Bookworm: July 2015

“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

Loved: 

Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife, Linda Berdoll: Because, obviously, Pride and Prejudice sequels are among my favorite things ever, despite how they fail to live up to the original (duh, what COULD live up to it?!). 

Darcy and Elizabeth, Linda Berdoll: See above. 

The Ruling Passion: The Darcys, Linda Berdoll: No really, see above. It's a series and it MADE the first week of my month, no joke.

Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald: The third of my 25 "1001 Books to Read Before You Die" for #70 on my 101 in 1001 list.  Classic gorgeous Fitzgerald prose about coming of age, descent into mental illness and alcoholism, and developing and crumbling relationships. 

Enjoyed: 

Austenland, Shannon Hale: A modern woman disheartened by her romantic failures goes on an immersion trip to a "Regency" England resort seeking her very own Mr. Darcy. Charming, light, and a very quick read. 

Midnight at Austenland, Shannon Hale: Take Austenland, above, and add in a little murder mystery action with the romance. Super fun. 

Chalked Up, Jennifer Sey: The 1986 women's US gymnastics champion tells the twisted and intense story of surviving life as a competitive gymnast as the sport rose to prominence. Interesting, dark, and quick. 

Tolerated: 

Stolen Innocence, Elisa Wall: The tale of "the girl who brought down Warren Jeffs" and her escape from the fundamentalist FLDS in the early 2000s. 

The Red Leather Diary, Lily Koppel: An abandoned journal from the 1920's is discovered in a dumpster. The author tracked down its writer and the book tells her life story...in fairly insipid, uninspiring prose. Could've been much better. 

Rereads: 

Faking It, Jennifer Crusie: Frothy, delightful, sexy chick lit about an art forger and a con artist falling in love amidst mistaken identities and heists galore. 

Bookworm: June 2015

Loved: 

The Kitchen House, Kathleen Grissom--a dark and riveting account of pre-Civil War slavery told from the perspective of a white indentured servant and a black kitchen slave.

Good in Bed, Jennifer Weiner--frothy and fun, but also a pretty critical look at society's prejudices and opinions about weight and relationships. A bit dated, but still enjoyable. 

Revenge Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger--the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, and just as fun and snarky. 

Enjoyed: 

I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, Courtney Maum--The tale of a marriage, an affair, and the aftermath, set in Paris at the dawn of the Iraq war. Stunning vernacular, and the scenes of Paris all grabbed me at the heart. A choice quote: "No woman possessed more confidence in her appearance than Paris." 

Everyone Worth Knowing, Lauren Weisberger--A slightly outdated but still super light, funny chick-lit offering from the author of The Devil Wears Prada. 

Chasing Harry Winston, Lauren Weisberger--Another fun, fluffy perfect rooftop read for anyone in a romantic quarter-life crisis. 

Tolerated: 

Grey, E.L. James--because, DUH, I'm not going to not read the only book everyone else in the world is talking about. 

How To Start a Fire, --Three super screwed-up friends from college tell their tales in VERY non-chronological order and end up rediscovering their friendship. 

Re-reads: 

The White Princess, Philippa Gregory--part of the "Cousin's War" series about the Plantagenets, this installment covers the union of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII, including his obsession with the foundation of the Tudor dynasty over the York "pretenders." I'm a dork, I love it, whatever. 

The Morning Gift, Eva Ibbotson--I've loved Eva Ibbotson since I was in middle school. The way she writes makes me happier than just about any other author. 

Magic Flutes, Eva Ibbotson--Vienna, the opera, a love story, and a healthy dose of humor. 

Bookworm: May 2015

"My shorthand answer is that I try to write the kind of book that I would like to read. If I can make it clear and interesting and compelling to me, then I hope maybe it will be for the reader." -David McCullough

May offered me the perfect opportunity to bookworm out...two eight-hour flights to/from Paris! I also love taking advantage of my building's gorgeous rooftop space to head up, soak up some sun, and plow through a book (or two) on nice afternoons. I did keep it light this month, though, after reading David McCullough's spellbinding "The Greater Journey" on the way home from Paris...most of these selections are geared at young adult readers, and were just light and fluffy enough to plow through in an afternoon.

 Without further ado: 

Loved: 

The Royal We, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan: This is basically the story of Prince William and Kate Middleton's romance, recast with Kate as an American. It is an utter delight - witty and smart and gossipy, but so well-written that each character is vivid and interesting in his or her own stead. 

The Greater Journey, David McCullough: This examination of Americans' enduring fascination with and expatriation to Paris throughout history kept me riveted, especially fresh off my own visit to the city with my mom and Em! 

The Girl On The Train, Paula Hawkins: It took me a bit to get into this au courant thriller, but once I did I was completely sucked in. I stayed up til nearly 1am in Paris finishing it under a blanket so I didn't keep my mom and Em awake - what an insane set of twists and turns! 

Enjoyed: 

The Selection, Kiera Cass: All of these Kiera Cass novels are indisputably for young-adult readers, and I'm ashamed to admit I was drawn in because of their gorgeous covers. 

The Elite, Kiera Cass

The One, Kiera Cass

The Prince, Kiera Cass

The Guard, Kiera Cass

The Queen, Kiera Cass

Sunlight and Shadow, Cameron Dokey

Golden, Cameron Dokey

Tolerated: 

The Storyteller's Daughter, Cameron Dokey

Midnight Pearls, Debbie Vigue

To All The Boys I've Ever Loved, Jenny Han

Re-reads: 

None! 

Bookworm: April 2015

“What do you know about yourself? What are your stories? The ones you tell yourself, and the ones told by others. All of us begin somewhere. Though I suppose the truth is that we begin more than once; we begin many times. Over and over, we start our own tales, compose our own stories, whether our lives are short or long. Until at last all our beginnings come down to just one end, and the tale of who we are is done.” -Cameron Dokey

I sort of feel like I have an unfair advantage on the reading list this month. With five days to do nothing but laze around on the beach/in the pool with books while in Mexico, I plowed through way more than my usual count! 

Loved: 

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy Kaling

William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls, Katie Nicholl

Before Midnight, Cameron Dokey

Belle, Cameron Dokey

Enjoyed: 

Big Girl Panties, Stephanie Evanovich

The Museum of Extraordinary Things, Alice Hoffman

Geisha: A Life, Mineko Iwasaki

Beauty Sleep, Cameron Dokey

Tolerated: 

Diana: Her True Story, In Her Own Words, Andrew Morton

Just Ella, Margaret Peterson Haddix

Night Dance, Suzanne Weyn

Re-reads: 

I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends, Courtney Robertson

Bookworm: March 2015

“Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it's a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it's a way of making contact with someone else's imagination after a day that's all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.” -Nora Ephron

With a plane trip and a few days in Mexico at the end of this month, I crammed in plenty of reading, and April is already shaping up to be the same way. One of my favorite new books I've read in recent years is officially Shotgun Lovesongs, a beautifully-written story of four Wisconsin men and the intersections and divergences of their lives. I can't recommend it highly enough...the prose is written so richly it reads like poetry, and it tugs at my upper-Midwestern heartstrings in every way. 

Loved: 

The Favored Child, Philippa Gregory

Meridon, Philippa Gregory

Shotgun Lovesongs, Nickolas Butler

Enjoyed: 

Heartburn, Nora Ephron

Tolerated: 

Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

Re-reads: 

I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends, Courtney Robertson