Tag: books

I’m sharing a few more recently read books from 2021!
As I continue to catch up, here are my September reads.
Have you read any of these? I’d love to hear what you thought!

The Restoration of Celia Fairchild (Marie Bostwick)
Celia goes through tremendous life changes, from the makeup of her family, to her career, a big move, and more. As she restores the home that has been left to her by her estranged aunt, she also changes and discovers who she is and what she wants from her life. There’s heartache and hope, community and introspection. Overall, a really wonderful read!

Tiny Imperfections (Alli Frank & Asha Youmans)
Josie is the admissions director of a private school in San Francisco, which also happens to be the same school her 17-year-old daughter, Etta, attends. Josie wants to keep her daughter from making the same mistakes she did, while Etta, together with a mentor, her aunt, and a cast of colourful characters all try to get Josie out of her comfort zone and to not let her past dictate Etta’s future. I loved how the storyline addresses different generations so seamlessly and how strong each of the women are in their respective ways!

This Time Next Year (Sophie Cousens)
Minnie and Quinn were born on the same day – January 1st! From literally the moment they were each born, their lives have intersected and often, unknowingly, affected one another. Minnie blames Quinn for the life she sees as one giant mess, while Quinn doesn’t necessarily have it so easy, regardless of how his life looks on the outside. A great read as we head into a new year, and an important reflection of what we do with the cards we are dealt as well as taking responsibility for ourselves.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars (Kristin Harmel)
This was a *very* different historical read than I’m used to! I was absolutely enthralled by the story line and couldn’t put it down. There’s a mystical element and a look into the Holocaust and Second World War that was startling. The writing was so powerful, you could almost feel the cold in the forest and the fear that was inherent in every movement. After being kidnapped as a young child, Yona finds herself on her own over a decade later, after having had no interactions with other people and having lived in the forest since her abduction. She feels a deep connection to Judaism and when she comes across a group fleeing into the forest, she goes against everything she knows and approaches them. The community they establish, the heartache, fear, and lengths they go to, as well as a shocking twist, made this an excellent must-read!

Akin (Emma Donoghue)
Noah is a widow and retired professor who lives on his own. Social services contacts him when a great-nephew needs a home, and despite his reservations, he decides to help out. When it looks like there are no other options, Noah decides to take his great-nephew on a trip of a lifetime that he had been anticipating for so long and ultimately wasn’t prepared to cancel. Returning to Nice for the first time since fleeing as a child during the Second World War, the discoveries and adventures they both find themselves a part of is both moving and powerful.

The Dictionary of Lost Words (Pip Williams)
This was such an interesting read! It starts in 1901 with the daughter of one of the men working on assembling the first dictionary, stealing a word! Reading of Esme’s journey through childhood, youth, and adulthood through the lens of the creation of the dictionary was fascinating! As she continued to take and find words for herself that had been discarded or forgotten, she began to create her very own dictionary alongside that of the Oxford English version her father so diligently worked on. I actually got out our dictionary a few times to look up different words and see if the definitions had changed at all as I read along! This was really fantastic and one of my favourites this month!

As I continue to catch up on sharing my 2021 reads, here are a few more of my recently read books from late-summer!

Have you read any of these? I’d love to hear what you thought!

The Key To Happily Ever After (Tif Marcelo)
This was a cute read that follows the de la Rosa sisters, Mari, Jane, and Pearl. They each have unique, strong personalities that come together to create a really charming and relatable story line. After their mother steps back from the family wedding planning business, the sisters assume greater responsibility and roles as they step up to maintain their family legacy. This doesn’t come easily and is accompanied by old feelings being brought to the surface and animosity between the siblings. The business itself almost seems like an additional family member and is the vehicle that has the potential to bring them all together despite often pushing them apart. It also brings new people into their lives, who effect changes that have been a long time coming!

