I didn’t read a lot of books this month. But I still read a lot of pages. Only 7 books at a total of 2,382 pages. So that’s an average of 77 pages a day. So away we go!
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman (374 pages). This was my Once Upon a Book Club book. So gifties on social. Review on blog. Over 200 years ago, an elder Fontana sister cursed her younger sister, that she and all second born daughters would never find true love. Whether you believe in curses or not, this one seems to have come true. 29 year old, happily single Emilia and her 21 year old, unhappily single cousin Luciana are invited to join their 79 year old great aunt Poppy on a trip to Italy. All of them are second born daughters. And Poppy has promised them that she will break the curse by meeting her true love on the steps of the church in Ravello on her 80th birthday. Adventures ensue. But can a curse be broken, especially if you don’t really believe in it? I finished in 4 days.
Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined by Stephenie Meyer (387 pages). Why yes, I did buy a novel that’s the exact Twilight novel except with role reversals. Edythe is now the hundred year old vampire and Beau is the human in love with her. Almost all of the roles are reversed and names changed, except for Charlie and Renee. Beau lived with Renee and Phil in Phoenix until moving to Forks to live with Charlie. There were several changes, but most of them were to simply have it make sense that Beau was a boy and Edythe a girl rather than some massive change to the storyline. Except for one HUGE change to the story. Parts of the change I liked, others I didn’t. It was, however, a perfect ending to not have sequels. I finished in 4 days.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (288 pages). I did not like this book at all. It made absolutely no sense to me. Kathy, Ruth and Tommy grew up together at Hailsham. Was it a school? Was it some sort of holding place for kids? Who knows. But after they grew up and were allowed to leave Hailsham, they lost touch. Life eventually brought them back together and some of their questions were answered. I was still confused. Completely and utterly. How this book won a Nobel in literature is beyond me. Truly a confusing and unenjoyable book. I finished in 5 days.
The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke (356 pages). This was a Once Upon a Book Club box. So gifts on social (as usual). After 7 years together, concert pianist Diana is finally ready to marry Arie. She’s even written him a love song while on tour. But before she can return home to him, tragedy strikes and her song disappears with her. But a simple notebook and talented musicians around the world manage to bring Diana’s song home to Arie. Along with the possibility of new love. I finished in 2 days.
The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics by Barton Swaim (204 pages). This was another book that Popsicle thought I’d enjoy. Again, he was correct. The author was Mark Sanford’s speechwriter for the last 3 years of his time as governor. Yes, he was there during the Appalachian Trail debacle. With a PhD in English (I got my BA in English), Barton wasn’t sure what careers were available to him (I feel your pain, which is how I ended up in law). He loved to write so applied to be Sanford’s speechwriter during his second term. A job that can only be described as horrific and hysterical, all at the same time. The takeaway was that while “good” people might be elected into office, politicians are never to be trusted. I finished in 2 days.
Little Big Love by Katy Regan (356 pages). 10 year old Zac decides he wants to find his dad, a man who did a runner before he was born. Or so he’s always been told. While he has people who love him (his mom, his grandad and nan, his best friend, his mom’s ex-boyfriend), he still feels like something is missing. Between bullying at school (both he and his mom are severely overweight) and learning the truth about his uncle’s death and his father’s subsequent desertion, Zac goes on a quest to find the dad he’s been missing. I really enjoyed it. I finished in 6 days.
28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand (417 pages). This book takes place over (shocker) 28 years of summers. At the age of 24, Mallory Blessing is living in NYC and hating her life. But a miracle happens- her aunt Greta passes away and leaves her a cottage on Nantucket. And from that moment, her life changes. That very first summer, her brother comes to Nantucket for his bachelor part, bringing his two best friends. One of whom is named Jake McCloud. Jake and Mallory have a connection from the instant they meet. And when the bachelor party ends up falling apart, they have a weekend alone that they will never forget. And commit to repeating every year, no matter what. Marriage, children, family- nothing gets in their way. I finished in 8 days.
This month’s favorite was.....probably 28 Summers. I know it’s easy to say the last book you read was the favorite. But I actually don’t say that often. The Lost Love Song was a close second though.
