Another month gone in 2024! This was a slow month of reading for me - largely due to the addition of Gus and my fun dip into anxiety.
Squirm by Carl Hiaasen - The latest young reader book by Carl Hiaasen that Drew and I read together. These {in my opinion} have largely been very silly and ridiculous, and while this one was too, I enjoyed it the most of these. Drew really enjoys them, so they are definitely hitting their target audience correctly!
The Women by Kristin Hannah - If you have read any of Kristin Hannah's books, you know you are in for a heavy read. But Kristin's writing style is super special and usually makes me happy to have read the book. Except The Four Winds - that was a beating from beginning to end. With that said, I was hesitant going into The Women as the subject matter was the story of a combat nurse in Vietnam - not known for being a happy time or place. Well, the book was certainly heavy and hard with lots of sadness. BUT it was also excellent! The book spends about half following the main character, Frankie, in Vietnam and then half following her experience with PTSD after returning to the US. Absolutely loved this book, but it has trigger warnings for days, so please be careful with this one. I finished it BEFORE the anxiety spiral, very glad about that!
The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton - This was just about the perfect rom-com. Absolutely adored it. Amerie is a struggling event planner who literally bumps into an astronaut in a coffee shop and a fake dating trope is born. I found this delightful and am excited for more by this author!
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - Paige and I finished book 3 and she is OBSESSED. I am LOVING sharing the world of Harry Potter with her!!
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang - Another tropey romance novel? Let's do it! Although this spends a lot of time discussing grief, so I wanted to share that as it could be tough for some. Helen and Grant went to high school together but didn't interact much, and then Helen's sister commits suicide by jumping in front of Grant's car. Years later, Grant is a screenwriter turning Helen's hit YA book series into a TV show. Helen hates Grant...or does she? I really enjoyed how real this felt and loved the evolution of these characters! Highly recommend...just be aware that grief is a big part of the story.
The Girl in the Photograph by Byron L. Dorgan - I bought this book in a local bookstore on our trip in 2022 to Hilton Head {I told y'all I'm terrible about reading physical books!}. Small hiccup that the book I thought I was getting {about a missing girl} wasn't quite right - the 'missing' girl was more that the author {as a US Senator} read a terrible story about the abuse of a First American girl in foster care in his district and years later met with her again. So she wasn't truly missing, but her story highlighted a lot of the problems First Americans face after hundreds of years of systemic racism and mistreatment by the American government. I enjoyed the way the author organized the book - each chapter was focused on a problem indigenous Americans face, how the problem arose, etc. It was very upsetting at times to read story after story of mistreatment, but I loved how the author spent several chapters focusing on leaders and future leaders {young people doing amazing things} and different wants the tide was starting to turn. This is an important book that I think everyone should read!
My average for the month was 4.1 - pretty solid month if a little on the slower side.
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