March was a busy month in our household, so I never got to my February Good Reads post, despite reading 11 books! I only read six in March, which shows how busy we were!
Here are my favorite reads from February and March:
Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson
When Shandi Pierce and her son Natty are caught in a hold-up at a local gas station and are saved by a brooding blond hero, it seems like a love story destined to be. The story doesn't unfold exactly how you'd think, because Joshilyn Jackson doesn't write predictable books. This one, read by the author, is fantastic on audio.
The Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell
This is a work on nonfiction that examines the only family internment camp in Texas during World War II. Thousands of families, many of whom were U.S. citizens and many more who were brought up from Latin America, were interned here until 1948. In our current political climate, it's an important book to read.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
What a charming novel! Evelyn meets Mrs. Threadegoode at a nursing home and the two form a fast friendship. Mrs. Threadegoode tells Evelyn stories of tiny Whistle Stop. Alabama, and Ruth and Idgie, who ran the Whistle Stop Cafe. There's a lot here -- race issues, domestic abuse, and more. It's a story of love and loss and is a fantastic work of Southern literature.
Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel
This book found me at exactly the right time. Kate Pearson has been dumped by her French boyfriend and is in a major slump when a disastrous interview at a New York City prep school turns in to an actual job in the admissions office. As a mom who just went through the insane middle school application process, this book was perfect -- the student interviews and frenzied parents all seem so real. I found the book hilarious, and while I don't normally read a lot of chick lit, this was the perfect funny, light read.
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Jenna Gray's world has just collapsed after a hit-and-run accident. Desperate to escape reality, Janna finds herself in a small Welsh town where she tries to create a new life for herself. I was about halfway through this book and convinced I had the ending figured out, only to discover that the author was taking me down a completely different path. If you like psychological thrillers, grab this book! I am still talking about it two months after reading it.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The 2016 National Book Award winner probably doesn't need much introduction from me. In Whitehead's imagination, the Underground Railroad is a literal railroad connecting Southern towns with places of freedom. Escaped slaves Cora and Caesar travel the railroad through several towns, escaping the horrors of slavery while discovering the perfect havens aren't always what they appear to be. It's an intriguing look at race relations and what it really means to be free.
This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
This book examines some hot-button issues, but it does it in the most lovely way. At its heart, this is the story of Claude and his family as they try to navigate their new reality. The family dynamic here is fantastic. The parents, even if they make mistakes, are trying so hard to do what's best for their kids (what parent doesn't relate to that?). The characters are richly drawn and I just loved living in their world for a bit.
It's Okay to Laugh by Nora McInerny Purmort
This is a memoir of love and loss. Purmort's boyfriend is diagnosed with brain cancer, but they get engaged, marry after his first surgery, and have a baby during chemo. While the story is sad and painful, Purmort writes about their short time together with humor. I loved this one.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
I picked this book for my March book club when I found out that Amor Towles was coming to Houston for a book signing, and it was universally loved by everyone in book club. Alexander Rostov, deemed an unrepentant aristocrat, is sentenced to house arrest (for life) in Moscow's Metropol hotel. Though confined to the hotel, Count Rostov lives the fullest life. Towles has an incredible way with words and this novel was beautifully crafted.
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
This slim novel was a bit of a slow start for me, but once I was in, I adored it. Set in Texas after the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd is making his living reading the news of the world (literally reading excerpts from the world's newspapers) in small town gathering halls for a dime a head. In Wichita Falls, he is given a $50 gold piece to deliver a young German girl, captured by the Kiowa years before, to her relatives 400 miles away in San Antonio. Texas in 1870 is full of outlaws and is a dangerous place to be. It is an incredible story of an unlikely relationship.
What have you been reading lately?
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