Falling into some good books this month

I did pretty good this month. 8 books. A total of 2,680 pages. An average of 86.5 pages per day. So let’s get to it!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (385 pages). Evelyn Hugo was THE movie star. And she has finally decided to tell the truth about her life. To little known magazine reporter Monique Grant. As Evelyn shares her life from her start in Hollywood in the 1950’s to her retirement in the 1980’s, Monique learns there is so much more to Evelyn than her seven husbands and her one great love. And even the reason why Evelyn chose her to tell this story. The novel was separated into 7 sections, devoted to Evelyn’s life during the years with each husband. I’ve read several books by this author. And liked them all. But this one was my favorite. I finished in 2 days. 

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig (360 pages). Ginny is an autistic 14 year old girl who’s been in foster care for years. She’s now, hopefully, found her forever home. But there are still lingering issues stemming from her birth mother that cause Ginny to lie, steal and get herself kidnapped in order to find out what happened. Honestly, I didn’t really enjoy this one. Unlike Eleanor Oliphant, I didn’t really find Ginny to be an enjoyable character. I certainly felt sorry for her (there is a really good reason why Ginny has been in foster care). But I didn’t like her. I finished in 5 days. 

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford (362 pages). This was my August Once Upon a Book Club book (I’m a little behind). So as usual, gifties on social. This was a really interesting novel about how past generational traumas can effect many generations. The story opens with Dorothy Moy and her five year old daughter Annabel. Dorothy is a tortured poet in 2045 Seattle who doesn’t want to pass her traumas on to her daughter. So she seeks an experimental treatment to help confront these inherited traits. And as she goes back in time, she learns what must be fixed. First, with her mother Greta- a techie genius in 2014 who creates and losses a revolutionary dating app.  Then her grandmother Zoe- a schoolgirl at a famous school in England with no rules in 1927.  Her great grandmother Faye- a nurse serving with the Flying Tigers in 1942. Her great great grandmother Lai King- a young girl who loses everything in the San Francisco plague of 1892. And finally her great great great great grandmother, the woman who began her line- Afong, the first Chinese woman to come in America in 1836.  Throughout each of these lifetimes, Dorothy learns and overcomes traumas. And also learns that there is someone who is there in each life, someone who loves her. And she will do anything to break the cycle and help her daughter find love and happiness. It was very interesting. I finished in 4 days. 

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (316 pages). This was my Sweet Once Upon a Book Club Halloween box. The gifties are on social, per usual. Nowadays, witches can’t spend time together because it means their powers might mingle and draw attention to their existence. But Mika Moon loves people, other witches and magic. When given the opportunity to tutor 3 orphaned witches at the remote and bewitched Nowhere House, Mika tentatively agrees. And while it goes against everything she’s been taught, Mika finds herself falling in love with the 3 young girls and their 4 caretakers, including prickly (and handsome) librarian Jamie. But when danger threatens her new family, Mika must risk everything to save them and her new life with them. It was so super cute and such an easy read. I finished in 2 days. 

Remembering Columbia South Carolina by Dr. Miles S. Richard’s (124 pages). This was a collection of stories about crimes and deaths and celebrities that I’d never heard about my hometown. It was a fun and easy read. I finished in 1 day. 

The Night Singer by Johanna Mo (434 pages). Police detective Hanna Duncker finds herself in a place she never expected- her hometown of Oland. After years in Stockholm, she felt the pull to return home. But Oland is a place that doesn’t forget. And after Hanna’s father was convicted of murder, Hanna fled. Now that she has returned and is immediately assigned a case of a murdered 15 year old, she has to work to solve the case and confront the demons of her past. I finished in 6 days. 

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey (342 pages). My special edition Spooky Once Upon a Book Club Halloween box, which means more gifties on social. Vera Crowder has returned home for the first time in a long time to help her dying mother.  But returning to the house where her beloved father committed gruesome murders is harder than she imagined. Especially when she keeps finding notes from him in unexpected places.  This book was not at all what I expected. And not in a good way. The ending was super weird and actually kind of left me disliking the book. I finished in 5 days. 

