One Day in December by Josie Silver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the first book from the Reece Witherspoon Book Club that I didn't really like. It was well written, but honestly it felt forced and felt like a downer. I was hoping for more, but the story felt like it dragged on and on. Essentially the whole story is an unrequited love and colossally bad timing that prevents two people from being together. This last through several years and many relationships, until the inevitable and predictable ending. I was hoping for a Christmas love story, but I found this book lacking any of the special holiday feeling I was looking for.
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Must Love Dogs: Hearts & Barks by Claire Cook
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed reading this next installment in the Must Love Dogs series, another wonderful adventure with Sarah & her family. Once again the big, loud Hurlihy family makes life more challenging for Sarah and her boyfriend John. Sarah struggles to deal with the pressure to have a child all while dealing with the eminent arrival of her friend and co-worker Polly's baby. Add to that John's proposal to get married and things quickly start to feel overwhelming. Even though pressure at work and pressure at home make life challenging for Sarah, she manages to rise above the chaos with humor and resilience. Reading this series is a fun escape into the world of a big family and all that it entails.
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The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book, it was well written and I learned a great deal about the past of Albert Einstein, but I was also incredibly upset and frustrated while reading this. The unfair nature of life for women in the 19th and 20th century was overwhelming at times. The main character Mileva was intelligent and formidable in her own right before meeting Albert. The only downside to reading this book is that it does tarnish the reputation of a beloved historical figure. While the author did take some literary liberties with the story, it is quite believable that events happened just as the author described.
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The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoy reading books by Liane Moriarty and this was no exception. This odd story about a quirky family who live on an island and their lives are intertwined with a famous mystery. An outsider named Sophie is given a home on the island as a gift from one of the two sisters who first found the mysterious baby Enigma. Sophie is quickly accepted into the family and she begins to learn more and more about the family, but it is clear they are hiding something. There is more than one mystery on the island as Sophie is also struggling with feelings for the handsome husband of Grace, a new mom who is desperately unhappy. As we get to know more about each character, we can see how the family dynamics have shaped each personality, and not always for the better. Each of the characters begin to face their own inner demons as the islands decades old secrets are threatened. In her usual manner Liane Moriarty adds some snarky humor along with some intrigue and fun to keep the story humming along. I enjoyed this book.
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You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have to admit when I started this book my first thought was ugh, this is just a bunch of cliche quotes and advice, but the more I listened, the more I began to really see the author's message of transformation. While the author does tend to oversimplify the work needed to achieve goals, she does have the ability to help the reader examine what internal messages are holding you back. I felt more inspired after listening to this. While some of the advice might feel trite, it feels that way because it is good advice. Using affirmations, exploring negative self talk and ideas that hold you back, these are all necessary to move ahead. I do recommend this book for anyone who needs a little push in the right direction to achieve their best self and live an awesome life.
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The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I typically enjoy historical fiction, especially fiction set during the World War II era so I was looking forward to reading this book, but it was not nearly as good as I had hoped. I saw so many glowing reviews, but for me this story was obvious and somewhat predictable. The story centers around Lale, a Slovakian Jew, and the girl he falls in love with, Gita. Through some highly improbable circumstances Lale finds himself in the role of the Tätowierer (the German word for "tattooist"), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. For me there was something missing in the writing. It didn't feel authentic. The idea that a jew would have so much power and freedom in a concentration camp that he could easily operate an underground market for food, medicine and other supplies was simply too fantastical to believe. The author never gives us any insight into what Gita thinks or feels, nor any of the other characters, so we only have the emotion of Lale and even that is stilted and feels forced at times. I was also disappointed at the ending, which too felt forced and lacking in the emotional depth I would expect from a holocaust story. Overall I would probably not recommend this book.
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The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and A Life-Changing Journey Around the World by Kim Dinan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I love to travel so I thought this book would be a perfect fit, and while I loved the ideas in it, I found the story frustrating at times. The author shares her personal experience of her husband and her quitting their jobs, selling their house and beginning an adventure to travel around the world. Her good friends decide to give them an envelope of cash to give away while they are on their journey. All of this sounds wonderful, but the majority of the book the author chooses to describe her own internal struggles with finding meaning and purpose and her marital struggles, rather than focus on all of the incredible travel experiences. Overall I felt disappointed in this book. I wanted the story to be much more than it was. I wanted the author to quit telling us about all of her epiphanies about her search for meaning and to actually share the amazing cultures and people that she was meeting on her travels.
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