What I'm Reading This Week (1/25/21)

Last week I finished: 

Valentine, Elizabeth Wetmore

Isn't this one of the most beautiful covers you've ever seen? I've been drawn to this book since it came out last year, and while I'm glad I read it, I also have my reservations about it. On the one hand, it was beautifully written. Truly, this is a first-time author to watch. On the other hand, though, it was a much rougher plot than I would prefer, and I don't feel that there was any meaningful resolution at the end. It's a rather hopeless book, which I find troublesome. Why bother writing or reading a book that ends as it began? Also, I think there were too many missed opportunities for the plot to deepen. I kept expecting the book to go somewhere and become extraordinary, but it always stopped short. Lastly, I'm just worn out over books about the victimhood of women. Where are all the books about the strong women we want our daughters to grow up to be? So, I was conflicted over this one. My rating: 3 stars. 

It's Never Too Late, Kathie Lee Gifford

I'm so glad I listened to my gut and bought this book and then moved it to the top of my TBR. It definitely won't be a book for everyone, but it was an absolute gamechanger for me. GAMECHANGER. It is the only book I have ever finished only to begin reading again. I'm at a point in my life where I'm searching for strong, happy, wise, creative, Christian women role models, and believe me, there just aren't a lot of them out there. Too many are writing their "wise memoirs" way before they're ready to. But this book came to me at exactly the right time for it to have resonance in my life. The way I pray has changed, the way I think about creativity has changed, the way I view the next phase of my life has changed. May we all find a book like this when we need it. My rating: 5 stars.

 

America's Reluctant Prince, Steven M. Gillon

You all know that if there's a book about a Kennedy, I'll read it. I have read a few books about JFK Jr., and of course, he's been a part of every book about his father and mother that I've read, so I know a fair bit about him. Unfortunately, at least 80% of this book was a regurgitation of all of the books I've read before this one. All of the information about John's childhood came from books I've already read. The 20% that was new to me was welcomed. In this part of the book, Gillon writes about John's magazine, George, and his attempt to create a place for himself in a world that never stopped wanting him to be his father's legacy. Gillon, a friend of John's, interjects himself into the book, and I could never tell if it was reluctantly, and therefore, halfheartedly, or if his relationship with John was so slight that there was just no story there. All told, I found the book rather mediocrely written and not terribly interesting in its lack of new information or insight (something a friend of John's should have been able to supply, no?). One last note, I listened to this on audio, and I would not recommend it. The reader sounded perpetually bored. My rating: 3 stars.

Make Something Good Today, Erin & Ben Napier

This is a re-read (or re-listen). I originally listened to the book last summer, and it just went by so quickly I wanted to revisit it. Unfortunately, it went by just as quickly this time! I adore the Napiers and their HGTV show, and I am in awe of Erin's design ability. We have very similar styles, and I just wish I had her vision. This is their sweet love story, how they stepped out on their own to work creatively for themselves, and how they landed their television show. It's a sweet and hopeful book for anyone wanting to leave a soulless job to do something that nurtures their creativity. I will return to it again and again, perhaps even again this year. My rating: 4 stars.

This week I'll be reading:

I began this book last fall but abandoned it because it just wasn't much fun then. I have renewed interest now, as I'm doing "research" on marriage. It's a series of interviews with celebrity couples about their marriages. So far I know I would not want to be Rosalynn Carter.

My next audiobook:

This is another book I read last year, but this time I'm listening to the audio, read by the author.

What I'm Reading This Week (1/18/21)

Last week I finished: 

Sky of Stone, Homer Hickam

I love everything Homer Hickam writes. This, the third and final memoir in his Coalwood memoir series, is as good as the previous two. Here, Homer (Sonny) returns to Coalwood the summer after his first year of college at his mother's request. Sonny's father, the coalmine superintendent, is embroiled in a battle for his job, which is the most important thing in his life, to the detriment of his family. Sonny ends up joining the union and working in the mine, both things causing ire between him and his now-separated parents. Hickam's usual intelligence, humor, and grace is present here, and I enjoyed every word. My rating: 5 stars.

Three Sisters, Three Queens, Philippa Gregory

I know nothing about Tudor England, nor have I ever been interested in that time period, but I'd put Philippa Gregory on my TBR some time ago and decided to begin with this book. I listened to this on audio, and it was a good option. I'm unsure just how accurate this historical fiction is, and generally I don't care much for historical fiction biographies, but since the 1500s are so far back, I didn't really mind it in this case. This is the story of two Tudor princesses and their sister-in-law. One sister becomes the queen of Scotland, one the Queen of France, and the sister-in-law the queen of England. My rating: 4 stars

Kitchen Yarns, Ann Hood

I love food memoirs, and this is one of the better ones I've read. Awhile ago, I read Hood's Morningstar as well as her The Obituary Writer. This is by far my favorite of the three books. In it, she shares about her Italian-American childhood in Rhode Island, her difficult marriage and divorce, single motherhood, the death of her young daughter, and how food was a touchstone throughout her life. She also shares recipes. My rating: 5 stars.

