Saturday, May 9, 2020

April Reading List

Raise your hand if at the start of quarantine {can’t believe I’m using that phrase…} you optimistically made of list of something along the line of: I’m going to… 1) read more 2) go to bed earlier 3) be so on top of email {I currently have 200 I need to respond today K…} 4) use this time as an opportunity to make healthier choices and get in shape 5) use it as a time for reflection 6) catch up with family and others close to you

I totally made a mental list that looked like something along those lines. What I didn’t count on was what an adjustment it would it be to transfer off of your normal routine and settle into a somewhat productive new one. Towards the end of March my mind was buzzing so much with random thoughts that I just kind of gave up on reading before bed for a while and gave into watching Netflix instead. For April I had a little bit more mental clarity going on and was able to settle back into my normal routine of reading before bed. As many of you know, one of my New Year’s Goals was to read more, and I am up to a grand total of 9 books so far for 2020!
Confession, I bought this book based on the fact that I just loved the cover… I mean who can resist a book with a cover with a woman in a pink coat, holding the Eiffel Tower in her hand, and a dramatic scene going on in the background?  For some reason it took me a little bit to get into this book… I think it was just because of everything that was going on and the style in which the story was told….

This love story is very appropriately told by the goddess of love, herself, Aphrodite. As she weaves together a story of hope and love set during World War I and II; a time where optimism at times be a difficult thing to find. 

Primarily set during World War I, this story follow four different protagonists and the development of their love story during difficult times. Even through all the active warfare, the struggles of day-to-day living during the times of two major wars, and just the active hardship during these times, the author still manages to shed a ray of hope and leave cracks for light to shine through. 

Even though I was never able to get 100% sucked into this book, I really do have to say that Berry did a fantastic job of weaving the story together. If you are a fan of historical fiction, this book is definitely worth a read.

This is the first book I have ever listened to on audible/book on tape format, and I actually really enjoyed it. At first, the opening of the book was very descriptive and my first thought was ‘I think this might be better in a written form’, but it was actually really enjoyable and has a fantastic story line.  

Mother City is set in Cape Town and centers around the Goldwyn family; a well-to-do couple whose special needs son is tragically kidnapped by a member of the jihadist group. The kidnapping exposes a jihadist’s group operation of kidnapping children and converting them to extreme Islamic believes and all that encompasses. 

This is the first ‘thriller’ I have read in a good while and I was so impressed with the amount of research that went into this book and the individual character development over the course of the story. You will seriously not be able to put down this book. Highly recommend 

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