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Fostering the love of reading, here are several reviews from myself.
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The Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand
Star Rating: ★★★★
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This checks all of the boxes for my kind of summer read. Escape to a new (to me) place. An air of mystique underlying spoken narrative. Mid-century historical fiction. This is my first Elin Hilderbrand novel and I heard from many that I started with the best one. The Summer of '69 is Americana at its peak, with Bostonians escaping the city for Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard. And, while everything is perfectly picnic-friendly for care-free beach days, the Vietnam War keeps things grounded in this family. As does the old adage that every Americana family has secrets lying within its perfectly manicured trees.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Star Rating: ★★★★
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Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow had all of the 90s video game nostalgia and even early tech throwbacks (putting an email address in the README file, anyone?) I heard from so many people about this book and they all either loved or hated this book. So polarizing. I ended up really appreciating it. It's a different kind of love story. It's actually many love stories woven into one novel. And I like that there is a book that illustrates there is a way to be incredibly intimate with someone through the act of video game playing. Even though it's fiction, it's incredibly relevant in today's culture and a love story that is probably more relevant than we know.
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
Star Rating: ★★★★
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For 20 years, Daphne has received a slip of paper with a man's name and the length of time they will date written on it. And after 20 years, she receives one note with just a name "Jake" and nothing else. As she settles into the unknown length of time of this relationship, we learn more about Jake and Daphne, the secrets people hide in plain sight, and the lengths people will go to when they are truly in love.
The Opposite of Spoiled by Ron Leiber
Star Rating: ★★★★
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This book was necessary to read as a parent who wasn't taught about money. I learned so much about how to talk to my children about money, charity, donating to those less fortunate, giving to friends, etc. It did in part feel like homework, but most parenting books do. I learned a lot though and I think you will too. I took my time reading it, one subject matter at a time. It made it feel less daunting of a task to handle with my children as a result.
Under The Influence by Noelle Crooks
Star Rating: ★★★★
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Under the Influence'—what a crazy tale! Noelle Crooks used to work for a very famous influencer and lives to tell the tale in a fictional take on her experience. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall of Hollis Co. if even half of this happened! It's a tale about a woman who works at a huge influencer HQ and all of the craziness that ensues behind the scenes. I don't follow Rachel Hollis and haven't read any of her books, so this was purely voyeurism for me. If you followed her closely, you may find obvious dupes in the book where the author deviated slightly (i.e., shoe choice for Rachel Hollis vs. Charlotte Green). Overall, it's a funny 'A Devil Wears Prada' kind of story
The Woman with the Cure by Lynn Cullen
Star Rating: ★★★★
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The race for the cure for polio is on, and one woman thinks she is onto something but is discounted among her male peers. 'The Woman with the Cure' is an incredible book about real people and real-life events as doctors and scientists raced to find a cure for polio. It is striking to read this book in a post-COVID era, as the parallels of Dorothy Horstmann (with polio) and Kati Kariko (mRNA vaccines) are undeniable evidence of history repeating itself in a sad way. However, women in medicine are proving time and time again that they know what's possible and ignore the naysayers as they stay focused on work for the betterment of (wo)mankind.
Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum
Star Rating: ★★★★
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I was finishing this book as I waited for a friend at lunch. She walked up and remarked, "Don't you just hate everyone in that book? They are all terrible!" and we laughed. It's so true--Bad Summer People is a great story about NYC people who summer at their shore houses and one summer there is a deadly mystery in their idyllic town. Drama ensues in this whip-smart novel that has you rooting for absolutely no one and loving the story at the same time.
Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
Star Rating: ★★★★
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Good Inside needs to come with a caveat - if your child(ren) are under 7, this is the perfect book for you. As I sit here with a nearly 10 and 12 year old, I felt much of this book was tips for a time gone by and had a hard time trying to understand how to translate the tips provided into this season of parenting. But, if you are a new parent or have young children, this is a great book to help reframe your parenting to be more conversational and less "because I said so". We took a positive parenting workshop course a decade ago and this book is very reminiscent of those topics.
The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle
Star Rating: ★★★★
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The Royals Next Door is a little more spicy than I usually pick up. But, it was a great fun beach read!
