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
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