Welcome to the Continental Drift. Today we are talking about what we are reading. One of my 2018 goals was to read one book a month, which I have been able to accomplish so far!!!! I’ve also discovered audiobooks which are still not my favorite, I just like the weight of the book, the voices I give to the characters myself, and how my mind doesn’t wander when I am actively reading, but on long drives it’s nice to listen to a story come to life. Here are my current spring/summer reads and reviews.
Book of the Year!
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
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This is the best book I’ve read in a long, long time. While on my trip I was telling my sister about this book, starting the sentence off with “ I read the best book ever!!!!” I quickly started to tell her about it and she chimed in right away, “OMG, I agree. I read it just a few months ago!”, then we proceeded to talk about the characters, intricacies of the plot, the decisions each of the characters are faced with and how we connected to them. Hannah introduces us to two sisters, as different as any pair can be, who are caught in France during the Germany invasion. Both sisters deal with the invasion in their own ways, making small and large heroic decisions along the way. The book invites readers to explore this difficult time in history through the lives of two very different women, both struggling to stay true to themselves while protecting the people they love, realizing the good/evil in all people and how they rediscover not only their love, but admiration, for each other during a tumultuous time of their lives. MUST, MUST read for a book club or on your own!
Self Discovery Book
Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are by Rachel Hollis ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Okay so Rachel and I, along with many others, have lots in common. If I was to guess, she would come up as an upholder in Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies book. She is driven and extremely structured in her pursuits. This book was light and funny, while tackling tough and sometimes taboo topics. I appreciated her willingness to be open and authentic. To write as she is. The one thing I thought on/off throughout the book was that she was often black/white, with a little bit of harshness, which I LOVE because that’s how my brain works but wonder if others would find it to be too much, too pushy, too discouraging. On the other hand if you are reading this book be prepared to face some harsh truths about your role in the things that you are unhappy with because the only one that can change it is YOU.
The Meh Book
The American Marriage by Tayari Jones
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Logan and I listened to this while driving back and forth from the lake. Honestly it was just so-so. Usually I love all Oprah Book Club picks but this was just meh, possibly because we had some breaks between listening to it. The plot follows a young newly married couple that faces a major obstacle when the husband is wrongly accused of race and sentenced to many years in prison. The wife supports him for a while but as the years continue they struggle to maintain their relationship, for obvious reasons. The story explores marriage, the commitment made between people, the changes that occur and the decisions people must make. Here is the thing, I found the wife annoying and whinny. I know it sounds harsh but I just felt like she just talked about how hard things were for her, how life was tough for her, how she couldn’t decide, it annoyed me. Now, looking back, I do think that the audio version did make a whinny voice when narrating her part so that may have contributed to my dislike of the character as the book did get good reviews on Goodreads.
Two Beach Reads
Rainbow Road by Lisa Kleypas
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As a teacher/consultant the month of July is for easy reads. Like Disney movies for adults. Honestly, I am so exhausted by the end of the school year my brain just needs fluff. No life-changing, difficult to swallow topics, or research! When Logan and I began our trip to B.C. at the end of the year the first day I wanted to do minimal talking/conversing, I just needed to still the business in my haead and get lost in the steady hum of slience, nature and a good book. We choose to listen to this story and I was immediately drawn in. The story jumps right in, giving the reader a sense of purpose and connection to the main character from the start. The main character gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend and has cheated on her with someone close to her. Throughout the hours in the car we followed her as she learns to trust herself, explores who she is, makes new friendships and rediscovers love. The perfect kick off to summer reading!
The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand
⭐⭐⭐⭐I will begin by saying I absolutely love her books. No they wont impact me beyond the time I spend reading the pages but I love that I can get lost in the story, feel happy, relaxed and content. This wasn’t my favorite of her books and it took me a bit to get into it, as it felt a little too close to the kids version of the parent trap, but about 150 pages into it I found that I couldn’t put it down. The perfect beach read.
As we enter August my teacher brain is coming back on alert and I will be digging into some research on writing and writers workshop before the start of the year. I have a couple of other easier reads to get through before September but after that it’s back to book club, what would you suggest for our book club to dig into?
