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Thursday, November 1, 2018

Book Club: November

Happy November friends! Okay, just writing that makes us realize how quickly this year has flown by! We've blinked and the year is almost up! 

Today we are dragging with a capital D. The alarm came all too early after all of yesterday's Halloween festivities. Not to mention it's rainy and overcast today. All we wanted to do was curl up in our cozies and snuggle by the fire with a good book. 

Which brings us to today's topic...


It's Book Club day! We love this day each month, and this month have lots to share!
And here's hoping the weather keeps it up so all after school sports cancel out and we can actually get into those cozies and grab the latest book off our nightstands! Or in Carrie Beth's case - push play!  

The Magnolia Mamas Book Club - November 2018

WHAT WE READ...

CARRIE BETH
Ok, so any of you that read my post on Monday know that I have a new obsession with books and that listening to audio books had pretty much changed my literary life.  I actually read one book this month and listened to 3. I loved them all! 

First up I read A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams. I had never read anything by this author, but had heard really great things about her and her books so decided to give it a try. I loved this story set in the 1930's.  I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the historical part of it, but I really did. 


It's about a girl who returns to a seaside vacation town with her family to escape New York City just like she did every summer.  Only this time her best friend and former finance who are newly married also show up for the summer.  This love triangle will pull you in many different directions and has you rooting for your favorite characters to make it in the end. 

I have read several Colleen Hoover books and always enjoy them.  In fact, I named her novel, It Ends With Us, my favorite book of 2017 and still think about it and the characters! So, I knew I would probably enjoy another one of her titles, Slammed.


This one was one had a bit of a twist on the standard love story that most of her books are about. A high schooler moves with her mother and brother to a new city and ends up meeting a neighbor and they immediately become attracted to one another. It seems like love at first sight until they later learn that it is impossible for them to be together. This story focus on friendship, love, death and even had me crying happy tears at one point. 

Next I listened to Emily Giffin's All We Ever Wanted and LOVED this story. 


It was sad to see the reality of the times we live in with social media and how, as parents, raising teenagers during this time can be pretty scary. However, I loved the story and felt like I could relate to it in so many ways. It focused on love, betrayal, marriage and parenting. I loved that it was narrated by different people as the different characters and that made the book so much more enjoyable to me! 

Lastly, I decided to go with what I thought would be a happier story, but ended up being more of a murder mystery with a bunch of twists thrown in.  Elin Hildebrand's The Perfect Couple kept me going wanting to get to the bottom of the story and know exactly what to the maid of honor who is found dead the morning of the wedding.  So many unexpected twists and secrets with the characters involving this family! 



JEN

This month was a slow month when it came to reading for me. I squeaked out two books, but barely. All my down time has been soaked up by other things - boo! I love Carrie Beth's new love of Audible, and I might hop on that train ASAP. As often as I'm in the car I should be able to knock out a book a day. #momtaxi


Since October embodies all things spooky, I decided to open up the month with a psychological thriller. Last year I loved Shari Lapena's The Couple Next Door, so when I saw her newest book was out I thought it was the perfect book to kick off a month full of spooky stuff. An Unwanted Guest had me on the edge of my seat, and was filled with so many twists and turns! Right up until the very last page. Not even kidding, the last page throws a shocker at you and you're like, "Wait?! It's done??". 

The book follows several guests looking to relax at a cozy mountain lodge in the Catskills. A terrible blizzard hits at the last minute and the guests find themselves without power, cell phone contact, or a way to get out.  To make matters worse, one of the guests has a terrible accident and is found dead. But as events unfold, you wonder was it really an accident? And that's all I'm going to say without giving any details away! 

I enjoyed An Unwanted Guest just as much as her previous novel, and finished it in under two days. If you love a good psychological thriller without all the gore or extreme disturbing details, then this book is for you. 



Next up was The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry. Just before our road trip last month to LSU, I had finished up An Unwanted Guest, but hadn't yet selected another book. We were all chatting in the car about books, and our two friends told me I needed to read Steve Berry's novels. I gave them my phone and they downloaded The Templar Legacy for me. It is the first in a series about a former U.S. agent named Cotton Malone. 

Now I don't know about you, but that name just screams I'm BFFs with James Bond to me. Or possibly a defensive linebacker in the NFL. I can't decide. But either way, it sounded like someone you don't want to mess with. 

The novel followed Cotton Malone and a crew of his acquaintances on a hunt to find a lost Templar treasure. The book reminded me a lot of Dan Brown's style of writing - a lot of history, a lot of religion, and a lot of on the edge of your seat adventure. It took me a while to get into the book, but overall I enjoyed it. I loved that at the end he told you what was historically factual from the book. If you like historical/adventure novels, I would say this one is for you. 


WHAT'S UP NEXT...

CARRIE BETH
I'm getting ready to start Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. 


I know she writes about controversial topics, and this book got great reviews, so I'm excited to hear the story! 


JEN

To kick off November I am going to sink into Nicholas Sparks' latest novel Every Breath 


I love love love Nicholas Sparks novels, and of all places I was walking in the grocery store and saw he released a new one! I instantly added it to my cart. I can't wait to dig in! 


That wraps up our Book Club for this month! 
Anything we should add to our reading lists for November?? Share with us!


BOOK CLUB 2018
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October

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HAPPY READING! 


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