I'm on Goodreads here and linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy!
Some day, when the baby is taking more consistent naps (or naps at all, unlike today) and the big kid is in kindergarten (way too soon!) hopefully I'll get back to doing individual posts for books I've enjoyed (some here, if you scroll pasts the Quick Lits). As for what I've read in the past month-ish, here it goes!
Honeysuckle Dreams by Denise Hunter
I've read most of her books and enjoyed most of them. This one had plots that felt a little recycled from other books BUT the main characters were going through a court case to keep their baby son, Sam, and seeing as I've agonized (a little) over the past 4 months if we were going to get to keep our baby Sam (but not really since the putative father check came back clear)...it hit a little close to home. Not my favorite of hers but not my least favorite either. 3 Stars
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
This one kept popping up, mostly on Goodreads but also other places. I finally read it and I was not impressed. A boy and a girl (really, they are in their 30s-ish) meet in an elevator. Boy needs a date to his ex-girlfriend's wedding tomorrow. They go together. Then they spent a few months both thinking the other thinks this thing is casual while also wanting it to be more. I mostly got annoyed with their inability to be honest and emotionally vulnerable with each other. The drama all seemed rather manufactured to draw out the story. Maybe my being married for a dozen years means I don't understand current "dating" culture. This one wasn't for me. 2 Stars
My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma
This is YA about a young Indian-American girl who is somewhat obsessed with Bollywood movies...and there is a boy involved. I honestly don't remember much about. It was fine but a little too similar to another one mentioned below that I read first (which I didn't LOVE either). So it was fine. 2.5 Stars
Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life by Shauna Niequist
I listened to this on audio over a few weeks and then the last 1/3 in less than 24 hours when I realized it was about to be auto-returned to the library. I've enjoyed all her other books (which were all written after this one) and liked this one too. I don't think as much sinks in when I listen rather than read but a decent amount of this resonated with me. Plus, she read it herself which is nice on memoir-ish books. 3.5 Stars
All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
I've read all her books and this one might be the most serious, dealing with teens and an inappropriate picture that goes viral. It wasn't light and fun summer reading but it did highlight issues many parents now will likely have to face in some form. I read it pretty quick but it wasn't the most enjoyable read, just because of the heavier subject matter. 3 Stars
Forever, or a Long, Long Time by Caela Carter
This is middle-grade fiction dealing with two (biological) siblings that were adopted out of the foster care system. They want to trace their story back, reconnect with past foster families to try to get more answers about where they came from. It was sweet and heart-wrenching, especially having adopted two of my own, although mine came as infants. But definitely a good read. 4 Stars
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
This was a very quirky story that I mostly read while waiting at the BMV. It's a short book but also, I was at the BMV for awhile. It's about a woman that has worked at a convenience store in Asia for all of her adult life and how that has shaped her. DEFINITELY quirky but it was under 200 pages so quirky was ok. 3 Stars
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A reread and one of my favorites of 2016. Emma and Jesse feel they are soul mates after meeting in high school, traveling the world, and getting married. Then he disappears via a plane crash (his body is never found) on their 1st wedding anniversary. Emma falls apart, puts her life back together, and eventually starts dating and gets engaged. Then Jesse is found. DUN-DUN-DUN. I knew how it ended but I was still completely engrossed in the story. 4 Stars
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
I so enjoyed this book about a wedding being planned on Nantucket when one of the members of the wedding party turns up dead the morning of the wedding. It sounds morbid but so fascinating to dig back into the stories of all the people involved. Her books are pretty reliably great summer reads, I look forward to them and am rarely disappointed. One plot point reminded me too much of The Island which I had just read a month earlier but other than that small quibble, this was a great summer read. 4 Stars
From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon
This is YA about a young Indian-American girl who is somewhat obsessed with Bollywood movies...and there is a boy involved. Yes, I did copy and paste that from above. This is the second book by the author of When Dimple Met Rishi which I really enjoyed last summer. I definitely liked the first book better (they are not at all connected). This was fine. 2.75 Stars
Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails by Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss
If you are a female of a certain age, say 20-50, you've probably received a "Hey Ladies!" e-mail. I've both sent and received them. This follows the e-mails and occasional texts between a group of friends leading up the wedding of one. It made me glad I don't live in NYC, that I am not dating, and that I've never been semi-forced to spend money like is depicted here. That said, it was a fun read and I had a hard time putting it down to do actual life things. 3.25 Stars
Nourished: A Memoir of Food, Faith, & Enduring Love by Lia Huber
The title pretty much sums it up, she writes about faith and trying to figure out their path in life, including a long stay in Central America which made me glad I live somewhere with running water and a Target 10 minutes away. I love a good food memoir for all the descriptions of food I'll never make and probably wouldn't eat even if I did. And this was that. 3.5 Stars
The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin
Everywhere I read about this book it is described as "like Grey's Anatomy but in a book". Which is pretty accurate, even if I am super behind on my Grey's (I think I have 8 episodes sitting on the DVR). Two girl friends meet in med school, they are still friends years later when they are both married with kids and real jobs. Then someone from their med school days comes back into their lives and drama ensures. I mean, less drama than Grey's but that's a pretty high drama bar. It was fun and I mostly enjoyed it. 3.5 Stars
Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done by Laura Vanderkam
Laura Vanderkam is my time-management guru, or at least "changing how I look at how I use my time" guru. She always brings a different perspective and interesting insights that she pulls from studying how many real people use their time. Always interesting and worthwhile to read her books. 3.75 Stars
What have YOU been reading?
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