July and August Book Reviews
So, I got a bit behind with my reviews, but I have literally been devouring every book I have encountered over the past 8 weeks, so I am excited to dive in and give you my thoughts!
First up are my Book of the Month books! I love this service, and you can use this link to get your first month for $9.99!
The Beauty In Breaking - Michele Harper
This was a memoir, and one of the first books I chose for my June Book of the Month box. Michelle chronicles her life briefly beginning in childhood, through her journey to becoming an emergency room doctor. She’s beautiful, smart, has overcome challenges, and she’s black. She’s a powerful woman, yet her journey has been not so different from my own, and that of other women I’ve known. Battling sexism in a male dominated industry, as well as fighting stigmatism against women of color she has continued on her journey to be the doctor she always wanted to be, and she’s endured the pain of heartbreak along the way.
I was captivated by Michele’s story very early on, and continued to remain so as she recounted her story through the stories of others that flowed in and out of the emergency room doors. I can’t recommend this one enough.
The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett
On my journey to read more black author’s I came across Brit Bennett and this fictional story of twins who used their skin color to live two completely different lives. The Vignes sisters are from a small town in the south where everyone there is black, but has very light skin, a trait that feels almost required by the town itself. The twins eventually run away in the middle of the night, and set off to change the life they have, to a life they think they want. Eventually, they part ways, but while one sister embraces her identity as a black woman, the other decides to live life as a white woman, completely denying the woman she was raised to be. I really enjoyed reading this, and it helped give me some perspective into a life I have never lived.
This book basically dominated my entire Instagram timeline for weeks before I added it to my BOTM box. Another great memoir from a strong female, but written in small chapters and it lends itself to laughs, tears, a bit of anger, and lots of thinking. Glennon is married to a professional soccer star and former Olympian, Abby Wambach, and her journey from her seemingly normal and happy nuclear family to a life of true joy with Abby was really wonderful to read about. Glennon is an ally, and someone who I wish I could grab a cup of coffee with. I felt like I knew her, but at the same time I felt like I had barely scratched the surface of who this woman is.
I love a good thriller, and this did not disappoint. Rachel Krall has a podcast with some definite “Making a Murderer” vibes, and segues from solving crimes, to giving her followers inside access to a rape trial that has divided a nation. This trial takes her to a small costal town, and while she tries to do something that’s never been done previously, she’s also pulled into a decades old town secret that may or may not have resulted in an actual murder. Trying to determine if the rapist is guilty, while also trying to determine what happened years ago was as entertaining for me as I imagined it was for Rachel. While I did figure it out a bit quicker than Rachel, there were still some puzzle pieces that I didn’t put together until the very end. That’s always a good sign for me!
Another murder mystery thriller, but this one takes place on an island in rainy Scotland, and I’m here for it. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no ability to do a Scottish accent, so most of the characters had British accents in my head; which was fine since most of them were English. But anyways, this is your classic murder novel that takes you from the murder, back in time, to walk you through how we got where we started. There were some unseen twists and turns, and it was not as good as The Night Swim, in my opinion, but the friends that I have told to read it have loved it, so I think it’s definitely worth a go!
I love a good YA novel, and I haven’t read any since Crooked Kingdom back in January, so I’ve definitely felt a hole in my book choices without that genre. I recently discovered Book Outlet, and it has GREAT prices on books, however they only have what they have. It’s not like a book store where you can find just about anything you’re looking for. Ash Princess came up while I was browsing, and I decided to give it a try. Of course, I was hooked, and in less than I week I had found, purchased, and read the whole series. Here’s my take:
Ash Princess Series - Laura Sebastian
YA fantasy is one of my favorite genre’s and this really hit the mark on the things I love. A strong female lead, a cast of great friends, a villain that’s easy to hate, an interesting new world, and just enough love to keep your heart warm.
Queen Theodosia (I sang Hamilton every time I read her name) lives her life as a captive in the palace that was once her home when her mother ruled Astria, but a decade ago she watched the Thyen murder her mother in front of her. Since then she has been a prisoner to the Kaiser and been subjected to physical, mental, and emotional torture to pay for the “wrongdoings” of her people who have been enslaved. Theo sees this as her lot in life with no way to change it, but an encounter that leaves her with blood on her hands begins to light the fire within her that she wasn’t even sure existed anymore. With the help of Astrian rebels she resolves to take back her country and her throne, no matter who she hurts along the way.
