that she was). Then immediately flashes back to 13 year old Marilla. She is full of life and love. She and Matthew adore their parents. And Avonlea. And Green Gables. Tragedy strikes the Gables. But life goes on. Marilla finds, and loses, love with John Blythe. The author created a wonderful world for Marilla, full of the characters we know (hello there, young Rachel Lynde nee White) and so many other familiar names (the Blairs, the Pyes, the Andrews). And even some adventures. I finished in 5 days. 

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus (434 pages). In 1854, a Cheyenne chief offered a peace treaty with the US Army. 1000 white women to be offered as wives to the Cheyenne men. Because theirs was a matriarchal society, the children would be white. Needless to say, the offer was refused. In this novel, it is not. And the first of the 1000 women (including patients at mental hospitals) are sent west. Including May Dodd, who’s great grandson J. Will Dodd publishes her diaries. The book was great!  The Cheyenne seemed a peaceful people. And these white women truly integrated themselves into the Indian lives. But when gold is found in the Black Hills, a sacred place to the Indians, the peaceful life is quickly shattered. Honestly, every time I read about the destruction of the Indians’ lives by the invading white man, it breaks my heart. I finished in 6 days. 

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (450 pages). The title is a little misleading. The nine people aren’t perfect strangers. The novel takes place at Tranquillum House, a high end health spa resort. Masha, the director, has come up with a groundbreaking new treatment and is going to test it out over a 10 day retreat. The guests are a family of three who are mourning the death of son/brother, a couple with marital issues, and four completely unrelated single people. Let’s just say that Masha’s treatment plan is completely unexpected. And quite insane!  Like legit, Masha is crazy. CRAZY!!  It’s a different Moriarty than I had expected.  But I really liked it!  I finished in 5 days. 

The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo (405 pages). This was the story of Sleepy Hollow, told from Katrina’s point of view. Which actually made it a lot of fun. After all, as she says in the prologue, her story “has everything that a grand, epic tale should have, even if the details have been lost: a romance between a handsome hero and a beautiful heroine, a jealous rival, loyal friendship, music, ghosts and demons, magic, and murder most foul.”  All of the details that were either glossed over or left out of Washington Irving’s version (which I love btw). This one was WAY more fun though!  Katrina isn’t just a passive prize to be fought over- she is passionate and headstrong. And she gets to the bottom of the ghost story of the Horseman. I finished in 4 days. 

When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger (340 pages). The third in the Devil Wears Prada series. Emily is now an image consultant/fixer. But she’s not as in demand as she used to be. So when Karolina, the wife of a senator, is accused of drunk driving with her stepson and his friends in the car, Emily jumps at the chance to help out when her old friend Miriam calls. Emily comes up with the perfect plan to win Karolina back her life. And her own!  It would have been a perfect pool read. But alas, I had to read it indoors. It was mindless fun. I finished in 2 days. 

The Traitor’s Wife by Allison Pataki (464 pages). Not only do I love historical fiction, but I also really like this particular author (she tends to focus on female historical characters, which is uncommon). I’m going to be honest- other than knowing that Benedict Arnold betrayed our country in some way, I literally knew nothing about him or his family. Now I feel like I do. I don’t think I realized that Arnold was truly an American hero before his Loyalist wife and her ex-love British officer John Andre convinced him to betray the country.  The novel begins in May 1778, with the arrival of fictional lady’s maid Clara at the Shippen household, where she begins her life with Peggy Shippen. She watches Peggy’s love affair with Andre and her eventual marriage to Arnold. And the subsequent betrayal of their country by the Arnolds. All in a little over 2 years. It was heartbreaking to watch Arnold’s fall from grace- a man who fought and was injured for his country became so disenchanted that he was willing to betray it. I finished in 4 days. 

The Party by Robyn Harding (340 pages). It’s Hannah’s 16th birthday. Her parents decide that a slumber party with 4 of her girl friends is enough. But what they don’t know is that 2 of Hannah’s friends are in the popular clique and Hannah is desperate to fit in. When a horrendous accident happens that night, everyone’s life is effected. From Hannah and her parents to the girls in attendance and really even the whole high school. It was pretty good. I finished in 3 days. 

This month’s favorite was ...The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel. But I really liked the historical fiction books as well.