I’m taking a stab at my second book club this year… The first had some great book recommendations, but I only participated in one of the groups discussions. It was a virtual book club organized in a Facebook group with a Zoom-style discussion once a month. The second was organized with some friends at a favorite local watering hole, which will be closing next week. Apparently I’m not the luckiest in my book clubs.
I think I’ve read as many books during the last COVID year as I have in my entire life prior. I’d read the Harry Potters, the Dog’s Journies, the Twilights, the Calendar Girls and the Fifties. More recently the Hunger Games, the Magnolia Story and 16 different books from the Inspector Gamache series.
There could be a healthy debate between and reading an actual book vs. phone/Kindle/e-readers. I’m the latter. Don’t hate. I get the appeal for those of you on the ‘real book’ side, but I prefer reading at night with my screen brightness turned down and white text on a black background. I also have my phone set to night shift at 9pm so all of that nasty blue light is lessened. This works best for me as I’m a night reader… before bed, in the middle of the night when I wake up and want to squeeze in another chapter, whatever. Some weekends curled up on the couch watching the snow on a multi-hour book binge.
I’d also like to preface by reminding you I’m not an actual book critic. The thoughts below are my own, and in no way a very ‘technical’ review. #fortheloveofbooks
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase using one of these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Firefly Lane :: Kristin Hannah
The #1 New York Times bestseller – now a #1 Netflix series!
the blurb on Amazon:
In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all—beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.
So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.
From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success… and loneliness.
Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and mother will change her … how she’ll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she’ll envy her famous best friend..
For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship—jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they’ve survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart … and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.
Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone’s Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It’s about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you—and knows what has the power to hurt you … and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you’ll never forget … one you’ll want to pass on to your best friend.
I’m much better about reading these books turned TV series than I am watching the actual series. I still haven’t started Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu, and the book I started following this one is the Queen’s Gambit. I’m stocking up for a binge worthy weekend!
The Four Winds (also by Kristin Hannah) was the final book done by the Facebook group I was part of. After hearing that it was an absolutely depressing story, I passed on reading it. Instead, I opted for Firefly Lane after it was recommended by a friend. I cried. No point in beating around the bush, but it was worth every bit. I loved following the journey of these friends.
TullyandKate, as they’re referred to in the book, form a friendship as young girls growing up in the ’70s. You’ll follow their lives and friendship together through the ups and downs of the next four decades… all the while shaking your head at Tully 😉
I didn’t want this book to end, and drug out finishing it as it becomes very clear how it will end, and I was avoiding it. It was by far the most intense part of the book.
I found out after finishing it that’s there’s a book two and can’t wait to dig into Fly Away.
find it on AmazonThe Chemist :: Stephanie Meyer
In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.
the blurb on Amazon:
She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.
Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon. When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers.
To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous. Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.
In this tautly plotted novel, Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she’s one of the world’s bestselling authors.
I freaking loved this book! I finished it in less than a week… I also spent nearly an entire day curled up on the couch reading for one of those days. Maybe because it was a dreary gray day. Maybe because I’d stayed up late the night before and screwed up my sleep schedule. Maybe because I’d gotten my COVID vaccine and was just tired. Whatever the case, it was a wonderful lazy day to curl up and read.
I wouldn’t consider myself a huge Stephanie Meyer fan. I’ve read the Twilight series and the Host, but I preferred this to any of those. The story centers around a strong female character, a healthy contrast to fragile Bella. Of course there’s a love story buried in all of the bad-assery of the Chemist. It took a backseat for me. I was much more intrigued with storyline of the ex-CIA-type agents going after the agencies that pitted them against each other. That kept me turning the pages!
The book starts with Alex/Julianna/Jesse’s current depressing life on the run from her former agency. She goes through a lot of effort to stay alive, essentially booby-trapping her apartment to sleep in the bathtub with a gas mask. In other reviews I’ve read on this book, my favorite describes her as a “super clever paranoid scientist geek survival freak whose name changes every 4 pages.” – giki from the UK
I’d love to read a sequel to this book, or watch any form of action packed TV series/movie someone could produce.
find it on AmazonLittle Fires Everywhere :: Celeste Ng
#1 New York Times bestseller!
the blurb on Amazon:
From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned—from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
Enter Mia Warren—an enigmatic artist and single mother—who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town—and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.
Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood—and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.
I’m currently reading this and about 1/3 of the way through. Honestly, I heard this was a good show on Hulu and wanted to read the book prior to watching it. Does that ever happen to you? You watch a movie and it’s amazing and your new favorite and THEN you find out it was a book you could have read that likely would have been even better?
Little Fires Everywhere is a New York Times #1 Bestseller and was a feature in Reese’s Book Club in 2017. I haven’t been too excited about this book either way yet. It was a little tough starting, and I’m not 100% sure on the direction it’s going, but I’m committed.
