May was a great month of reading for me. I hope it was for you, too! One of the books I read I now consider one of my favorite books ever! Read on to see which book it is!
I started the month reading Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman. It is readily accepted now that this book was the first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. However, it was promoted as a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, as it was set in the 1950’s. The title comes from Isaiah 21:6: “For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.” In the book, Jean Louise Finch returns home, and becomes disillusioned with her hometown of Maycomb, Alabama. The book deals with racial and political tensions in the south. Even though Go Set a Watchman fell short for me, it in no way takes away the brilliance of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
Next, I read the suspenseful mystery, The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. The main character, Lo Blacklock, is a journalist for a travel magazine. She is on an assignment to cover a week on a luxury cruise. Things start to happen on the cruise when Lo thinks she saw someone fall overboard. I enjoyed this book.
Can I just say now that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is one of my favorite books ever! I have picked up that book numerous times in my life and have always put it down in favor of something else. Well, I’m so happy that I read this book. I was actually sad when it ended. The character of Francie Nolan was so endearing. This novel is set in the slums of the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn in the early 20th century. Life is hard, but they survive. If you haven’t read this book, please do. There is a reason it was #13 on the PBS The Great American Read Top 100 List. By the way, To Kill a Mockingbird was #1.
My Not So Perfect Life by Sophia Kinsella was a light, fun read for me. The main character is Katie Brenner who lives in London and works at a posh marketing agency. The book chronicles her work life and love life. It is super cute!
This month must be my month for reading classics. I also read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. It was ranked #12 in the PBS The Great American Read Top 100 List and is a Pulitzer Prize winner. The book is about an Oklahoma farm family who has to leave their homestead. They decide to move west to California, and the book describes their trials during that journey. The Joads experience heartbreak, prejudice, and much misfortune, but they continue to persevere.
The final book I read this month was a departure from the others. It was Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly. This book is the prequel to Lilac Girls, which I read and reviewed in January, 2019. This book is about Eliza Ferriday, Caroline’s mother, who helps the White Russian families who lost everything during the Russian Revolution. The author has two other main characters, Sofya and Varinka, who are based on compilations of real people who the author researched. Martha Hall Kelly’s research and travel makes this book and all of the characters come alive. I was so happy to find out in her Author’s Notes that she is researching the story of Caroline’s great-grandmother, Jane Eliza Newton Woolsey, during Civil War time for her next novel. I can hardly wait for that book to be published!
Now, onto my summer reading! I post on my Instagram page what I am currently reading and listening to on audiobooks. Happy Reading!!
I started the month reading Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman. It is readily accepted now that this book was the first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. However, it was promoted as a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, as it was set in the 1950’s. The title comes from Isaiah 21:6: “For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.” In the book, Jean Louise Finch returns home, and becomes disillusioned with her hometown of Maycomb, Alabama. The book deals with racial and political tensions in the south. Even though Go Set a Watchman fell short for me, it in no way takes away the brilliance of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
Next, I read the suspenseful mystery, The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. The main character, Lo Blacklock, is a journalist for a travel magazine. She is on an assignment to cover a week on a luxury cruise. Things start to happen on the cruise when Lo thinks she saw someone fall overboard. I enjoyed this book.
Can I just say now that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is one of my favorite books ever! I have picked up that book numerous times in my life and have always put it down in favor of something else. Well, I’m so happy that I read this book. I was actually sad when it ended. The character of Francie Nolan was so endearing. This novel is set in the slums of the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn in the early 20th century. Life is hard, but they survive. If you haven’t read this book, please do. There is a reason it was #13 on the PBS The Great American Read Top 100 List. By the way, To Kill a Mockingbird was #1.
My Not So Perfect Life by Sophia Kinsella was a light, fun read for me. The main character is Katie Brenner who lives in London and works at a posh marketing agency. The book chronicles her work life and love life. It is super cute!
This month must be my month for reading classics. I also read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. It was ranked #12 in the PBS The Great American Read Top 100 List and is a Pulitzer Prize winner. The book is about an Oklahoma farm family who has to leave their homestead. They decide to move west to California, and the book describes their trials during that journey. The Joads experience heartbreak, prejudice, and much misfortune, but they continue to persevere.
The final book I read this month was a departure from the others. It was Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly. This book is the prequel to Lilac Girls, which I read and reviewed in January, 2019. This book is about Eliza Ferriday, Caroline’s mother, who helps the White Russian families who lost everything during the Russian Revolution. The author has two other main characters, Sofya and Varinka, who are based on compilations of real people who the author researched. Martha Hall Kelly’s research and travel makes this book and all of the characters come alive. I was so happy to find out in her Author’s Notes that she is researching the story of Caroline’s great-grandmother, Jane Eliza Newton Woolsey, during Civil War time for her next novel. I can hardly wait for that book to be published!
Now, onto my summer reading! I post on my Instagram page what I am currently reading and listening to on audiobooks. Happy Reading!!
Comments
Post a Comment