It's about that time: time for the next installment of Recent Reads. As you probably know by now I love to read and it's one of my favorite things to talk about with friends. So naturally, I enjoy sharing my thoughts and recommendations here on the blog.
First up is In a Dark, Dark Wood. Sounds creepy, no? Well if you thought so, you'd be right. The main character, Nora, is invited to an old friend's bachelorette party after not seeing her for ten years. Out of curiosity, she goes to the party and let's just say things go awry. I definitely wouldn't say I'm into scary books or movies, but I do love the occasional thriller and this one fit the bill. It was akin to the level of suspense in Gillian Flynn books. I think this was the most recent book that I literally could. not. put. down. Read it in 24 hours. It's being made into a movie too, which I always enjoy.
Oh, The Nightingale. Have you heard of it? It seems like everyone's reading it, and for good reason! It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I got into the swing of it I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. This book tells the story of two French sisters who fought against the Germans during WWII each in their own unique way. There's suspense, love, friendship, and a lot of heartbreak. My mom and I both cried reading this one, which is abnormal for us when it comes to reading. What I loved most about this book was that it's set in France and written from a French perspective. So much of what I've read and learned about WWII is from an American perspective, so this was a nice change.
I was so excited when I got the notification that I was finally able to check out this book. I think I had to wait about four months for it to become available. (Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I use the app OverDrive to rent library books and put them on my Kindle). Orphan Train is the story of Niamh, an Irish immigrant who finds herself an orphan after only being in the U.S. for a few months. She's then sent out west on the "Orphan Train" that stops in various cities that hold adoption events. Niamh shares her incredible story with Molly, a young girl she relates to, once she's in her nineties. This one is also quite emotional, and I'll warn you that there is one pretty disturbing part, but overall a great read.
I'll be honest, I totally judged this book by the cover for the longest time. And when I say cover I literally mean the title and the picture, not even the description about the Olympics on the front. Because I was so quick to judge I thought this was just some random book about a fictional rowing team. Wasn't interested. It wasn't until my mom was reading it that I found out it's the true story of the American olympic rowing team from 1936. I had zero knowledge about rowing, so it was kind of fun to learn all the terminology. I also enjoyed the historical aspect of this book, because I typically read fiction.
This book, that's who! Okay, done being corny :) but seriously, I loved this book more than I thought I would. I thought it was just going to be another of dozens of love stories I've read, but I really liked the way this particular love story was told. It's told over time, continually checking in with Andy and Rachel throughout their lives, starting with when they meet in a hospital emergency room at age eight.
I also wanted to mention that I started and did not finish Fates and Furies. This is another book that I kept seeing as recommended, but I really hated it. I got about 1/3 of the way through before I had to stop. Has anyone else read this? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Any other books I should know about? I'm currently reading The Book Thief (sensing a WWII theme lately?) and up next is The Royal We!
xo Catherine
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