Wednesday, January 31, 2018

January Book Reviews

One of my New Year’s Goals was to read more. I love reading and I honestly think that I will forever try to read more books than the year before. Last year though I really didn’t read as many books as I usually do so this year I am really on top of this New Year’s Goal!

I am already on my fourth book of 2018 and I’m not going to lie…I’m kind of proud of myself! I found that the trick is to always have a stack of books on hand all of which are from a different book genera/time period/storyline, that way you will always have a book ready to pick up that you are in the mood to read!

 I usually just review books as I read them, but I thought for this year I would do a book review roundup at the end of every month just as a way for me to be more conscious of how many books I’m reading. Anything to help out with New Year’s Resolutions, right!?
This book took a little while for me to get into just because it is a story through the exchange of letters, so it is written in a different format than what I am used to, but it is a beautiful book.

Set during World War I, Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas, depart for War. When the War first starts, as everyone thought, Evie believed that the War would be over by Christmas and she would have her brother and friend home to go on a trip to  Paris to celebrate the Holidays.

Evie, Thomas, and Will come to experience a different type of war than what they thought and came to know what heart ache and lost was. Evie not being one to sit on the sidelines joins the war effort, contributes to the war effort. Thomas struggles with the realities of war and also faces his own personal battle back home with his father under the weather and trying to keep his family owned newspaper afloat.  Through their letters Evie and Thomas build a relationship from afar as they share their hopes and fears, and start to grow very fond of each other.

Fast forward to Christmas 1968 with failing healthy, Thomas decides to return to Paris with a pack of letters in hand, one unread, to lay to rest the ghosts of his past.

This book is almost 600 pages and I read it in less than a week – I seriously could not put it down. The Nightingale is probably the best book I will read all year; it’s just such an amazing story and so beautifully written. If you read only one book this year, this is the book to read.

Kristin Hannah captures the essence of World War II in such a realistic way and sheds light on the women’s war that took place during this time period. It is often overlooked the part women placed in the war when it came to leading downed airmen, Jewish people, etc to safety, and the part they played in the resistance movement.

The Nightingale tell the stories of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, separated by years, experience, personalities, and a trying past. Each playing an important part in the resistance, choosing to go down a dangerous path toward survival, freedom,  and love found along the way during German-occuiped France.  Vianne and Isbelle are finally able to build a bridge towards each other and finally have that sister relationship during mother always wanted for them.   

This is just an amazing book that demonstrates how resilient the human spirit can be and just how strong women are. This is a novel for everyone and I can honestly not recommend it enough.

Young Adult books are my guilty pleasure… after reading a book set in World War I and then reading a book set in World War II back to back I felt like I was definitely in need of a book that is a little more on the light hearted side.

Lara Jean is having an awesome senior year of high school, she has a boyfriend who is head over heels for her, her dad is finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Margot’s coming home for the summer, and Lara Jean has her college all planed, or so she thought…
Lara Jean has to decide what collage she really wants to go to and what that would mean for her and her boyfriend, Peter. Lara Jean saw her sister go through love and heartbreak as she headed off to collage and Lara Jean and Peter have to decide if their love is strong enough to survive the distance.

This is just a fun, mindless, light read that is perfect to read right after a serious book.

This is also just a fun read, but hey, at least it’s considered a proper adult book, right? In all seriousness this is a great book that anyone would love and one heck of a debut novel. I am actually currently reading this book, but I am more than half way through it!

Olivia Rawlings, an impressive pastry chef worked as an exclusive Boston dinner club till the night she not only set her desert on fire but the entire building. Luckily no one is hurt, but Livy is quick to get out of town. She thinks of one of the most comforting places she can go to, Guthrie Vermont, on the way up she calls her best-friend Hannah to let her know she is on her way.

Once Hannah gets the full picture of what actually happened at the dinner club, she helps Livy get a job at a local bed and breakfast who is known for their apple pies. Livy soon becomes immersed in small town life and comes to find what home really means.

4 comments:

  1. 4th book just this year!! this I impressive! I really need to find more time for reading too xx

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    1. I definitely recommend The Nightingale if you are look for a good book to read!

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  2. Love your book recommendations. Thank you!

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    1. Happy to see you enjoyed this post and the recommendations!

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