Monday Confessions, A few Recent Reads

It’s the first Monday in August of 2020, are you feeling glass half-full or half-empty at this point? I confess I am definitely at the half-empty phase of 2020. One thing though that has helped me some with surviving in this crazy coronavirus world is to keep reading! Quoting the great advocate of literacy Elenanor Roosevelt, “The greatest luxury I know is sitting up in bed reading.” Don’t miss out on the joy and escape of diving into a good book!

1. The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal was a great summer read. It’s a story of a family over time, specifically women and how their worlds intertwined with the world of brewing beer over a couple of generations. I think a lot about this story set in the mid-west reminded me of the work ethic expected in that part of our country, as well as the commitment to family. There are some fun surprises along the way! Definitely recommend.

2. Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes was another very enjoyable read. This story set in Appalachia in the days of the pack horse librarians is full of relationships, trials and adventures. The setting of the rural Kentucky hills is all new territory for the main character who arrives as the new bride of a well known son of business owner in their small town. There were some answers I kept wanting that I never got in some instances but you definitely find yourself rooting for the main female characters and the ending was not a disappointment! Definitely recommend this one!

3. The Sea Wife by Amity Gaige was a good adventure story intertwined with some poignant writing about life, love, grief and loss. The basic premise is a family of four embarking on a year of sailing, while letting go of their suburban Connecticut existence. You know early on in the book that the sailing adventure did not end well. This book is written from the current voice of the wife and the journals from the husband. It does jump back and forth both in time and voice, so if that bothers you that this one might not be for you. I think there were lots of moments of really beautiful writing in this story but I have to say, the overall arc of the story wasn’t the best, in my opinion. I can’t say more without giving too much away but this is a good summer read. I can’t say this is a must read, but it’s a decent read.

Monday Confessions, Recent Reads Fiction

Hello blog friends! I hope this chilly first Monday of March finds you well. I had some requests last week to do an updated book recommendation post on here and you can follow my hashtag on Instagram that is #emilytroutmanreads to get updates when I post shorter comments on books. It honestly helps me keep track of what I read and helps when I get asked for recommendations! This post will strictly be fiction and I will try again soon with non-fiction (I promise there’s lots of great non-fiction out there)

Some of you might remember I had a dream trip to Paris last fall with my parents. Part of my book-loving self could not wait to check out Shakespeare and Company book store, right along the Siene river, across from Notre Dame Cathedral. Shakespeare and Company is a famous book store that hosted the likes of Ernest Hemingway, among other well know writers who lived in Paris. It’s just a neat experience to walk into places like that, which have birthed inspiration for so many. I thought I would share a few shots from my Shakespeare visit along with this book post! I bought and read The Paris Wife in Paris. It’s about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife Hadley (more thoughts on this book below)!

“I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in the darkness, the astonishing light of your own making.” My mom’s feet are at the top, making it even better for me. She’s a librarian now and leaves a legacy of a love of reading!

1. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain - I adored reading this book in Paris and in general, I enjoy historical fiction. I was seeing some of the places and spaces that she was writing about. I was also understanding the magic and appeal of a life in Paris for the young couple. This is a fictionalized version but I am pretty sure it’s close to truth. It was easy and enjoyable to read until later in the saga, when Ernest starts to stray. It then becomes difficult to root for him as a man…but I would say a good follow up read to this was Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. It’s his own take on some of these early days in Paris with Hadley. Order here if you want your own copy to arrive from Paris :)

2. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan was a delightful fiction read and also had some Parisian scenes that I appreciated. I took this photo of the book though literally minutes before I got into an accident at my kids school and NO it wasn’t my fault and NO I wasn’t reading at the time…I digress, back to the book review….I loved this read because it shed some light onto Asian culture that is not as main stream as one might think. My husband works at a prestigious boarding school and it gave me a giggle because in some ways it really shed light on what some of the Asian students deal with in their families and with their parents. Some things are based on stereotypes but also most stereotypes are based in some type of truth. I definitely recommend reading this book for the great writing and then rent the movie, which is just as enjoyable!

3. Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy - If you grew up loving the Anne of Green Gables series, this is a great read for you. It’s like finally getting the back story on Green Gables and what it was like growing up there or why Marilla and Matthew are single siblings living there until adulthood. I admit, I realized I knew scant amounts of Canadian history before reading this and I had to look up some little nuggets of info to help shed light on the story. It wasn’t an overwhelming amount of historical details but I did want to make sense of the times. I really liked this read but some people that are purists to the original series might not like someone adding to it (which is kind of how I feel with the second season of Anne with an E on Netflix. Not my favorite.)

4. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - I also really enjoyed this fictionalized story of the North Carolina marshlands. It weaves together a modern crime being solved while flashing back to the beginning of the story. It was thankfully so well written that the time hoping did not confuse me (sometimes I can’t track with books that jump around in time). It’s the story of Kya, growing up in the marsh land and often alone. It was tender and hard to read at times, but it also just made you cheer for the main character to persevere. It has a fantastic ending in my option and it’s just a great read that takes you to another time and place! I found it recommended on Reese’s Hello Sunshine book club.

5. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon - This was an interesting coming of age story set in New York City with two main characters from completely different backgrounds. I really enjoyed this young adult read for the most part. It was a quick read and an interesting ending. I think it drives home the idea of some people being in your life for a reason, even if only for a brief time and I am not spoiling anything - there are many examples of this in the book. I have to say though, of all the other books I review here, this one probably goes as my least favorite, as in, read the other books first! (If you liked Park & Eleanor a few years ago, you might like this one :)