We always love a good Booktober

 A pretty average month. 8 books. 3,018 pages. An average of 97 pages per day. And I found a series of 4 books that I loved and finished. 

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (374 pages). This was a special edition from Once Upon a Book Club. The Sweet Halloween book. So obviously, gifties on social. Kiela is a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, a truly magically place. When a revolution threatens the land, Kiela and her assistant Caz (a talking and mobile spider plant) pack up as many spell-books as they can and flee to Kiela’s childhood home, the island of Caltrey. The island (and Kiela’s home) have seen better days. But with help from her nosy (and handsome) neighbor Larran and other people in the town, Kiela begins to feel like she’s home again. And when she realizes that she holds the power to help the island in her books, she opens a spell-shop. Camouflaged as a jam shop. The emperor might have outlawed magic being used by anyone but sorcerers, but Kiela isn’t going to let that stop her. This was a super cute book about magic and family and connection. I really liked it. I finished in 3 days.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki (387 pages). Y’all know I love historical fiction!  Marjorie Merriweather Post was born in Illinois in 1887. Her father started Post Cereal, which eventually became General Foods. And, at the age of 27, Marjorie inherited it all. She also owned Mar-a-Lago and welcomed many presidents there. But back to her story. Her father created Post Cereal in 1895 after a stay in the Battle Creek Sanitarium. In 1904, her parents divorced and her father married his (8 years older than his daughter) secretary. Marjorie’s first husband was Edward Close, an attorney and a member of the Four Hundred (the most pedigreed and elite of society in New York). They were married for 14 years and had two daughters. Her second husband was Edward Hutton, a financier who helped her turn Post into General Foods.  They were married for 15 years and had a daughter. Husband number 3 was Joseph Davies, who was an ambassador to Moscow and the first chairman of the Fair Trade Commission. They were married for 20 years and had no children. Husband number 4 was Herbert Mays. They were only married for 6 years. Honestly, with good reason. But in each marriage, Marjorie lived truly fantastic lives. The travels, the estates, the wealth. Unimaginable!  I finished in 3 days.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (372 pages). Imagine Knives Out as a book. And you’ve got some idea of this one. Avery Grambs is 16 years old and just wants to finish high school so she can get a scholarship to college and escape her life in Connecticut.  But all that changes when she learns that billionaire Tobias Hawthorne has left her his entire estate in his will. A man she’s never met. The catch?  She has to move to Hawthorne House in Texas and live there for a year. With his two daughters, one son-in-law and 4 magnetic grandsons- Nash, Grayson, Jameson and Xander. All of whom have now been disinherited. But as they all try to figure out why Avery is the heir, they begin to realize that their grandfather’s love of puzzles extended even into his death.  So many twists and turns. I really liked it. Enough to immediately get the next books in the series. I finished in 3 days.

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (359 pages). Book 2 in the series. Avery’s quest for why she inherited the Hawthorne fortune continues. But with long hidden family secrets being uncovered in a regular basis, Avery might never learn the truth. And with more than one attempt on her life, she might not make it to the end of the year to inherit her billions. And with more than one of the Hawthorne grandsons peaking her romantic interest, her heart might not make it either!   I finished in 3 days. 

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (376 pages). Book 3 in the series. The year is almost up. Avery is poised and ready to inherit her billions. But being a Hawthorne (even an honorary one) isn’t easy. And there’s always someone out there trying to beat you at the game of life. And when the people she loves most are threatened, Avery decides that she will win this last fight and solve this last puzzle. Because Tobias Hawthorne knew what he was doing when he chose her. And she knows what she is doing with her inheritance. And one year after she inherits billions, Avery introduces the Grandest Game to the world. I finished in 3 days. 

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (489 pages). Book 4 in the series. Most of the first books focused on Avery, with the brothers as costars. This one focused on the two middle brothers- Grayson and Jameson. Each of them have a mission, a mission having to do with their birth father. A Hawthorne never gives up and always wins. And one of those Hawthornes inspires Avery with the Grandest Game. Honestly, I’ve really loved this series. There are a lot of twists and turns. A lot of double crossing and games. I finished in 5 days. 

What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena (306 pages). This was another special edition from Once Upon a Book Club. The Spooky Halloween book. So obviously, more gifties on social. Diana Brewer is one of the most popular girls in the little town of Fairhill, Vermont. But when her body is found in a farmer’s field, naked and strangled, everyone becomes a suspect. Her boyfriend. Teachers at the school. The creepy customer who frequented her checkout line. Because this is a town where bad things don’t just happen. But this is also a town with ghosts. And Diana isn’t the type to leave without a fight (or at least until her murder is solved). I never had a clue of who had committed the murder. Not a clue!  I finished in 3 days.

