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.
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