I got into a good reading groove this month. I finished 11 books. It was a total of 3,416 pages. So an average of 114 pages a day. This month was historical fiction heavy (which is always a good thing for this girl) at 4 of the 11. So let’s get to it.
Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton (388 pages). As I have said before, I do not like Ernest Hemingway, the author. But I find Ernest Hemingway, the person, to be absolutely fascinating. This was historical fiction about Hem meeting his third wife, Martha Gellhorn. I knew the story of wife number 1, Haley, after reading The Paris Wife. And a little bit about wife number 2, Pauline, after The Paris Wife and Hemingway’s Girl. I did not know much about wife number 3, Martha, other than she was a journalist. Turns out she was actually a freaking top war correspondent! She and Hem covered the Spanish civil war together, which is how/when they fell in love. Their relationship, like all of his relationships, was volatile. I think she was the wife who was the least capable of being Mrs Ernest Hemingway. She was career driven and she was headstrong. She did not appreciate merely being a wife- she wanted to be her own person. Now to find a book about wife number 4, Mary. The only one I know absolutely nothing about, but the one he was married to when he committed suicide. I finished in 4 days.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander aka JK Rowling (88 pages plus about 20 pages of intro). I think I was expecting to find the plot of the movie. Instead, it was literally a glossary of magical beasts, what level of threat they are, and what their characteristics are. The intro gave background of why Newt wrote this book. It was a super easy read. I finished in 1 day.
Geostorm: The Shift by Bobby Akart (244 pages). I 100% thought this was the book on which the movie of the same name was based. Nope. The movie was released in 2017 and the book was published in 2019. And they are two totally different stories. Weather Channel reporter Chapman Boone and his zoologist sister Kristi are both experts in their fields. But nothing can prepare either of them for what is happening to our planet. Spanning the globe from Seattle to Paris (and many places in between), Chapman and Kristi watch in horror and the weather and the animals begin to change. I finished in 3 days.
The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe (316 pages). In 1910, Madeleine Force is just 17 years old when she meets 46 year old divorce John Jacob Aster, one of the wealthiest men in America. After a little over a year of courtship, they wed, much to society’s shock. And Madeleine quickly became a focus of the newspapers. Jack decided that the best course of action would be an extended honeymoon to Egypt and Europe. When Madeleine realizes that she is pregnant, they decide to return home so that the baby can be born in America. So they book passage on Titanic. Madeline was one of the souls who survived. Madeline and her unborn child. She returned home to begin a new life as a young widow and mother. The only thing I knew about Madeline Astor prior to this book was that Rose Dewitt Bukater commented that Madeleine was her age, in a delicate condition and that it was quite the scandal. This book sheds so much more light on the story. Jack and Madeline were truly in love and their story was heartbreaking. I finished in 3 days.
Three Sisters by Heather Morris (397 pages). In 1929 Slovakia, sisters 9 year old Cibi, 5 year old Magda and 3 year old Livi Meller promise themselves and their father that they will always take care of each other. 13 years later, that promise is well and truly tested when Cibi and Livi are sent to Auschwitz in March of 1942. While Magda stays behind with their mother and grandfather (a brief hospital stay kept her safe), that safety will only last for so long. And after two and a half years, the sisters are reunited at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When they are finally free in 1945, they are a little unsure of where to go and what to do in a home country that still hates them for being Jews. Magda and Livi have an idea of what might make them happy. And it’s the idea of going to the Promised Land. Little did they know that Israel was truly the one place on earth that they could find healing and their happily ever afters. While Cibi passed away in 2015, Magda and Livi are still thriving in Israel. Because yes, this was a true story! It was absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. It was also the third book in The Tattooist of Auschwitz series (Lale gave the girls their tattoos). I have ordered the second because I didn’t realize it was a series. I finished in 2 days.
