My bookish moment of the week is having a reading date with a friend this weekend. It was so nice to sit by the water and read my book, and man, I feel like hitting up that spot every Saturday evening just before the sun goes down. It was so peaceful and I loved watching the sky turn all different colors as the sun set. Perfection!
I’ve got four book reviews for you today, and all of them were 4-star reads! That’s the sign of a great reading week. 🙂
Man Down by Kate Meader (★★★★☆)
One-sentence synopsis: It’s been three years since Gunnar’s wife and children died in a car accident and he’s finding his way back to himself—first by re-entering the NHL and then by falling in love.
This book made me cry! Gunnar’s grief is so raw and real, and you could feel his love for his late wife and kids just seeping from the page. And then comes Sadie, a sweet woman with a heart of gold but someone who is not here for Gunnar’s bullshit, at all. Their meet-cute is really fun, setting up and enemies-to-lovers trope, and I loved watching each of their walls come down as they fell in love with one another. This was a super solid romance, and I highly recommend it to my fellow romance readers! (Open-door romance.)
The Long Way Home by Louise Penny (★★★★☆)
One-sentence synopsis: Gamache is back in Three Pines with a special request from his dear friend Clara.
I’m going to be very vague about the plot of this novel since this is the continuation of a series and a lot of things happened before this book that I don’t want to spoil for people who plan on reading the series! Suffice it to say, this book was excellent and everything I wanted after being away from this series for a while. (The last time I read this series was FEBRUARY!) I love books that feature Clara, as she’s one of my favorite Three Pines characters, and I was happy that Gamache’s wife, Reine-Marie, had such a prominent role in the novel (in comparison to the other books). While the mystery itself wasn’t too interesting to me, this book still gets four stars because I was just so happy to be with Gamache and crew again.
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker (★★★★☆)
One-sentence synopsis: A narrative nonfiction book about a family of twelve kids growing up in the 60s and 70s, six of whom were diagnosed with schizophrenia.
This book felt like a slog at times and it took me nearly two weeks to read it (it was only 330 pages, but very dense). But I’m glad I powered through because it was a really great read, especially learning about the history behind schizophrenia treatment. It gave me new respect for science researchers who may spend their entire careers trying to solve one tiny issue, like what chromosome is affected by schizophrenia. This book has content warnings on content warnings, and I had to set it down many times because the subject matter was so difficult. I truly felt for all of the kids in this family, both the sick ones and the healthy ones, because they were all dealing with their own traumas in their own ways. I wouldn’t say this is a must-read, but it’s a very powerful book if you like narrative nonfiction and can handle lots of triggering subject matters.
40-Love by Olivia Dade (★★★★☆)
One-sentence synopsis: Celebrating her 40th birthday, Tess and her friend take a trip to a resort in Florida where Tess falls in love with a twenty-something tennis instructor.
Oh, how I loved this book! I loved the banter between the main characters, the sweet way they cared for one another, and the honesty in working through their issues together. Tess is fat and while her fatness is discussed, it is not made an issue, especially not with Lucas (the male protagonist). At times, I felt like Lucas was a little too perfect but perhaps that’s my own insecurities talking. Also, what’s better than a 40-year-old woman getting it on with a twenty-something stud? GET IT GIRL! Haha. All in all, it was such a great read and I loved every minute I spent with this book. I especially loved that there wasn’t some dramatic dark moment—both Tess and Lucas were so open and honest with each other that there were no miscommunications or hurt feelings that were never dealt with. I can’t wait to read more from this author! (Open-door romance.)
What I’m Reading This Week
- Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown (audio) – YA love stories are my sweet spot and queer YA love stories? Even better. I’m loving this one so far!
- The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (print) – I plucked this book off my shelf to fulfill October’s category for the Unread Shelf Challenge. It should be a spooky read!
- It’s In His Kiss by Jill Shalvis (e-book) – I’ll start this contemporary romance sometime this week. It should be a sweet one!
What are you reading?
I’m glad Hidden Valley turned out to be a good 4-star book! I was thinking it would get a low star rating since it was such a slog at times but I’m glad it redeemed itself in the end. I would like to read it eventually, but I need to be in a different frame of mind!
Right now I”m reading “Raising White Kids” – I’ll be discussing it with 3 other moms I know IRL and through SM. So I”m taking my time on that book since there is a lot to absorb. Last night I started “Lovely War” – it as on the MMD SRG. It’s long and when I started it, I felt a bit skeptical as it’s told from the perspective of some of the Greek Gods… but I went back and read Anne Bogel’s description and she said the structure works so I am going to stick w/ it. I abandoned “We Wish You Luck” the day before because it was just way too pretentious and the characters were not going to be likeable… Lastly, I finished “Dear Edward” over the weekend which is about a boy who is the only survivor of a plane crash. I burned through that book!
Wow, 40-Love sounds so progressive and great without being obnoxious about it! Awesome!!!
I want to check out the Three Pines series someday! The series is quite large, right? Like this book is already in the teens?
Hidden Valley Road sounds like something I would like when I am in the mood!
Seeing the sunset while reading sounds amazing!
I am reading We Ride Upon Sticks. I really must have misunderstood the description on Sarah’s Bookshelves Live. I thought it was about the 1989 team and then later on as adults but so far (and I am almost done) it’s all 1989, which is fun, but not doing it for me.