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (355 pages). I actually read the sequel The True Love Experiment first. So I already love the best friend/side character of Fizzy Chen. But this story is about Jessica Davis, a data statistician and single mother. Jess has given up on finding the one. Until a chance encounter with Dr River Pena at a coffee shop changes her mind. River and his mentor have created a new dating concept, where you find your perfect match based on genetics. And River and Jess end up with a 98 match. But are genetics enough?  Jess has never been great at opening up to needing people. And River has never been great at letting go of work. But can they actually be great together?  I wish I’d been poolside for this one. It was adorable!  I finished in 4 days.

This month’s favorite is……The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post. Y’all know I’m a sucker for historical fiction!  The first of The Inheritance Games series was a close second (because it was such a creative concept)

Let’s FALL into this month’s readings

 Thanks to Helene and the lack of power/internet for a few days, I ended the month quite well!  10 books. 3,429 pages. An average of 114 pages a day. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (426 pages). Feyre is 19 years old and the sole provider for her family.  Her hunting skills keep them fed. But during one hunt, she kills a wolf. And quickly learns that she killed more than a wolf when Tamlin, a High Fae from Prythian, shows up to enforce the Treaty between their people. Feyre must live in Prythian for the rest of her life or immediately die. She is taken to the Spring Court, where Tamlin is High Lord. The more time they spend together, the more Feyre realizes that she cares about him. Then there some stuff about a curse and some Fae infighting that could cause the destruction of both the Fae world and the human world. Honestly, for all that this series was talked up, I didn’t love it like I thought I would. I finished in 4 days. 

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry (250 pages). I heard really good things about this memoir when it first came out in 2022. But I’m not a massive memoir fan. The last time I was at Books-A-Million, it just called out to me though. And reading it was bittersweet. Matty was brutally honest about his addiction. His prayer before Friends, telling God that He could do whatever He wanted, as long as he could become famous.  Heartbreaking. I finished in 3 days. 

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (431 pages). There’s a magical bookshop on a street in Dublin. A bookshop that can only be found by people who need it most. In 1921, Opaline doesn’t want the life her mother and brother have planned for her. So she flees the family home and tries to start a new life. First in Paris. And then in Dublin. A life surrounded by books.  But life isn’t so kind to unmarried women in the 1920’s. And her brother has her confined to a lunatic asylum for years until she escapes and returns to her magical bookstore in Dublin. 100 years later, Martha finds herself similarly fleeing her family home, leaving behind an abusive husband, to start a new life in Dublin. While there, she meets Henry, a man who has long been searching for a bookshop, Opaline and a manuscript for Emily Bronte’s second novel. This book was magical. Truly. I finished in 4 days.

Funny Story by Emily Henry (384 pages). Daphne’s life is perfect- she’s about to marry the perfect man and live forever in his perfect hometown with her perfect job as a children’s librarian. Until Peter realizes he’s actually in love with his childhood best friend (and grooms-woman) Petra. with her life blown up, Daphne turns to the one person who can commiserate- her roommate by default, Petra’s ex boyfriend Miles. Yep- that’s two relationships turned upside down. When Daphne gets an invitation to Peter and Petra’s wedding, she’s RSVPs that she’s not coming alone- she’s bringing her new boyfriend Miles. The two of them hatch a plan to get back at their exes. But along the way, Daphne realizes that she’s never been a ME gal, never made her own friends, never headlined in her own life. And being without Peter and living with Miles might just be the best thing that ever happened to her. It was typical cute Emily Henry. Honestly, the most annoying thing about it was that the evil exes literally have the same name (Petra is the feminine version of Peter). And really, one could argue that was a genius move that added to the couple being annoying in general!  I finished in 3 days. 

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand (375 pages). Vivian Howe is a beach read novelist. Thirteen books, all set on her home of Nantucket Island. And on June 19, Vivi is struck and killed while jogging. Martha is assigned to guide Vivi to the Beyond. But first, she gets to spend one last summer on Nantucket, watching her family. One last summer and three last Nudges. Between her three kids (happily married Willa who is stressed about her pregnancy after 3 miscarriages, wild child Carson who is having an affair with a married man, and high school graduate Leo who is struggling to figure out his life), her ex husband JP and the woman he left her for 10 years ago, her best friend Savannah and her new book that is about to be published and holds a secret from her childhood, Vivi has a lot to worry about and watch. This wasn’t your typical Hilderbrand novel. But I loved it! I finished in 4 days. 

