Monday, June 25, 2018

Monday Mini-Reviews: Winners From This Past Week

The great thing about summer is all the books I can plow through.  I still haven't hit the stage where I've burned myself out, which is a good thing considering how many unread books I have around here, and I'm happily plowing through book after book.

This past week I've read a few of great books that I'd be happy to recommend to others.






The Book of Essie by Meghan Maclean Weir was an absolute delight. I wasn't initially intrigued by it, but had heard such glowing recommendations from others that I couldn't help but at least try it.  And seriously, after about one page I was hooked.  The story centers around Essie, the teenage daughter of an evangelical minister who turns up pregnant. This won't go over well, not only because of religious beliefs, but also because they star on a reality show.  Told by three narrators, this is a little bit predictable, but also extremely readable, and would make a great book club selection.  There's plenty to talk about in this book.

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict is one I've had sitting around my house for a long time.  I even have a kindle version, so the other morning when I took my kids to see Incredibles 2, I sat in the back row of the theater and devoured this book. I loved learning about the life of Einstein's first wife, and I love that historical fiction can get me interested enough to do more research on my own.  Mileva was a scholar, brilliant in her own right, who helped Einstein with his research and publications.  Unfortunately she was never given credit for her contributions to this work. Einstein isn't made to seem like a very nice or upstanding guy at all.  

The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young is a short little book where Young, a farmer, shares stories of the various cows - and sometimes chickens, sheep and pigs - she has on her farm.  As a farm girl myself, I have a few childhood memories of helping to feed cows or trying to chase them after they'd broken through a fence. Young's book made me really think about how much these animals know that I never gave them credit for.  I think animal lovers will enjoy this book and I would compare it to James Herriot's books.

What did you read this past week that you recommend to others? Have you read any of the books I've shared?

2 comments:

Kay said...

I've heard good things about the Essie book. It sounds interesting to a certain extent. Ha! I've also read good reviews of the Einstein wife book. Loved hearing that you read instead of watched the movie - I did love the first movie and would probably have watched. LOL

Ti said...

The Book of Essie caught my eye a few weeks ago when the publisher posted about it on FB. It sounds like a riveting story and also, like something that could happen in real life.