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover (357 pages). Morgan finds herself pregnant at 17.  Pregnant and rather unhappy with her life. 17 years later, she is contentedly married to Chris, her high school sweetheart and the father of her nearly 17 year old daughter Clara. But Morgan and Clara’s worlds are turned upside down when Chris and Morgan’s sister Jenny are killed in a car accident. As Morgan and Clara struggle to come to terms with this loss, truths about their lives begin to emerge. I finished in 5 days. 

This month’s favorite was…..The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Although honestly, four of them kind of tied for favorite. 

I guess you could say that September readings went well

 September had a vacation in it. And we know what that means- more books will be read!  And yes, I did read more books this month. I actually started one but didn’t finish it until October. So we won’t count that one. This month I read 11 books. A total of 3,594 pages. An average of 124 pages per day. So pretty good I’d say!  Let’s get into it, shall we?

The War Girls by V.S. Alexander (431 pages). Historical fiction AND a Once Upon a Book Club box?  Heaven!  The novel spans the years of 1939 to 1943 in Warsaw. Hanna Majewski left Poland to live with her aunt and uncle in England because living the strict life of a proper Jewish girl was too stifling for her. But she left behind her parents and two siblings, sister Stefa and brother Aaron. Meanwhile, Polish Catholic Janka Danek cannot believe what is happening to her neighbors and other Jews in Poland. As the war rages on, Hanna, Stefa and Janka each find a way to fight. As War Girls. I didn’t know as much about the decimation of Jews in Poland. The ghetto in Warsaw actually had an uprising where the Jewish people attempted to fight back after years of Nazi rule. There was a camp outside of Warsaw called Treblinka where 700,000 to 900,000 Jewish Poles were killed in a 15 month period. But the stories of these women and their families was so inspiring. I finished in 4 days. 

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (336 pages). It’s the day before New Year’s Eve and a real estate agent has an open house for an apartment. At the open house are Ro and Julia, married with a baby on the way; Roger and Anna-Lena, married and devoted flippers; Estelle, an older woman waiting for her husband to park the car; Zara, a woman who’s hobby is going to open houses; and Lennart, a gentleman there for other purposes.  But this open house goes awry when a failed bank robber holds them all hostage. What happens over those hours, as father and son police officer Jim and Jack try to crack the case, changes all of them. Each entered with a set of struggles. And each walked out with a newfound happiness. I finished in 5 days. 

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani (416 pages). In 1930, 15 year old Thea Atwell is sent from her beloved home and family, including her twin brother, in Florida to boarding/finishing school in North Carolina.  Thea, like many girls, is sent away “for a reason”. While there, she spends most of her time riding and getting to know the other wealthy daughters of Southern families. Thea manages to get herself into a little more trouble while at school before she comes home. It took a long time to fully get to what had happened at home that forced Thea to leave. Which was rather annoying. I finished in 5 days. 

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena (349 pages). The Mertons are a wealthy but miserable family. Fred and Sheila host their three adult children (Catherine, Dan and Jenna) for Easter Sunday dinner. A dinner that does not go well, as Fred is abusive and Sheila is neglectful. On Tuesday morning, their king time housekeeper Irena finds the Mertons brutally murdered. As each of the children is set to inherit millions, the cops immediately look into motives. And Fred’s sister Audrey makes it her person mission to learn the truth. Every member of this family has a motive. But who did it?  I truly had no idea who the murderer was going to be. So bravo on that one!  I finished in 6 days. 

The It Girl by Ruth Ware (420 pages). Hannah arrives at Pelham College, Oxford University, as a fish out of water. As luck would have it, her suite mate is the fabulous April. April is truly the It Girl of their college. And Hannah quickly becomes part of her group- Will, Hugh, Emily and Ryan. But when Hannah finds April murdered at the end of second term, she knows exactly who did it. The creepy porter John Neville who she saw leaving their staircase. Her testimony helps convict him. But 10 years later, Hannah is approached by a reporter who is convinced of the now deceased Neville’s innocence. Hannah begins her own investigation and uncovers some truths about her college friends that change everything. I do love Ruth Ware’s novels. She usually manages to get one over on me with a twist near the end. And this one was no different!  I finished in 1 day. 

