One Way or Another

One Way or Another by Kara McDowell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Like I've said, "Sliding Doors" or dual reality stories are having their moment in fiction right now. This is the holiday YA version. It's fun and entertaining, albeit overly simplified sometimes. That said, I read it 24 hours, so clearly I was enjoying it.

Happy reading--

Atomic Habits...Round Three

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

October 2020
As I'm trying to navigate a new phase of life, I revisited Clear's book to try and get inspired for how to better structure my days and prioritize what's more important. The idea of 1% changes and not just thinking about doing things are what stood out this time. Jury is still out as to whether any sort of routine will ever be established with two tiny boys.

Happy reading and happy habit building--

A Man Called Ove...Round Two

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

November 2020
I reread this because a) people said they loved the audio version (I read the print ebook before) and b) Seth and I just watched the Swedish version of the movie. Rereading it made me fall in love with Sonja all over again. Such a good book--

Happy reading--

The Pull of the Stars

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A hospital - specifically a maternity ward - in the middle of the pandemic. This book couldn't be more timely or more horrifying in its scope. As a person who was in a maternity ward during a pandemic, I was pretty nervous, but it's nothing compared to the situation women faced in Dublin, Ireland in 1918. I can't say I loved reading this book. You know from the outset that it's going to be a sad book. I just didn't realize how sad. That said, it's well written and so interesting. Donoghue, perhaps best known for Room, does not shy away from the grim realities faced by women during that time or by children in the Irish orphanages. I'm glad I read it, but I will not return to it.

Happy reading and for the love, wear your mask and stay home so this current pandemic will end someday soon.

ps. I did appreciate the imagery of Julia Power's markings on her watch. Very well done.

The Book of Longings

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an ambitious and brave thing to decide to write a book from the perspective of the wife of Jesus. I heard Sue Monk Kidd interviewed on Brene Brown's podcast and had to read this book after hearing her talk through how this was the book she was born to write.

It's such an interesting and insightful book about what life might have been like for women in that time period. I can't say it was fun to read because you know that ultimately the main character's husband is going to be killed, but it was a compelling story from beginning to end. I appreciated the exploration of female voice and the value of those voices. As someone who personally believes that Jesus was married, though that detail is not recorded, I liked Kidd's imagining of who that woman might have been.

Reading this book was not a spiritual experience for me. It was a novel through and through, and I don't think you need to be religious to appreciate Kidd's attempt to fictionalize one of the world's most powerful narratives.

Happy reading--

The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't know this book was going to be so popular when I added it to my library queue. I simply liked the title, that people compared it to "Sliding Doors", and that Carey Mulligan was narrating. The actual book is much more than that. Haig takes on mental health and suicide along with the ever-captivating idea of dual realities. Just like female spies have been a large part of recent fiction, multiple realities or universes have been playing through so many titles this past year. The Midnight Library is darker than other books that deal with the same topic - even The Two Lives of Lydia Bird which carries a heavy note of grief - but it's well written and held my interest the whole time. I couldn't help but think of the Ready Player One library while envisioning Nora's library. Full disclosure that either Haig's tone and/or Mulligan's reading style makes the experience a bit understated, but that felt so classically British that I was happy to go along for the ride. Now I just need to go watch Sliding Doors to fully complete the experience--

Happy reading--

Life From Scratch

Life From Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I'm stressed, I do better listening to non-fiction because people's telling of real life events is easier to follow. So I picked a book about food that honestly wasn't enough about food. There was too much drama, not enough cooking. Martin writes well and tells an interesting story, but I wanted more focus on her cooking a meal from every country in the world, and we didn't even get to that until the last third of the book.

In a world where we don't have infinite time, I'd say that while this book is decent, there are better choices when it comes to food writing. Ruth Reichl and Tamar Adler are the ones that come to mind first.

Happy reading and happy eating--

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The Glass Hotel

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't think I've ever read writing like Emily St. John Mandel's. There's nothing like it. To reduce this book to its major plotlines wouldn't begin to describe it because Mandel operates differently. She manages to intersect characters in a way that it is not immediately apparent and plays with time and reality, so that even if you've guessed the twists, you're still caught off guard. Her books are some of my favorite finds this year.

One quick disclaimer - this book is heavy, and in a year that already feels like it has a decade's worth of tragedy, this may not be for everyone. Also, it's probably more of a 4.5, but like a dewy-eyed groupie, I would follow Mandel anywhere....which is to say that I will work my way through her entire backlist after reading Station Eleven and this book.

Happy reading--

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All The Devils Are Here

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Louise Penny mystery set in Paris-- what more could I want? I was so excited for this book to come out that I actually didn't start it right away once I got it. I couldn't bear the thought that it was going to be over before I'd even started it. And amazingly - it lived up to the anticipation. I loved hanging out with the Gamaches in Paris, even if they were trying to work out a murder case. Uniquely, I think I will reread this one soon because there were so many clever details that came together in the end.

Happy reading and happy dreaming of Paris--

ps. Great title and great cover!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince...Again

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really am appreciating the political angles of these books this time through as we are in the midst of chaos in 2020. Certainly feels like we too have dementors and imperioused politicians among us. This is still a perfect October read. Happy fall and happy reading--

Bibliophile

Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany by Jane Mount
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Seth and I started going to the Napa Valley regularly starting in 2013. In between eating delicious food and strolling the towns and vineyards, we sometimes visited galleries. That is where I discovered Jane Mount. I visited the same gallery in Yountville over and over again dreaming of being able to afford one of her book stack canvases for my kitchen or a future child's playroom. Then Bibliophile was gifted to me last year. As you may have guessed from the title, this book is for people who love books and random lists about books, their writer's, etc. Mount's artwork and research is fantastic and my to-be-read list is even longer because of reading it. I also have new bookstores and bookish locations to visit once this pandemic madness has settled. So while I still don't own any Jane Mount's actual art, I am thrilled to have this book to peruse over and over again. 

Happy reading--

ps. This would make a great Christmas gift for any book lovers. :)

The Hunting Party

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Hunting Party is a modern day Agatha Christie. Many of the characters are unlikeable, but like a car crash, you can't look away and you're just dying to know who did it. The title is clever and the characterization so vibrant, that each person seemed to jump off the page trying to plead their innocence. Foley also did a great job of not sharing who, in fact, had died until far into the book. Trying to guess the killer and the killed is a captivating twist.

Are these types of books for everyone? No. I wouldn't even say that they're for me, except that apparently I love these types of books lately. Macabre taste for a rough year, I guess?

Happy reading and happy fall--

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