Holy moly! I have not blogged for awhile. Life. It happens. This post will be a little long as I attempt to review (probably briefly) 6 books. I don't feel like I have been that busy reading but I guess these all caught up to me. I do feel like I have found my way back to my reading mojo this past week or so. I am encouraged! That being said, here we go!
First up is, 'They Call Me the Cat Lady' by Amy Miller. I chose this book on a whim because of the fun title and description. I'm glad I did. It's a story about a quirky lady named Nancy Jones and her quiet and secluded life. She has a lot of cats, both inside her house and out, that she cares for. She doesn't let people get close to her for fear of letting down the walls she has built around her heart. Eventually, she meets people who help her see her life for what it is and what it could be. Huge changes and leaps of faith create a new reality for Nancy. No spoilers but I love how it ended. I know that I loved this book because of the ways that it reminded me of 'A Man Called Ove' and 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine'.
My next book, 'The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper' by Phaedra Patrick actually reminds me a lot of 'A Man Called Ove'. Arthur Pepper is a widow who has survived the first year after his beloved wife's death. He decides to finally take the step to clean out some of her belongings in the closet and donate them. As he is cleaning them out, he finds a charm bracelet that he has never seen before. He wonders what the charms meant to his wife and where she got them. So, he goes on an adventure to discover where they came from and why. The journey is not all fun and happiness, though. He learns a lot about his wife and the person she was before they met. As always, no spoilers. But if you are looking for a good read full of emotions and also humor, I suggest this!
'How To Walk Away' by Katherine Center was my next book. I had never read anything by this author either (new trend for me?) so I decided to give it a try. I absolutely loved this book! The main character, Margaret, was so funny! I laughed out loud in quite a few places as I read. The characters were all so relatable. The story opens with Margaret and her boyfriend heading out on a date that ends in a plane crash. She has a fear of flying, so naturally this doesn't end well. She ends up paralyzed and he walks away fine. The story revolves around her recovery and the new life she takes on. I really did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I would have loved for it to become a series or even a two parter. But, we don't always have that luxury, do we? Anyway, I won't spoil anything for you but if you have a chance to read it, I suggest it! Also, if you read this, please tell me how much you loved Ian!
My next book was a new genre for me. I was browsing through the available books on my Libby app and this one caught my eye. It was 'All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir' by Nicole Chung. This book is about Nichole's life and the story of her adoption. When she is pregnant with her first child, she decides to finally take the initiative and find out about her birth family. An idea she has thought about doing for some time, but never wanted to actually do, for fear of hurting her adoptive parents or finding out something that may not be what she was looking for. I have no ties to adoption at all but this book intrigued me. I really enjoyed the way that Nichole told her story and how easy it was to follow the time lines of her life. I don't give away how books end, but this one ended on a happy note, which made me glad. Because this was a memoir and not fiction, I felt like there was more of a connection to the people in the story. That was a new thing for me! I recommend this if you are looking for something just a little different than your normal read.
Is there anyone else out there that completely loved 'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes? I fell hard for that book. Louisa and Will are two of my favorite characters. I struggled with the second book in the series, 'After You'. I think it was because I was missing Will and also it seemed to go much slower for me. So, I have been dragging my feet for over a year about reading 'Still Me'. I am so, so glad I did. I felt like Louisa was more herself in this book. Which I guess is fitting since it's the story of her finding her own way, figuring out who she is, and what she really wants out of life. This book left me wanting more from this series. I want to know what she does next! In this book, Louisa moves to New York City to become a personal assistant to a very wealthy lady. She is dragged through the ringer trying to do her job. Reading about how the ultra rich live is always fun and also sad to me. Louisa's spunk and humor are the best. She is just such a fun character to read. I loved the friends she made in this book but I also loved that some of my favorites from the previous books made appearances also. Ultimately, the story ended in a really great way and I can't imagine it being done any other way. If you haven't read the series, I highly suggest it. Grab the tissues before you start reading tough. the emotions are real!
My last review for today is on 'The Upside of Falling Down' by Rebekah Crane. I wasn't sure what book to read next so I started looking around my Amazon Prime for free books that may spark my interest. This book was so funny! I'm glad I decided to take a chance on it. The story starts off with the main character, Clementine, waking up in the hospital, the sole survivor of a plane crash over Ireland. She has no memory of what happened or who she is. She assumes the name Jane and escapes the hospital with a man named Kieran. She hides away trying to avoid her dad, the press, and her fear of what her future will be like if she never regains her memory. How the story unfolds is really quite funny. I truly enjoyed this book! It's also a very quick read, just shy of 250 pages. If you are in the mood for something quick and light, try this one out!
So, lesson learned- do not wait so long to blog about books. Ha! I am super happy I got this post done today though. I have been thinking about it a lot the past week but I just never found the time to sit and type out my thoughts. School is winding down for the year which means I am almost done with work. Which also means I will have more time to read and also to review. That makes me happy!
I really appreciate each of you who reads this blog. This is such a fun outlet for me to talk about the things that I love! Thanks for hanging in there while I was away for so long- I am hoping to not have that long of an absence again!
As always, get in touch with me if you want to discuss these books (or others!) . I would love to hear your thoughts on these after you have read them. Happy reading, friends!!
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