{Books} June 2018

The Queen of Hearts
by Kimmery Martin
The Queen of Hearts is like ER or Grey's Anatomy in a book.  It's about two doctors, best friends, and the secret that lingers between them.  It's a great read, one I very much enjoyed reading, especially because they also had families and I always enjoy reading about home life. 

The Woman in Cabin 10
Ruth Ware
I listened to The Woman in Cabin 10 on audio. It was so good, I could not stop listening.  It was a heart pounding book that kept me on the edge of my seat, dying to know what was going to happen next.

Seizures & Epilepsy in Childhood: A Guide for Parents
Seizures & Epilepsy is a book that I have been working my way through for a long time.  It's a heavy read, with lots of medical jargon, but one that is super helpful for parents of kids with epilepsy.  It helped me understand what's going on with Logan so much more than before. Currently we are trying to figure out if his seizures are absent seizures or complex partial seizures, which both look the same if you're not paying really close attention.  Knowing which type it is will better inform the doctor in the event that his current medication doesn't stop his seizures fully.   

Mrs. Fletcher
by Tom Perrotta
Mrs. Fletcher was an audio book I listened to, and it was quite risque. About a mother whose only son went off to college, she found herself quite lonely and up for anything when it came to company and relationships.  While it was entertaining, it was not necessarily a book I would normally have read. 

Siblings Without Rivalry
Siblings Without Rivalry was an easy read, with totally doable advice, which I will be doing a blog post about this month.  I was feeling at my wit's end toward the end of the school year and finally pulled this book off my bookshelf.  As the mom of three boys close in age, my main takeaway was "Don't compare in any way."  It has helped me to stop comparing the boys and let them each be their own, individual self which will help strengthen their relationship because it will decrease the amount of competition they feel amongst themselves.  Highly recommend it.

I'll Be Your Blue Sky
by Marisa de los Santos
I have loved many of de los Santos' books.  My favorite is Belong To Me.  I'll Be Your Blue Sky was good (a girl is having cold feet before her wedding and meets an old woman who gives her advice, and later her beach house!), but the writing was "meh".  It just didn't jump out and grab and me, and I didn't find myself wanting to stay up late and keep reading, which (to me) is the sign of a really good book. 

The Sweetness At The Bottom of The Pie
by Alan Bradley
I listened to this on audio, choosing it based solely on the name, having no idea what it was about, and found myself in love with the main character, a young girl named Flavia who ends up solving a crime.  I can't believe how much I enjoyed this story and how I can't wait to read the next book in the series.  If you are looking for a delightful, entertaining story that keeps things light (well, it was about murder... but the little girl is hilarious!) this might be the book for you! 

Tell Me More
by Kelly Corrigan
I have to admit, I was disappointed by Tell Me More.  It was kind of a downer, and a little bit of an "obvious" book to me.  The book is a collection of 12 things that the author is learning to say more of, including "no" and "I love you", and it just didn't speak to me the way it seems to have spoken to many others whom I know have read and loved it.  I adored Corrigan's book The Middle Place, so I expected myself to also love this one, but it just wasn't so. 

{January 2018}

{February 2018}

{March 2018}

{April 2018}

{May 2018}

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June Tally: 8

2018 Tally: 36

Yearly Goal: 36/60

Summer Reading

 I've been working on this sweet stack of books for the last few weeks, and it is bringing me so much joy. I've been compiling a list of books I want to read this summer, pulling some off my shelf, ordering some from Amazon, and buying some from Safeway with the gift card my MOPS girls gave me a few weeks back.  One is from my sister, one from Goodwill, one from my neighbor.  So many books from so many sources that are going to make for some awesome summer reads.

The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand is one book of hers I haven't read, and I'm so excited to read it.  My sister read it and passed it on to me.  Hilderbrand's books always make the best summer reads!

The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel is about a man who lived alone for twenty seven years in the woods of Maine.  I've heard about it from many fellow readers and can't wait to dive into it.

 We'll Always Have Summer is the third in a trio of books by Jenny Han about a girl in love with a set of brothers.  The first two books were very good and I expect the third to be just as good! 

 East of Eden by John Steinbeck is a book that I wanted to read once I read this: "The birth of Adam's twins brings his wife to the brink of madness, and Adam is left alone to raise his boys to manhood.  One boy thrives, nurtured by the love of all those around ; the other grows up in loneliness enveloped by a mysterious darkness."  I was instantly intrigued, and now I can't wait to read it.

 The Childbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan is one that I found at Safeway.  It takes place in World War II, and I am such a sucker for war stories, especially after falling in love with Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale back in March.

 The Alice Network by Kate Quinn is another book about World War II.  It's actually about two different time periods & women, woven together, searching for the truth.  It's another that I feel like everyone has read and I can't wait to get going on!

 The Girl Before by JP Delaney is one I picked up at Costco with my mom.  This is supposed to be a fast-paced, hair-raising, page-turning book about a girl who moves into an interesting new place to live only to discover the girl before her died an untimely death...  Should be a quick & heart pounding read!

 The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg is one I saw on many of my reading blogs & instagrams.  When I found it at Goodwill I was thrilled.  It's the story of two unlikely people (an old man and a teenager) befriending each other and finding new meaning and a sense of family together.  I think it will be a very meaningful book.

That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam starts with Rebecca Stone becoming a mother herself.  When her nanny later gives birth, dying in the process, Rebecca wants to adopt her baby, who is black.  The cover says she is unprepared for what it means to be a white mother of a black son.  I cannot wait to read this one!

I've been looking forward to I'll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa De Los Santos for months because her book Belong to Me is one of my all time favorites!  I love her writing style, and this book sounds like the perfect summer read-- Clare finds hidden ledgers in the house an elderly woman, Edith, left to her, and the ledgers allow her to piece together Edith's life while simultaneously figuring out what she wants. 

In addition to my stack of ten books, I have four Kindle books that I plan on reading.  These are all books I got on the recommendation of Modern Mrs. Darcy and got great deals on thanks to her ebook deals of the week.  If you follow her Instagram stories, she shares the great ebook deals and you can get kindle books for as little as $1.99!

I've been saving This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel for July book club for months, even though I really want to read it now!  It's about a transgender child & life & parenting & family & is apparently just beautiful writing.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum is about Jessie, whose mother has recently died, father has already remarried and moved her across the country.  

When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is about a small town car accident where three cheerleaders died and the driver thought to be responsible survived.  It's sure to be good!

What To Say Next is also by Julie Buxbaum and I'm super looking forward to it! Kit's dad was in a tragic car accident and no one knows what to say to her except David, an unexpected friend, to say the least.  Together they try to solve the mystery of the accident.

To say I'm excited about my summer reading would be a massive understatement.  I am ecstatic. I cannot wait to dive in, and I hope that some of you will join me!!!

Tell me, what books are you looking forward to reading this summer?

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