This was my pick for book club. This was a tough read - not because of the writing, but because of the subject matter. I literally almost puked at one point. That fact aside, I highly recommend this one. Even as a complete history nerd, I had no clue that this had happened. Radium Girls tells the real life story of radium dial painters and the subsequent fallout from their work conditions which led to multiple court cases and legislation that still stands today.
This was beautiful. I loved every moment of this book. Michelle is a natural writer (and yes - I read the entire thing with her voice in my head). I loved learning about her childhood and behind the scenes moments we didn't get to witness while the Obamas occupied the White House. She's a long one, but worth reading.
I read Crazy Rich Asians shortly after the movie. I quickly picked up the sequel and it sat on my nightstand for a while because I had too many books to read and not enough time. Once I finally picked it up, I inhaled it. I love the characters and the outlandish situations they find themselves in. The settings and situations are so beyond foreign to me which made it all the more fun to read.
So naturally I hunted down the third book in the series at Half Price books and shot gunned it in about 2 days. I just really loved this series. I also loved the first movie and look forward to the next two! My book club just drew the first one in the series for our next book so yay for being ahead of the game on that one, but now I'll have more people to share in the Crazy Rich Asian love.
This one may upset some folks. This was another book club book. And it should have been a slam dunk. WWII. Historical/Realistic Fiction. I. Hated. It. I can't even put my finger on it. I have read A LOT of WWII fiction and non-fiction and love a lot of it. This one. I just couldn't love it. Not at all. That being said, lots of people I know and trust their reading tastes loved this book so feel free to give it a try.
I think everybody and their uncle have read this book this summer. After waiting for this on the library hold list, a sweet friend who works at a library snagged it for me. Wow. I loved this book. I get why everybody is raving about it. The writing sucks you in and it is a hard one to put down. If you love realistic fiction and a good mystery then try to get a hold of this one.
I had gotten this recommendation from The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey podcast. I don't remember what guest suggested this one, but it sounded up my alley. It uses real people from history and creates a semi-fictional account of their lives. I didn't know about the Grimke sisters so this was a good history lesson as well. It started off pretty fast paced, but kind of started dragging towards the end. I still enjoyed it and it was a great read. It's told from the perspectives of Sarah Grimke and her slave, Handful. Hearing both of their perspectives throughout the story kept me hooked, even when it got a little boring.
This one was kind of weird. I'm not sure if I liked it or not. The writing was quick paced and enjoyable, I'm just not sure if I loved the plot. I didn't feel like I ever got to a point where I really liked Bernadette (or most of the characters for that matter). I do love a book told through emails/memos/etc. so it has that going for it. It was a super quick read and probably a good one for a quick summer read that doesn't require a lot of brain power.
Wowzers. Definitely my favorite book of the summer. If you've never read any of Kate Morton's books, get on it. They always are wonderfully detailed and suck you in. It has a lot of mystery and plot twists which I love. The ending doesn't end tied up in a neat bow so if that will bother you, maybe skip this one, but truly.....you should read it. My other favorite by Morton, The Forgotten Garden, may have been relegated to 2nd place after this one.
This is my current read, but I already know I love it. If you haven't listened to this podcast (but seriously- why haven't you?! - be warned - the language can be a bit colorful, but it is so good) then this book may not land quite how it's supposed to, but it has some surprisingly deep moments that have kept my brain churning.
I'm hoping to get at least a couple more reads in before school starts back up - what have you been reading and loving lately?
