Here are the books I managed to read or listen to recently. My reading slowed down a bit in September. I’m not sure why other than I was working on a lot of projects in my home. Also, I’ve been involved with aa couple of community groups and have been engaging with those as well.
For the record, I generally read strictly for pleasure these days. Nothing too heavy.
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
This is the first book from this author. Last month, I read her latest, The Vanishing Half. This book is very good though I did not enjoy it as much as The Vanishing Half. The book is about 3 friends and how life, love, and dishonesty can derail lives and relationships. It is also a multi-generational story which helps to demonstrate how relationships and ideas can be carried for years and sometimes the damage that it can do.
The Mid Wife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain
I have read or listened to several books by the author and again she does not disappoint. I listened to this book and it does what a good listen can do. I did a ton of cleaning while listening because I did not want to stop! There is intrigue & mystery from the very beginning and it goes through until the end. Some of the premise is a bit far fetched but her books generally do require suspension of a little reality. It is not enough to upset the story line though.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
This book is by the same author of One Day in December. I haven’t read that one, though I might but it received a bunch of fan fare when it was released. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a really interesting read and not nearly as light weight as you might like. The premise is this: a woman is engaged to her childhood sweetheart who unexpectedly dies. I’m giving nothing away here. She of course is devastated. By some fluke, she is able to continue her life with him as if nothing has changed. As you can imagine, things do in fact change and Lydia has to make a decision about how she is going to live her life. Does she choose to stay in the fantasy world where her true love is or does she move forward and learn to live without him? The answer will not surprise you but the struggle to get there is beautiful and heartbreaking and poetic.
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
This book is charming and fun and delightful. The book does deal with some seriousness (the main male character is a hospice nurse) but it deals with many serious topics in a way that does not detract from the delightfulness of the story. The premise is that a woman needs to move out of her ex-boyfriend’s flat ASAP. The only decent place she can find is a “flatshare.” She will have the flat during the evening and weekends and the other tenant will have it at during the day. They both need this to work for different reasons. They communicate with one another through notes and get to know each other that way. Lots of fun plot lines and characters in this one. I enjoyed it enough that I’m going to put her next book on my list, The Switch.
That’s my list for now. I’m not sure that I’ll be reading much more this month but I remain pleased that I have kept at it each month.
If you have any book recommendations, please share them in the comments.
