I read six great books this month, including one that I think is actually going to be my favorite one for the year! I am a little behind on my book posts, I’ve been having some issues with my wordpress account, so finally figured out what to do to somewhat resolve that for the moment haha!
“Boys in the Boat” is one of those books that everyone needs to read. I love true stories, stories about people who come from incredible situations, overcoming insurmountable odds and accomplishing tasks that no one thought possible. It was interesting to read about where these boys came from, how dirt poor most of them were, what they did to get themselves to school and through school during a time of economic depression, agricultural decline, soaring heat temperatures, disease and societal unrest. A lot of what I read about seemed somewhat familiar even to what we are dealing with right now in society, and those boys didn’t let that stop them from living their dreams.
If you have read any of my book reviews in the past, you know that I really enjoy reading historical fiction pertaining to WW2, and that also had a line throughout this novel. I had just finished reading “Resistance Women” last month, so a lot of information from that book about Germany and important figures there was extremely beneficial in understanding the scene here for the boys at the Olympics. Another thing I really loved about this story, was how it followed these young men through their adult lives, and talked about how they came back together to row at different times for ceremonies or anniversaries, how eventually they had just “one last row” together. I cannot recommend this book enough, I bought it in paperback because I want my boys to read this one day, to see the importance of finding others you can depend on and support, and that hard work pays off. So far this year, this book is my top read. 🙂
This was a really cute read! Have you ever thought about what our country would have been like if George Washington would have said yes to being our country’s first king instead of it’s first president? Well, “American Royals” can give you an idea! The King’s daughter is looking for a husband, as she will be the first true blood-Queen awarded the crown. It was a bit teenage drama-ish, and there was some language, but it was a cute read and I’m looking forward to reading the sequal to see what will happen.
I read “The Dinner List” I think last year, and didn’t completely enjoy it because it ended up being extremely different from my expectations, but I was interested to see what “In Five Years” would be about since Serle has kind of an interesting approach to her writing. She does a lot of fututre/present – what is reality kind of thinking, which was true for this read as well. The main character has a dream or premonition about what her life is going to be in the future five years from now, but then reverts back to the present, where pieces of that peak into the future start becoming a reality for her. Things aren’t quite what they seem, what she thinks is happening in the future is different than what really does come to pass. It’s an interesting take on things, a lot to take away about living in the present I think from read.
I was looking for a change in genre, and picked up “Big Little Lies.” I haven’t read anything by Moriarty before, so I was interested in seeing what this was about, especially since they also made a series about it. The story centered around abuse, spousal and relationship type abuse that women tend to keep secrets about…there is a group of women that becomes friends since their children attend school together, one that recently moved to town, so most of the book involves interactions between them and their families. The language is not great in this book, I want to say maybe moderately bad but I am having trouble remembering because it has been a while! I do remember feeling ready for the end to come, there was a massive twist at the end that I really didn’t see coming, so was just glad when I finished and got all of the characters sorted out!
Y’all, I needed something HAPPY at this point in the month. After reading two serious books back to back, dealing with heavy issues and grief, I wanted something that was more upbeat and Nancy Thayer never disappoints with that. I read “Girls of Summer” the weekend we went to Corpus Christi with the boys, finished it on the drive back and enjoyed it! Lisa has raised her two children in Nantucket after being left by her husband, and this story centers around how they all find resolutions to the issues in their life and also find love of course. I don’t know if this was my favorite story of hers, but it was easy, every thing ended up pretty happy in the end and it was based in Nantucket, which is a setting I always enjoy reading about! It has made me think a lot about trying to travel there one day!
Last read of the month is “The Winemaker’s Wife.” Out of all of the historical fiction novels I have read, this one was not one of my favorites. I did however enjoy learning about the ins and outs of vineyards in France, and information about the Champagne region. There was a lot that goes into production that I knew nothing about, such as the soil composition and how it effects the taste of the fruit, as well as the caves that run underneath the vineyards. We aren’t wine drinkers, but the history of how that region survived through two wars was also interesting to learn about as well. As far as the characters go though, I struggled a bit relating to them and the decisions some of them made, but I did appreciate the twist at the end of the book regarding some of the characters.
Hope you enjoyed the selection this month, I feel like it was a wide variety which is what I tend to aim for! I loved this little photo I found on Pinterest, totally how I feel some days haha!!
If you’re interested in seeing the previous months of this year, just click below on the links or above on my book tab!
What I’m Reading: January, February & March 2020
I love keeping track of what I’m reading and have read on the Goodreads app, and you can follow along with me here if you’re interested!
The Boys in the Boat sounds like an interesting story. I might try to venture off from my Star Trek reading!
Love that you read, Mom
hahaha do it mom!