Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Olive Kitteridge is a difficult woman, she is blunt and hard to like, and yet she is a very special person. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, showing the struggle of aging and the challenges of family and relationships and the enduring power of love. I highly recommend reading Olive Again.
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A beautifully written look at the role of women in India during the 1950's and I really enjoyed it. The main character was so likable, facing hardship and adversity that was so common for women at that time. I really loved the way the author introduced Indian culture and foods and gave us such a unique perspective of the customs and culture through the strong characters. As Lakshmi works on building her henna business for the wealthy women of Jaipur and earning enough money to purchase her own home, her life is thrown into turmoil when her younger sister arrives. Lakshmi did not even realize she had a younger sister until Radha arrives at her door. The bonds of love will be tested as Lakshmi and her sister Radha must navigate the rules of society for women of their caste, and ultimately discover who they were meant to be. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
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Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This short little book feels like sitting on the patio just chatting with Reese. To be fair I think this book would not be as interesting if you are not a fan of Ms. Witherspoon. Her quaint stories of growing up in Tennessee and life in the south are sweet, but not necessarily as relatable to people who are not wealthy southerners. There are some cute nuggets of wisdom hidden in this book. It's a nice little escape for a few hours.
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The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this story, which alternates between 1938 Austria and 1988 Los Angeles. As Kristoff and Elena face the struggles of Nazi control and the ever increasing danger for jews, modern day Kate is dealing with a divorce and a father who has Alzheimer's. Kate begins a search for the history behind a very intriguing stamp in her father's collection and through this one stamp she discovers much more about herself and her family than she imagined. The story moved along quickly and the author did a beautiful job of weaving authentic historical facts within both of the story lines, as well as including elements of the jewish faith that feel natural and not forced like some stories. If you like historical fiction then I strongly recommend The Lost Letter.
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The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I chose this book based on the good reviews but it definitely wasn't one of my favorites. The story was much more explicit than I thought it would be, and the author's attempt to explain life with Aspergers was clumsy at best and honestly pretty offensive. The characters weren't very relatable, and the plot was predictable. I suggest you skip this one unless you like very graphic romance.
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