I feel like I slacked off a little bit this month. I only read 8 books with a total of 2,776 pages. That's an average of 92.5 pages a day. Which is a little low for me. Not embarrassingly low, but worse than last month for sure! But let's get on with the reviews.
The One and Only by Emily Giffin (413 pages). Shea Rigsby is 33 years old. And has never left her hometown of Walker, Texas. A town where football is king and her best friend's father, Coach Carr, is a god (and the winning-est college football coach in Texas). Shea willingly worships at the altar of football (and Coach Carr). But when tragedy strikes the Carr family, Shea begins to wonder if she is truly happy with the life choices she has made. I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. There were just some portions of the story line that didn't sit right with me. I finished in 3 days.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (235 pages). Mma Precious Ramotswe owns the only female private detective agency in all of Botswana. She loves helping people and this is th best way she can. Her cases are actually interesting- a con man, a missing husband, a wayward daught4er, a missing eleven year old. The book was fine. But something seemed a little off to me in my enjoyment of it. And when I read other people's reviews, it made sense. A lot of people stated that it was a little odd to have a middle aged white man (albeit one who was born in Zimbabwe) write a book about a Botswana woman. I finished in 3 days.
The Summer House in Santorini by Samantha Parks (294 pages). Anna isn't really happy with her life- her boss/boyfriend is less than satisfactory, as is her job at his NY gallery. So when she learns that she and her sister have inherited their estranged father's summer house on Santorini, she decides it's the perfect time to leave NY and fix up the house for sale. Little did she know that this island would help her find her roots, her passion and herself (along with a little side of true love). It was cute-a perfect beach read. I finished in 3 days.
Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray (480 pages). In the village of Lkossa, Koffi and her mother are indentured servants of the Night Zoo, where all sorts of dangerous creatures are kept. Ekon is attempting to follow in his father and brother's footsteps and join the Sons of the Six, the warriors who protect their village. When Koffi and Ekon are able to escape what seems like their destiny, they find themselves in the jungle, hunting the deadly Shetani. Woven throughout is the story of Adiah, a powerful daraja who is learning to use the splendor (aka magic). I would characterize this genre as Pan-African magical realism (which isn't a thing but should be). I only found myself invested in the story (and how the characters were connected) in the last hundred pages or so. I finished in 4 days.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (354 pages). This is a Once Upon a Book Club box that I've been very behind on reading. Olive Smith is a third year Ph.D. candidate in the biology department at Stanford. She is almost always analytical. And when she realizes that her best friend Ahn will not go out with her ex Jeremy (even though they both like each other), Olive decides that she needs to convince Ahn that she is over Jeremy. So she kisses the first man she sees- Dr. Adam Carlsen, well known ass and professor. They realize that a fake relationship will actually be beneficial to both of them. But what happens when the hypothetical becomes reality? Super cute chick lit and easy read! I finished in 3 days.
Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark (288 pages). Seven years ago, Nancy Harmon fled from California to Cape Cod, changing her name and appearance. She left behind a murder trial where she was charged with the death of her two young children. When the conviction was overturned and the main witness against her disappeared, Nancy knew it was her opportunity to start over. Now happily married with two young children, Nancy has finally started to heal. Until the morning of her 32nd birthday,. When a newspaper article exposes her true identity. And her children disappear. I went through a big MHC phase in high school but couldn't remember if I'd ever read this one. So I decided to give it a go. It was good! And turns out I think I DID read it. But I feel like a 28 year gap in between readings in enough to constitute it being a new(ish) read. I finished in 2 days.
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (325 pages). Omaha, 1986. 16 year old new girl Eleanor (who is anything but unnoticeable) gets on the bus for the first time. The only seat available is next to 16 year old Park (who prefers to be invisible). At first, they barely acknowledge each other's existence. But over the exchange of comic books and mixed taps, these two social misfits discover the enormity of first love. It's sweet but also heavy. First love is always sweet, but never for forever. As these two soon learn. I finished in 5 days.
The Wish by Nicholas Sparks (387 pages). Travel photographer Maggie Dawes is 39 years old. She and her business partner hire a new employee at their gallery, a 22 year old named Mark. As Maggie faces a heart wrenching diagnosis, she begins to tell her story to Mark. A story that really began when she was sent at 16 years old to live with her aunt on Ocracoke for a few months and met Bryce. The young man who taught her to love- him, herself and photography. Totally standard heartbreaking Sparks material- illness, lost love, etc. And even though I fully anticipated my tears, I still found myself heartbroken for the characters. I finished in 4 days.
This month's favorite was .... The Wish.