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover (327 pages). Five years ago,Kenna went to jail when she caused an accident that took her boyfriend Scotty’s life. Now that she is out, she wants the one thing she was forced to give up- their daughter. But Diem has never met her mother. And Scotty’s best friend Ledger doesn’t seem too eager for Kenna to have a relationship with her daughter. But there’s no denying the attraction between Kenna and Ledger. Can forgiveness ever truly be granted?  Can Kenna ever forgive herself?  It was a very sweet story. But honestly, just a slightly different version of the first Colleen Hoover novel I read. I finished in 1 day. 

Hooked by A.C. Wise (330 pages). Decades ago, James is just a merchant sailor who’s ship disappears. When it reappears, he is in Neverland. And Peter Pan decides he must be a pirate. So Captain Hook is born, out of the dark imagination that is Pan. And because Neverland is Pan’s, Hook can never truly die. But he finally finds a way to escape Neverland. But once you are there, you can never be free. And the dark monster of Pan follows him to London 22 years after his escape. When he reunites with grown Wendy Darling and her daughter Jane, Hook realizes he must return to Neverland and become a villain one last time for them all to be able to escape Pan’s darkness. I really didn’t like this one very much. I finished in 2 days. 

Pumpkin by Julie Murphy (326 pages). The third and final book in the Dumplin’ series. This one focuses on Waylon Brewer, a slightly flamboyant gay senior at Clover City High School. Waylon is so ready to escape their small town with his twin sister Clementine and go Full Waylon. But when his sister announces her plans have changed, Waylon decides to make an audition tape for his favorite TV drag show. When the tape gets out, Waylon learns that he’s been nominated for prom Queen. Seeing as his sister’s girlfriend was nominated for prom king, the two of them decide to go all in. And Waylon begins to realize that maybe his small town isn’t the horrible place he thought it was. And maybe the small town people aren’t as horrible as he thought either. We got to see old friends again- Willowdean and Ellen. Millie. Drag Queen Lee. I finished in 2 days. 

Meant to Be by Emily Giffin (350 pages). John F Kennedy Jr, I mean Joseph Kingsley III, is American royalty. Between war heroism and politics, there’s nothing about this family that isn’t golden. Not that they are tragedy proof- Joe’s father was killed in an accident when he was very young. But Joe isn’t like the rest of his family. And when he meets model Carolyn Bessette, I mean Catherine Cooper, it’s game over. Cate is as far opposite of Joe as one could be- grew up middle class with an oppressed mother and an abusive stepfather. She was able to escape that by becoming a model and eventually working for a designer. When she and Joe finally get together, they realize they are everything the other has ever needed. It was a fictionalized version of JFK Jr and Carolyn’s love story. Total chick lit. And I loved it. I also promptly did my own research to look up the differences in the novel and in life. Let’s just say that Cate and Carolyn, other than both working in the fashion world and both being uncomfortable with the paparazzi, had very little in common. Joe and JFK Jr, on the other hand, were frighteningly similar. The best part about the novel is that it doesn’t end in tragedy, but rather in the what might have been. I finished in 2 days. 

In Her Boots by KJ Dell’Antonia (357 pages). Rhett Smith is back in the States, freshly off of a breakup and the loss of her beloved grandmother.  She returns home to Pioneer Hill Farm, ready to hang up her traveling shoes for work boots at the farm.  The wild success of her book, The Modern Pioneer Girl’s Guide to Life, allows her a little more financial freedom that she’s ever had. But her intense hatred of the limelight causes her to thrust her best friend Jasmine into a tv interview and unwittingly force her to become the face of the MPG. While Rhett struggles against her old self and the new MPG she has become, she also struggles with how to take over the Farm and make it a success. I finished in 3 days. 

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell (368 pages). This is the sequel to The Family Upstairs. That novel was amazing. But I didn’t remember all of the details. But it told of the horrible 6 years that the Lamb children spent in their own home while their parents allowed a con man to rule their lives. This was the story of those children as adults. When a mudlarker on the Thames finds a bag of bones, an investigation begins that brings everything full circle. The crimes that occurred against the Lamb children, the death of Birdie, the disappearance of the Thomsen children. All of it. It was really good. I finished in 3 days. 

This month’s favorite was…..The It Girl.