Monday Mini-Reviews: Five Star Fiction...Again!

 I might have had a record breaking month of five star reads.  I absolutely loved The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki.

A few years ago I read Beauty in the Broken Places, Pataki's memoir of of her husband's health crisis.  I absolutely loved her writing, but hadn't read any of her other books - all historical fiction set in time periods I don't generally care much about.

This book, though....I love American history and Marjorie Post is someone I had never heard of.  The story begins with Marjorie's childhood as her father looks for help as his health diminishes.  He gets care from Dr. Kellogg (famous later for his breakfast cereal), but finds little help there.  Eventually CW Post does recover and begins manufacturing breakfast foods. The Post Company is born.  

Marjorie grows up being a part of her dad's growing empire.  Her hometown is Battle Creek, MI, but their newfound wealth allows them to have more than one home and to travel.  The one wrinkle in Marjorie's life is her parents' marital troubles.

I loved watching Marjorie's life unfold. Her marriages - all four of them- were fascinating.  The continued success of the company her father started was interesting as well. I  loved the name dropping that Pataki provided...Marjorie knew a lot of famous and important people.  I found myself totally sucked into her world.  

I have read many fictionalized biographies and do generally enjoy them.  There are a few, however, that stand out (Z the Life of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Ann Fowler and The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin remain two favorites).  The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post is one that I will be adding to the short list of favorites.

Pataki's novel is coming out on February 15, and I can't wait for others to read it.

Friday Five: Yay For Another Friday

 

On Wednesday we had a snow day and despite not wanting to miss a day of school now that we need to make up later, I did enjoy the mid-week break.  

And although it's been a short week, I am ready for the weekend.  Tonight is a home basketball game at the high school and tomorrow is an all-day scholarship day for Middle Sister who still hasn't decided on where she plans to attend college next year.  I feel like my weekend is gone before it has even begun.

I found some cute things to share this week, and because it's so cold out, most of them are things that would keep me warm and cozy.

1.  The Anti-Run Short

2.  ColdControl Max Hoodie Vest

3.  Women's Kinetic Breakthru Tech Lace Sneaker

4.  Women's Long Sleeve Polka Dot Sweater

5.  Willowsoft Gray Colorblock Tunic Sweatshirt

6.  Women's Mountain Classic Puffer Vest

7.  Women's Quilted Puffer Vest

8.  Women's Stripe Long Sleeve Sweater

9.  Urban Outfitters Pattern Cardigan

10.  John Sneaker

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Foundling

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released title I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: The Foundling by Ann Leary

Due out: May 31, 2022

Synopsis taken from Goodreads:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good House, the story of two friends, raised in the same orphanage, whose loyalty is put to the ultimate test when they meet years later at a controversial institution—one as an employee; the other, an inmate.

It’s 1927 and eighteen-year-old Mary Engle is hired to work as a secretary at a remote but scenic institution for mentally disabled women called the Nettleton State Village for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age. She’s immediately in awe of her employer—brilliant, genteel Dr. Agnes Vogel.

Dr. Vogel had been the only woman in her class in medical school. As a young psychiatrist she was an outspoken crusader for women’s suffrage. Now, at age forty, Dr. Vogel runs one of the largest and most self-sufficient public asylums for women in the country. Mary deeply admires how dedicated the doctor is to the poor and vulnerable women under her care.

Soon after she’s hired, Mary learns that a girl from her childhood orphanage is one of the inmates. Mary remembers Lillian as a beautiful free spirit with a sometimes-tempestuous side. Could she be mentally disabled? When Lillian begs Mary to help her escape, alleging the asylum is not what it seems, Mary is faced with a terrible choice. Should she trust her troubled friend with whom she shares a dark childhood secret? Mary’s decision triggers a hair-raising sequence of events with life-altering consequences for all.

Inspired by a true story about the author’s grandmother, The Foundling offers a rare look at a shocking chapter of American history. This gripping page-turner will have readers on the edge of their seats right up to the stunning last page…asking themselves, “Did this really happen here?”

