As always, you can find me on Goodreads and Instagram. Although I've been spending less time on the latter just because...December.
Other book posts this month:
And everything else I've been reading!
Light from Other Stars by Erika Swyler
When I think of this book, the first thing that comes to mind is the smell. My library copy smelled HORRIBLY of cigarette smoke, so bad that I wouldn't read it in bed because I did not want it stinking up our bedroom (it left no lingering smells in our house, thank goodness). I check out a lot of library books and this is the first time I've ever had a problem with the smell of one. I really do think I would have liked it more if it hadn't smelled so bad and given me headaches from that. The plot points are all a little hazy at this point but it felt like a combination of The Age of Miracles and Good Morning, Midnight. Although I definitely liked The Age of Miracles the best of all 3. 3 Stars
The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett
This is historical fiction set in Mount Rainer National Park almost 100 years ago. Margie is a young naturalist whose father (secretly) made a large donation to the park to get her an unpaid job there. Really, society says she should be going to fancy parties and finding a husband but she is very interested in nature and wants to make her own way. The park is in it's early days but still a big tourist attraction and she ends up finding a place for herself there as well as, maybe, a handsome guy. I really did enjoy this one, it was charming and I've thought about the characters since. 3.5 Stars
Frankly in Love by David YoonI'm a sucker for a good YA book, and often seem to read good ones in November (see: Eleanor & Park and The Sun is Also a Star). This one follows Frank who is Korean-American and his parents only want him to date girls who are also Korean-American. So him and his (Korean) friend come up with a plan to act like they are dating each other to keep their parents happy but then secretly date who they really want to. That was the premise on the book jacket but it ended up being a much smaller part of the book than I expected. It reminded me of The Sun is Also a Star which feels right because it was written by the author's wife. I liked it, not as much of the other YA books I've mentioned in this paragraph but I did like it. 3.25 Stars
Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
I finally finished my year-long reread of the Anne series! I had mentioned multiple times in my summaries of the last few books that I didn't like how much Anne was relegated to a side character while most of the books were about their neighbors, her kids, and their friends. Here, again, Anne is a side character but that is to be expected since it's her daughter Rilla's name in the title. It's set in the 1910s, as Canada is entering World War I and a couple of Rilla's brothers and neighbors are going off to fight. It was heartbreaking to read about what the families were going through back home and it was the first time, in my life, I was emotionally moved by an animal. I could see myself rereading this before Anne books 4-7. It was nice to end the series with an enjoyable (but sad) book. 3.5 Stars 
Murphy's Law by Rhys BowenI added this to my list because I saw that it takes places partially on Ellis Island and partially because I liked the cover. Then the cover that I got from my library was NOT that and made me almost not actually pick up the book. But I did and it was delightful. Set in 1901 (first of two books on this list set around then!), around Molly, an Irish immigrant coming to American to escape being prosecuted for killing someone in self-defense. Through a series of "wrong place, wrong time" she ends up, secretly, helping investigate a murder and going to parts of NYC that she shouldn't be. I liked Molly as a protagonist even though, I myself, would have stayed far away from many of the places she ended up. And it's a good thing I liked her because there are a TON more books in this series. I don't know if I will make it through them all but I have the next on my list for January! 3.75 Stars
We Met in December by Rosie CurtisMy library does not own a paper copy of this so I had to read the whole book on my phone, on an app that seemed to make my battery extra hot. That didn't make for the most enjoyable reading experience and I think I would have liked this book even more on paper, BUT I still really did like it. It's similar to One Day in December (which, fittingly, I read last December), in that it is also set in London, following 20-somethings as they navigate life and relationships. She says in the opening pages in the book that there is just something extra magical about London at Christmas and that must be true given how many books and movies are set then and there. It was a pretty light read but one I eagerly picked up (again, not at bedtime because I didn't want reading on my phone to mess up my sleeping rhythms so I read this in pick-up line and during Sam's naps). 3.5 Stars
When Less Becomes More: Making Space for Slow, Simple, and Good by Emily LeyI have read Emily's two previous books (Grace, Not Perfection and A Simplified Life) and even pre-ordered this one! Reading it right after Thanksgiving, right as the Christmas crazy was ramping up, was perfect timing. I've read many books about simplifying but this one struck some new notes for me, helping me see more benefits to living a good, not great, life and areas where I could make improvements. I really enjoyed this one and need to reread it every other year or so. The reminder to slow down is really relevant. 4 Stars
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
This is historical fiction set in Atlanta at the turn of the 20th Century. The Downstairs Girl, Jo, in the title is a Chinese-American teenager who is finding that maybe even harder than being African-American in the South 20 years after the Civil War is being Chinese-American. She has few rights, most people won't employ her, and there isn't much she can do to improve her position. I've never read anything set in this time and place and it was so interesting to read about how difficult life was for these people. I really wanted Jo to succeed and especially liked the "Miss Sweetie" column she started anonymously submitting to a newspaper. 3.5 Stars
El Deafo by Cece Bell
This is an absolutely charming and enlightening middle-grade graphic novel based on the author's experience losing her hearing at a young age and growing up mostly deaf. She talks/draws about getting hearing aids and having to wear a special hearing aid to school that, inadvertently, had her over hearing everything her teacher did all day - from going to the bathroom to gossiping in the teacher's lounge. It was a super fast read, as graphic novels usually are, and gave me a little more understanding as to the difficulties there can be with being deaf. Highly recommend. 4 Stars
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
I've really been going through contemporary romance novel lately (I'm currently reading another). Which isn't on purpose but it is nice to read a bunch of books with happy ending this time of year! The premise of this is that a (male) nurse working 3rd shift posts an ad for a roommate, saying they will both live in the flat but their times will never overlap, since he mostly needs a place to sleep during the day while the hopeful roommate is at work. So a girl coming out a bad relationship and in need of a cheap London apartment takes him up. They don't meet face to face for a good part of the book and are amazed at how much they know about each other, just seeing things around the flat. It also covered some harder issues (mistaken incarceration, abusive relationships) that I was not expecting but seemed to be handled well. Fairly predictable but still fun. 3.5 Stars 
A Christmas Carol by Charles DickensA classic that I partially picked up because I was in that aisle of the library looking for another book, partially because I had never read the actual book, and mostly because it was very thin and I knew I'd need some quick reads to hit my reading goals this year. I kept picturing a Mickey & Minnie Mouse cartoon version of the story that I saw at some point in my childhood (and now need to check Disney+ for) which, honestly did help since writing styles were different when this was written. But it was also only 85 pages or so. It was a delightful read for December and I feel slightly more accomplished now having read this classic. 3.75 Stars
That's what I've been reading lately. What have YOU been reading??
No comments:
Post a Comment