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop (239 pages). If you know anything about me (other than I love to read), it’s that Gilmore Girls is my absolute favorite show. I watch it every night to fall asleep. I’m trying to convert the hubs into a fan (he likes it more than he’ll admit). And Emily Gilmore has always been a favorite character. I knew that Kelly Bishop got her start on Broadway (Tony winner for A Chorus Line anyone?). And that she was the mom in Dirty Dancing (“she gets that from me”).  But that’s about it. Wow- she has had an amazing life. And to learn that At the Ballet was basically HER childhood, set to music by Marvin Hamlisch is just, wow!  I finished in 1 day. 

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra (363 pages). Dorothy Gale is a little lost in her life. After her initial graduate school attempt falls apart (never get involved with a professor who is also a novelist and writes a best selling novel that turns you into a life-destroying Lolita), Dee flees Kansas University, her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, and her little sister Toni (nicknamed Toto) to start anew at the writing program at Trinity College in Dublin. There, she learns that her advisor was killed when a house fell off of a moving truck and her new advisor Maeve Ward is a bit of a witch.  Professor Glenda Norton offers her a job and a place to live (but turns out to be a bit of a witch herself). And along the way, she befriends Sam Clery (who had to drop out of college), Tim Woodman (who seems a bit heartless and cold) and Reeti Kaur (who is scared to tell her parents what she wants out of life). Turns out, Dee just needed to learn who she was as a woman and as a writer. And the power to do that was inside her all along. It was a super cute reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. I finished in 3 days.

The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre by Natasha Lester (412 pages). In 1937, 18 year old Alix arrives in Paris, fresh out of finishing school and with a dream to work in fashion. 10 years later, she finds herself back in Paris. Taking on a new job- PR for the newest fashion house, the House of Christian Dior. But Alix lived a very different life in Europe during the war. She worked as a spy, trying to get close to nazis who would spill secrets. But when a mission goes horribly wrong, Alix struggles with her guilt. And when her past comes back to haunt her upon her return to Paris, she decides to face the man who betrayed her. Once and for all. Y’all know I love some WWII historical fiction!  I finished in 1 day (thanks Helene for knocking out our power). 

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle (254 pages). Ever since fifth grade, Daphne has received a piece of paper with a name and an amount of time. And she then knows her next relationship and how long it will last. Anywhere from one night to a few years. Until she finally gets a piece of paper with only a name- Jake. And now Daphne can finally wonder what could happen if there is no expiration date on love?  But love requires honesty. And there are things that Daphne is hiding from everyone in her life. Except her parents and one of her exes, Hugo 5 months. This book had two things I love- short chapters and a completely original concept!  And a most satisfactory ending. I finished in 2 days.

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid (295 pages). I’ve taken whole semester long classes on Shakespeare. Admittedly, I haven’t read any since college. But Lady Macbeth was never a character I thought about, outside of her connection to her husband. And obviously her losing her mind (out out damned spot). In this, Lady Roscilla is betrothed to the Thane of Glammis, Lord Macbeth, in a power move by her father, a Duke. Roscilla is beautiful but rumored to be witch kissed and poison eyed. When she arrives in Scotland, a strange new world awaits her. One where her husband believes that three witches can see his future. One where ancient traditions and superstitions still reign supreme. And one where her own power can finally come forth. Honestly, I did not like this book at all. I typically love a reimagining. This one was disappointing. I finished in 2 days.

This month’s favorite is……The Lost Bookshop. I think. Or was it Expiration Dates?  Or The Three Lives?  Honestly, I liked all but the first and final books of the month. 

I never seem to have too August a month as the summer winds down

 Not too outstanding of a month last month. About average, to be honest. I read 7 books. A total of 2,589 pages. An average of 83.5 pages a day. So let’s get to it, shall we?

The Women by Kristin Hannah (473 pages). Frankie is 20 years old in 1966. She’s freshly graduated from college as a nurse and cheers as her brother Finley is shipped out to Vietnam. But at his going away party, his best friend Rye tells her that women can be heroes too. And when Finley is killed in action, Frankie enlists as an Army nurse. During her two tours, Frankie grows as a nurse and as a woman. She makes unlikely friends for life and even reconnects with Rye. She also sees the truth of the war. But her return home isn’t smooth. She’s met with hatred from strangers and shame from her family. And nightmares. So many nightmares. And unfortunately, there is no help. While some Vietnam vets could get help, “there were no women in Vietnam”. Y’all- I wasn’t sure about the hype surrounding this book. It was beyond well deserved!  A beautiful story of friendship, love, survival and life. I finished in 4 days.