The audiobook was a saving grace so no one could see the title :)
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Star Rating: ★★★★
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Crying in H Mart was a great audiobook. Michelle Zauner is found mourning the loss of her mother while in H-Mart, trying desperately to conjur up her favorite meals that her Korean mother did not have written recipes for. All to taste, all to smell, nothing written. I enjoyed reading the tale of food being comfort with her mother and for her mother once she died.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Star Rating: ★★★★
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The Hate U Give is noted a YA book but it feels pretty heavy for my YA readers as of right now. When they are teens, I suspect it will be subject matter they can understand. Overall, I loved this book but it is not an easy read. But, I only had to read it. I don't have to live it. Imagine living this life as you read it. Because it is happening every day. It is all too common a story in our country.
The audiobook narrator is fantastic. A great job with tone and inflection and little character nuisances that I wouldn't have picked up on paper.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Star Rating: ★★★★
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My daughter wanted to read A Wrinkle in Time and I realized I had not read it myself nor had I seen the movie. So, I listened to it on Audiobook. Very cute story and one I probably would not have appreciated as a child, to be honest. A classic tale of about good vs. evil and the power of love but through a visually different story lens.
Majesty by Katherine McGee
Star Rating: ★★★★
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The sequel to American Royals! A very fast read. Did not end how I expected it to or really wanted it to but still SO good and entertaining!
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Star Rating: ★★★★
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The author of American Dirt came under fire after Oprah chose this book for her Book Club. Putting critics' POV aside, the story of American Dirt was really good. I really enjoyed the audiobook. The fiction book centers on a woman of her 7-year-old son surviving a Cartel murdering her entire family in front of them in Mexico. They know they need to flee. The join the migrant migration to America in search of safety.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
Star Rating: ★★★★
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows wraps it up well. I still can't help but wonder why Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw exist. What did they really bring to the plot? I realize this may bring ire from readers LOL.
The audiobook was fantastic on 1.5x again and this was a great pandemic project to enjoy with my voracious reader of a daughter.
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Star Rating: ★★★★
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The audio of this book was outstanding. But, after almost 30 hours and Barack Obama only makes it to the end of his first term?! Oof, that's a long winded storyteller.
Regardless of who I voted for, I still try and listen and empathize with someone. And our country's first Black president definitely deserves that much from me. Hearing some of the predicaments our President is placed in, especially during a recession, was very interesting. I worked on some of the benfits of the relief plan action (via SNAP benefits increase) and so it was very interesting to hear his side of the story and issue at hand.
Random but it was fun to hear his side of the same stories that Michelle Obama covered in her book. First Ladies and Presidents--they are just like the rest of us married couples. :)
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Star Rating: ★★★★
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There was no doubt the audiobook of Greenlights would be fantastic. Matthew McConaughey has a great voice. I tore through this book on audio. He details his life both before fame and during it, which were interesting to me as I still think of him as "the stoner that was arrested naked for playing the bongos too loudly".
But, in the wake of society working through how some are so privileged, this book seems ill-timed. A cis-gender, gorgeous looking, white, middle income male detailing stories of his "green lights" falls flat in 2021. And, listen, I don't need him making apologies of his privilege. I'm simply saying it was hard to accept some of his advice on life without also wondering if he realizes how limited or even not possible that advice is for many other segments of our society.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
Star Rating: ★★★★
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I have found the key to Harry Potter - listening to the audiobooks on 1.5x :) The narrator is great, actually!
The Order of the Phoenix is really good. I like Harry showing his teen angst side; it made it all more relatable as he struggles with his 5th year at Hogwart's.
The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Star Rating: ★★★★
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The Last Child in the Woods grounds itself in the theory of children, over the course of the last 100+ years, slowly moving indoors and what toll that has taken on humans as they grow. The writer coins the phrase, "nature-deficit disorder" and how it came about. Most interesting of note to me was the steady decline in college students choosing Earth science-based majors (chemistry, biology, geology, etc.) As a result, scientists are in a predicament of creating historical documents now for fear that progress will be haulted. If a mushroom was discovered in 2020 but not documented well, a scientist in 2050 may discover the same mushroom and not further our knowledge but rather hinder our progress and innovation.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Star Rating: ★★★★
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Thank you to everyone for recommending this! The South in the midst of a civil rights reckoning, Louisiana and Maison Blanche (RIP), and family drama and secrets...this book was perfect and delivered on all fronts. The twins are thrilling to follow as they chose to flee their small town and go out into the world. It's always interesting to see characters develop from childhood into adults and how the lasting influences from their past shape their outlook and path in life. I listened to this book and the narrator was just okay. I would recommend reading the book instead.