The story takes place in the perfectly planned community of Shaker Heights and centers around two families. The Richardon’s, a well-to-do family, and the Warrens, an artistic single mother and her teenage daughter, Pearl. There’s a social contrast in these two families but their lives become intertwined.
*post will be updated when I’ve finished the book…
and probably again after I’ve watched the Hulu series*
As promised! I finished the last 10 pages of this book last night after staying up until about 1am binge reading it the night before. I’d have finished it then if I knew there were only 10 pages left. So as expected, while the first half of the book left me wanting more, the second half delivered. The author gives you inside secrets, that the involved characters don’t even know.
There’s a repetitive theme of the mother/child relationship throughout the book: Mia and Pearl, Mrs. Richardson and her children, Mia and her parents, Bebe and or May Ling Chow (or Mrs. McCullough and Mirabelle) and Lexie’s possibility of being a mother.
The drama in how these families clash is engrossing. Celeste Ng has set this book up as an emotional conflict in where you’ll find yourself taking sides, and then questioning your decision. Who should May Ling/Mirabelle be raised with? Did Lexie make the right decision? The author gives an insight for arguments on both sides.
find it on AmazonAll the Ugly and Wonderful Things :: Bryn Greenwood
A New York Times and USA Today bestseller
Book of the Month Club 2016 Book of the Year
Second Place Goodreads Best Fiction of 2016
the blurb from Amazon:
A beautiful and provocative love story between two unlikely people and the hard-won relationship that elevates them above the Midwestern meth lab backdrop of their lives.
As the daughter of a drug dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. It’s safer to keep her mouth shut and stay out of sight. Struggling to raise her little brother, Donal, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible adult around. Obsessed with the constellations, she finds peace in the starry night sky above the fields behind her house, until one night her star gazing causes an accident. After witnessing his motorcycle wreck, she forms an unusual friendship with one of her father’s thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold.
By the time Wavy is a teenager, her relationship with Kellen is the only tender thing in a brutal world of addicts and debauchery. When tragedy rips Wavy’s family apart, a well-meaning aunt steps in, and what is beautiful to Wavy looks ugly under the scrutiny of the outside world. A powerful novel you won’t soon forget, Bryn Greenwood’s All the Ugly and Wonderful Things challenges all we know and believe about love.
All the Ugly and Wonderful things would have been our first book discussion at the Wolfhound (favorite local watering hole that is now closed) and is a book that I have no doubt would bring some serious debates.
Things I love about this book… first, the structure. Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of a different main character. This makes the story easier to follow than you might think, and it keeps your interest throughout the story with the changing viewpoints. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is a pretty quick and ‘easy’ read.
I use ‘easy’ loosely, as many parts of this book made me incredibly uncomfortable. The story follows Wavy through her childhood and teenage years, and her love story with Kellen, the man who looks after her. Despite thinking that he is by all means a predator (Kellen’s in his 20’s and Wavy’s not even a teenager when their relationship begins) you find yourself questioning whether it should be right or wrong, and discovering maybe it’s not our place to say what’s right for someone else.
I wouldn’t exactly say I ‘recommend’ this book but I am glad I read it.
find it on AmazonThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo :: Taylor Jenkins Reid
New York Times bestseller
the blurb from Amazon:
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
“Heartbreaking, yet beautiful” (Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is “Tinseltown drama at its finest” (Redbook): a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it costs—to face the truth.
Seven Husbands was the last book our Facebook group read. There were many dots that connected themselves at the end of this story that I should have picked up on, but rather flew right over my head and left me teary eyed by the end.
Evelyn isn’t exactly a lovable character. She practically manipulated her way into the limelight in old Hollywood – chewing up and spitting out husbands along her way. I’m struggling with sharing any more insights on this book without a huge spoiler, so just pick this one up and read it.
This is the first book I’ve read from Taylor Jones Reid, but likely won’y be the last. I’ve added Daisy Jones and the Six to my list!
find it on AmazonWhere the Crawdads Sing :: Delia Owens
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING PHENOMENON
More than 7 million copies sold worldwide
A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick
A Business Insider Defining Book of the Decade
the blurb from Amazon:
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.
Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
This was one of those books I read because everyone was reading it.
#fomo anyone?! I wasn’t disappointed.
The narrative from Kya took some getting used to, as parts are written as an uneducated marsh girl would write them. I loved following her journey growing up, becoming a woman and falling in love… a classic coming-of-age story… with a killer twist.
find it on AmazonNext up on my reading list:
Daisy Jones and the Six :: Taylor Jones ReidFirefly Lane :: Kristin Hannah
The Push :: Ashley Audrain
The Madness of Crowds :: Liouse Penny
(Book 17 in the Inspector Gamache Series – coming August 2021)The Chemist :: Stephanie Meyer
The Queen’s Gambit :: Walter Tevis
If you’ve got a book club favorite I should read (or a thought on any of the above) comment below!
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