The Martian by Andy Weir (369 pages). I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. Yes, the scientificy stuff wasn’t easy to understand. But a basic story of human survival and compassion?  Sign me up. Astronaut Mark Watney didn’t expect to get left for dead on Mars on day 6 of his team’s expedition but that’s exactly what happened. With Masters degrees in engineering and botany, Mark decides he can survive. And when NASA learns he’s still alive, an all out worldwide rescue mission is on. It probably helps that I saw the movie years ago.  But it’s been long enough that I didn’t remember details. I finished in 4 days.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (375 pages). I love mythology. Always have. And learning that the author created these books for his own son who had dyslexia and ADD and a love for mythology made me smile. I really liked the book. Hubs and I watched the Disney series earlier this year. And they did a really good job of staying close to the book (I guess it helps when the author is also the screenwriter). Then I watched the movie from 2010. And completely understand why the author HATED it.  It was literally nothing like the book and even got some non-book related things wrong (like the statue of Athena in the Parthenon in Nashville is gold. The whole dang thing). But back to the book. Percy is 12 years old and miserable. He hates his boarding school. He hates his stepfather. He hates his dyslexia and ADHD. But he loves his mom. And when he eventually learns that he is a demigod and son of Poseidon, his whole life changes. He becomes friends with Grover, a satyr, and Annabeth, a daughter of Athena.  And the three set off on a quest to recover Zeus’ stolen thunder bolt and uncover a plot that is threatening Olympus. I finished in 3 days.

Capote’s Women by Laurence Leamer (316 pages). I’ve read several books about Truman Capote and his swans. I’ve watched the FX series. I find the whole situation fascinating- an author who decimates his 20+ years of friendships by exposing secrets in a thinly veiled work of fiction? This book focused more of the women themselves and how they became the swans. It was more detail than I’ve ever read about these women and I really enjoyed it. I finished in 3 days.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (333 pages). Lynette Tarkington has lived her entire adult with one thought- survival. As a real-life final girl, she survived a massacre that took her family and her security. But for over a decade, she’s been a part of the Final Girl Support Group with 5 other final girls and their therapist. But when one of their members is killed at the camp where she survived, Lynette knows that someone is tracking the final girls. And the new killer should know one thing- a final girl never gives up. It was good. Surprisingly a little draggy at times. I finished in 3 days.

For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes (430 pages). Joe Goldberg is back, y’all!  Off the screen and onto the pages where we first met his crazy. Joe has been accepted to a prestigious writing fellowship at Harvard, headed by Pulitzer Prize winning author Glenn Shoddy. Most of the other fellows are published authors (or nepo babies). Except for Wonder Parrish. Wonder is a local girl. And Joe is convinced he’s finally met The One. Again. But when Glenn’s criticism breaks Wonder’s spirit, will Joe have to revert back to his old ways to rescue her?  I finished in 6 days.

The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn (293 pages). Did you know there are prequels to the Bridgeton series? Neither did I!  Before Edmund bridgeton met and married Violet (and began having the 8 Bridgerton offspring we’ve come to love), his family was friends and neighbors with the Rokebys. In June of 1779, Cecilia Harcourt arrives in New York Town. She left her family home of Marswell in Derbyshire when she received news that her brother (and only surviving family member) had been injured in the war. Rather than face marriage to a cousin, she decided to do the unusual and leave. But when she arrived, her brother had vanished. And his best friend, Edward Rokesby, shows up injured. Cecilia declares herself his wife so she can tend to him. But what happens if and when he wakes up?  I finished in 3 days. 

This month’s favorite is……The Women. Hands down

Ju-LIE! I only got 4 books read this month?!

 July was an absolute bust. Like, I’m almost embarrassed to post, it was so bad. I only read 4 books. A total of 1,988 pages. That’s an average of 64 pages a day (although considering I only read for 19 days this month, that’s an average of 105 pages per day of reading). Let’s get to it

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (858 pages). Captain Augustus McCrae and Captain Woodrow Call are former Texas Rangers and the owners of the Hat Creek Cattle Company. When their old friend Jake Spoon gets the idea of a cattle ranch in Montana in Call’s mind, they take their ragtag group of cowboys (including Deets, a black man who served in the Rangers with them; Pea Eye, another former Ranger; Newt, a young orphan who Call refuses to claim as his son; and Lorena, a local whore who is in love with Jake) from the small Texas town of Lonesome Dove all the way to Montana. Along the way, they experience adventure, tragedy and loss.  The love of Gus’s life, Clara, who is a horse trader in Nebraska. Evil Indian Blue Duck  who Gus and Call were never able to capture. Sheriff July Johnson, who is first searching for Jake, then his wife and finally himself. I did not like this book when I started it. But by the end, I did not want to put it down. I found myself so invested in the characters.  I then promptly decided to watch the miniseries from 1989.  Which I really enjoyed. All star cast. And they did an exceptional job turning 800+ pages of an epic story into 6 hours of an epic miniseries. I also found myself singing the chorus to Garth Brooks’ song a lot.  I finished in 10 days.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London (120 pages). Buck is a St Bernard-Scotch Shepard mix who is happily living a pampered life in California. Until he is stolen from his home by the gardener (who has gambling debts). Buck soon finds himself as a sled dog in Alaska. As he becomes more accustomed to the wilderness, his true nature begins to come out. He is sold from owner to owner and finally ends up with John Thornton. While with Thornton, Buck is torn between wolf and human. But eventually the call beckons and Buck sheds all connections to domesticity. I finished in 2 days.