The Chicken Sisters (K.J. Dell’Antonia)
I really enjoyed this book! It revolves around two competing chicken restaurants in Kansas. Chicken Frannie’s is run by Amanda and her mother-in-law, while nearby, Chicken Mimi’s belongs to Amanda’s mother. Amanda enters the restaurants in Food Wars, a television reality show, and surprisingly they’re selected to compete. The competition is fraught with family secrets, misunderstandings, a meddling producer, a heated rivalry, and plenty of unexpressed and unprocessed emotions that almost ruin both businesses. When an important bit of family history comes to light, it changes everything! I didn’t want to put it down and loved how the characters grew and changed over the course of the story. This is a great comedic and sentimental family rivalry to get lost in all while feeling like you’re getting a sneak peek behind the scenes of a Food Network show!

People We Meet On Vacation (Emily Henry)
Poppy and Alex were the very best of friends, until two years ago when their relationship fell apart. Time continued to pass without either working to make amends and clear the air, and as miscommunications and misunderstandings grew, so too did the distance between them. Before everything fell apart, one of the things they’d most look forward to was their annual vacation together. Poppy decides to reach out and try to convince Alex to go away again. He agrees and together they endure mishap after mishap, pushing them to face both the reality that is the disaster of their trip and their attitude towards one another. The book goes back and forth between trips they’d taken in the past and the one they are currently on, and it’s so interesting to see who they were at one point and the dynamic of the friendship compared to the present timeline.

How To Be Fine (Jolenta Greenberg & Kristen Meinz)
I hadn’t heard of the How to Be Fine podcast prior to reading this book. If you have, you may already be familiar with the author’s voices, so to speak, and their style. Having come to it without previous knowledge of them, it was fun to really get a feel for their different opinions and perspectives through their reviews and respective approaches to each self-help concept. Overall, I really loved this premise! There are so, so many self-help books out there that navigating the variety available is overwhelming to say the least. To be able to read their perspective and opinion on 50 different texts was enlightening and oftentimes hilarious. They are unfailingly honest in their reviews and their vulnerability in sharing personal stories, in relation to different books or schools of thought, was refreshing. After living by each self-help book for a period of time to determine how helpful the guidance provided really is, this book is divided into what worked for them and what didn’t. I think it’s important to keep in mind that this is their opinion and to take it all with a grain of salt. If something works for you and didn’t for them, it doesn’t mean anything negative about you (or vice versa!). They are very clear in this as well and often address differing opinions, through letters written to them, throughout the book. I found that their respectful approach to differing opinions as well as their leaving room for differences, for the most part, made it even more helpful. If you’re overwhelmed by the selection of self-help books available or want a little more detail before diving into one, this is a great read! 

The Secret Path (Karen Swan)
Last summer, I read my first Karen Swan novel and then proceeded to read five more! I was so excited for this release and it did not disappoint! Tara has worked hard to make a name for herself, independent of her affluent family, and she’s done just that by entering the medical field and doing what she can to help others. Just before she’s set to go to Costa Rica for a dedication ceremony for an endeavor her father has had in the making for years, she loses a patient. This shadows everything from the moment she leaves. When she comes across a desperately ill child on the island, she sets out to do absolutely whatever she can to help him, regardless of how dangerous the trek. There is danger and suspense, romance, and the return of a past relationship that scarred her deeply. It’s a great read filled with adventure, as Tara comes to terms with the past, present, and future!

The Four Winds (Kristin Hannah)
This was one of the hardest, saddest books I’ve ever read. It is a very heavy and long read. At one point, I stopped and just could not get over how these characters just could NOT catch a break! Admittedly, I knew very little about the Dust Bowl era, the drought and full effect of the Great Depression on the south. Kristin’s writing is startling in the sense that you can almost taste the dust as you read of the many storms the characters face. The grief on each page is almost tangible. After a traumatic childhood, Elsa does whatever she can to manage her way through the storms and help her in-laws maintain their home. She ultimately takes her children and makes the trek to California in hopes of a better life, and at the very least, cleaner air. Her daughter, Loreda, grows up much faster than she should have had to, and reading of her childhood essentially going up in dust, adds another traumatic element to the story line. As with her other novels, Kristin’s ability to shape a hero out of such dark times is remarkable. The same can be said for this story and Elsa’s strength and perseverance, and subsequently Loreda’s as well.

