whatcha readin'? {goal 48 - books 21 to 25)

Happy long weekend to all!
I hope it was full of family, fun, food and love…
and I hope you got out to see the
beauty of fall for some of it.
Those colors!
Never fails to amaze me.
🍂🍁🪾🥬🌿🍁🍃

*** I don’t think there are any spoilers below
but please proceed with caution….***

But…on to the books!
Here is a short summary of 5 more books
that I have read so far:

21. THE CALAMITY CLUB - Kathryn Stockett
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ out of 5 ❤️’s {June)

direct from my notes:
Oh, this book!
I was enthralled.
At first, I found it dense and I was confused
by who was who and what the connections were
but once I got into it, I was IN.
I could not put it down.
I loved the characters that I loved
but oh, how I HATED the characters I hated.
It was a great story that was both funny and
frustrating as all eff
and I was
shocked
by the afterword at the end.
*I will also add that she also
wrote The Help, which I also loved.
(and yes, the book is in the photo below
but also….let’s take a moment to collectively
drool over that stuffed ice cream cone….)

22. THE ARMOR OF LIGHT - Ken Follett
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️out of 5 ❤️’s {July}

This is a follow up but also standalone book
from the Pillars of the Earth trilogy.
You do not have to have read the trilogy
to understand this story, some of the characters
are mentioned briefly which I liked
as I LOVED the trilogy.
This was soooo good, I literally ate it up in days…
and it was a thick book. 😊
I loved Sal and Kit.
I was rooting for so many people
(& also rooting for the downfall of others).

23. THE DUKE & I - Julia Quinn
❤️❤️❤️❤️out of 5 ❤️’s {July}

I had already watched the series
so had a pretty good idea of the story already
but I did enjoy this
and plan to read the rest
without guilt. 🤫

24. STARDUST - Neil Gaiman
💙💙💙💙💙 out of 5 💙’s (blue = re-read) {July}

I loved this book
the first time I read it
and it had been such a long time since I read it last
that I had forgotten most of it,
so it was like reading it all over again….
which I loved.  :)
Besides, you can’t go wrong with Neil Gaiman,
even Finnegan agrees.

25. MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME - Arundhati Roy
❤️❤️❤️❤️ out of 5 ❤️’s {July}

Direct from my notes after reading:
I was a little hesitant starting this book when I realized that was about the loss of her mother but then realized it was a much more complex, strained relationship than my own.  And also that a great deal of the book would focus on the politics, war, and horrors of her country…those parts of the book were so much harder to read.  How can humans be so awful and cruel and barbaric?  It is astounding.  But then I got to the last chapter where she lost her mother and I sat in the hot sun on the deck in my pink striped pj short set and cried.  :(

And that brings me closer to the goal…
I am currently at 34 of 48
but behind on sharing, as always.

whatcha readin'? {goal 35 - books 21-25}

Playing catch up once again….

5 more books I have read:

25.

I know I have written about this author here before,
actually, just last week :)
I do really like her writing.
It reminds a little bit of the books
I read when I was younger…
I loved Jackie Collins…and books
that were glossy and glittery
and maybe a tiny bit smutty…heh.

Anyway. These last two books by
Taylor Jenkins Reid
remind me slightly of that time
in my life…but
without the smuttiness
:)
Rich people, famous people,
rock stars, celebrities
and secrets behind the screens…

I enjoyed this book.

4 ♥’s out of 5

22.

Not really a subject I am good with reading about…
anything that has to do with children
really, really hurts my heart…it always has.

The note I had written myself about this book was:
”I did not expect to love this so much
but the writing was very beautiful and tragic and
sweetly sad like a fairy tale.”

5 ♥’s out of 5

23.

Another quick read that was a bit of a thriller,
a bit creepy (which is not usually my thing) and also involved a kid…
but it was well worth the read.

4 ♥’s out of 5

24.

and welcome to the
self help portion of my reading list….
:)

I actually really liked this book.
I appreciated his no-nonsense way of
looking at things…I liked that he said the eff word a lot.
I felt like a lot of this was not new to me,
but did reaffirm some thoughts I had…
but I did also have some epiphanies while reading this.

The truth is I am pretty happy on my own
and I knew this going into the book…
I do not require a relationship to be happy.
I am not opposed to one but
I am also unwilling to settle for anything less
than sparks and butterflies. :)

“Asking myself where I am going
before I ask
who is going with me.”

5 ♥’s out of 5

25.

This.

This book. This was one of my most favorite books
this year. And yes, it’s a bit of a self-help-y kinda thing
but it’s the kinda self help-y thing I like…

Also, it has the eff word in the title.
Which I always like.

I made sooooo many notes while reading this.
And when I finished it, I wanted to start it over again.
It is not a “give away for trade book”
it’s one I know I will re-read…
and I just like seeing it on my shelf.

* also the author is adorable
and my bestest friend now cause she left
a comment on Instagram…heehee

5 ♥’s out of 5