I have had the great privilege to read this summer. With long flights, lazy summer mornings and long stretches just to myself, I was able to make it through my summer list (see post here).  I have to admit, I enjoyed some more than others.  I thought that Golden Hour and The Friends We Keep were fantastic.  The River and Leading Men…not so much.  Oh well, when you read like I do, there are bound to be books that you like more than others. 

I am really excited about sharing what I have been reading.  There have been some really interesting and compelling books.  I hope that you are able to find your next read here. 

Happy Reading!

Daisy Jones and The Six

This book kept coming up over and over so I finally took the time to read it.  It was a fun read! This book reads like a fast paced memoir, but it is completely fictional.  It is the story of the rise of the international rock band Daisy Jones and The Six and the real reason that they split.  The book followed the perspective of each of the band members.  I loved the way that two different people could view the same situation.  It is definitely PG 13 with lots of language sex and drugs so if you are bothered by that kind of thing, this may not be your book.  For the rest of you…it’s a must read.

The Weight of Ink

I have to admit, I chose this book because it was a free read from Amazon.  I kept reading because I found it so compelling.  This book goes back and forth from London in the 1660s and present day.  When Dr Helen Watt is asked by a former student to take a look at some documents that were found during a home renovation, she has no idea how monumental these documents are going to be in her field of study.   The documents are the words of a Rabbi and his female scribe (unheard of back then) during the 1660s when the Jews were just starting to be welcomed back into the United Kingdom.  I found this book interesting and tragic at the same time.  It is a great read for anyone that is fascinated by Jewish history or maybe just historical fiction in general.

Woman of God

I went straight from reading about the persecution and plight of the Jews to the idea of  what would the world look like with a female Pope?  In true James Patterson style, this is a quick read with short concise chapters.  It follows the fascinating life of Brigid Fitzgerald.  You follow her journey from  Doctors without Borders to later becoming the first female Priest in the “reformed” Catholic Church.  Brigid was a strong, courageous woman who I really enjoyed following on her journey.  This is another read that will have you rooting for the protagonist.

The Forgotten Room

This was our book club pick for the month.  While it was a fine story to read, it will not be much of a book to discuss.  Karen White and Beatriz Williams are two of my favorite authors to read.  This book is written by the two of them plus Lauren Willig.  I normally enjoy very character driven books and I really love books that are told from characters from different time periods.  This book was written with three main characters in three different time periods.  However, I spent the first hundred pages of this book trying to keep the characters’ stories straight.  While the story did come together nicely at the end, I would have to say it was not my favorite read. 

Half of What you Hear

The main character in this book, Bess decides to move her family to a small town in Virginia after she looses her job at the White House.  The town happens to be the one that her husband grew up in and she will be living across the street from her in-laws.  If  being an outsider in a small town, living close to your in-laws and having twins trying to acclimate to a new school and new town isn’t hard enough, she takes on a freelance job to write about an eccentric resident and her plan to possibly “ruin” the town.  Bess realizes that uprooting to a small town does not take her out of the spotlight…it fact the small town tends to magnify all of her imperfections.  This book is an honest look at living in a small town.  It also reminds you that you can’t easily run from yourself.  I enjoyed this book and found myself rooting for Bess and her family!

My Lovely Wife

Imagine the mom you interact with at pick up every afternoon or the dad that coaches your eight year old’s soccer team.  These people seem perfectly normal just like you, but what if they are not?  What if the normal couple you interact with everyday is stalking unsuspecting women and killing them.  (I shiver just typing).  This book is creepy for all the right reasons and you will not be able to put it down.  It will shock you how someone so normal can be so crazy.  It will have you looking at your neighbors differently, I promise.

I hope that you enjoyed my quick reviews of my latest reads.  I sincerely hope that you can add at least one of these to your must read list.  Let me know what you are reading and loving (or not loving).  I’m always in search of my next book.