Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Book Club: June

We can't believe it is already June!!!  We're hoping time slows down because we don't want summer to pass us by too quickly.  We love, love, love reading in the summer.  By the pool, at the beach, on the boat...so many great opportunities to do what we love.


We have some great books on tap for June, but first let's take a look at what we read last month!


Book Club May 2019: book reviews and suggestions

WHAT WE READ...


CARRIE BETH
Last month was crazy!!! Every year when May comes around I always say the same thing.  I only got to listen to one book last month, but it was a really long one so that is part of the reason.


The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah had great reviews and was a New York Times Best Seller, but I wasn't sure if I would really enjoy it.  I had been eyeing it for a while so decided to just go for it.  It's about a family living in the 70's who left everything they knew behind to move to Alaska.  They had no knowledge of what to expect, no preparations made for the harsh wilderness and weather conditions and really didn't know what they were getting themselves into.  It follows the daughter and   the hardships her family endures.  The father is abusive and mentally unstable, the mother does everything to protect her daughter, and they all learn to love Alaska and the way of life there.

I had mixed feelings about this book.  It focused on love, friendships, family and hardships. Nothing was easy for them and there were parts that were a little disturbing.  Other times I loved the characters and found myself cheering for them.  It was eye opening to learn about the way of life in Alaska during that time and just how hard day-to-day life could be there.   This book was certainly more thought-provoking than some of my normal go-to choices, but I did enjoy it. 


JEN
May was a crazy month. How I was able to read four books is beyond me. But I'm not complaining. Three of the four were so good! And I have a stack of awesome beach reads ready to go because SUMMER!


I started Not That I Could Tell in April, but didn't get the chance to finish it until May. It was so good! The story follows a group of close women neighbors. One night the neighbors meet for wine around the fire pit where their back yards meet. (Side note: These are my kind of neighbors!) The next morning they wake up and realize one of the group is missing. Her small children as well. No one knows what has happened, and the more details that come out the neighbors begin to question how well they really knew each other in the first place. 

There are so many twists and turns in this book. It kept me wanting more, and the end has a big twist that I loved! It reads more of a mystery than a psychological thriller to me so if that's your jam I highly recommend this one.  


Next up The Mister by EL James. Yes that EL James. The author of the Fifty Shades series. A friend told me she had a new book out and that she enjoyed it. I grabbed her copy when she was done, and after the first few paragraphs had to take a second to flip through what I was reading. Okay, obviously I kind of knew what I was getting into, but I had figured Mrs. James would have upped her writing skills after such a huge hit. A ten plus year hiatus seems like a long time to conjure up the perfect story. 

But she came up with The Mister. This seemed like a huge slip backwards. In a ton of ways. Basically a rich royal bad boy is living the crazy life until he meets...his maid. His maid who barely speaks English. She's in trouble and he wants to save her. She's also a virgin. 

There's some piano playing. A bad guy. Another bad guy. A lots of rated R time. Top it off with an unbelievable ending and you're left wondering what you really just read. 

Moving on...


After that last book it could only go up. And up it did. My Kindle suggested The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. I read the synopsis and and it sounded cute. Olive is an identical twin and the maid of honor in her sisters wedding. After and unfortunate incident at the wedding she find herself going on her sister's honeymoon to Hawaii with her nemesis - her brother in law. They've had a hate-hate relationship for years and no find themselves on their siblings honeymoon together. But then they realize do they really hate each other as much as they think they do? 

The Unhoneymooners was so cute, and the banter between the characters had me laughing out loud several times. There are some rated R parts, but overall such a fun story. It would make for a perfect vacation/beach read if you need one. And now I'm excited to check out more novels from Christina Lauren. Based on reviews the duo seems to knock it out of the park a lot.  



Last up for the month was It's Always the Husband by Michele Campbell. I listened to this one on Audible and the narrator did such a good job with all of the characters. It's Always the Husband is a mystery that follows three college roommates. One of them dies in a tragic way, and as details comes forward you realize any number of people could have done it. Especially those closest to her. This is one of those few books that you really don't like any of the characters. They all have some sort of flaw that would make you never like them in real life. There were several times that I thought I knew who did it and then new twist would occur and I would completely change my mind. The very end is surprising and it all comes together, but you still don't walk away liking anyone. It's well written and I loved listening to it. Definitely recommend if you like a good mystery.


WHAT'S UP NEXT...


CARRIE BETH
It's summer and that can only mean one thing...I have time to actually read a real book!  It feels like forever since I've held a book and turned the pages.  I love reading by the pool, at the beach, and at the lake so hoping to get lots of that in this summer when I'm not running kids all over the place.



I'm going to start on the Kristy Woodson Harvey novels and read Slightly South of Simple first.  Jen passed this one on to me and I actually just started it a few days ago!  It seems like the perfect summer read!  

JEN

One of my favorite things about summer is summer reading time. There's nothing I love more than sitting on the beach reading a good beach book, and that's just what I plan on doing this month! First up is Kristy Woodson Harvey's The Southern Side of Paradise.


This is the third novel in her Peachtree Bluff series and I can't wait to read it. We've been fans for years and she was so nice to send us a copy when it was released. Kristy is on tour in Atlanta tonight if you want to stop by, say hi to her, and snag some of her fabulous books.

I have a few more beach reads wait in my stack, but welcome any suggestions you ladies might have!


What should we read next? What were your favorite books last month?



BOOK CLUB 2019 

January | February | March | April | May |


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HAPPY READING! 


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