The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy (492 pages). Gigi Graham is a hockey star at Briar University. And the daughter of future Hall of Fame hockey player Garrett Graham. When Briar and Eastwood College are merged into one school, the people truly affected are the guys’ hockey team. Both teams are consistently in the Frozen Four. But not every player will make the combined team roster.  Luke Ryder was one of the best players at Eastwood. He’s also on Gigi’s list thanks to an incident at her father’s hockey camp when they were 15. Ryder has a lot of baggage from a tough childhood; Gigi lived a charmed existence. But when these two decide to join forces to help each other out on the ice, they can’t deny the heat between them. This was a super cute college rom com. I finished in 4 days. 

The Reason I Married Him by Meghan Quinn (518 pages).  The second in the Almond Bay series that I started in April. Aubree Rowley (older sister to Hattie from the prior book) has been running the family farm since older sister Cassidy and brother in law Clarke’s deaths. But the family farm was left half to the Rowleys and half to Clarke’s brother Wyatt, a popular author. And Wyatt surprises the family by showing up. Aubree is convinced he wants the land. Turns out he wants to make a trade. If she will marry him, he will give her the farm. Because he will inherit his grandfather’s mountain cabin by being the first grandchild to wed. Gotta love a good marriage of convenience that turns to true love trope!  I finished in 3 days. 

This month’s favorite is……Lonesome Dove. I know, I’m as shocked as y’all!

This month was a little slow on the reading front

 I will fully admit it- I did NOT do a lot of reading this month. I had a lot going on (weekend trips, closing on my house).  And I’d already read 50 books in the first 5 months of the year. So I gave myself a month to slack off a little bit. I only read 4 books. A total of 1,399 pages. An average of 47 pages a day. Honestly, I’ve had worse months!  It’s just been a while. 

The Address by Fiona Davis (354 pages). In 1884, Sara Smythe is offered a remarkable opportunity- to leave her job as head housekeeper of a hotel in London and become the manager of The Dakota in New York City. The Dakota will be the first of its kind- a residential apartment building that operates like a hotel, with live in staff and amenities. To be honest, the biggest draw is one of the architects and the man who offered her the job, Theodore Camden. One hundred years later, Bailey Camden is down on her luck. She’s fresh out of rehab and jobless. Her grandfather had been adopted by Theodore Camden, but all Bailey got was the name. Her cousins, Melinda and Manvel, are set to inherit everything. But Melinda wants to renovate her family’s apartment at the Dakota and she hires Bailey for the job. The family apartment that Theodore Camden lived in. And was killed in. By former employee and madwoman Sara Smythe. But as family secrets begin to be uncovered, Bailey realizes that there’s more to Sara’s story than she ever imagined.  Interestingly, the Dakota is a real building in New York (built to be first of its kind, just like the novel said). It’s also where John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived until he was shot outside the building. So that’s pretty fascinating!  I finished in 3 days.

The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg (305 pages). In 1914 London, Dr John Watson is retired, and happily writing the stories of the cases he and Sherlock Holmes solved. Until he and his son, Dr John Watson Jr, get caught up in the possible suicide of a man. Joanna Blalock, nurse widow, and mother, and her son were witnesses to his fall. The Drs Watson soon realize that Joanna has one of the sharpest minds they’ve encountered since Sherlock’s passing. As the trio dive deeper into the apparent suicide and more deaths begin to occur, they soon realize there is a murderer on the loose and the game is afoot. Turns out Joanna has a secret of her own- she is, in fact, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes!  finished in 3 days. 

They Went Left by Monica Hesse (362 pages). When the Lederman family arrives at Birkenau in 1940, 13 year old Zofia and 9 year old Abek are directed to the right. The rest of the family went left. When the war ends, Zofia is left alone, with only a promise that she will find her brother somehow. So when she learns of camps for displaced people, she travels across Europe to find Abek. Along the way, she meets Josef, a young man who brings love back into her life. And Breine, a young woman who is marrying a man she’s only just met because she refuses to allow love to escape her again. And countless others who vow to help her find her brother. But can two people find each other in the aftermath of the war?  As you know, I love WW2 historical fiction. This was different than my usual fare because it focused entirely on the aftermath with only occasional flashbacks to prewar or concentration camp events. I liked reading about people finding a new life after such devastation. I finished in 3 days.

