August Reads

Well.....Back to School time is here which means my reading time has taken a serious hit. Booooooo!! I am not exaggerating when I say I have ten books on the floor by my nightstand ready to go for when this teacher mama has some time. That said, I did read 4 books this month. Here we go!

 1. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson: I read about this book in a magazine and immediately placed myself on the hold list at the library. This is a historical fiction piece about a woman from rural Appalachia who comes from a line of people who have BLUE SKIN. Yes, this is a real genetic condition that affected a group of people in Kentucky. I did plenty of googling about that, let me tell you. This story features that element as a plot point, obviously, but this book is mainly about how the young protagonist becomes a traveling librarian as part of Roosevelt's plan to get more Americans working. This novel really is a celebration of books and how they can transform the lives of those who are yearning for something different than their harsh reality. I liked this book but didn't love it. It's interesting, for sure, but I don't typically gravitate toward historical fiction. I love a book that compels me to do some research while reading (ahem, googling in bed after I finish a chapter), and this one, remarkably, had me more interested in the amazing stories of horseback rural librarians than the blue skin condition. I'm not sure my description here makes anyone want to grab this book right away, but know it was good, but not one I'll be raving about to friends.

 2. Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Without a doubt my favorite book of the month! This novel about a fictional 70's rock band is brilliant in its format. Basically the entire book is one long interview (it looks like a script on the page, with a characters name and then a colon with what they have to say) like a documentary. Here's the thing---it seemed so real, like reading a true account, but none of it is! That super unique premise alone makes me give major props to Reid. Reading this book is honestly like watching a movie. The dramatic yet subtle tension between the main characters is really remarkable and I love how it all wrapped up. A fun bonus at the end is the lyrics to all the songs the book mentions. This book is a delight and I highly recommend it.

 3. How Do You Tuck In A Superhero by Rachel Balducci: This book is a series of vignettes about life with boys. I only have one son, and this author, at the time of publication, was expecting her SIXTH son, but I still found myself relating and laughing. As a teacher some of the antics of the boys sounded very familiar. This is a fast fun read of short stories that would make an awesome gift for the boy mom in your life. This was a really sweet read.

4. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert: I had VERY high hopes for this book because (like almost everyone), I loved Eat Pray Love and had read that this book was the perfect summer read. Don't get me wrong, I liked this book, but I don't think it was worth all of the hype. This is a coming of age story about a young woman named Vivian who leaves her conservative family, drops out of college, and moves to New York City to live at her Aunt's theater in the '40's. She meets all sorts of unique characters, goes wild (this book is rated R for sure), and seeks to discover who she is and her purpose in a turbulent time in the city as the U.S. is on the brink of war. So while this was an entertaining fun read, I didn't find myself super eager to keep reading at night. And to me, there are too many books I can't put down to read much of anything that's just pretty good...if that makes sense. I'm curious what others think about this one. It felt like two books sort of smushed together: the first half was about the dazzling show girl life and the second half fast forwards 60 plus years and features a story line about a soldier's PTSD. Both parts were good but I felt a definite split and that it didn't really fit together.

We are almost at that big blanket, hot latte, sweatpants, candle, and book season and I, for one, cannot wait!
Savor Your Sparkle,
Leslie

And now here are all the books I've read in 2019....with stars by my faves!
1. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
2. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
3. The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank
4. *Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
5. Happy Teachers Change The World by Thich Nhat Hanh and Katherine Weare
6. The Day I Went Missing by Jennifer Miller
7. *Glow Kids by Kardaras Nicholas
8. Final Girls by Riley Sager
9. *Becoming by Michelle Obama
10. As Long As We Both Shall Live by Joann Chaney
11. *The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth
12. If You Only Knew by Jamie Ivey
13. *The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman
14. Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanne Elden
15. *Regrets Only by Erin Duffy
16. *Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell
17. I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella
18. *The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
19. *Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott
20. When Did I Get Like This? by Amy Wilson
21. *Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman
22. Maid by Stephanie Land
23. Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson
24. Sh*tty Mom by Laurie Kilmartin, Karen Moline, Alicia Ybarbo, MaryAnn Zoellner
25. Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson
26. Dietland by Sarai Walker
27. The Mother in Law by Sally Hepworth
28. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
29. *Life Will Be the Death of Me by Chelsea Handler
30. *Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand
31. Those Other Women by Nicola Moriarty
32. *The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
33.  Roar by Cecelia Ahern
34. A Love Letter Life by Jeremy and Audrey Roloff
35. The Summer of Good Intentions by Wendy Frances
36. *Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
37. *Can I Get An Amen? by Sarah Healy
38. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
39. *Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
40. How Do You Tuck In a Superhero? by Rachel Balducci
41. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert