Book Report – August, September, and October 2017

So this post covers books from August through October. To say I am a little behind is stating it lightly. I have started to work on it multiple times (as I type this I am at 23 revisions with a couple of more revisions coming-to add pictures and such) and I just kept remembering books I needed to add and the months just kept passing and passing faster and faster. I was going to add November’s reads in here as well, but I decided to include those with my December books so that post didn’t feel so lopsided compared with this one. :o)  Anyways…I have read a lot of good books these past few months and my TBR list seems to keep multiplying (I get one book read and three more get added). I guess that’s a good problem to have, right? Anyways…hope you enjoy and hope this inspires you to pick up a book and get to reading!

August Reads

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress – Ariel Lawton 

Finding out that this was loosely based on a true event was pretty neat to me. The author did a great job of weaving the actual historical disappearance of a judge with the fictional lives of three women who knew him best. Reading it was pretty slow going for me. It wasn’t a book that “captivated” me, but I did want to see how it all played out. The end fell a little flat for me because I think I was anticipating a bigger event/surprise at the end and the ending seemed rushed in order to wrap it up. Hope this isn’t a spoiler for you, but this book reminded me a little bit of the Carrie Underwood song “Two Black Cadillacs”…I enjoyed the plot/storyline and I will be reading more from this author, but I don’t think this book will be a reread for me anytime soon.

The Other Einstein – Marie Benedict

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. It was The Girls Next Door podcast selection this quarter or else I might have not picked it up. While it’s loosely based on historical fact it was written in a way that was 100% believable. I don’t know if I will be able to still think of Einstein as a brilliant man without thinking of his wife and how he treated her. Behind every strong man there is a stronger woman.

We Were Strangers Once – Betsy Carter 

I really tried to get into this book and finish it, but I just couldn’t. The description of it drew me in because I love reading about the WWII time period and her topic about the people who escaped Germany before the war and how that affected the rest of their lives really intrigued me. It sounded so interesting to me, but once I began reading I just could not get into it and was not invested in the characters. The few chapters I read, I did enjoy the author’s writing style and her descriptiveness, but I just wasn’t into it and gave it up. It is really hard for me to not finish books that I’ve started, but I am trying to give myself grace on this and tell myself I can try reading it again at a future date and might enjoy it more then.

The Writing Desk – Rachel Hauck 

So this was another book that the book description drew me in. It is about a woman in the present day who had a best selling book and was on a deadline to write another book and had writer’s block. Due to personal family circumstances she ends up going to spend time with her mother who she didn’t know very well and found a family heirloom desk that she was sure would give her inspiration to write. She got more than she bargained for…this story goes back and forth from present day to a couple of generations back and weaves the lives of two woman together. I did really enjoy this book, however there were a couple of times I almost gave up on it, but the story kept me interested. I felt this book was very wordy at times and there were many words/pages that probably could have been left out…but for the most part I enjoyed this read and really enjoyed the storyline.

Everything Everything – Nicola Yoon 

I was excited to read this because I had heard a lot of good things about it and I had heard it was made into a movie. It was a nice easy read, but was a little cheesy at times to me. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and liked the little illustrations scattered throughout. The story was lighthearted but also dealt some serious issues as well. This was a good young adult read and I am planning on seeing the movie soon. Looking forward to reading more books from this author (The Sun Is Also A Star is on my TBR list).

September Reads

Between Breaths – Elizabeth Vargas 

I listened to this in audio format and loved having the author Elizabeth Vargas read it. She gave a raw and honest account of her struggles with panic/anxiety and addiction. It showed how even people who seem like they have it all together still deal with struggles that are unseen. Highly recommend listening to this, one of my favorite audio books of the year!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid  

I kept hearing so many good things about this book and I had been on the library wait list for a long time so when it came available I was so excited! I hadn’t read any of the reviews on it, so I did not know what to expect or what it was about. I had sort of pictured it as being a loosely based story of Elizabeth Taylor’s life. I wish I could’ve given this a 5 star review, but I just couldn’t because I don’t agree with part of the subject matter of the book. However, with that being said I really enjoyed this book and how it kept me engaged and kept me wanting to read. It was a beautifully written book on the power of love.

Love Your Life, Not Theirs: 7 Money Habits for Living the Life You Want – Rachel Cruz

So much truth in this book. One reason I majored in accounting was because I wanted to help people with their finances. This book has such great practical advice for living in financial freedom. I love how Rachel Cruze stresses the importance of not comparing your life to other people, but to be happy and content with what you have. I borrowed this from the library, but will be buying this for my personal bookshelf at home!

Almost Sisters – Joshilyn Jackson 

I had been hearing about and seeing this book everywhere and was excited when it was available at my library. However, I was somewhat disappointed in it…it didn’t live up to the hype for me. The story was fine and I did want to see what happened, but I didn’t follow all the comic book little stories dispersed throughout and I thought the story moved slow until the ending when it seemed the story progressed at a super fast pace. I have to say the ending helped to redeem the book for me and made this a 3 star versus a 2 star read for me.

October Reads

Young Jane Young – Gabrielle Zevin

This book was an easy and fun read, but at the same time still left me thinking about different issues within our society. This book seems to be loosely based on the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal and was very interesting to see the perspectives of the main character’s situation from differing women in the story. All in all I really enjoyed this read and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Before We Were Yours – Lisa Wingate

I really enjoyed this book about a piece of history that is rarely talked about. I can not believe some of the things children were put through during this time. This book had me thinking about it long after I read it and I am contemplating looking into the history of this and maybe reading a couple of the books the author referenced at the end. Highly recommend this if you enjoyed “The Orphan Train” by Christina Baker Kline.

The Alice Network – Kate Quinn

Loved, loved, loved this book! This will be on my favorites read in 2017 for sure!!! This book encompassed all my favorite things in a good book…time periods, differing narrators with lives that intersect, strong characters, and a small love story. This was a book that I kept prolonging by reading small snippets here and there because I didn’t want it to end! This was by far one of my all time favorite reads!!!

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry – Gabrielle Zevin

This was a book I kept seeing people mention and I kept thinking I’d like to read it someday, but I wasn’t sure it would really be something I would like so I kept it on the back burner. Well….one I read “Young Jane Young” (see above) and realized it was by the same author I quickly moved it to the front of my TBR pile! I really enjoyed the storyline and the references to the different books scattered throughout. It was a nice relaxed and fun read about a quirky man that owns a bookstore. I enjoyed the ending a lot and am looking forward to reading more from this author!

Overall I enjoyed my August, September, and October reads. What good books have you read lately?

Until next time….keep it simple.

Lindsey