Phew! It’s been a while since I’ve posted! So, little life update, I started a new job! I’ll perhaps write more about that later, but that is the reason for my blog radio silence. I’m beautifully overwhelmed, and I am so excited about this new endeavor.
I will be the first to admit that I am not as much of a fiction reader as I am a non-fiction reader. Even though good fiction books, especially classics, are certainly never a waste of time to read, I always feel like I should be using my reading time to use something practical. I know that makes me a nerd to the endth degree, and I accept that.
Since I don’t really watch TV (seriously, who has time for that?), my “pop culture” fix is mostly from pop fiction. The only exception to my no TV rule is that I occasionally catch Dateline reruns on demand, and I allow myself to watch Southern Charm ONLY if I’m on the treadmill.
I’ll add one caveat to this. Some bloggers add books to their book list that they do not recommend. If I read a book I don’t recommend, I don’t bother putting it on here. Just as an umbrella statement, all of these books are worth the read IMO.
Without further adieu, allow me to share my favorite summer fiction beach reads:
The Great Alone
Kristin Hannah wrote The Nightingale, which might be my favorite works of historical fiction ever. While The Great Alone was also fantastic, it definitely did not live up to The Nightingale. I do love, however, how Hannah writes books about war, but from a woman’s perspective. The Nightingale is about women in Nazi-occupied France, and The Great Alone is about women during the aftermath of the Vietnam War, and dealing with the PTSD that came with it. It’s wildly entertaining, and does really leave you thinking who all experienced stories like this.
Before We Were Yours
: I haven’t shut up about this book. While technically fiction, Before We Were Yours is about the Tennessee Children’s Home, which essentially SOLD KIDS during the first half of the 20th Century. Whaaaaat? The characters themselves are fictional, but the existence of the Tennessee Children’s Home is not at all fictional. It will leave your jaw on the ground.
A Piece of the World
: This is a sweet story that fictionalizes the true story behind Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World.” As a someone who has some interest in American art, I appreciate learning a bit about the back story.
Home Front
: This is another book from Kristin Hannah that, once again, focuses on a woman’s role in a war. This time, it was about the War in Iraq and, wow. While I wouldn’t say that I adored this book, I did appreciate the perspective of something happening modern-day.
The Broken Girls
: Creepy, but not in a weird way.. OK, maybe in a weird way. This is about a closed girls’ boarding school that has a few dark, dirty secrets. It’s not until a journalist in contemporary times puts the pieces together that the story is told.
The Last Mrs. Parrish
: Ah, gotta love a good, trashy novel. A home-wrecking gold digger goes after one of New York’s wealthiest Wall Street men by befriending his wife. However, her plan goes completely awry when she realizes the truth behind what she’s done.
The Wife Between Us
: I honestly can’t write much about this one without giving it all away. A big twist. So good. Worth reading.
The Woman in the Window
: I sincerely don’t know how this could possibly be a debut novel. It is SO good, and SUCH a creative story. A woman with agoraphobia sees a lot from her window overlooking a park. When she sees something tragic happen, no one seems to believe her.
Little Fires Everywhere
: If you’re from Cleveland, you HAVE to read this. Little Fires Everywhere takes place in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights in the 1990s. There are references to Jammin 92.3, St. Ignatius football and other local insiders. The story ends abruptly, in my opinion, but is fantastic. The main themes are family, motherhood, and wealth. Sorry that doesn’t give a ton of background, but take my word for it, that it’s worth the read.
