Monday, May 7, 2018

Monday Mini-Reviews: Lots of Great Books to Enjoy

The school year is winding down (although we still have a month of school left, so it doesn't seem to be coming to an end quickly enough), which means it is super busy for me.  I have lots to do at work, and am thinking that the reading binge I've been on may slow down sometime soon.  However, I've read some great things recently.

Here are four books you should check out this week:





A Lady's Guide To Selling Out by Sally Franson is described as a little bit like Mad Men. I would like to throw in that it reminds me of Camille Perri's The Assistants which I loved.  In this novel, Casey is working for a PR firm in Minneapolis, a job that isn't making her very happy. She doesn't like the fact that she feels like she is selling her soul just to make a living, and there are several events that cause Casey to re-examine her decisions and the work environment she inhabits.

Love and Ruin by Paula McLain is the second novel of McLain's about one of Ernest Hemingway's wives.  In this novel McLain shares the story of Martha Gelhorn, a war reporter, who falls in love with Hemingway while he is married to his second wife.  The two eventually marry but there are many bumps in their relationship, and divorce is inevitable.  McLain does a fantastic job of presenting Gelhorn in a positive way, something that hasn't always happened.  I found this perspective fascinating, and enjoyed hearing from another woman who loved Hemingway.

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin - Giffin's novels are always must reads for me and this one will not disappoint. Told by three narrators, we see Nina, a mother, realize that her teenage son is not the child she thought she raised.  Tom is a single father who sees his teenage daughter's picture being sexted to other high schoolers. And Lyla, the teenage daughter provides the perspective of a teen who has grown up with social media, not fully understanding the repercussions of misusing it. These three characters' stories are all intertwined and Giffin tells a good story with a satisfying ending.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara-  a true crime account of the Golden State Killer whose crimes created terror and panic in California for more than a decade.  McNamara's research is amazing, her dedication to unlocking the killer's identity never wavers. However, her untimely death as she was completing this book is devastating.  Her husband, Patton Oswalt, helped this book reach completion and eventual publication.  Her story is fascinating in itself.  And now, the arrest of the Golden State Killer is keeping this story in the news. This would be a perfect time to pick up this book.

These four titles won't disappoint and I've already got McNamara's book waiting for my husband on his TBR stack.  What books do you want to recommend to me this week?

1 comment:

Kay said...

I'm planning on reading the Giffin book and also the one about the Golden State killer. Probably that one on audio. Only one more month! Good luck and I know you'll be ready for a bit of summer. :-)