Happy Monday! It’s hard to believe we’re already in June and the summer months are upon us. 2019 is just flying by, isn’t it?
I thought I would jump right back into my “What I’m Reading” posts without recapping the 16 books I read between my last reading post and this one. (That would be insane, haha.) So let’s get into it with the books I finished last week:
How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper (★★★★☆)
For the first 60% of this novel, I was veering between a 2 and 3 star rating. There just wasn’t a lot happening and I wasn’t sure of the point. But oh. It turned itself around quickly and when I finished it, I closed the book, hugged it to my chest, and said to my cats, “That was a really great book!” And it was. Andrew is living a lie, one he accidentally told during his job interview four years ago. Even though he’s single and lives alone in a tiny flat, everyone at work thinks he has a wife of many years and two darling children. Then, a woman named Peggy is hired and Andrew starts working closely with her and as a friendship develops, he realizes he needs to come clean about the truth of his life. The book definitely has Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine vibes, so if you loved that novel, add this one to your list!
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry (★★☆☆☆)
Oy. Unpopular opinion alert! I did not love this book, or even really like it. I thought it would be a fun, romantic read but it was actually really, really sad and a little frustrating at times. Emilia is devastated when her beloved father passes away and in the midst of her grief, she is also put in charge of his bookshop, Nightingale Books. Unbeknownst to her, the bookshop is in serious trouble and she’s going to need to do some creative marketing to get it back on its feet. The novel is interspersed with stories about other people who love Nightingale Books – like Thomasina, a single woman who is a chef and loves coming to the bookshop for cookery titles. The stories are sweet but there were too many characters and too many plotlines to keep track of. I think the novel would have worked better as a short story collection because the back-and-forth between characters and plots was disjointed and hard to follow at times.
Pretty Face by Lucy Parker (★★★★★)
Now let’s talk about a romance that did work. Oh, Lucy Parker. She has now become my #1 favorite romance novelist. Hands down. I loved this romance so much and had the biggest book hangover when I finished it – which very rarely happens for me when it comes to romances! Luc is directing a play in a legendary West End theater and Lily is cast in one of the lead female roles, which is just the break she’s been waiting for. What she didn’t expect was to fall head over heels for the director and have to deal with the media backlash that entails. It’s a sweet story with witty dialogue, a super sexy male lead, and a seriously fun female protagonist. Everyone needs to read Lucy Parker books!
I’m currently reading…
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker, on audio. I have an hour left in the audiobook, so I should finish it on my morning commute tomorrow. I hear the ending is frustrating, though, so I’m preparing myself!
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. I picked this novel from Book of the Month some months ago and finally plucked it off my TBR bookshelf to read. I’m 100 pages in currently and it’s been such a delightful read so far.
What are you currently reading?
Loved Eleanor Oliphant so I am definitely checking out How Not to Die Alone! I am starting You by C Kepnes bc I have been on a thriller kick lately.
I really liked “How to Find Love in a Bookshop” but can see how the multiple plot lines/characters can be hard to keep straight! I’m reading a book right now called “Christodora” and it moves around in timeline and between character POV. I kind of wish there was a character map in the beginning to keep track of who is who and how they are connected but I think a map would result in some spoilers. It’s definitely a heavy book as it talks about the AIDS crisis in NYC in the 80s and 90s. But I am still liking it, even though it makes my head hurt a little bit. After I finish this book I’m planning to read Phil Knight’s book, “Shoe Dog.” It’s about the creation of Nike. I’ve heard it’s really really good so hopefully I like it!
I was going to say that first book sounds very Eleanor Oliphant-y!!!
I am reading Educated, which is as good as everyone said (after the intro, which I didn’t care for cause I was really tired when I read it and didn’t want a huge nature metaphor).
Ugh, so many feelings about The Dreamers. I read it earlier this year and was throughly disappointed by the end. The rest was great and I read it pretty quickly, but nothing makes my rating drop more than an ending that doesn’t leave me satisfied or thinking deeply.