It’s been at least a few months since I’ve shared any of my “Recently Read” wrap-ups with you! I’m hoping to catch up before the end of the year and will share a bunch of these over the next few weeks! 📚

Here are a few favourites from late-summer!

Have you read any of these? What did you think? 

Meet Me In Paradise (Libby Hubscher)
This was beautifully written! It balanced a romantic story line as well as the moving tale of two sisters. It’s one of the very few books this year that had me in absolute tears. I don’t remember the last time I didn’t want to finish a book just to avoid what seemed like an inevitable ending. Marian and Sadie are about as opposite as sisters can get, and the way they push each other to change and grow, while still remaining close, was so special. Lucas was written perfectly, there to fill in everything that was needed but adding just enough on his own to play a critical role in the lives of both women, while he himself grew as well. I don’t want to say too much to give any of it away, but I will say it’s a must-read – just make sure to have a ton of tissues nearby!

Finlay Donovan is Killing It (Elle Cosimano)
This was so well written and had me hooked from the first page! Finlay and Veronica are hysterical and the many escapades in which they find themselves in, from crimes to crime-solving, are ridiculous but also come together seamlessly to create a fantastic story! It’s absurd but it’ll also have you turning the pages as quickly as possible, trying to figure it all out alongside them (while laughing non-stop!). Finlay is a stressed out single mom and author who is in desperate need of more income after her husband left her. As she’s speaking to her agent at a restaurant, someone overhears her and believes that she is an assassin- when in reality she had just been describing the plot of the book she was working on. It doesn’t matter how many times she explains this, the woman won’t take no for an answer and before she knows it, Finlay is at the center of a crime, her nanny Veronica assumes the role of her accomplice and it seems that everything they do, no matter how good their intentions are, just leads them further into trouble. One of my favourite reads this year and I’m SO thrilled there’s another coming out next year!

The Chanel Sisters (Judithe Little)
This was a fascinating read! I didn’t realize how little is actually known (& confirmed to be accurate) regarding the Chanel family. The story line is firmly grounded in a mixture of facts with plenty of fiction interspersed to fill in gaps. I was surprised at “Coco’s” story line, having had completely different assumptions as to who she was and what her journey to being a fashion icon entailed. If anything, as I was reading it, I was sure that Antoinette was “Coco” as she seem to play such a critical role. I appreciated that Judithe wrote this story with such a focus on her, rather than Gabrielle, who would indeed go on to be known as Coco. The descriptions of their incredibly humble beginnings, family dynamics, and the obstacles they had to face and overcome to get to where they eventually landed, both plentiful and dramatic, were relayed powerfully and in a way that encouraged me to look into the sisters’ story after I had read the last page!  

Family Law (Gin Phillips)
Lucia’s story as an ambitious lawyer, living in Alabama in the 80s, is one filled with suspense, frustration, and harassment. She is practicing in a time where women were a minority in the profession and the way she is treated as a result of this fact is awful. I constantly felt like something was about to go horribly wrong and many scenes were set up to create an undeniable sense of suspense. I was constantly both fearful of what was about to happen and desperately curious to ensure Lucia made it out well. Pairing her character with Rachel, the daughter of a potential client, highlighted just how unique Lucia was in this era, especially given the glaring ways in which Rachel’s mother and Lucia are so very different. This added a great dimension to the whole story line. Rachel’s seeming awe of Lucia and the way she navigates her own circumstances come together to round out a powerful story. I did feel like the ending was abrupt after such a dramatic series of events, and would have liked to know more about how the characters went forward. 