2022 Five Star Reads: These Silent Woods

I've had another week of reading in 2022 that's been fantastic.  I picked up These Silent woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant one night and finished it off the next day.  If I hadn't had to go to work, it would have been finished in one sitting. I know it's early to be predicting things, but I'm already thinking this book will be one of my favorites of the year.

 

There is so much to love about this book. I went into it knowing almost nothing, but was quickly sucked in to the story.  

Cooper is living off the grid with his young daughter, Finch. He's back from tours in Afghanistan where he witnessed some truly awful things.  He trusts no one and believes that in order to keep his little family safe, no one can know where they are.  

When a young woman is spotted in the woods, he is already feeling like their safety has been compromised.  And that is just the start of Cooper's problems. 

I loved the writing in this book (I'm not someone who notices that very often).  and I loved both Cooper and Finch.  Grant ties up this story in such an interesting way that it was an ending I didn't see coming.

I'm going to be thinking about these characters for a long time - and hoping for more from this author.

 

Friday Five: Cold Weather Clothing

I'm celebrating that today was a two hour delay because of the sub-zero temps - and it's a Friday!   It is super cold so I feel like most of the clothes I'm looking at are ones that are warm and cozy.  Here are the things  I've found to share:

1.  Aerie Heart-Eyes Waffle Henley Long Sleeve T Shirt

2.  Ryan Buckle Loafers- Calf Hair

3.  Firgrove Ribbed Crewneck Sweater Vest

4.  Long Sleeve Oversized Two-Tone Sherpa Sweatshirt for Women

5.  Wool Cable Half Zip Sweater

6.  Makenna Boot

7.  Hooded Mariah Pullover

8.  Banks Jacket - Camo

9.  Leyton Top

10.  Abbott Elementary - I've only seen the first episode of this, but I loved it.  I can hardly wait to watch more.

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Hotel Nantucket

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released book I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand 

Due out: June 14, 2022

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

After a tragic fire in 1922 that killed 19-year-old chambermaid, Grace Hadley, The Hotel Nantucket descended from a gilded age gem to a mediocre budget-friendly lodge to inevitably an abandoned eyesore — until it's purchased and renovated top to bottom by London billionaire, Xavier Darling.  Xavier hires Nantucket sweetheart Lizbet Keaton as his general manager, and Lizbet, in turn, pulls together a charismatic, if inexperienced, staff who share the vision of turning the fate of the hotel around. They face challenges in getting along with one another (and with the guests), in overcoming the hotel's bad reputation, and in surviving the (mostly) harmless shenanigans of Grace Hadley herself — who won't stop haunting the hotel until her murder is acknowledged.
 
Filled with the emotional tension and multiple points of view that characterize Elin's books (The Blue Bistro, Golden Girl) as well as an added touch of historical reality, Hotel Nantucket offers something for everyone in this summer drama for the ages. 

Non Fiction Tuesday: Both/And by Huma Abedin

 

I started Both/And before Christmas sometime.  It's been the book I read each day while I run on the treadmill.  That means I might only read a dozen pages at a time, but this book has made me actually look forward to getting up at 4:30 am each day to exercise.  

Huma Abedin has been someone I've been intrigued by for several years now.  She's had a unique look at history being made as Hillary Clinton's assistant and also as the wife of Anthony Weiner, whose sex scandal made headlines.

Hearing her life story in her own words was fascinating and it reinforced how smart she is.  Parts of her story were familiar because they are things we've read in the headlines, but she was able to provide a more thorough retelling of these events.  

I love memoirs and biographies and this is one I will be recommending to a lot of people.  

Monday Mini-Reviews

January is really turning into a great reading month.  For just a brief time this past week I struggled a bit with finding something to read.  Not because I don't have anything to choose from, but after reading two 5-star reads in a row, what could I possible choose to follow that up?  

I switched it up a bit and read some middle grade and YA, but I also found some fantastic ARCs to get into. 

