I only read 8 books this month, which is probably the lowest summer month on record. I’m not sure what happened — I think it mostly had to do with wanting to savor the books I was reading, combined with some wicked book hangovers after I was done.
Because, y’all. This was my best month of reading in a longggg time.
My favorite of the month (by a close margin) was Becoming, which was astounding and beautiful and poignant and energizing and I honestly never wanted the audiobook to end. I miss having Michelle talk to me in the car.
The Great Alone and The Great Believers were close second places… both absolutely gutted me. I couldn’t pick up a book for days after finishing each of these. Both (for very different reasons) left me crying and thinking about the time period and wishing I could spend more time with the characters.
Also, I finished Whisper Network last night and, holy cow, it was so good. It had the feel of a thriller-meets-social-commentary, and I really couldn’t guess the twists in it. Plus, it had amazing female friendships, which I’m all about.
All in all, amazing reading month… but it was definitely quality over quantity this month.
Books are listed in the order they were read. For more mini-reviews, check out my What I Read tag.
Monthly Stats
- Total Books Read: 8 Books
- Total Authors Read: 8 Authors
- Total Pages Read: 3,061 Pages
- Total Books Quit: 0 Books
- Average Days Per Book: 3.87 Days per Book
- Average Pages Per Day: 98.7 Pages per Day
Long Story Short…
- If you like gut-wrenching memoirs, read Becoming by Michelle Obama.
- If you like books about current events, read Whisper Network by Chandler Baker.
- If you like adventure and love and family drama, read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah.
- If you like historical fiction that immerses you, read The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Premise: All Percola wants is blue eyes. But for this young African American girl, her life will be changing in more ways than just her eyes.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: This book is a prime example of why we need trigger warnings, so let me get those out of the way. TW: incest, rape, and pedophilia.
Aside from the triggers, this was a GOOD BOOK. Like hit you in the guts, grab your tissues, scream into the abyss, call your Congressman good. The issue of race is so beautifully approached through the eyes of a child who truly believes that she is ugly because she is black. There is examination of black dolls and Shirley Temple and what it means for black women to work in a white family’s house as a servant. It’s a sucker punch, for sure, but it’s so beautifully written and descriptive.
I honestly took off half the star in the last 30 pages because I was having so much trouble digesting the very plainly written rape and pedophilia. When I say this is a descriptive novel, I mean it, and it honestly got to be so hard to read. I appreciated this novel and every word felt like a gift, but oof those last few chapters…
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves beautiful writing. Anyone wanting insight into race relations in America.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Premise: Leni’s father can’t hold a job since returning from Vietnam after being a prisoner of war, so when he finds out he’s inherited some land in Alaska, he jumps at the opportunity and takes the family along with him. But Alaska can bring out the very best in people… or the very worst.
Rating: 5 Stars
Thoughts: Y’all. I did not believe the hype. I’ve read (and LOVED) Kristin Hannah’s books, but I was not excited about this one. Alaska? Bleh. But… that’s what I get for judging a book by its setting and its hype. This book exceeded every expectation that I had for it, and then some. How does Kristin Hannah have the insane ability to make me cry with every book she writes?
I’ll be honest — this wasn’t an easy book. I mean, it read quickly, but the darkness in Leni’s dad is evident from the start, and the long Alaskan winters don’t make it any easier. I thought the characters were so well-formed and, even if I didn’t like them, I could understand them. I saw myself and my friends in both Leni and Cora. I literally cried at the end of the second part of the book… and basically didn’t stop through the whole third part. What I’m saying is, don’t read this in public, and don’t make plans once you start this one, because you won’t be able to put it down.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who liked Kristin Hannah’s previous books (The Nightingale, Firefly Lane, etc.). Anyone who likes character studies. Anyone who loves heart-wrenching novels.
The Editor by Steven Rowley
Premise: James Smale is trying to get his book published, and when Doubleday asks him to come meet with an editor, James is nervous but thrilled. When his editor walks in, however, he’s shocked to find no one other than Jackie O. The editing of his novel takes James through a journey with his own family and with Jackie.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: This is one of those books that I reallllllly wanted to like. The premise is intriguing, and I didn’t realize that Jackie O legit had a job in publishing after her (second) husband died. So it was interesting to see this idea of a nobody getting the chance to work on a book with one of the most famous First Ladies. But, in reality, this book was a bit too pretentious, trying to be more deep-thinking and meandering than it really was.
One thing I liked about this book was the slow reveal of background. I was occasionally plunged into flashback without warning, but it worked for this novel, and I liked that I was trying to piece together James’s past with his present. The downside is that this structure didn’t leave much room for relationship building, and I felt like both James’s boyfriend Daniel and, surprisingly, Jackie O’s relationships with James took a backseat to the rest of the story. There was a lot of telling (“He knows me so well”) and not a lot of showing that in practice. Like I said… intriguing premise but lacking something in execution.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves Jackie O. Anyone who is intrigued with the world of publishing. Anyone looking for a complicated family dynamic.
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
Premise: Jacquetta is a young maiden when she’s married off to the most important man in England and France — second only to young King Henry VI. Her innocence and her visions draw her to this powerful man… but love draws her away. Throughout the course of her life, Jacquetta finds herself near the most powerful people in the world, and she consistently returns to love of her husband, her children, and her King and Queen.
Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: I love love LOVE Philippa Gregory… let me just start by saying that. I’m a sucker for a good historical fiction novel, and Gregory is a true historian. I know the books I read by her are all based in solid fact, and she manages to find the characters in history that historians forgot about. Usually women, almost always off to the side, waiting to have their stories told.
Jacquetta’s story is no different. In fact, halfway through the book, I looked up information about King Henry VI (because I really know nothing about him or the War of the Roses), and the whole story was spelled out on Wikipedia, just like it was in the novel (probably even less reliably than the novel…). I really enjoyed following Jacquetta’s path, even though it was less of an intrigue than some of Gregory’s other leading ladies in her novels. My favorite parts, though, were Jacquetta’s thoughts on women and the role of women in that time period. Overall, solid book, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series (all 14, if I reread The Other Boleyn Girl).
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves historical fiction. Anyone who is looking for a dynamic female main character. Anyone who is interested in betrayals and scandal.
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Premise: It’s 1985 and Yale is living a great life — he has a dream job and a great boyfriend. But it’s 1985 in Chicago, and the AIDS epidemic is beginning to impact everyone around him. It’s also 2015, and Fiona is struggling between her past and the ghosts of the people she lost and her present loss of her daughter.
Rating: 5 Stars
Thoughts: How do you give this novel anything but 5 stars? Well… it’s sad. It’s heart-wrenching and depressing and the fact that it’s based in fact is just a punch to the gut. But damn if it’s not beautiful. This novel is so beautifully written, so unabashedly sad… I don’t say this to dissuade you from reading it; in fact, I think everyone should read it. But know what you’re getting into — 400+ pages about the AIDS crisis and the years that follow.
I can see why so many people loved this book (and why it was nominated for so many awards). The characters are vivid that I feel like they could have been friends that I knew in another life. The history in this book feels real and concrete, and it felt almost as if it were nonfiction. The parallels that the author drew between the Lost Generation of WWI and the people coming of age in the AIDS crisis is intriguing and well-done. I just… I have no words for the beauty of this book.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who wants to read a book that will make them feel something. Anyone who wants to know more about the AIDS crisis. Anyone looking for a sweeping novel.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Premise: Michelle Obama recounts her life’s tale — a story that takes us from the Southside of Chicago, to Princeton, to a prestigious law firm in Chicago, to a marriage with kids, to community outreach advisor at a hospital, to the campaign trail, to the White House.
Rating: 5 Stars
Thoughts: This book will be my best book of the year… I’m calling it now. I listened to it on audio (all 19+ hours of it), and every moment that I got in my car was a moment of reprieve. Michelle Obama has a way of writing that speaks to my soul, and I never knew at what moment I was going to choke up or get teary-eye’d. She spoke so eloquently of her time in the White House, but it was all the moments leading up to it that really caught me.
She spoke about being a young woman in love with an enterprising, dedicated man. She spoke about being a mother and trying to raise kids in the public eye. She talked about her career and what she knew she would be giving up by allowing her husband to take center stage. She planted a garden and visited with the Queen of England and Nelson Mandela, and she took me along for the ride. Her reflections on life were spot-on, and her insights were occasionally hilarious. The only downside to this book is how it ends — and she doesn’t hide her despair or distrust of our current administration. I never wanted this book to end… mostly because I loved living in that world for just a bit longer.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves a rags-to-riches story. Anyone who loves good writing. Anyone who is intrigued by life in the White House. Anyone who voted for Obama.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Premise: Francie Nolan is a poor girl growing up in pre-WWI Brooklyn. This coming-of-age story shows the resiliency of immigrants, the trials of the poor, and the hardships facing everyone at the turn of the century.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: This book was published in 1937, so the pre-WWI writing is more realistic fiction than historical fiction… and it shows. There’s such an authentic quality about books written in their time period, and I enjoyed that aspect of this novel a lot. As far as classics go, this was an easy read… short chapters, easy vocabulary, simple story. But under the simplicity was a story of poverty and death and hunger and illiteracy, and I found myself moved by Francie’s story. It was a longer read, and not super memorable, but I enjoyed my time spent with the Nolans, and I admired Francie’s bravery, Katie’s determination, and the love and loyalty they had for family.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a classic book. Anyone wanting to read a coming-of-age story.
Whisper Network by Chandler Baker
Premise: Sloane knows that Ames is a bad guy — but he’s also her boss, and her boss is about to become the new CEO of Truviv. But when Ames starts taking advantage of a new hire, Sloane and her friends decide to take action against him, setting off a chain of events that they couldn’t have predicted.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: As mentioned often in reviews and blurbs about this book, fans of Big Little Lies will love this one, and for good reason. There’s a death (but who died?) and there’s the past leading to the death, cross cut by interviews with people concerning the death in the present time. The structure is the same, and the female friendships are similar, but I think I liked this book even more than Big Little Lies.
What I really loved about this book were the friendships between the women… they felt so, so real. They were messy and complicated, but at the end of the day, they were always choosing each other over the drama and messiness of their lives, and I think that’s beautiful. They supported each other and helped lift up the women around them (occasionally to their detriment). I kind of forgot that someone had died because there was so much other stuff going on. But those last 50 pages… whew. This book had all the twists and turns of a thriller, coupled with the timeliness of the #MeToo movement and some real insight into corporate America and women’s roles in it. All around excellent read.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes reading about female friendships. Anyone who is looking for a twisty read. Anyone who loves Liane Moriarty.