The Apple Orchard (Susan Wiggs)
The art history major in me was immediately drawn to this book upon reading the jacket! Tessa works in the art world, reconnecting patrons with their lost and stolen artwork. While she works to resolve the history between timeless artifacts and their rightful owners, her own history itself is a question mark. When she finds out the grandfather she had no knowledge of is in a coma, her entire life (and family) quickly begins to change and expand. The bearer of this news, Dominic, continues to play an important role in her story, as he’s the push, and oftentimes support, she needs as she begins to re-evaluate everything. There were a lot of twists and turns, mysteries, pieces of priceless art, family secrets, and even a romantic story line as well. Such a great read!

Happiness For Beginners (Katherine Center) 
After reading Things You Save in a Fire earlier this year, I requested more of Katherine’s titles right away! In this book, Helen, 32 and recently divorced, signs up for a wilderness survival retreat/course that ends up being significantly more difficult than she anticipated. I had assumed  and gone into this book thinking it was going to be the story of how one woman went on this trek and found out who she truly was while embracing and flourishing in her newfound independence. I was surprised to find that the story line was mainly focused on the relationship between Helen and another participant who she happened to already know. The atmosphere was very high school-like among all of the members in her group, with nicknames, bickering, relationships, and cliques forming. I did like how different each of the characters were and how they complemented each other. The camaraderie between them and the way they naturally brought out one another’s strengths and weaknesses as they made their way through the sometimes dangerous terrain, was fantastic! By the end, I couldn’t imagine them parting ways, back to their own lives! 

Here are my most recently read books from July 2021!

Have you read any of these? I’d love to hear what you thought!

Early Morning Riser (Katherine Heiny)
I will be honest and admit that I had a hard time getting through this one. I was so looking forward to it, but I just felt like there wasn’t much substance to it overall. Jane falls in love with Duncan who seems to have had the same effect on pretty much every woman in the city (and neighboring cities as well). When a tragedy occurs in the town, their lives become further intertwined and together they assume the responsibility for their friend and neighbor Jimmy, whose diagnosis is never fully revealed. The novel spans years of their lives and ultimately their relationship does seem to become more natural and less a result of circumstance. Love, marriage, parenthood, community and allowing our past to shape our future, are all explored and delved into.

The Paris Library (Janet Skeslein Charles)
This was a great read! I loved how the main character, Odile, doesn’t let anyone stand in the way of her ambitions and goes out and lands her dream job. Although this novel takes place during the war, I felt like it was very lightly touched upon, with heavier moments scattered about. It’s a great historical fiction read for someone who is looking for something a little less intense and graphic. Odile and her fellow Librarians join the resistance in a way that seems simple, but whose dedication to patrons, regardless of religion or background, is powerful all the same. The story also centers around Odile’s life in Montana almost 4 decades after the end of the war. The relationship she develops with her neighbour, Lily, is fraught with miscommunications which lead to misunderstandings, with a good measure of the typical teenage angst thrown in as well, and helps to uncover and clarify events from the past, in a seamless and moving way.

Second First Impressions (Sally Thorne)
This was a very light, easy read! Ruthie is one of the most innocent and almost childlike protagonists I’ve come across in a long time. She works as admin in a retirement complex and takes her role very seriously. She is shadowed by her past and the ways in which she disappointed her parents, and now seeks to be as perfect and pulled together as possible. She can’t see that she’s actually the one that was wronged. Her guilt, and the way in which it impacts her to the present day is, at times, hard to read. The cast of characters is strong, with Teddy Prescott (son of the property owner), Melanie, an eccentric office temp who seeks to set up Ruthie in a relationship using a method she’s devised and trying to trademark, and the Parloni sisters, who bring it all together with their antics and love (beneath layers of sarcasm and meddling!). All in all, it’s a charming read!