Fake by Erica Katz is her sophomore novel. I loved her first book, The Boys Club and this one is a lot of fun as well.  I don't know much about the art world, but this story centers around Emma Caan, an artist who is hired to forge artwork so that the owners can display copies while keeping the originals in a secure location.  Emma has been waiting for her big break professionally and when she meets Leo Sobetsky a collector who provides her with a new job opportunity and an invitation to travel internationally, she can't believe her good fortune.  Each chapter begins with the transcript of Emma's interview with detectives, and slowly Katz reveals what Emma has gotten herself into.  I found this one a little suspenseful as I wanted to keep reading every time I picked it up.

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon - reading a rom com after some rather heavy books was a good choice.  I loved The Ex-Talk by Solomon last year, and this one was good as well.  A small town television station serves as the backdrop of this story which I loved.  Ari is a protagonist that is easy to like, and her romance with the sports reporter, Russ, is sweet and romantic.  Yes, this is a little predictable.  Maybe even a lot predictable, but that is what I was looking for and honestly, I needed it after what I had read recently.  If you are someone who only likes closed door romances, you might want to skip over a few pages here and there, but I think it is still a book you will enjoy.

I can't wait to find some more fantastic books to pick up this next week.  What have you been reading that I need to add to my TBR?

Friday Five Coming to You on Sunday

I think it was just last week when I wrote how I was trying to get my Friday Five posts done ahead of time. Well, obviously that failed this week.  Here is this week's post.  Better late than never!

 

1.  Boiled Wool Bridgman Sweater-Jacket

2.  Quilted Lady Jacket With PrimaLoft in Colorblock

3.  Pure Jill Soft and Cozy Henley Sweater

4.  Crew Neck Cropped Sweatshirt for Women

5.  Hilor Women's One Piece Swimsuits One Shoulder Swimwear Asymmetric Ruffle Monokinis Bathing Suits

6.  Women's Carhartt Fleece Jacket

7.  Stringberry Phone Case

8.  Run More Worry Less T

9.  Never Trust Anyone T

10. Wordle - this is a new addiction for me.  My husband and oldest daughter have started playing as well, and we often discuss how hard - or easy- the day's puzzle is.

That's it for me this week. What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: This Time Tomorrow

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released title I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

Due out: May 17, 2022

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

What if you could take a vacation to your past?

With her celebrated humor, insight, and heart, beloved New York Times bestseller Emma Straub offers her own twist on traditional time travel tropes, and a different kind of love story.

            On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice’s life isn’t terrible. She likes her job, even if it isn’t exactly the one she expected. She’s happy with her apartment, her romantic status, her independence, and she adores her lifelong best friend. But her father is ailing, and it feels to her as if something is missing. When she wakes up the next morning she finds herself back in 1996, reliving her 16th birthday. But it isn’t just her adolescent body that shocks her, or seeing her high school crush, it’s her dad:  the vital, charming, 40-something version of her father with whom she is reunited. Now armed with a new perspective on her own life and his, some past events take on new meaning. Is there anything that she would change if she could?

Non Fiction Tuesday: Non Fiction Preview: Little Brother

 I'm always looking at the new non fiction books being published.  My TBR is long - and just getting longer.  Here's a new title I'm looking forward to:

Little Brother: Love, Tragedy, and My Search For The Truth by Ben Westhoff

Due out: May 24, 2022

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

In the tradition of such intimate explorations of race and inequality in America as The Other Wes Moore and The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, Little Brother tells the story of journalist Ben Westhoff's relationship with Jorell Cleveland through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and investigates Jorell's tragic fatal shooting at the age of nineteen.
 
In 2005, soon after Ben Westhoff moved to St. Louis, he joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and was paired with Jorell Cleveland. Ben was twenty-eight, a white college grad from an affluent family in Minnesota. Jorell was eight, one of nine children from a poor, African American family living in Ferguson. But the two instantly connected. Ben and Jorell formed a bond stronger than nearly any other in their lives. When Ben met the woman who'd become his wife, she observed that Ben and Jorell were "a package deal." They were brothers.