This week, I'm reading:

I'm enjoying the writing in this one, even if the plot is a little rough.

I'm also reading:

I am really enjoying this wise memoir.

My audiobook:

I'll post a review of this next week. Suffice it to say, it's not the best Kennedy biography.

12 Titles That Didn't Make My 2020 Best Of List

There were a number of books that I wish I could have included on my 2020 best of list, but I tried very hard to limit that to 15 titles (ten percent of what I read). So here are another 12 titles that I think are worth the read.

Death on the Nile. Agatha Christie

I wanted to read this before the movie came out, and it is officially one of my favorite Christie books, although I did sort of guess the murderer.  

Messenger of Truth, Jacqueline Winspear

This is the fourth in the Maisie Dobbs series, and it's my favorite so far (or perhaps tied with the first book). I think you get a better, deeper feel for who Maisie is and how her experience in World War I has changed her. I feel I learned more about her here than in even the first book. Plus, the crime involved art, which appealed to me.

American Dirt, Jeanine Cummins

I read this early in the year, almost before the anger surrounding it was at a fever pitch. I thought it was a well-written book that was sensitive to the plight of illegal immigrants. I think the criticism involving it and Ms. Cummins was unfair.

Ask Again, Yes, Mary Beth Keane

I didn't read a lot of fiction this year, but at a certain point I wanted a novel I could sink my teeth into, and this one really fit the bill. I enjoyed it very much, and I plan to read her other work.

Jackie, Ethel, Joan, J. Randy Taraborrelli

I love a good, thick, somewhat gossipy Kennedy biography, and no one delivers them like Taraborrelli. This one examines the relationships between Jackie Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy (Robert Kennedy's wife/widow), and Joan Kennedy (Teddy Kennedy's first wife). This was my fist in-depth look at Joan, and I liked her very much.

Nine Horses, Billy Collins

A strong collection of poetry. Period.

Raising Demons, Shirley Jackson

I read both of Shirley Jackson's fictionalized memoirs this year, and (spoiler alert) I made myself choose between them for the best of list. This is every bit as good as the first one, but it necessarily lacks the delight I felt having stumbled upon the first. 

Talking to Strangers, Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell is brilliant, is he not? This is up there with his best work, I think. I didn't always agree with his conclusions, but watching his mind work is fascinating.

The Accidental President, A. J. Baime

This was an excellent biography of President Truman's short rise to office and his ending the second World War. 

The Hiltons, J. Randy Taraborrelli

Another Taraborrelli book that was just excellent. You really don't have to be at all interested in the Hilton family (don't worry, there's little to no mention of Paris, but you do learn a lot about Zsa Zsa Gabor...) to enjoy this masterful biography. The audiobook was good.

Three Days at the Brink, Bret Baier

I loved this book. It's definitely my favorite of the series. Although I've read the story of President Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, and World War II a dozen times before, I still enjoyed this version. 

Wilson, A. Scott Berg

This was a superb biography of President Wilson. He really came to life. I enjoyed it on audio.

What I'm Reading This Week (1/11/21)

Okay, I'm going to start this year out right and post my weekly review of books. But I'm aiming for short and sweet. Since I've been away, Blogger has made some changes that I'm having trouble navigating, so if this post goes sideways, I hope it's at least readable.

I still have some best of 2020 posts to get up. They're coming. But for now, here's what I've been reading so far this year.

Last week I finished:

The Last Days of John Lennon, James Patterson

I'm a Beatles fan in the way every human has to be one, but I'm more of a Paul girl than a John girl. I'm never understood the appeal of John, although a world of talented Pauls without a few visionaries like John may not produce a group like the Beatles. I don't know. At any rate, this was a good book, and it would have been better had I more affection for John Lennon. My rating: 3 stars. 

This week I will continue with:

I consider Homer Hickam one of America's great storytellers. This, the third and final in his Coalwood memoir series, is captivating. I'll be sad to finish it.

I'm also reading:

 At night I've been reading Ann Hood's Kitchen Yarns, which is much better than expected. And because I couldn't wait until I was done with Hood's book, I started Kathie Lee Gifford's It's Never Too Late, which I'm enjoying, too.

And I'm listening to:

I've never read anything by Philippa Gregory, but I'm glad I tried this one. I'm finding it a very engaging listen.