This month started out pretty strong. But it ended a little rough (personally) and I didn’t read a single page for about 6 days. So I feel like I did pretty well. I read 7 books and a total of 2,462 pages. Which averaged 79 pages a day (technically 98.5 if you account for not reading for a few days). So here goes.
Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan (396 pages). Issy Randall is working a job she tolerates and dating a man she adores. But when she loses her job and her boyfriend in one day (it’s never smart to have a hidden office romance), she isn’t sure what to do with herself. Luckily, a childhood spent in her Grampa Joe’s bakeries helped her develop a talent for delicious cakes. After spotting an empty space that seems just perfect, Issy starts working on opening her Cupcake Cafe. While cupcakes and recipes are pretty straightforward, life sure isn’t! This book was deliciously sweet and fun. And had receipts scattered throughout. I finished in 6 days.
The Queen’s Fortune by Allison Pataki (432 pages). In 1794 France, the Reign of Terror had just ended. And 16 year old Desiree Clary has just met 25 year old Napoleone di Bonaparte. After a whirlwind love affair, where promises of eternity are exchanged, Napoleon makes his way to Paris to prove himself. He asks his brother Joseph and his wife, Desiree’s sister Julie, to join him. Desiree goes with them, only to discover that Napoleon has met Josephine. And any affection he’d had for Desiree had vanished in the face of Josephine’s magnificence. Desiree finds herself at the center of the Empire, as she is considered family. She marries Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, a general in Napoleon’s army. But as Napoleon becomes more paranoid and his marriage to Josephine ends, Bernadottte realizes his only chance for survival is to take Desiree and their young son Oscar to Sweden, a country that has made him an offer they cannot refuse. I LOVED this book. Loved it! I finished in 5 days.
Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher (328 pages). This was my Once Upon a Book Club book. Marin Cole plays it safe, and has since her journalist mother died while on assignment. Meanwhile, her younger sister Sadie is a dare-devil, world-traveling photographer who never stops for more than a moment. But when Sadie comes home from one trip rather tired, she manages to convince Marin that a sister’s trip to the Caribbean island of Saba is in order. Much to Marin’s chagrin, Sadie misses the flight and Marin losses her passport and her luggage. But her seat mate, Lucas, offers to help her out. And as Marin learns the beauty of living life, she is able to finally put aside her fear and anger and lose herself to the beauty of the world. I sobbed like a damn baby. I finished in 3 days.
Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith (555 pages, plus 130 pages of index and notes that I didn’t read). This was a biography of Queen Elizabeth II. I already had a lot of admiration for her and what she’s done in her 69+ years on the throne. I mean, she is the longest reigning female monarch and, in a little over a year, will be the second longest reigning monarch (behind someone who took the throne at age 5. She was 26 when she did. So I don’t consider that a fair competition!). And watching her at her husband’s funeral recently made me appreciate her humanity even more. But for me, I completely fell in love when I learned that her favorite genre of books is historical fiction, just like me! I’d love to sit down and chat books with her. I’d totally be her favorite. If you love learning about the royals, this book was great! Honestly, my only complaint is that it was published in 2012 and soooooo much stuff has happened with the royals since then. I finished in 7 days.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (372 pages). I actually watched the movie before reading the book. And enjoyed the movie enough to decide to give the book a try. I will say that I’m glad I saw the movie because it allowed me to visualize what was happening in this virtual world in a way that I might not otherwise have been able to. But back to the story, Wade Watts is a teenager in 2044. The world is miserable, so most people spend their time in the virtual world of the OASIS. Wade spends his time searching for an Easter egg hidden by OASIS’s creator Halliday that will give the finder all of Halliday’s vast wealth. After years of trying, Wade finally cracks the first riddle. And the race is on. I finished in 2 days.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (107 pages). I’ve seen two versions of this book in movie form. So I already knew the story. It doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking. George and Lennie couldn’t be more different. George is small and quick-witted; Lennie is big and strong and slow. But they’ve formed a family of sorts as they travel around California in search of work. They have a dream of a little plot of land where they can live their lives without working for anyone else. They think they finally have a plan in place. But Lennie’s love of petting soft things has gotten him in trouble more than once. But George has always managed to get them out of trouble. Until one day, he can’t. I finished in less than a day.
The Stone Necklace by Carla Damron (272 pages). A heart attack and impending deadly crash drastically changes the lives of more people than the victim Mitch. There’s his wife Lena who is worried about how she can parent their teenaged daughter without her husband’s steadying presence. There’s Tonya, who was involved in the accident and is struggling with a very controlling husband. Sandy, the nurse who helped Lena on the cardiac floor but is facing a tough time with her recent sobriety. And Joe, the homeless man who never truly realized how much Mr Mitch helped him. I really enjoyed this book. For two reasons- one, it was set in Columbia. And two, in the end, family and love and faith in God won the day. Just a sweet, lovely story. I finished in a day.
This month’s favorite was .....The Queen’s Fortune. Y’all KNOW historical fiction is my favorite. And Desiree’s story was <chef’s kiss> perfection.