Five First Chances by Sarah Jost (378 pages). Louise lives in England, a French teacher from Switzerland who isn’t happy with her life. Her ex has just gotten engaged, she has very few friends, and she’s at the funeral of a friend of a friend with her former flatmate Yuki. All she can think of it what if. What if she hold go back and do things differently?  So 5 different times she actually goes back in time to live life again from one moment- Yuki’s birthday party when she got a text from her ex and first met Nick. With each chance, Lou keeps finding out that perhaps the life she thought she wanted isn’t the life she needs. And that Nick might just be the most important person to ever enter her life. This book was so sweet and beautiful. One of my all time favorite books is The Midnight Library and this had a similar feeling- getting an opportunity to do it again and do it differently. I finished in 4 days. 

This month’s favorite is…….They Went Left. 

I MAY have read some good books this month, I MAY have read some amazing ones…..

 A pretty average month this month. I read 10 books. A total of 3,157 pages. And an average of 102 pages a day. So let’s get into what I read, shall we?

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (386 pages). Elsie Hannaway is a theoretical physicist (think Sheldon from Big Bang Theory) and adjunct professor at several Boston area colleges, hoping to one day become a tenured professor.  But Elsie is also a people pleasing chameleon who supplements her income by being a fake girlfriend. And she’s hoping to get a job at MIT. But the experimental physicist (think Leonard from Big Bang) standing in her way is Jack Smith, the man who made a mockery of theorists with one article. Jack also happens to be the older brother of her favorite fake girlfriend client. Turns out all that hatred she thought was emanating from Jack was actually admiration. Once Elsie learns to be honest, she opens herself up to the idea that theorists and experimentalists can actually get along, maybe better than she ever imagined. Not many rom-coms focus on women in STEM, so I love that about this author. It was a cute, nerdy love story. I finished in 4 days.

Heard it in a Love Song by Tracey Garcia Graves (289 pages). Layla is an elementary school music teacher who once has dreams of being a rock star. She’s also recently divorced. Josh is the father of Sasha, one of Layla’s kindergarteners, and recently separated himself. After Sasha asks Layla if she likes dogs, Layla inadvertently ends up as their dog sitter. But Josh and Layla slowly realize their attraction to each other. I liked the slow pace of their relationship.  Both of them are still trying to figure out who they are (Layla’s marriage was about a decade, Josh got married after high school graduation). The book also contained flashbacks for each of them, so you understood their former relationships. It was pretty good. I finished in 3 days.

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (117 pages). 10 year olds Billy and Alan make a bet. Alan bets Billy $50 that Billy can’t eat 1 worm a day for 15 days. Billy knows he can. And the rules are that he must eat every bit of the worm but can cook it and condiment it any way he wants. As the days pass, Billy worries that he’s bitten off more than he can chew (literally). And Alan plots on how he can keep Billy from winning. I hadn’t read this book since I was a kid. It was fun then and fun now. Kids are crazy!  I finished in 1 day. 

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (338 pages). Lauren comes home to her flat after a night out with the girls to find her husband, amused with her attempts to quietly come in. The problem?  Lauren doesn’t have a husband. When he goes up into the attic to change a lightbulb, he comes down a completely different man. And this begins Lauren’s discovery of her magic attic. Some husbands stay for a few moments before she sends them back up into the attic. Others stay for a week until she decides they aren’t the right fit. But when do you know you’ve found the right one?  I finished in 2 days.

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (380 pages). Stan and Charmaine are just a young couple, trying to make it in a world that is in the midst of economic collapse. When they hear about the Positron Project in the city of Consilience, they decide to sign up.  In Consilience, they’ll have jobs and a house and security. Every other month. Those alternating months?  They’ll be living in Positron Prison and the inmates will take over their lives. At first, everything seems perfect. But things are never as they appear. And bad things are happening in Positron. Very bad (and crazy) things. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this one (Atwood is the queen of social commentary), but I wasn’t expecting what I read. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t love it like some of the other books of hers I’ve read. I finished in 3 days.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (444 pages). Starr Carter is 16 years old and divides her time between two worlds- her predominantly white private school where she’s cool just because she’s black and her poor black neighborhood where she doesn’t really fit in anymore because she goes to a white school. One night, she leaves a party with a friend from the Heights. And they get stopped by a cop. What happens next changes Starr’s life and the lives of her entire community. I saw the movie adaption years ago and found it very powerful. The book is even more so. It’s a very heavy book, so I wanted to take it slow. And I’m glad I did- it’s one that needs to be processed to be appreciated. I finished in 5 days. 