It’s a solid YA series. For sure.
This is my random pile from the last couple of months. A few of these were books I had lying around the house I just hadn’t gotten to yet, and a couple were sent to me from the great people at Harper Perennial. Either way, I always love the mishmash I get when I run out of “new” books and begin to scour my own shelves!
Where She Went - Gayle Foreman
This is the sequel to If I stay, which I’m pretty sure was a movie, but honestly can’t remember. It was a super quick easy read, and it you’re in to a little teen love drama it’s worth a read.
Either way, instead of being told from Mia’s point of view like the first book, this one is told from by former boyfriend, Adam. Life hasn’t been great for him since Mia woke up from her accident, but you wouldn’t know that from the outside looking in. He’s a famous rockstar with good looks and a beautiful girlfriend with a house in LA, but he feels empty inside, and no matter how hard he tries he can’t seem to get over the girl he promised to sacrifice everything for, if she would only survive.
Will the life he always wanted ever compare to the life he can no longer have, with a woman he doesn’t even know anymore?
Sunday’s At Tiffanys - James Patterson
I rarely say that I dislike a book, but man I really really didn’t like this book. I mean dare I use the word, “hate”? It’s bad. Just really bad.
A little girl has an imaginary friend, which isn’t odd, but her imaginary friend is a very handsome man in his 30’s which to me is weird. Fast forward and now this little girl is an adult and imaginary friends are real people that have “jobs” as imaginary friends for kids that need them. Anyways, the little girl’s life isn’t all that great, until she sees her former imaginary friend in NYC and they both realize how much they love each other. It’s just creepy because he talks about how much he always loved her, but she was 8 years old when he knew her? It’s just weird, super gross, and poorly written. Honestly, please do not waste your time. Please.
I am not even linking this book because I will never forgive myself if someone spends money on it.
This was another book I was excited to read from another black female author. This book is a memoir written more as a series of essays about various events from Shayla’s life. It’s interesting to see that while as women in America we have similar experiences, but the result of those experiences, and even those experiences themselves, can drastically change based on the color of our skin. Shayla references many experiences in the workplace that many other women have probably dealt with, but on top of the normal sexism I, and probably many other women, have experienced, she deals with added layers by being a black women. She talks about trying to avoid becoming the angry black women white women expect her to be, while also trying to just do her job, usually as the only person or woman of color in the entire office.
I think it’s important to view experiences through the eyes of others so I can learn what life looks like outside of my “bubble” and I think this was a great book to help me with that goal.
Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie
I’m a big Agatha Christie fan, and for some reason I don’t think I had ever read one of her most famous works! Hercule Poirot is one of my favorite characters in her novels, and this is one of his more famous cases, that was turned into a movie not that long ago. To keep it short and sweet, there is a mix of strangers on a train, and in the middle of the night one of those strangers is murdered, and without a doubt the murderer is still on the train. The question isn’t just who, but also why. Using his signature logic he’s able to solve the crime, but will justice be served, or was it already?
The Confessions of Frannie Langton - Sara Collins
This is a historical fiction novel that follows Frannie Langton, a Jamaican slave, who is owned by a doctor hell bent on finding scientific evidence to prove genetic differences in the black and white races. Eventually, he is forced to return to London, and with Frannie in tow, he visits the home of his former partner to whom he offers Frannie as a gift. Frannie’s life is more than what many can imagine, but beyond that, she is eventually charged with the murder of her new “master” and his wife. From the pages of her journal while she awaits her day in court, she recounts her life, the events that led her here, and how sometimes, no matter how hard you work to overcome challenges, the color of your skin will never actually allow you to overcome them.
I was captivated within the first few pages of this book, and I am so glad Harper Perennial sent this to me. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and with just enough mystery this is everything I wanted it to be, and more.
If you decide to read any of these please let me know in the comments below!
Love,
Lilly
