Welcome to my altered journey through life. You never know if I will be into home improvements, knee deep in a good book, on an Alaskan cruise or just being silly. I hope this blog will give you tips, tricks, ideas and books to add to your TBR list. Thanks for stopping by.
The new guide is here!! This summer I chose books that I loved that I hoped you would love too. I added some different categories that could fit into our busy lives. I would love to know what you think about any of the books on this list.
Click the link for a downloadable copy and thank you for stopping by.
I like summer books that suck you in and don’t let go. Sometimes you need a book that you can read in one or even two settings….Sometimes you need an epic adventure, but often (to me) a summer read is just an escape from everyday life. I am going to provide you with some books I think can fit a perfect escape. I have broken the books down into categories, that may be seen as quirky, but they also can be fun.
Click here for a printable version.
Celebrity Gossip and Tell-Alls
Hello Molly!-Molly Shannon
A tragic accident shapes Molly and turns her into a comedy queen. Can be enjoyed by anyone.
The Storyteller-Dave Grohl
A fan of rock music makes rock music. It is fun and not your typical rock n’ roll book. Dave is a rock superfan! Both the book and audio are good. Dave reads the audio.
The Boys-Ron and Clint Howard
Two brothers recount the lives of their actor parents and their own journey through life, love, drugs, and Hollywood. I didn’t expect to love this, but I did. I highly recommend the audio here.
You watched the show, now read the book (these are not quick reads but worthy of a binge read)
Bridgerton (it is a series)- Julia Quinn
We have all seen the shows, don’t forget about the book series, there are prequels too!
Bad Blood -John Carreyrou
The story of how a smart kid can lie and claw her way to the top, and get caught and will now pay the price. Read the book or listen to the audio, they are both great.
When you only have one afternoon to read
The Keeper of Lost Things - Ruth Hogan
This was so cool. A man that has always collected objects leaves the object to his maid and she needs to find their owners.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse- Charlie Mackesy
Yes, this is in the children’s section, but the message is powerful for all of us, please read this.
Granny’s Got a Gun-Harper Lin
Harper Lin makes my list every year. You can’t go wrong with any of her books.
Books that will become movies/tv-shows soon—read the book first because all of these are showstoppers
Daisy Jones and the Six-by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book is told as if the rock band is conducting an interview, it has a surprise ending.
Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman
A housewife decides to solve a 1960’s murder, set in Baltimore, MD
Where the Crawdads Sing-Delia Owens
I very much liked this book, and most people I know that have read it absolutely love it. In this book, we meet Kya who has lost everyone and has raised herself. This book will warm your heart and make you want to hug Kya.
Historical Fiction books that I couldn’t put down
Little Souls-Sandra Dallas
Helen and Lutie moved to Colorado during the last days of the Spanish flu pandemic, renting out a room in their home to save money. A murder happens in this rented room and changes everything.
Until We Meet-Camille Di Maio
In this book, we follow Dottie, Gladys, and Margaret. One is pregnant, one is writing to a boy she has never met, and one wants to change the world. While it is a typical WWII book, it was nice meeting these young women.
Great or Nothing-Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, and Jessica Spotswood
This book is supposed to be a reimagined telling of Little Women. I have never read Little Women, but I loved that it was set during WWII. It shows us four sisters and how some of them are doing all they can for the war effort.
When the Summer Was Ours-Roxanne Veletzos
Eva is engaged to be married in a pre-war Hungary. Everything is going great until she meets a man that will rock her world. She plans to ditch everything and be with Aleandro, but war tears them apart. The book gets ugly when describing the war, but war is ugly, and Eva is right in the middle of things.
On Gin Lane-Brooke Lea Foster
Everleigh has the best life, a huge trust fund, and is about to be married. One night she will be awakened from sleep, her home (a hotel) is on fire and the fire changes her life forever.
Sitting on the “edge of my seat” thrillers
Nine Lives-Peter Swanson
Nine people are mailed a list of names. The list has their name on it and these people start noticing the people on the list are being murdered. It is a bit like the Agatha Christie book, “And Then There Were None”.
Sparring Partners-John Grisham
I loved that is a collection of novellas. Read one, or read them all, I think this collection is perfect for summer reading. Each story takes place in Ford County (where “A Time to Kill” took place) and features three different lawyers.
