Wednesday, January 29, 2020

January 2020 Books #mylifeinbooks


I thought I'd give it a try to write short reviews as I go this year....let's see how well I can keep up!

The First Mrs. Rothschild - I enjoyed this look at a very interesting part of history, even if I thought the book itself was a little dry. I am always a fan of a book that takes the perspective of a woman that history may have overlooked.

Shouting at the Rain - a sweet middle-grade novel about friendship and loss. I preferred One for the Murphys but I thought this was a nice read from this author.

Finding Dorothy - I really liked this one - I am a big Oz fan, and while I'm pretty sure it's all entirely made up, it really just made me want to re-read Oz and re-watch the movie.

One of Us is Lying - A recommendation of a young friend, I really enjoyed this twisty Breakfast Club-inspired story. I'm less certain I need to read the sequel, but we'll see.

Mrs. Everything - Do we change for the world or does the world change us? I don't have a sister, and I find that I often gravitate toward sister stories - maybe I'm wondering what it's really like. I really enjoyed the exploration of female relationships and roles....

Allegedly - A recommendation of a former Confirmation student, WOW. This one kept me up late and I am still not sure how I feel about that ending...a dark, emotional, and pretty disturbing novel that really kept me on the edge of my seat!

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know - I really like this sort of popular writing about science-y ideas, I think Malcolm Gladwell writes interesting and thought-provoking stuff. I'm still wondering how to apply some of these ideas.

American Royals - After those previous books, I wanted something light and fluffy and I loved this one. It was so fun to imagine a different USA and to imagine royal life. (PS if you like this one, make sure you also read Red, White, and Royal Blue) I can't wait for the sequel!

The Forgotten Room - As I was reading this one, I kept saying, "I know how it will end" and then claiming that I wanted to see if I was right. I was only partially right, so I think I enjoyed the whole thing!

The Beekeeper of Aleppo - A hard look at the trek of one Syrian family as they leave war-torn Aleppo to seek asylum in the UK. Powerful and hard to read, it felt like a realistic portrayal of the horrible stories that cause people to set off into the unknown, hoping it is better than whatever they are leaving behind.

Tell Me Three Things - Yael is reading this one so I thought I'd jump on her bandwagon. It was a sweet story about a girl working through grief, which is always interesting to me. I'm fascinated by the number of YA novels that have anonymous texts/emails in them....what's that about?

What are you reading?
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