Category: Reading

I promised book reviews for two beach reads weeks ago but am just getting around to it.

As y’all know I’m frugal & typically stick with the library or paperbackswap to receive books. But when I saw the latest Mary Kay Andrews‘ book Summer Rental at Costco, I couldn’t wait. I have adored everything she’s written. Southern, quick light reads but with a little more depth & punch than your average “chick lit”. As you can guess by the title & cover, it’s about friends who put aside their normal everyday lives for a month & take off to Outer Banks. Loved that it’s set in NC & the women are my age so I can definitely relate. I’m even considering hanging on to this one for a re-read {which I rarely do due to lack of space}. Also due to fact that before I’d even open the cover, I spilled a tiny bit of water into it while in my beach bag {thus making it ineligible for PBS}.

If You Were Here is Jen Lancaster‘s new book. This one is harder for me to review because I have triple puffy heart *loved* each & every one of her memoirs. Like laugh-til-I’m-hysterically-crying-&-Moe-&-Husband-are-looking-at-me-funny loved. I wanted so badly to get that with If You Were Here which is her first go at fiction. I heard Jen’s distinctive voice loud & clear, but I kinda missed something. Hard to put my finger on it. While I was fine with it, even enjoyed it, I definitely didn’t love it & for me it fits into that big pile of average “chick lit”. I wanted so badly for this to be more but it just wasn’t for me. But if you’re looking for light-hearted summer reading, it’s fun & Jen’s funny still shines through in parts. I will definitely read what’s next from her though so don’t think I’m off the Jen Lancaster wagon ~ whether or not it’s another stab at fiction.

My book club’s June book was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I finished it Memorial Day weekend at the beach after staying up a couple late nights the week before because I just could not put it down. We’d read a few other novels set in WWII this year. This one is the only work of non-fiction & by far my favorite.

Laura definitely did her research. So much so, that a few of the group didn’t realize it wasn’t fiction until a little way into the book. I say that meaning that it read like a story, not like a boring History textbook. I had not really heard of Louie Zamperini before reading this book. My dad {who’s a bit of a history/war buff} had seen a couple History channel documentaries, but I was reading & learning about his life for the first time.

Louie’s life was can’t-put-down interesting to me from the start. I enjoyed his running stories, how he got into the war, & hearing about life in the Air Force. It was from the plane crash on though that had me hooked. I won’t give much away past that other than say read it. It’s worth the long wait at the library or getting it in hard back if you like to own your book. I’ve already told both my parents to read it soon & my WWII vet grandfather had already been given a copy.

Up next, reviews of the two more fluffy summer reads, If You Were Here & Summer Rental.

This was April’s book club book. I’d posted a couple times while reading that I wasn’t too enthused before & while reading. But the further into Never Let Me Go I got, the more interested I was. I got to the point that I spent most of a Sunday finishing it up. While this is not my normal style of book & I know I’d never have read it if not the book club selection, I’m glad I did. The book did make for great discussion too.

The book was in first person & set in modern day England. The diction was weird which was fitting as the main character {well all the characters} were different. I’ve read two other books since & it’s premise has definitely stuck with me.

I can’t say much without giving things away, so I’ll just say this. If you’re into the possibility of science & humans, read it. If you like books that make you think, read it.

Up next, book thoughts on Two Kisses for Maddy & Wesley the Owl. Next on the TBR pile, The Daughter’s Walk & The Irresistible Henry House.

I finished these two books over a month ago. This post has been pending in “edit posts” since 3/9. So I guess that might clue you in to my thoughts on these. While I enjoyed both, I haven’t felt pulled to rush online to tell y’all!

Shanghai Girls by was our March book club book. It was a little slow for me to get into but once I set down to read it my I’ll-only-read-for-10-minutes-before-bed plea to Jason easily turned into 45 minutes flying by as I got all into their story growing up as Beautiful Girls in China. Once they venture to America {not giving away spoilers, its on the cover}, it slowed down for me as I kept waiting for great things to happen, especially to the main character Pearl. It was still interesting as I don’t know that much about the NW during that time for Chinese Americans. And just as I thought it was getting to a great, exciting, page-turning part, the book ended. Is there a part two on the way? No clue, but Shanghai Girls definitely left me wanting more.

As for Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jones…this book has been in my TBR pile for a while. I’d received it from paperbackswap at some point last year. After seeing some of my favorite bloggers knitting this year, I picked up this book. It was a quick read in a chic lit don’t have to really think a lot kind of way. That is a compliment from me. I read occasionally to make me think or see something differently. But usually I prefer reading as a fun, light escape from the daily routine. This book did just that.
While it did inspire me to take up knitting {well at least to look at the section in Michael’s before getting overwhelmed}, what the book really left me with was the thankful happiness that I have awesome, caring women in my life much like the ladies of the Friday Night Knitting Club. My college sorority sisters, my local Chi O alum ladies, my own book club women & more recently the great friendships that have taken off through blogging & twitter.

I’m currently dragging my way through Never Let Me Go slowly. I’ll do a review of it once I {hopefully} finish and after the book club’s discussion next week.

What I’m excited to read next: Matt Logelin & Ree Drummond’s new books are on their way to me from Amazon!

I finished The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd over the weekend.  I LOVED her first book, The Secret Life of Bees, when we read it in book club a couple of years ago.  So after reading that, I put Mermaid Chair on my paperback swap wish list.  Once I received the book, it sat in my TBR pile for a while. 

I have to say I enjoyed the book while I was reading.  It wasn’t one of those can’t-put-it-down, love-it-forever books, but it was fine.  I loved all the coastal Carolina imagery & thought the author did a great job really making you feel like you were there {or make mewant to be there!}.  I thought the relationships between the women/friends was interesting & good.  I thought the monk character Brother Thomas/Whit was really cool.  But for the life of me right now, I can’t remember the name of the main character.  That I take as not a good sign.

My book club chose The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein as our Feb pick.  I’d never heard of it until it was chosen in December.  I have to say I really enjoyed it.  I started Art on Sunday & finished it Monday night.  I couldn’t put it down & it was a super quick read.

The Art of Racing wasn’t the racing I was expecting, but I loved that surprise!  I learned a lot more about that racing & know a little more now about what Jason’s doing/thinking as he plays & then talks to me about Forza3000.

I loved that it was from the dog, Enzo’s perspective.  I thought Denny was a good character & such as nice guy.  I wish we’d seen more from Eve’s point of view as I really wondered what she was thinking!

I hope Moekitty thinks kinda like Enzo, the super cool pup.  Does Moe have the equivalent to an evil Zebra?!

Up next is March’s book club pick: Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls.