Happy Monday, friends! What a crazy weekend for me—I experienced my first bout with vertigo! Y’all, I do not recommend it. It’s awful. It came on suddenly on Saturday afternoon and I spent the rest of the day in bed because moving my body brought on intense dizziness and the worst nausea I’ve ever experienced. (And, at the risk of being TMI, I threw up once after trying to pick up groceries that had been delivered to my door. I have never dealt with any kind of motion sickness, so this was so unreal to me.) Even sitting up or focusing on my phone for too long brought on the dizziness. Thankfully, my symptoms improved drastically on Sunday. No more nausea or vomiting, just some light dizziness if I leaned down or moved too quickly. I really hope this is an isolated incident! It’s not something I want to repeat, no way!
Okay, let’s talk reading! I finished two books last week and really enjoyed both of them, yay! I’m also in the process of reading five books at once right now, haha. All five are vastly different from each other, so it’s not hard to keep everything straight, but whew, that’s a lot of books for me to be rotating through!
Books Finished
Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (★★★★☆)
Short synopsis: Izzy Goodnight is left penniless after her father dies, but then her late godfather bequeaths her a castle and it seems like her luck is turning around. Only problem? The castle still belongs to Ransom, a duke who was left blind after a duel, and he’s not willing to give it up.
I really enjoyed this historical romance (and it’s only after reading a review that I realized it’s written to be a “retelling” of sorts to Beauty and the Beast). Izzy was such a great character and so was Ransom with his curmudgeonly ways. (I love a good grumpy hero!) They had such an instant chemistry, and watching them fall in love and let down their guards with one another was so beautiful. There was also this really fun side plot involving fantasy stories that Izzy’s father wrote (with Izzy at the center of them). These stories were immensely popular and inspired people to dress up as the characters and travel together to events, and some of those fans even came to the castle once they found out Izzy was staying there. It was a fun detail—the fans weren’t creepy or overwhelming, they just wanted to tell Izzy how much the stories meant to them—and I loved it a lot.
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger (★★★★☆)
One-sentence synopsis: It’s 1932 and four young orphans run away from their school to sail down the Mississippi River in a canoe in search of a better life.
When I talked about this book last week, I mentioned that I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I had hoped. I struggle a lot with character-driven novels because I typically need a plot to propel me forward. But some character-driven novels work really well for me, especially if the characters are complex and well-drawn. This novel had somewhat of a plot, but it was mostly about the lives of these four orphans and the crazy characters they meet along their journey. However, as the story progressed, I found myself deeply enthralled by the story and the lives of these characters. I found my heart hurting for the main character, Odie, as he encountered things that no young kid should have to deal with. And when it ended, I closed the book and let out a happy sigh. It was a lovely story and I truly missed those four kids when I finished it. Don’t expect this to be a fast-paced read, but if you let yourself sink into the story and take it slowly, I promise it will be worth it.
What I’m Reading This Week
> Open Book by Jessica Simpson (audio). I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about Jessica Simpson’s memoir and so far, a little less than 40% in, I can see why. Jessica’s honesty is evident throughout the pages and it’s really fun to dive back into the world of early-aughts pop singers!
> Always on My Mind by Jill Shalvis (e-book). This sweet contemporary romance by one of my faves is fulfilling all my happy, romance-y feels right now. It’s a friends-to-lovers romance, and I always love those.
> So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo (print) – I’ve had this book on my shelf for a long time, always meaning to get to it. I’m reading a few chapters a day so I can soak in the knowledge slowly and take notes as I go along.
> Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker (print). This thriller has a really crazy premise and I’m not sure if I’m totally buying it. I’m about halfway finished with it and I’ll probably see it through to the end, if only to leave a super snarky review. 😉
What are you reading?
I’m glad you ended up enjoying “This Tender Land” – it is a slower paced book that gradually builds but I loved the characters so much. Plus I enjoyed that it was set in my home state so I was familiar with the areas he was writing about.
I finished “If You Want to Make God Laugh” which is by the author who wrote “Hum If You Don’t Know the Words.” I know you enjoyed that book so I highly recommend picking this one up, too. It was such a great book and I had a hard time putting it down. Now i am reading “Things You Save in a Fire” by Katherine Center. I needed a light read after the God Laugh book because that had heavy themes in it. Next I plan on reading “Stamped” by Jason Reynold and Ibram Kendi. It’s a book that takes on the topic of racism but is directed at young adults. I’ve heard great things about it!
I was so sad to see you had that experience with vertigo on Stories 🙁 I have a coworker who has it BAD and has shared how horrible it is with us. We have to help her navigate our building sometimes (back in the day when we went to the office). I hope it does not happen again 🙁 I am glad you could get help from your Mom. Did the girls take care of you too?!
I am reading Open Book too and am so mad I have to spend so much time working on my resume – I’d rather be reading that! I think my reading is really going to slow down this month as I’m so focused on work stuff outside of work hours. It will pick up later 😉
LOL I cannot wait for your snarky review of Emma in the Night! Ha!