Simple Meals + Honest Book Reviews + Practical Living
I’m currently in three different book clubs. Which sounds like it’s a lot, and yes, it definitely is, but it’s been fun, enjoyable, and I’m happily plowing through books that I want to read. So three book clubs it is!
Today, I’m sharing all the book club picks that were selected in the last six months. I’ll also let you know my personal opinion on the book and why I believe it would make a good choice for your book club (or wouldn’t).
March hasn’t been my strongest reading month so far. Between work, travel, out of town guests, and everything in between, I was only able to squeeze in five books. This month was pathetic, I know guys, I know. Welp, here’s everything I’ve read in March and everything I’m currently reading.
This was a truly interesting and a bone chilling read! Thank you David Grann for bringing the story of the Osage murders to life, I feel like this tragedy in history has been overlooked and swept up under the rug. It was very interesting to learn the about the horrific fate of the Osage at the turn of the century.
What a fun and special story, I loved how the third main character’s POV — second to Natasha and Daniel’s — was The Universe itself. If you’re into fate, destiny, science, and all things data related, it would be hard not to love this book. Even the secondary characters were special and definitely added to the central plot line. It did have Eleanor and Park vibes, but a more elevated and grownup version, even though The Sun is Also a Star is a YA novel too.
This isn’t a recently released novel, but it was recommended to me by a friend (who knows I enjoy all things weird, and she in turn has equally weird and beautiful taste in books). EXCELLENT READ, it was an absolutely fantastic story. The writing, the tone, the pace, the backstories, the characters — everything about this book was utter genius.
I scooped this up from the Little Library in my neighborhood literally ages ago. I figured I should read it before officially turning thirty. It was cute, I think that’s the best way to describe it. It wasn’t earth shattering, or filled with things that you don’t already know (especially if you’re over the age of 25), but it was fun to read and I think it would make a good gift for a college graduate.
I… don’t even know where to get started with this book. It was BEAUTIFUL. The writing was utterly captivating, richly colorful, and incredibly heartbreaking. I cried too many times to count. Family drama at it’s absolute finest. This is a profoundly moving story, highly recommend!
I went a bit crazy with my February 2018 BOTM box. In addition to The Heart’s Invisible Furies, I also added in this on, The Wife Between Us and An American Marriage for $9.99 each. Don’t ask me why I did this, especially considering I have SO MANY BOOKS currently sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. Ugh.
I don’t remember why I chose this book, but it was what I selected for my one free book with my Audible subscription. It seemed to have good reviews and I figured, why not. I started it this morning… Will keep you posted!
Another Nicola Yoon! I really liked The Sun is Also a Star (see above), so I pitched her Everything, Everything to my book club. Everyone seemed in agreement. I really like it so far!
Meh. I go through ups and downs with this one. It’s hard for me to sit down with it for more than 10 minutes at a time. Sometimes I’m really engrossed in it, and other times I get really fed up with the writing style.
And that wraps it up for all my March books! My goal for April is to get back on the-eight-books-a-month bandwagon, I was able to do so in January and February, so I should be able to get back on track!
This year started off with more than a handful of books I truly and utterly loved. Sometimes I find myself in a bit of a book rut, where 3 books in a row will be duds — and in this case, it’s just the opposite. It seems like the majority of books I’ve read this year have all been fantastic. Like pull on your heartstrings fantastic, so I thought I’d share them with you today. Giving you a one or two sentence recap, letting you decide for yourself if you want to add it to your TR list.
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I went a bit nuts on Paperback Swap earlier this year, I got really excited at the idea of swapping books for free. OK, not free — you have to absorb the small cost of shipping. How about almost free AND you get to clean out your bookshelf. However, there’s a catch. Sigh, isn’t there always?…
For one of my three book clubs, I pitched The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne. I had no idea it was nearly 600 pages long when I suggested it (LADIES I’M SORRY!). If you’re wondering, it turns out that it was a winner across the board! ANYWAY, a long book can seem overwhelming, I totally get that. And I know most people can be turned off by a doorstop book. Because let’s be real for a second, reading any book cover to cover is a time commitment. And anything over 400 pages is a serious time commitment.
I love this dish! OK, so it’s a super Americanized version of Chinese Chicken, but hey! It’s delicious and great for kids and adults! I usually always pair it up with rice — but feel free to do whatever, I’m sure noodles go just a swimmingly. It’s also incredibly quick and easy to make. …