In the summer of 2016, Jorell was shot at point blank range in broad daylight in the middle of the street, yet no one was charged in his death. Ben grappled with mourning Jorell, but also with a feeling of responsibility. As Jorell’s mentor, what could he have done differently? As a journalist, he had reported on gang life, interviewed crime kingpins, and even infiltrated drug labs in China. But now, he was investigating the life and death of someone he knew personally and examining what he did and did not know about his friend. Learning the truth about Jorell and the man who killed him required Ben to uncover a heartbreaking cycle of poverty, poor education, drug trafficking, and violence. Little Brother brilliantly combines a deeply personal history with a true-crime narrative that exposes the realities of life in communities like Ferguson all around the country.

Monday Mini-Reviews: Five Star Reads

2022 is starting out with some fantastic reading. I'm not sure when I last read two five star books back to back, but it happened this past weekend.  I was lucky enough that I didn't have anything scheduled for Saturday or Sunday, so I did find some extended periods of time where I could just sit on my couch and devour these books.

 

Honor by Thrity Umrigar- I've read Umrigar before and enjoyed what  I read.  This one has also been selected by Reese Witherspoon as her January book club pick.  

Smita returns to India, her homeland, after spending two decades in America. Now a reporter, she has come to finish up a story her friend, Shannon, was writing before she fell and broke her hip.

Meena is awaiting a verdict in the trial of her brothers who killed her husband and disfigured her when they set her hut on fire.  Meena is a Hindu woman who married a Muslim man, so angering her brothers that they retaliated.  

I have known there is a Muslim/Hindu conflict, but didn't have a lot of information about this. Umrigar explains this well within the story.  Smita tries to come to terms with the parts of India she loves and the parts that she doesn't, while she finally deals with the situation that sent her family to another country to start over.

Umrigar does start out a bit heavyhanded (IMO).  I am not a fan of books where the author feels the need to weave in their own political opinions.  However, by the time I was halfway through I couldn't put this book down as I wanted to know how Meena's story unfolded

The Maid by Nita Prose- I love a good mystery and I love a unique protagonist and The Maid has both.

Molly is a maid in a ritzy hotel and takes great pride in her work.  When she enters the Black's suite to clean it, she finds Mr. Black in bed - and then realizes he is no longer alive.

Molly cleans the room, anyway, and matter of factly reports his death.  There is definitely something fishy going on, and although Molly thinks she is getting better at reading people's facial expressions, she is missing out on a lot of devious behavior going on right before her very eyes.  And suddenly - Molly is the person they are bringing in for questioning in connection with Mr. Black's death.

For lack of a better way of describing it, I found this mystery to be fun.  Molly, without trying, brings humor to this story.  And as many reviews have already stated, it feels a little bit like you are in a game of Clue.  

Prose ties everything up well, but I wish there would be another opportunity to reconnect with Molly at some point.  

Have you had any 5 star reads yet this year?  I'm pretty pleased with how 2022 is unfolding so far.

Friday Five: It's The First Friday in 2022!

 

It's the first Friday Five post in 2022! I always love the start of the new year when I feel like I have a shot at getting organized and checking many things off of my "to-do list."  One of those things is getting my blog posts written ahead of time so I'm not scrambling at the last minute.  And yet, here I am on Friday morning still finishing up this post. 

Here are some things I found to share with you this week.  Enjoy!

1.  Petite Reindeer Fair Isle Sweater

2.  Petite Curvy Frayed High Rise Straight Crop Jeans in Dark Indigo Wash

3.  Elegant Coffee Striped Print Sweater

4.  Logo Crewneck Sweatshirt

5.  Puma Suede Mayu Women's Sneakers

6.  Momentum Top

7.  Striped Button Front Sweatshirt

8.  Superstar Sweater

9.  American Underdog - we went to see this in the theater over Christmas and really enjoyed it.  Kurt Warner is from Iowa and he played college football at UNI (just twenty minutes from us).  He and his wife have family ties with people we know which made it fun to see, but even if I didn't know anything about him, his story is pretty incredible.

10.  Harry and Meghan's Christmas picture - I know...this was weeks ago, but I haven't posted a Friday Five since before Christmas.  I just wish I could actually see the kids' faces. 

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?