You guys. I have so many book reviews for you today! It’s slightly embarrassing, haha. I finished SIX books this week. Now, to be fair, one of those books was Anna Karenina, which I’ve been reading since January. Another was an audiobook. And I did have a three-day weekend where I didn’t have any plans. But still! That’s a lot of books to finish in a week. Whew. Prepare yourselves for many reviews.
Books Finished
Always on My Mind by Jill Shalvis (★★★☆☆)
One-sentence synopsis: After Leah tells a little white lie to her best friend Jack’s ailing mother that she’s dating her son, Leah and Jack have to pretend to be dating.
This book was just plain fun! The trope of the fake relationship will always be one of my favorites, but it also had a touch of a “second chance romance” since Leah and Jack were best friends growing up and they nearly took their friendship to the next level after high school, but instead, Leah bolts out of town to become the next baking darling. While I’ll admit that I sometimes didn’t feel the strongest connection between Jack and Leah and wanted Leah to be slightly less standoffish, this novel did give me all of the happy feels. I especially loved all of the other relationships in the novel, such as Jack’s relationship with his mom and Leah’s relationship with her grandma.
Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker (★☆☆☆☆)
One-sentence synopsis: It’s been three years since Cass and Emma went missing and then Cass returns with an insane story involving kidnapping and a mysterious island and this plea: find her sister!
I hate-read this. I kept hoping it would get better and then around page 150ish, I realized it wasn’t going to and gave up on liking it. I did want to figure out what happened, which is why I kept reading, but the reveal was completely ridiculous. And, listen, I am usually here for the outlandish thrillers. I’m not as much of a critic of thrillers as some people are, but this one was just silly and improbable and nothing about the characters made sense. I think the author had a good idea for this novel—discussing narcissism and how it affects family dynamics and future generations—but it was just so poorly executed.
Open Book by Jessica Simpson (★★★★★)
One-sentence synopsis: Pop star Jessica Simpson tells her life story, from her early beginnings as a church kid to her career as a pop singer and beyond.
I loved this memoir! It was one that came highly rated and it lived up to all of my expectations. Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music so I had to listen to NSYNC, Britney, BSB, Christina, etc., in secret. But one pop singer I was allowed to listen to—due to her Christian background—was Jessica Simpson. I fell in love with her music first and then Jessica the person via her reality TV show, Newlyweds. So I’ve always been a big fan of hers, and I’ve become an even bigger one after reading her memoir. Jessica is brutally honest and intensely vulnerable in this book, and she doesn’t hold back. Not about her marriage to Nick Lachey (and their not-so-friendly divorce), not about her toxic relationship with John Mayer, not about her problematic drinking habits stemming from sexual abuse in her childhood. I loved learning more about the ins and outs of the entertainment business as well as her sweet romance with her husband Eric. I could gush about this book forever. It’s everything I want in a celebrity memoir!
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (★★★☆☆)
One-sentence synopsis: A sweeping novel about the lives of a whole host of Russian characters, including the title character, Anna, who’s in a lackluster marriage and begins a scandalous relationship that ends in tragedy.
I finally finished! It took me 162 days to read this novel, all of which was on the Serial Reader app. I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed it, even though there were many times that reading felt like a slog. (Which is why reading in small increments worked really well!) I also relied on LitCharts to break down certain chapters to help me interpret the meaning behind them, another thing I would highly recommend. These classic novels are sometimes really difficult to understand at times, no shame! All that said, I was still super fascinated by this novel and its complexities. I found myself loving and loathing all of the characters at different times, and I’m actually sad not to spend time with Levin and Oblonsky and Anna and Vronsky and Kitty and Dolly on an everyday basis. Do I think this is “greatest work of literature ever?” Not really, but it was an enjoyable read and I’m glad I can mark this classic off my list.
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (★★★★★)
One-sentence synopsis: Writer and speaker Ijeoma Oluo discusses some of the most pertinent issues about racism and systematic oppression today.
This book is everywhere right now, and for good reason. Ijeomo Oluo talks readers through some of the most important questions you may be asking as you begin the work of anti-racism. Things like, “What is intersectionality and why do I need it?”, “What is the school-to-prison pipeline?”, “How can I talk about affirmative action?”, “What are microaggressions?”, etc. Ijeomo speaks from the heart and is brutally honest with her advice. Some of my key takeaways from this novel:
- Racism exists to exclude people of color from opportunities so there are more opportunities for white people.
- Antiracism work is about more than seeing the humanity of people of color – it is about dismantling the systems that try to keep POC down.
- Knowing where our privilege lies allows us to identify where we have power and access to change the system.
- Believing POC experiences with police is CRUCIAL. This is not only to validate their experiences but to help dismantle a history of police brutality. POC should be able to trust the police as much as white people do.
- Microaggressions normalize racism. They reinforce racial stereotypes. They dehumanize POC. They keep white supremacy in place.
Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith (★★★☆☆)
One-sentence synopsis: Hugo and Mae are an unlikely pair, thrown together for a week-long train ride from New York to California.
This was such a cute read! I really enjoyed it. I loved the way the relationship between Hugo and Mae evolved, from uneasy strangers to friends to… more than that. There were also some other really fun elements to the story, such as the fact that Hugo is a sextuplet and all the baggage (and good things!) that comes along with those relationships. Mae is a budding film student and takes on the task of interviewing people on the train for a new project. And the parental relationships in this novel were so perfect. YA novels don’t always get it right when it comes to parents and kids, but this one definitely did. I’d recommend this book!
What I’m Reading This Week
- Circling the Sun by Paula McLain (ebook) – I have about 100 pages left in this novel, which is a fictionalized retelling of the life of Beryl Markham, who was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. I’m really loving it!
- The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (ebook) – I just started this contemporary romance so I don’t have too much to report about it just yet. It seems to have mixed reviews, though, so we’ll see!
- The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas (audiobook) – I’m starting the fourth book in the Lady Sherlock mystery series today. I’m so excited to dive back into Charlotte Holmes’ world!
- Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue (print) – Once I finish Circling the Sun, I’m going to pick up this beloved novel. It’s been on my shelf for way too long!
What are you reading?
I really want to read Open Book. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. I was also a Jessica Simpson fan and loved the show Newlyweds. I need to make sure that book is on my holds list!
I read quite a bit this weekend, too! We were inside more because it was super hot and humid here. So I would try to read on my kindle anytime that Paul was playing well. I felt a bit guilty doing that but it’s hard to engage alll the time with him. And he does need to leave to play independently. I started and finished “The Bride Test” which was a sweet romance. Now I am reading “The School of Essential Ingredients” which is about a group of people taking a cooking class. Each chapter is about someone in the class. I’ve flying through it.
Glad you enjoyed Anna Karenina. That was a bit of a SLOG for me. I am glad I read it as it gets referenced quite often in other books. But it was definitely hard to get through at times. I read the physical book and it was sooo massive!
You forgot to add Recursion to your list of what you’re reading this week!!!! 😉 Ha ha ha ha ha.
Six books! That is so awesome! Always On My Mind sounds sweet. I think I’d like the fake relationship trope too.
Open Book was really good! I was not a Jessica Simpson fan (because I was not aware of her) and the book had me looking up a lot of her songs and some of the photos she mentioned. I loved how open and vulnerable she was too. I can see why people love this book so much!
I need to look up what LitCharts is, especially if I ever want to read a book like that. I would not be able to handle it without it, I bet.
So You Want to Talk About Race seems really all encompassing and a good place to start. The audiobook is available on Libby but not the book yet. Hmm. This is probably better in “print” right?
I am about to start Lottery, for one of my book clubs!