Hits:
- Mrs. Kennedy and Me was a wonderful but heartbreaking read. I think you need some interest in the Kennedys to enjoy it, but I have always been fascinated by that family. I remember checking books out of library about JFK when I was in middle school and I've read a couple other Kennedy memoirs during my adult years.
- Such a Fun Age lived up to all of the hype. It's about the relationship between a family and their nanny, who is a person of color. At the start of the book, something has happened at the house that requires them to call the police so they call their nanny and ask her to take their preschool aged daughter out of the house. They got to a grocery store and attract the attention of security given the mixed race of the child/nanny. The story unfolds from there. It's about race, class, and the relationship between a parent and caregiver. I can see why this book has gotten so much attention.
- The Stationery Shop was another page turner. The book opens in 1950s Iran when the country is in the midst of a revolution. 2 young teens meet and fall in love. They decide to meet and get married secretly, but one of them doesn't show up at the meeting spot. 60 years later, they cross paths in Boston and learn what really happened that day. This is my book club's May book - I'm looking forward to discussing it with them (we are still meeting over Zoom).
Misses:
- Three Women was our April book club book. This book made for a really great book club discussion. Our April meeting will stand out as a meeting where we talked more about the book than we did about what is going on in our lives. But it was a pretty depressing read for me. It's about 3 women and their relationships. None of them are "happy" stories. It made me sad that women don't ask for more from relationships. I know these stories aren't indicative of all relationships but there was just a sense of desperation in the stories that made me uncomfortable and sad.
- American Spy was a book I was really looking forward to reading. The protagonist is an African American. She works for the FBI but gets recruited to be a spy in the late 1980s. I just felt like some of the decisions she made didn't make sense for a highly educated woman who worked for the FBI... I only stuck with it because it's a book club book for later this year. I'm trying to get better about abandoning books but I try not to abandon book club books unless I really hate it!
Paul's Reads:
Paul is still an avid little reader. He really liked the Llama Llama book and the Farm Block book he got in his Easter basket. He's been less interested in Little Owl's Day but maybe he will become interested in this later. He is still obsessed with the Little Pookie books and has some parts memorized which is really cute. Any book about farms or tractors is a hit with him. A friend of mine hosted an Usbourne book party recently so I ordered some new books for him. He has loved the other Usbourne books I bought for him in the past so hopefully this new batch is a hit!
What are you reading these days?
8 comments:
I’m in the middle of reading a book written by a woman who spent several years in German Prison Camp, and I can only read so many pages before I have to take a break. The next book will be lighter, I can guarantee!
I love how Paul loves books, but is anyone surprised!
All of your "Hits" books sound fantastic! A great, very interesting mix. I am adding them all to my list! I love to get book recommendations. I have not been doing so well on the reading front lately and hope to step it back up. I've been doing exercise + blogging in the mornings, school with kids + work the rest of the day and then it feels like it gets late and there is still dinner + some family time to be had. I'm trying to not stress too much about it but am also looking for some small windows to fit in more reading. I could definitely drop my phone at certain times and pick up my books instead!! Thanks for the recommendations!
Oh, I do think I need to read that Kennedy book! It's really a diverse selection of reading this month, Lisa -- and lots of it. Well done!
I'm reading a small book called "The President's Hat" by Antoine Laurain and finished Queen Victoria's Sketchbook. I can't decide what's next -- the pile is too deep!
I'm still forced to do Kindle only...but the cool thing is that you can request the library purchase a kindle version of a book for you, and I have been able to do that and they've purchased several I wanted to read. I'm reading Ball Four right now which is basically just a rambling diary of a professional baseball player, but it's such a fun look into how professional sports used to be!
I've been hesitating to read Three Women because it's just really hard for me to read books about women who make so many stupid mistakes when it comes to dating. I just have no patience, ha. So I'm not sure if it's the book for me, and your review makes me even less inclined to read it.
I'm still plucking through November Road, I can now safely say I don't think you'd like it. While it loosely has Kennedy connections they are loose and the real story isn't what you normally would like.
The only book you read that I've also read is Three Women and I second that Three Women made for excellent book club discussion. One thing one of my book club members pointed out was that all the women in the book faced pretty significant relationship / sexual trauma and that seems to have really impacted their relationships in adulthood. That made me feel a little more empathy towards each of them, though overall I still wouldn't say I liked the book... but it made for good discussion!
I am currently reading "Lifespan: Why we Age and Why we Don't Have to". Some fascinating research from a professor at Harvard.
It is so great that Paul is an avid reader and exposed to so many words at such a young age. As a teacher we are constantly presented with the evidence for why that is so important. He's all set for a life of learning!
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