This month's reading was pretty solid. 8 books. 2,632 pages. So an average of 85 pages a day. I have one book listed that I didn't include in my number count because I read the bulk of it across the school year and only just finished in this month. But I did include it because I technically finished it this month. So let's get to it!
The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan (338 pages). Anna Trent is single and 30 years old, managing a chocolate factory in England. When an accident lands her in a hospital bed next to her high school French teacher Claire Shawcourt (who has cancer), she is offered a chance to work at a world famous chocolate shop in Paris. While there, she learns how to live, how to love and how to really make chocolate. She also learns about Claire's one beautiful summer in Paris, I laughed, I wept. It was so beautiful. And it made me want to go to Paris! I finished in 5 days.
Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward (356 pages). American Maddie met British Ian when she was living in Eastern Europe. She was a teacher, he was in the British army. Their attraction was undeniable. But both of them (especially Ian) had too many demons to make their eventual marriage work. Years of love and fear culminate with the Day of the Killing. When the police arrive at their home, they face a grisly scene. But murder scenes aren't always what they appear. And neither are marriages. I finished in 5 days.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (325 pages). Eleanor Oliphant lives a perfectly fine life- she's got a job and a routine. But she's got a severe lack of social skills and an uncanny ability to say whatever is on her mind (appropriate or not). One day, the new IT guy at work, Raymond, comes to her desk to help. And suddenly, Eleanor learns that life isn't meant to just be fine- it's meant to be lived. Through her friendship with Raymond, she begins to go out, to meet people, to take more notice of her physical appearance and to learn more about her tragic childhood. Eleanor was both frustrating and endearing. I'd heard mixed reviews about this book. It was a NY Times best seller, but I'd heard that some people didn't like it. Those people were not me- I really enjoyed it! I finished in 5 days.
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon (336 pages). This was a special edition steamy romance Once Upon a Bookclub box, so the gifts are on social media. Shay loves her job as a producer at a local Seattle public radio station. She does not love the new reporter, Dominic. But when their boss asks them to cohost a new talk show, Shay is both excited (being on air has always been her ultimate dream) and repulsed (working with Dominic will not be fun). Their new show? Ex Talk. Yep, they have to convince the world that they are exes who have managed to work together and navigate a friendship post breakup. But as their attraction grows, can they keep lying to everyone? And what happens if the world finds out the truth? This was super cute and I wish I could've been poolside while reading it. I finished in 2 days.
The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan (407 pages). Yes, my second book by this author this month. Zoe is a single mother, struggling to make ends meet in London with her four year old son Hari (who is electively mute). Hari's father is of little to no help. But his sister is (at least once she learns about Hari's existence). She finds Zoe new jobs. In Scotland. The first is nannying for three children at the local big house. Three broken children and their equally broken father. The second is working at the mobile bookshop in town (the back story to that is in The Bookshop on the Corner and is delightful). Between the new family and new environment, Zoe and Hari start to emerge from their shells and finally find a sense of belonging. I finished in 5 days.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Ducksworth (291 pages, plus nearly 40 pages of notes that I did not read). This book was "required" reading for a mentor/mentee program that I am a part of with JLC. It was a very interesting book. I learned that I'm not a super gritty person. And I'm 100% okay with that! It did give some excellent pointers on how to become more gritty and how to encourage grit in others (including your children). I finished in 14 days (because it was spread over about 8 months).
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (503 pages). Y'all know I love a good historical fiction. And this one was amazing! In 1947, college girl Charlie St. Clair is desperate. She's unwed and pregnant and wants to find out what happened to her beloved cousin Rose in Nazi-occupied France. When she is sent to Europe to "take care of her little problem," she manages to get herself to London to find the one person she thinks can help. She has two names- Eve Gardiner and Rene Bordelon. In 1914, Eve was part of a network of female spies called the Alice Network (after their fearless leader Alice Dubois, real name Louise de Bettignies). After the war, there is little more than a shell of Eve left. But when Charlie mentions the name Rene, the two women, along with Eve's driver Finn, join forces and head to France to finally learn the truth about Rose and even Eve herself. OMG- I cannot stress how much I loved this book! I finished in 4 days.
This month's favorite was... duh, The Alice Network. Historical fiction is almost always going to win!