Endless Summer by Elin Hilderbrand (356 pages). This was a collection of 9 short stories (that were really more continuations of novels). I think I need to read more Hilderbrand novels so I appreciate this one even more. But the ones that were connected to the books I had read were a lot of fun to revisit!  I finished in 2 days.

The Bookseller of Dachau by Shari J Ryan (265 pages). In 1940’s Augsburg, Germany, 17 year old Matilda Ellman enjoys spending time with her best friend (and love of her life), 17 year old Hans Bauer. The problem is that Hans is Jewish. So Matilda does everything in her power to save him, including hiding him in the attic. In 2018 Boston, architect Grace Laurent receives the shock of her life. After her mother spent her entire life trying to track down family, Grace learns that she had inherited a bookshop in Dachau from her maternal grandmother. So Grace did something completely out of character- she immediately flew to Germany to learn the story of her family. And what a story it was!  Y’all know I love some WWII historical fiction!  And this one had me in tears for the entire last quarter of the book it seemed. I finished in 2 days.

Diva by Daisy Goodwin (324 pages). When I was in college, I planned to double major in English and Theater. And one of the classes I took toward my theater major was a current NY seminar. For spring break, we went to New York and saw 6 plays in 4 days. One of those plays was Master Class. I doubt I had ever heard of Maria Callas before then. Maria Callas was the greatest soprano to ever live. She was glamorous and world famous. And when she met Aristotle Onassis, her whole world changed. She left her husband for him. And after 9 years of a relationship, found out that he was leaving her when it was announced that he had married Jackie Kennedy. On his private island. In the chapel he’d been building for Maria. I loved this novel so much. I finished in 4 days.

Blood on their Hands by Mandy Matney (258 pages). I started listening to the Murdaugh Murders Podcast back in 2020. And followed it up through Alex’s conviction. This is the story of how Mandy became the Murdaugh expert. I really enjoyed reading the background of her journalism career and how it took off. She truly is a phenomenal writer. I finished in 4 days.

This month’s favorite is…….a tie. Between The Bookseller and Diva. I can’t choose a favorite and you can’t make me!

April readings bring forth a lot of happiness (sadly no flowers)

 April was a good reading month. 8 books. 3,348 pages total. An average of 112 pages a day. I finished off and started some great series. So let’s get to it!

The Crown by Kiera Cass (282 pages). The fifth book in the Selection series. Only the Elite remain. Eadlyn is down to only five men who she thinks could share her life. Fashionable Hale. Foreign born Henri (with his translator Erik). Companionable Fox. Aloof but committed Ean. And childhood friend Kile. But when a heart attack sidelines her mother (and father to be nursemaid), Eadlyn realizes that she needs to take on the task of ruling in order to bring peace to her family and their country. But which young man will be by her side at the end?  This was a great ending to this series. Following the family from King Clarkson to Queen Eadlyn showed a beautiful progression. I finished in 3 days.

Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass (390 pages).  So this was a companion book to the series. It contained a map of Illea (would have been nice to have at the start of the series, just because I’m a dork like that). And a lot more in depth information about the characters of the series: Queen Amberly, Prince Maxon, Aspen, Marlee, Celeste, Lucy, Kriss, Natalie and Elise. We learned more about the Selection from their points of view. And what some of them did post Selection.  I really liked this. I actually would have loved to have read them during the other novels. But enjoyed it nonetheless.  I finished in 3 days.

The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart (348  pages). Ana Kaminski is a midwife in Poland in the 1940’s. As life in her town becomes more overrun with Nazis, Ana and her family fight with the Resistence. Across town in the ghetto, young Ester Pasternak is a newlywed and a nurse. The women had known each other before the war began but found themselves together in Auschwitz. One for being Jewish and one for being a traitor. Together, they helped bring babies into the world. And when the Nazis began taking the “acceptably Aryan” ones to be raised by good German families, they tattooed them with their mothers’ numbers, so that the mothers could find them if they survived the camps.  Y’all- when I tell you I wept, I WEPT. This story was so beautiful. The horrors or WW2 still just appall me. But the stories of survival and love that came from it give me such warmth. This book was based on the life of Stanislawa Leszczynska, a Polish midwife who was sent to Auschwitz for being part of the Resistence. And one who delivered over 3000 babies during her 2 year internment, never losing a mother or a child during childbirth. And yes, she tattooed the babies, in the hopes they could be returned to their birth parents. Honestly, other than her name being changed and Ester being a family friend rather than her biological daughter, most of the characters are real- the SS, the Nazi doctors and kapo, even some of her children’s names. Y’all- reading just a little bit about this woman brought me to tears. She has been nominated for sainthood in the Catholic Church. I sure hope she gets it- she sounds like a literal angel on earth who lived through literal hell. I finished in 4 days.