Looking for Alaska by John Green (225 pages). Miles is fascinated by famous last words. And finds himself challenged by the idea of The Great Perhaps. So he heads off to boarding school. Once there, he enters a whole new world and finds himself enthralled with the beautiful Alaska. For one hundred twenty eight days, his life finally starts opening up to the Great Perhaps. And then one moment, one decision, one day, changes everything. And for the next one hundred thirty six days, he must struggle to learn who he really is and what life has to offer him. I finished in 2 days.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (316 pages). In the 1870’s, the Osage Indians were driven from their land in Kansas to a rocky county in Oklahoma. That rocky land ended up being an actual oil field, with the Osage now being the richest people in the world. Despite having government appointed guardians (the Osage weren’t citizens after all), they still lived well on their headrights. In 1921, members of the tribe began being murdered. The newly created FBI, headed by J. Edgar Hoover, came in to solve these murders. An undercover team was created and one of the most shocking conspiracies ever was exposed. Turns out it wasn’t just one murderer. And it wasn’t just members of the same family. The Reign of Terror spanned roughly a decade, and hundreds of people all were killed. All. For. Their. Headrights. This time has had a lingering effect on the Osage people- the loss of family members, the loss of traditions, the loss of their inheritances. And I cannot believe it’s something I never learned about in school. I finished in 3 days.
The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley (448 pages). Junior Melody McIntyre knows exactly what she wants to do with her life- be a stage manager on Broadway. And as SM for all of her high school productions, she seems well on her way. Until the crew determines that all of the problems with any shows stem from Mel’s relationship dramas. So no more dating for Mel until after the spring musical. Seems an easy enough task- there’s no one on the audition list that Mel is even remotely interested in. Or is there? When Mel falls hard, will it spell disaster for Les Mis? Super easy, super cute YA read. I finished in 3 days.
The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg (283 pages). Did you know there was a sequel to Fried Green Tomatoes? Neither did I! The main focus of the book was Buddy Threadgoode Jr aka Stump from the first book. Just like Idgie wanted, the loss of his arm had no effect on Bud. He became a veterinarian. He married his high school sweetheart and had a daughter named Ruthie (after his mother). The stories were both familiar (repeats) and new. But the return of old characters made it feel like coming home. I finished in 4 days.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (351 pages). Have you ever wondered about the rise and fall of a truly great band? This is the story of Daisy Jones and the Six, the greatest (fictional) band of the 1970’s. Brothers Billy and Graham Dunne started their band, originally named The Dunne Brothers but changed to The Six as they rounded out their sound. They were great on their own. Daisy Jones was the wild child It Girl of the LA Strip, wildly talented in her own right. But when Daisy met The Six, they made magic. At the center was the relationship between married father of 3, recovering addict Billy and chaos incarnate Daisy. What brought them together to create musical magic and what caused the band to fall apart at the height of fame. This book was amazing! I finished in 3 days
Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris (340 pages). This was the second in The Tattooist of Auschwitz series. Cilka was 16 years old when she and her older sister Magda were sent to Auschwitz. Cilka was beautiful and able to use that beauty to her advantage. At least when it came to surviving. She became friends with Lale (the tattooist) and his future wife Gita. But when the Nazis were defeated and the prisoners of the camps freed, Cilka’s imprisonment truly began. Accused of collaborating with the Nazis by being a prostitute and a spy, Cilka is sentenced to 15 years hard labor in a Siberian gulag. While at the gulag, Cilka finds a purpose in her life- she becomes a nurse. She also finds love, as fantastical as that may seem. It was a beautiful story of survival and love. Apparently the author was sued by Cilka’s stepson for defamation. I’m not sure he read the story, because nothing about her story would have made me ashamed- I would have been proud to have her as my stepmother. She did what she had to do to survive. And she did it with as much dignity and thoughtfulness as she could. I finished in 3 days.
This month’s favorite was…..Daisy Jones and the Six. Namely because all of the historical fiction this month was top notch and I couldn’t pick a favorite amongst them!
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