The Sundown Motel or The Book of Cold Cases-Simone St. James
I love this author so much that she can tell a fantastic story that keeps me guessing and wanting more. Sundown is about a rundown motel that may be inhabited by ghosts. Viv is a clerk there and is completely caught up in some murders that happened at the hotel in the past.
Cold Cases introduces us to Shea, who was abducted as a child and is now obsessed with solving the Lady Killer murders. She is writing a book about how she plans to solve the murders, and needs to interview Beth, the woman everyone suspects of committing the crimes. There’s something in Beth’s house that is not happy Shea is snooping around. Beware of ghosts.
Upcoming books I am excited to share with you, some of these could become a book pick of the month.
August 2022
December 2022
August 2022
June 2022
September 2022
June 2022The second I started reading this book I had visions of Baby and Johnny dancing in the big hall to "Time of my life" and I knew in that second I wanted everyone to read this one. This book will require no thinking, no sleuthing, no stressing...this book is just a book to sit down and enjoy!
Every year I comb through the books I have read in the last year and determine which of those books would make a great vacation read. I determine a vacation read as something that might be hard to put down, it could be something light and fluffy, maybe a can't look away from drama-filled adventure, or even something you have never tried before. This year's list will have a new feature, something I have not read, but can't wait to get my hands on. Thanks for reading this list and I hope it inspires you to pick up a book this summer.
WWII fiction
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
One of the most interesting aspects of WWII was the fact that women entered the workforce and proved to all that they could indeed succeed at any job. This book focuses on the women that worked as code breakers. There is a side story with a romance with a code breaker and Phillip Mountbatten (yes, THAT Phillip).
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
My second WWII pick is another with a strong female character. Our heroine here saves the lives of children by changing their identities and getting them away from the Nazi army. She kept a book that had a code and this code featured the true identities of the children. I loved this book!!!
The Last One Home by Shari Ryan
The story features a girl that is the daughter of the commanding officer at a naval base on Oahu. She wants to be a nurse and her father does not want her to date anyone in the military. Fate has a way of intervening starting with the day she meets a handsome former actor turned soldier. Then Pearl Harbor is bombed and war breaks out, everyone in her family joins the military and are scattered all over the world. I love the meaning of the title with the story.
The Girl with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff
The book was so good and so very different from any WWII book I had read before now. An entire Jewish family evacuates to the sewers where they will live in hopes that they can hide from the Nazi army. This book is full of action and beautifully written.
The Hollywood Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal
The Hollywood Spy is number 10 in a series that I have encouraged you to read for years, if you have not please pick up Mr. Churchill's Secretary and see what I am talking about. This series follows a woman named Maggie Hope that becomes an agent for England during WWII. Her adventures lead her through some violent times, murder, intrigue, and captivity. Number 10 focuses on her coming to America to help solve the murder of an actress that was engaged to her long-time friend, John. Each book in this series is action packed.
General Fiction
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
This is going down as one of the best books of 2021 for me, We get to meet a mail order bride that is running away from a past life and another country. We soon see she isn't the only one running or hiding secrets. Her new husband and her new daughter also have secrets of their own. These secrets will be revealed about the time that the 1906 earthquake rocks their hometown of San Francisco.
The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Another pick book of the year! I have always loved a story wrapped around the pandemic of 1918, this one focused more on family than some of the others I have read. Pia is a small child who ends up caring for her twin baby brothers. When they vanish, she risks everything to find them. That sounds easy, but there is a pandemic going on out there and some very bad people do very bad things when they think they can take advantage of people in a desperate situation. This was a gripping book, maybe you should carve out the weekend for this one.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
The Last Apothecary is another great 2021 book. This one takes place in two time periods, 1790 and the present day. In modern times we find a woman a little lost in life and seeking direction. She goes to this event where she finds a vial from an old apothecary's office and sets off to discover where the vial came from and what it had once contained. In the past timeline, we got to meet the apothecary and see that her business operates by providing poisons to women that have been hurt/wronged by men. I have heard the audiobook is just as good as the print book.
