I read some really great books in November. I read Mary Kubica's books, The Good Girl and Pretty Baby. I really liked The Good Girl because it was suspenseful and dark. It was compared to Gone Girl but I would compare it more to Girl on the Train. I like how she made the "bad guy" so likeable. Pretty Baby was also dark and twisty. My Literary Sensei abandoned this book on page 62 when Kubica referenced a comic sans font on the character's business card.
My other dark and twisty book was Gillian Flynn's short story, The Grownup. I pre-ordered this book and read it while my child was in gymnastics. I did look up so she would know that I was paying attention but I also needed to take a breather from Gillian's craziness. The first page grabs you because it is so shocking and not what you expect (even though you should expect this from her). It starts with being vulgar yet hilarious and then turns into a ghost story. I really liked this one but I am big fan of all her books.
Our Book Club choice was Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. This was a tough read at first but I am glad that I stuck with it. Interesting characters gave us plenty to discuss at our Book Club gathering.
I read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain and loved it! Honestly, I didn't know much about Hemingway and picked the book by it's cover. I loved the story and the author did an amazing job at describing Paris. I felt like I knew exactly where she was at and felt all the feelings of Hadley.
My fluff book of the month was Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich. This is a between-the-numbers book in the Stephanie Plum series. These are light and funny books that are perfect for something quick to read or to recover from dark heavy books.
The self-help book of November was Money Making Mom by Chrystal Paine. She is the Moneysaving Mom and has a daily email and blog that I follow. I enjoy that she reminds her readers regularly that she's not perfect. It would be easy to see that she can "do it all" but she's very down-to-earth and has a self-deprecating sense of humor that I enjoy. Her book was very good because it was truly helpful. It is catered to the SAHM demographic but also good for anybody turning a hobby into something more. I was eager to read this one as I was in the early stages of getting my coaching website started. The book guides you from the start of your idea to launching and everything in between. It had tough love and also encouraging pep talks along the way. She gave excellent and helpful examples from herself and other women that succeeded and also some that failed. My favorite line from the book is "don't spend so much time planning, brainstorming, and preparing to launch that you never actually push the start button."
My favorite book of November was The Apothecary by Maile Meloy. I read a wonderful article by her in Town and Country. It was an essay for the Manners and Misdemeanors section about patience and it was just what I needed to read at the time. I have read it over and over again and made copies for others to read. Unfortunately, it's not on the internet (c'mon T&C!). Within a few days of reading the article, I saw that Maile Meloy was going to be a guest speaker at Parnassus, releasing her third book in the Apothecary series. This a Middle Grade/Young Adult series but one that any adult would like. She started off writing adult books but was asked by a friend to write a young adult book in hopes of having a movie idea (still in the works). I really enjoyed hearing her speak and even asked a question (gasp). I brought my copy of her article and she was so pleased that someone read it. She tried to find it on the internet, too. I absolutely loved this book and immediately texted and emailed my reading buddies to say, "you must read this!". One review described it as a mix between Harry Potter and Nancy Drew. It was just a great story that was creative and allowed me use my imagination. I also liked the pictures. When she mentioned the artist, the audience ooohd and aaahhd. I was clueless, but gave an impressed look to my seatmate.
Currently reading: The Hypnotist Love Story by Liane Moriarty.
Have you read any of these books? What was the best book you read last month?
I looked up The Apothecary's illustrator, and I've never heard of them. In situations like that, I prefer to think that the other people are faking their knowledge. I'm going to pick up The Apothecary at the library today on your recommendation. It's a rainy day here (finally), I'll welcome a good book.
ReplyDeleteThe best book I read in November was Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson. I want to shove it at everyone I know and make them read it. He focuses on prisoners who had inadequate representation at trial (embarrassingly, in Alabama), whether or not they're guilty.