Let's Talk About Hard Things

Let's Talk About Hard Things by Anna Sale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book because of the five podcast episodes Anna Sale recorded with Kelly Corrigan and Anna Quindlen on Kelly Corrigan Wonders. I loved their conversations so much that I felt like I had to read more of each woman's writing. Sale's book literally dives into many of the hardest aspects of life and why those aspects are so important to address. I'm not sure this book would hold every reader's attention, but it held mine.

Happy reading--

ps. 3.5 stars rounded up.

People We Meet on Vacation

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Travel, romance, and drama - perfect beach read. Emily Henry gives you everything you want in a summer book without making you feel dumber for having read the book. Definitely an author I'll keep returning to after thoroughly enjoying both of books and liking both couples that she created.

Happy reading and happy summer--

ps. For some readers, Henry's "open door" love scenes may not be too much.

Make Me Rain

Make Me Rain by Nikki Giovanni
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I fell in love with a few Nikki Giovanni poems as a teacher. This collection wasn't my favorite overall, but there were a few brilliant lines. Giovanni's writing career on the whole is worth noting as part of the American poetry canon.

Happy reading--

The Kitchen Front

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A World War II story told through food - I'm 100% in for that. I love seeing the day-to-day life of women portrayed in fiction, and this book is exactly that. The Kitchen Front is also a version of WWII that I haven't read before, and I loved the idea of a 1940s cooking show on the radio. Based on my modern day obsession with The Great British Baking Show (how many times is too many times rewatching that show?), I would have been so excited for each broadcast of the Kitchen Front.

Happy reading and happy cooking--

The Beautiful Mystery - Round Two

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't love this book the first time through. I was so confused about why we were alone with Gamache and Beauvoir in a monastery. The second time through though, I wasn't thrown off balance by the switch of settings and liked it more. It's still not the best the series, but it's captivating.

Happy reading--

ps. Four Louise Penny books in a month. I prefer rereads when I'm feeling anxious, so these have been perfect. The only thing slowing me down is how long I have to wait for them from the library.

The Flatshare...a year and a half late

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Somehow I skipped reviewing this book, but for how often I recommend it to people looking for a love story, I have to put it on Goodreads. Such a fun story.

Milk and Honey

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Milk and Honey was a little underwhelming for me. After so many years of seeing students and peers read her work, I think I expected something else. There were some beautiful lines, but it was not my favorite overall poetry collection.

If I Never Met You

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Quality premise and an overall smart, engaging romantic comedy-- The ending can be seen from a mile away, but somehow that made it all the better for what type of book I was craving. I really hope this gets made into a movie.

Happy reading and happy falling in love--

ps. Just in case it matters to you: True to many other British writers, Ms. McFarlane likes to pepper her characters' dialogue with a lot of profanity.

pps. Yay for characters in their late 30s. 

A Trick of the Light - Round Two

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not quite as captivating as her other books, but still really good. Peter Morrow really does drive me crazy. Can't get enough of Three Pines. Wish it was real, so we could plan a summer holiday there.

Happy reading--

Well-Read Black Girl

Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves by Glory Edim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't think we can fully quantify what it means to see ourselves in the characters of the books we read. Those characters and those books often become the foundations of who we become. Jo March, Annie Shirley, and Laura Ingalls Wilder profoundly shaped the course of my life. Well-Read Black Girl is a collection of Black women sharing the Black characters and authors who impacted their reading and their lives. I always enjoy books about books and now my to-be-read list is even longer.

Powerful and important collection. Happy reading--

Dear Emmie Blue

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ummm - a little underwhelming. Some good characters and mini twists, but other plot details were so clear early on that I couldn't decide if I was invested or not. I liked the way the main characters met and started their friendship, but I felt like I had to finish more than wanting to finish.

In short - cute but forgettable, so unless you're a high volume reader, I'd pick up something else.

Happy reading-- 

ps. Some random inappropriate and language that pops up in this book, so it may not be for all readers. Also, there is reference to a sexual assault that might be triggering for some readers. 

Bury Your Dead - Round Two

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Two Louise Penny's finished in a week is the sign that I am hooked on this series. I'm even more impressed with the various storylines running in this installment of the Gamache series.

Happy reading--

The Kew Gardens Girls

The Kew Gardens Girls by Posy Lovell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Kew Gardens is a real place in England, and the Kew Gardens girls are real people. Lovell sets out to tell their story through a few fictional women meant to represent those girls and the work they did in the gardens during WWI. The book is just okay - some good moments, but the pacing is clunky and some of the dialogue overwrought.

I appreciated the insight into a historical detail I don't know much about, and I think someone who loves gardening might like this book more than I did.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Happy reading and enjoy all the spring flowers--

The Brutal Telling - Round Two

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You'd think that rereading a murder mystery would be boring, but Penny layers her stories so well that there are new details to pick up on in a reread. I also am surprised that even when I know what is going to happen, I'm still "on the edge of my seat" reading. Definitely worth a read if you haven't tried any of Penny's books!

ps. You could start here in here in the series and be totally fine. Penny gives enough back story that you'd know enough to follow anything that happens.