Surviving Savannah by Patti Calahan Henry
Another two-time period book, where most of the action takes place in post-civil war Savannah. A ship named The Pulaski is taking wealthy folks from their plantations up the river to their summer homes to avoid some of the spoils of summer (mosquitos and heat mainly). Something happens and the ship blows up leaving the people to fight to live. Fast forward to the present day and the wreckage has been found. The conservators are hoping to answer questions about the explosion. Both timelines feature a woman that is very unhappy due to circumstances she really couldn't change, and is looking for a way to overcome.
Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
I 100% admit that I checked out this book because of the darling cover. I will also admit that I found this one fascinating. Here we have a daughter telling the story of her life with her mom during two periods of her life. When she was a child, her mother made her sick to fleece the community for money. Rose Gold will tell you about how her mother got caught and what is going on in her life today. That is all I am going to say, but I very much enjoyed this book.
Kind of Science Fiction
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
Imagine a world where clones are walking among us. Imagine a world where your husband has decided he wants to be with someone else and has dumped you. Imagine your husband engaged to another woman before you are even divorced. Imagine that woman is your clone that he created. Imagine that you and the clone meet. That is all I will say except that this book had me guessing all along and I loved it!!!!
Beach Reads (when I use this terminology I am referring to books that you can just sit down and enjoy...quick reads and maybe even funny)
You had me at Hola by Alexis Daria
I was looking for something totally different and thought I would give this one a chance. It has a typical formula....
hot girl meets hot guy
hot guy might be into her
yes, he is into her
they date
he has a secret
they break up.
...You know the drill. The fun part was this was set on the set of a telenovela soap opera and featured tons of scenes with families and friends that made parts of this funny. You don't need to invest any major time here. It is a rather quick read to enjoy poolside or in the car on the way to the beach. If you are not into Rom-Com books, I would skip this one.
The Floating Feldmans by Elyssa Friedland
Grandma decides to take the entire family (her husband, two grown kids, and their families/girlfriends) on a NOT ALL EXPENSES PAID cruise. Yes, you already know there is going to be drama, lies, and secrets, and that everything will spill out at some point. The fun parts of this book were how the lies and secrets spilled out and what exactly they were. I admit, I 100% picked up this book because I miss cruising so much, but I had a fun time on the journey.
Bio/Memoir
How Y'all Doing by Leslie Jordan
OH my goodness, how can you not love Leslie Allan Jordan? I have only been a fan since The Cool Kids aired, right before he became a sensation, so I am a newbie. I thought he was so funny on the show that when his Instagram started, I hopped right on. Then the pandemic hit and he was so worried about how we were doing and hunkering down with us telling us stories of his life. If you have not experienced this account, stop reading this and go follow him, do it now! Leslie loves Jesus, his mama, and gospel singing, in that order and that is just a sprinkling of what you will find in this book. I did the audio and e-book, but found the audio to be my favorite way to enjoy. I recommend you do it that way so he can read it to you in that southern drawl. I highlighted a few things while reading and I wanted to share my favorite one...
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
I would say if you like Matthew this is a must-read. If you are interested in Matthew (I fall in that category, not even sure if I have seen any of his films), then this could be enjoyable for you also. I admit I picked it up because it was talked about as an honest look into Matthew's life. I agree with that statement. I will add that I think you should do the audiobook. I listened to this while I did some construction work on my house and it made the time pass quickly. Matthew's voice was animated and entertaining. He seemed honest, sincere, and a bit crazy. Ok, maybe a lot crazy. His story weaves through the times and he will tell you exactly what a "greenlight" is to him. I loved his take on this, he is striving to build a happy life and succeeding on all levels. Maybe now I will watch one of his movies.
President Book
Grant's Tomb by Louis Picone
Most of the people I know do not even like a good US President book, and normally I would not include them. They can be very long and boring. I chose this one as a good read because you not only get a shortened synopsis of Grant's life and his horrific death, but you also see how America loved him and wanted to honor him. Most people have no clue in this day and age exactly what Grant did to save our country, what he sacrificed to keep our nation whole, the reverence of our country is displayed on these pages of just how much America wanted to honor him for everything he to save her. Grant's Tomb touches on all of that and takes you through the history of the conception, fundraising, building, deterioration, and resurgence of the tomb that stands above all in Riverside Park, NYC.
Michelle can't wait to read
I may not know much about these, but I am excited to read them (yes, some of these were added to the TBR because of the very awesome cover).