Haunting Adeline by HD Carlton (538 pages). Adeline Reilly is a 26 year old successful author who just inherited her grandparents’ very gothic home, Parsons Manor. The Manor has a dark history, as her great grandmother Gigi was murdered there in the 1940’s. Her murder was never solved, but Addie suspects that Gigi’s stalker killed her. Meanwhile, Addie has a stalker of her own. Zade Meadows created an underground organization and their sole purpose is to take down human traffickers. Honestly I didn’t like this book.  I don’t mind a “dark romance.”  But this one pushed my limits of what I can handle. Zade seems like a wonderful man in some ways. Who doesn’t love a man who rights atrocities of this world?  But the fact that he stalks Addie and blurs the line of consent while mentally/emotionally abusing her was very disturbing. Very. I’m not sure why this book was so booktok famous. The only part I really liked was Addie solving Gigi’s murder. I finished in 5 days. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (385 pages).  I read this book about 2 years ago and loved it. But one of my book clubs decided to read it so I did a re-read. Monique Grant is a scrub writer for a magazine in New York. So no one is more shocked than she is when Evelyn Hugo’s people reach out and state that Monique (and Monique only) can have an exclusive. But Evelyn has more than an article in mind- she has handpicked Monique to tell her story. For reasons only Evelyn knows. But Evelyn was one of the biggest movie stars of all time. Monique isn’t going to let this chance pass her by. The book is in 7 parts- one for each of Evelyn’s husbands.  Turns out I loved this book just as much the second time around!  I finished in 2 days.

The Midwife of Berlin by Anna Stuart (444 pages). A sequel of sorts to The Midwife of Auschwitz. It’s 1961 Berlin. The country (and the city) are divided into East and West. The war is over but the world hasn’t fully healed yet. Ester is now a midwife outside of Berlin. Her 17 year old adopted daughter Olivia helps her. Olivia was the first baby that Ester tattooed under her armpit. And that tattoo is what brought Olivia into their family. But then Olivia discovers her own love- throwing the javelin. So she joins Dynamo, an athletic club in East Berlin, for training. Meanwhile, 17 year old Kirsten works in a cafe across town in West Berlin. She and her friends, led by student Dieter, question the socialism that is happening just across the street from them. Kirsten begins to learn some family secrets, including the truth as to how she got a scar under her armpit. But then, the unimaginable happens- a wall is built. A wall that separates the East from the West. And Olivia from Kirsten.  But Olivia isn’t happy under communist rule. And Kirsten isn’t going to let her stay there. So good. Apparently only one character was a real person- Dieter. But the events (the wall, the separation, the communist regime) were all true. Oddly, this is not an era of history that I had much knowledge about. So I found it fascinating. I finished in 4 days. 

Bridesmaid for Hire by Meghan Quinn (444 pages). Maggie Mitchell is an event planner. Brody McFadden works for Hopper Industries. And they have known each other for years- he was her brother’s fraternity brother and best friend. But after a drunken kiss gone bad, Maggie just can’t stand him. When they both end up at a resort in Bora Bora (her for vacation and him for his boss’s daughter’s wedding), they realize they can help each other. Meeting the Hoppers could help Maggie’s business. Having Maggie on his arm could help Brody make in-waves with the Hoppers. And when the maid of honor can’t make it, Maggie steps in as a last minute bridesmaid. Spending all this time together makes it hard for Maggie and Brody to deny their chemistry. But Brody’s boss is a shrewd man who has figured out that Brody is there to try to get ahead at Hopper Industries and Maggie is there to get a leg up with her own business. And Mr Hopper is not a man who likes to be played. So one drunken night turns everything upside down for Brody and Maggie. Alas- the path of love never is easy in a rom com!  This one was super cute. And I love that Meghan Quinn interweaves characters from other series into each new series (the Cane brothers from an earlier series I read). I finished in 4 days.

The Way I Hate Him by Meghan Quinn (517 pages). Hattie Rowley is a little bit worried. She’s still lost after her beloved oldest sister’s death, she’s failed out of graduate school and she just got dumped by her jerk of a boyfriend, who had been rock star Hayes Farrow’s assistant. Until he got fired for stealing from Hayes. Which Hattie knew about because she’d helped steal Hayes’ Grammy. But when Hattie and Hayes both end up back in their small hometown of Almond Bay, a deep seated family rivalry sets sparks flying. But Hayes has real issues with abandonment. And when his past shows up, his fears cause him to push Hattie away. Can love overcome everything?  This is a rom-com, of course it can!  Hattie is Maggie’s best friend and this story takes place before the prior book. I finished in 5 days.

This month’s favorite is…….The Midwife of Auschwitz