A brand new month means a brand new stack of book recommendations. The best part is that this month was filled with books that might have normally been out of my comfort zone and I couldn’t believe how amazing some of them ended up being.
It is not every day that I pick up a mystery or a western novel for my stack, but it is just what I needed for a great literary escape.
Before we get started, here are a few things in book news that I don’t want you to miss!
Please know how much your support means and how much each of you are appreciated in these crazy times!
Not only that, but here’s the scoop on the fun bonuses you will receive, every dang month!
Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida (on sale for $2.99 today!!)
3 Out of 5 Stars
If you loved the movie, “Isn’t it Romantic,” than I have a feeling that you will appreciate having this book in your stack this month.
Mia wakes up from a coma and can’t even remember her own name.
What better way to learn about yourself than your own social media feed to figure out your past memories?
If her pictures are any indication of who she is, she knows that she is very wealthy, has a hot boyfriend, and is the town “it,” girl.
Unfortunately, the projection she may have been putting out in the world may be VASTLY different than what her reality is and the reader gets to go on these adventures of discovery right along with Mia.
This was an entertaining little read, particularly, if you are looking for a light rom-com escape. Tschida does a great job weaving humor and heart into Mia’s story, while also making some great observations about the selfie culture that we have found ourselves in.
4 Out of 5 Stars
Being a guru of happiness doesn’t sound easy, but what if this is your job AND you are living a deeply unhappy life? That’s the premise that Lewis tackles in her latest novel that addresses how we can find ourselves projecting a very different image than who we are to the world, especially if our social media and brand don’t align with our real life.
This novel ended up being such a thought-provoking read that explored a lot of issues that so many of us face in these middle-aged years.
This addressed more than just the exploration of our changing roles as our children get older and our challenges in marriage, but it also did a fantastic job addressing “wine mom,” culture and the slippery slope that can happen when we are looking for ways to numb our reality.
This was a fast page-turner that would be a great one for a book club.
3 Out of 5 Stars
I love Straub’s novels so I couldn’t wait to add this one to my stack this month. The big theme in this family drama is that our coming-of-age can happen at any point in our life and this pivotal moment seems to be happening throughout all the generations, of one family, at the same time.
The family matriarch has fallen in love with a woman and wants to no longer keep her love story secret, her daughter has decided to start a family via a sperm donor instead of waiting for marriage, and her son is struggling because of the impossible standards he has created for himself.
The story is told through each of the family’s viewpoints as they discover more about themselves through each of their revelations.
This was the kind of enjoyable story that didn’t really have one big lesson, but just explored the quiet dysfunction that seems to happen in all families and how these roles don’t *really* change even when we become adults.
Memorial by Bryan Washington
3 Out of 5 Stars
Mike, a Japanese American chef working at a Mexican restaurant, is in love with Benson, a Black daycare teacher.
Well, they used to be in love, but now they just find themselves living together and are no longer finding the same connection.
In this time of feeling the least connected, Mike must head home, to Osaka, and care for his father. Just as he leaves, his mother comes for a visit and Benson is left to keep her company.
It’s through this time with her that Benson really learns more about Mike, as their relationship struggles along with the distance between them.
I had difficulties connecting with this story although I think this did address some big topics in beautiful ways, like identity and what it means to be family.
Washington did do a beautiful job fleshing out the characters even if I was hoping for more from this story.
5 Out of 5 Stars
This heartbreaking novel was a Reader Pick this year for our MomAdvice Book Club and it was just beautiful.
Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows that more than anything that she wants an education. Unfortunately, her father is broke and decides to sell her as a third wife to an old man.
Adunni’s life is hard and a difficult one to read about. What is more difficult is knowing that so many girls are like Adunni STILL and that many find themselves in these marriages and working as house girls, with no pay or even adequate food or shelter.
That’s why it’s such a joy when a local woman decides to take Adunni under her wing, helping her apply for a scholarship that could be pivotal to her future.
This was a beautiful read and many readers recommended doing the audiobook since the narration was so gorgeous on this. I loved this novel so much and it made for one incredible book club discussion.
4 Out of 5 Stars
Full of satire and social commentary, this noel explores the adventures of one black man who becomes a breakout salesman star in a startup com and the consequences that come with success.
When Darren convinces a customer to change his standard coffee order, he could have never expected how it would change his world.
That customer happened to be starting a “therapy matching service,” and thinks Darren would make the perfect recruit for many reasons, including adding diversity to his company.
Success doesn’t come easy for Darren and when it does come, it changes his relationships with others in a lot of negative ways.
Not everyone wants Darren to succeed and the reader gets to go along on the ride as he sabotages himself and as others try to interfere with his success.
I found the first half of this one to be a little stronger than the second, although Askaripour does a fantastic job tying up on the loose ends. The book has a lot of food for thought about how we compromise Black people for our own success.
The best part is that weaved within all the satire are some really incredibly layered lessons about achieving success in business and sales.
5 Out of 5 Stars
This is the kind of book that made my face hurt from smiling and that delivered on ALL THE FEELS this month.
Lane was the personal assistant to Carrie Fisher and makes sure to let the reader know right away that this in not a memoir of that time and that all is fiction.
The parallels, of course, are hard to ignore because this story just so happens to be about a personal assistant and the iconic celebrity he comes to work for.
Did I mention that she is famous for her role as Priestess Talara in a sci-fi movie series?
Kathi isn’t an easy person to work for and her eccentricities seem to find a way to consume much of Charlie’s life. Charlie becomes intent on becoming Kathi’s most relied upon person and has to learn to anticipate all of her needs before she even speaks them.
As Charlie finds his own self, he must make harder decisions about how far he is willing to go to keep Kathi happy. This journey to self-discovery is what makes this story so beautiful and sweet.
Readers can also appreciate taking a bit of time to visit the acknowledgements in this one as Lane proposes to Steven Rowley (one of my favorite writers) in the acknowledgements at the end of this book.
This book was an absolute delight and I, truly, did not want it to end. Thank you for the big goofy grin, Byron Lane!
4 Out of 5 Stars
This feminist Wild West tale hit all the right notes this month weaving a unique and powerful tale that would be perfect for any book club. In this story, ostracized women band together to create their own incredible girl gang, finding love and acceptance within each other.
Set in the late 1800’s, women are expected to carry on their lineage and bear as many children as they can.
Period.
That’s their entire goal in life. Women who can’t reproduce are banished from society, disowned by their families, and are often accused of witchcraft.
Ada has been married for a year and is unable to get pregnant.
As the daughter of an expert midwife, Ada knows that achieving this if often more complex than just that and her curious nature leads her to want to learn more.
She’s determined to find out all she can about this topic and the search for the best medical books ends up leading her on an adventure that she would have never been able to discover alone.
What better place to find community than other women who are facing the same fate?
This unlikely sisterhood is found in the, “Hole in the Wall Gang,” a group of women that have banded together to use their talents to create their own community.
These outlaws have to be very creative to survive and the reader gets to go on their adventures with them from robbing banks to surviving those long winters.
This took me right out of my reading rut and I ended up absolutely loving it. The characters are endearing, the message was beautiful, and I loved the author’s focus on women supporting women.
4 Out of 5 Stars
I appreciate a thriller with a good twist and Molloy delivers several in this dark psychological thriller.
Who hasn’t fantasized about hearing the stories told on a therapist’s couch? Sam has no idea that the sessions that he has been doing with is clients are all within hearing distance, thanks to the vents in their home.
Sam is a happily married man, but he is also carrying a lot of secrets in his own personal life.
As he works through these difficulties, a new client shows up that could throw a wrench in their happily ever after.
That is why when Sam disappears, his wife can’t help but to wonder if someone else caught his eye, especially as she begins to uncover his secrets.
Smart twists like the one that Molloy creates in this story had me, truly, guessing from start to finish. If you like your thrillers dark, make to give this one a read this month!
5 Out of 5 Stars
Looking for a really great audiobook to indulge in? The narration on this smart murder mystery was just what I needed this month and I just know it is going to be one of your favorite reads too.
A struggling novelist happens to be discussing her next suspense novel with her literary agent. A table over, someone overhears the conversation and mistakes her for the killer that she is supposed to contract out for a murder.
Finlay is a stressed-out single parent who happens to be down on her luck financially.
This opportunity to earn a ton of cash could not have come at a better time AND she *could* consider it research for her next book.
Why shouldn’t she take advantage of this opportunity?
This book is laugh-out-loud funny with incredibly witty dialogue that had me giggling through so many sections.
Finlay’s unlikely accomplice and love interests just add more and more fun to the plot.
Highly entertaining and a joy to read, add this book to your stack today because I just know you will enjoy it as much as me.
5 Out of 5 Stars
Are you a sucker for rom-com movies? As all rom-com lovers know, each movie includes a good, “falling in love,” montage that brings all-the-feels together.
Imagine planning a series of dates around these montages and that, my friends, is the secret sauce to this adorable LGBTQ romance.
Not only did this have a gorgeous little love story, Smyth added a really gorgeous mother-and-daughter story that brings a unique challenge to one of the characters and her ability to love and be loved by those around her.
This YA novel had much more depth than I had expected and I even found myself quite teary-eyed through a few of the scenes.
As a disclaimer, the mother has early onset dementia in this which made it a challenging read. That challenge though is what added so much beauty to the story and made it one of my new favorite YA reads this year.