That Summer (Jennifer Weiner)
This was a much heavier storyline than I was expecting. I read Big Summer last year and felt the same way, as the impression I got was initially an easy summer read and ultimately ended up requiring a lot more concentration and emotional investment in both the plot and characters. Jennifer’s writing is straightforward and she doesn’t sugarcoat difficult topics, which at times makes it difficult to read. The story centers around two women who live within very different circumstances, but have a lingering dark past tying them together. Daisy is married, a mother to a teenage daughter, and has a thriving cooking business. There is an undercurrent of discontent within her life and the guilt for feeling such, when she realizes she is blessed with so much. On the other hand, Diana had such a promising future ahead of her until one traumatic evening that sets the rest of her life off course. The way she addresses her trauma, as well as the way in which she continues on with her life, is remarkable. There are a couple of graphic scenes that may leave readers uncomfortable, to put it mildly, but I believe they’re necessary to establish the power of Diana’s story – of both being broken and trying to recover. The way these women come together and the repercussions of having done so make for a powerful read!

The Home Edit (Clea Shearer & Joanna Teplin)
A few months ago, I read The Home Edit Life (you can find my review here) and loved it! I’ve been following THE on Instagram for a while now, but I’ll admit that it wasn’t until their Netflix series that I really became a full-fledged fan! After a couple of episodes, I had reorganized a few drawers, and then moved on to our pantry, and haven’t stopped since! Their personalities and humour shine through each page and you can almost hear their voices while reading little anecdotes or hilarious observations! The encouragement they provide is always done so in a way that is not stressful, with humour and sincerity overpowering any pressure! The photos throughout the book were stunning and, while not something that I completely expected to replicate in our own home, they were a great starting place. The foundational concepts are able to be translated into any space! I personally found this one a lot more approachable, informative, and attainable than the second book and really enjoyed reading it!

The Diplomat’s Wife (Pam Jenoff)
This was definitely my favourite read of the month! I was not expecting the twists and turns throughout the plot, and not only were they done so seamlessly and well, the unanticipated nature of each one made them all the more powerful! The story revolves around Marta Nederman who has barely survived the war and is in a sort of rehabilitation hospital setting after being rescued by an American soldier, Paul. She comes across Paul again when recovering and the relationship they form carries throughout the rest of the story. Marta’s strength through everything she endures – from the very war itself as a member of the Polish resistance, to marriage, motherhood, trauma, love and loss, is told beautifully and paints the picture of a strong, heroic woman. There is so much I want to say about this book, but I don’t want to give anything away, even in the littlest bit, so I’ll just end this by saying this is a must read!

Here are my most recently read books from June 2021!

Have you read any of these? I’d love to hear what you thought!

The Trouble With Hating You (Sajni Patel)
I really enjoyed this! When I went to log it into my Goodreads challenge, I came across a few reviews that felt the representation of the characters’ culture wasn’t completely accurate, which is important to keep in mind. Otherwise, I liked the story line and the strength with which Liya’s character was written, despite all she has endured (and continues to) within her community. Even though she’s a successful biochemical engineer, being a woman, and thereby having pressure placed on her to consider marriage and children, was a topic that was explored really well. At first, I was a little thrown off by how long her hostility towards Jay endured, as well as the intensity of it, but it definitely added to the plot and made the ending all the better!

Other People’s Houses (Abbi Waxman)
After reading The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, I immediately requested all of Abbi Waxman’s books from the library and this was the fourth and last one I had yet to read! Other People’s Houses was very different from the other story lines, with stronger and more risque(?) language (in case that’s something you consider when choosing a book). The plot revolves around a small neighborhood and all of the different personalities and families that reside within it. Each has their own unique structure and challenges. It’s interesting to see the way that the characters interact with one another in public, as opposed to their personalities behind their own closed doors. When their own private reflections and thoughts are shared, yet another element is added to create a comprehensive picture of who they each are, complete with fears, secrets, and hopes. There was a lot to unpack here, from an affair that ends up affecting more than just the one couple, to raising children (from preschoolers to teenagers), and the everyday nuances of married life.

Life’s Too Short (Abby Jimenez)
This was my favourite book this month! I’ve really enjoyed Abby’s other novels, but this one really stands out. I loved everything from the development of the characters to the roller coaster of emotions throughout the book! One page would have me laughing, while I’d find myself concerned on the next, and then tearful, and so on. The honesty and vulnerability with which it all comes together is remarkable. Vanessa’s life is seemingly dictated by the fear of dying young, as many of the women in her family have, from an incurable illness. She lives her life knowing that tomorrow is not promised, until she steps in to become the caregiver for a baby girl, and everything changes. Adrian, her neighbor, offers to help one especially difficult night and the relationship that develops between them changes who they are from the first page to the very last. I liked how subjects were approached honestly and how Vanessa held her ground, not wavering on her principles, and making the sacrifices and decisions necessary to stay true to herself. There are heavy topics discussed throughout the course of the story, but it all flows so seamlessly that you don’t want to put the book down!

I’m Fine and Neither Are You (Camille Pagan)
This was an intense read, and at times very difficult. The main character, Penelope, is the main earner in her home as well as trying to be everything to everyone at all times, from her husband, to her kids, her father, her brother, and friends. After a devastating tragedy that carries throughout the story, she and her husband openly discuss things they’d like the other to work on. While her husband was initially painted as sort of hopeless, his success working on himself outdoes Penelope’s efforts and makes her even more frustrated. The reflection on friendships, marriage, and personal growth and achievement are seamlessly explored and developed in an honest and candid way.

The Jetsetters (Amanda Eyre Ward)
I’ll be honest – I didn’t especially enjoy this book. It was on so many summer read lists that I picked it up and managed to get to the end of it, but all the while it seemed disjointed and like I had missed something. I didn’t feel like there was ultimately a resolution as the story line came to it’s conclusion and while certain characters and situations pulled in my attention, I didn’t feel invested in what was happening. Everything revolves around a dysfunctional family, where each member brings their own baggage, so to speak. After a friend’s death, the mother, Charlotte, dreams of winning a cruise vacation and taking her (grown) children along. Lee, Cord and Regan all have their own issues, from a troublesome marriage, to a broken relationship, and loss of work and secrets that are hidden from family. Charlotte herself seems intent on finding a man on the cruise rather than focusing on the children she so wished would accompany her. Each of her kids are suffering in their own ways, all fairly serious, and yet they each do so alone and she seems to privately reflect on their circumstances but not really help in any way.

How To Stop Time (Matt Haig)
This was such a fascinating read! The story revolves around Tom Hazard and rotates between his past, which spans centuries, and the present day! He belongs to a secret group called the Albatross Society, whose motives I found questionable from the start. I was pulled in immediately and loved the characters included from different time periods and the relationships Tom develops with them. He has known so many people, but there’s an unmistakable sense of loneliness when he arrives in London and begins yet again. There’s something for everyone, from adventure and betrayal, to romance and tragedy. It’s fantastic!

The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah)
Usually at the end of each month, I’ve read at least a few historical fiction novels. Over the last little while, I’ve really struggled to turn to my favourite genre, what with the rise in antisemitism. After seeing @mayahoodblog’s recap of this particular book, I finally picked it up out of my TBR pile and my only regret was not having done so sooner! From the very first sentence, the writing is absolutely powerful and breathtaking. The emotion and sincerity with which each scene is described was incredible and it’s the first book in a very, very long time that brought me to tears. I loved how there were multiple story lines that seamlessly wove together and how, in the end, there was a sense of resolution and peace amidst the heartbreak. There were countless lines that I stopped and read again and again because the sentiment captured, the strength and wisdom conveyed, was extraordinary. The story itself revolves around Vianne and Isabelle, two sisters with a difficult past and relationship. As WW2 and the Holocaust begin, the roles they assume, the direction their paths take, and the burden they each carry, intersects and diverges again and again, with neither fully understanding what the other is capable of, at the time. This is definitely a must read!