Everyone (including me) talks about summer as the be all end all reading season. But we’re sleeping on fall! It’s cold! There are sweaters, and lattes! Let’s take a look at a few of the books I chose for fall reading!
Break that fall reading slump!
I always fall into a bit of a reading slump after the summer. The rush of new books has stopped and I’m no longer spending my days on the beach with a book and one hand and a drink in the other. (Just kidding, I am basically never doing that, even in the summer, but that is how I imagine my summer reading.
The reality is a little bit more inside with air conditioning and an iced coffee than poolside with a cocktail, but both are great.) Plus! All of the good TV comes back and now instead of feeling overwhelmed by my library holds it’s my DVR that is slowly killing me. I am currently thirteen books away from my reading goal. I feel confident that I can reach it, and I’m loading up on Christmas novels to power through the next couple of months.
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Fall Reading Roundup
Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win
I am writing this review first because my rage is fresh and I have some things to say! One thing I strongly dislike is an unfinished book. No, I don’t have any desire to THINK about the many ways this book could have ended. If I wanted the chance to choose my own adventure, I would WRITE MY OWN DAMN BOOK.
Anyway, I know not everyone feels this way, but I was reminded anew of my stance when I woke up early this morning to finish my book and realized that I was going to be robbed of that opportunity because there is no end! (Of course there’s an end, but it is unfinished and I am angry.) (In the author’s note she said she thought finishing the book would be making a statement and yes, that is exactly what I am looking for from you.)
ALL of that said, I enjoyed reading this book right up until the end. It tells the story of a woman running for a Senate seat in her hometown. The story is set within our current political climate, so it feels very real and heartbreaking and frustrating. I liked a lot about this book, and if you too like to think about all of the things that might have been when you read a book, then perhaps this book is for you.
Crazy Rich Asians
Yes, hello I am very hip to current trends, why do you ask? I tried reading this book several years ago when it was all the rage and I just couldn’t get into it. There were entirely too many characters to keep track of and I abandoned it.
I still stand by those thoughts, but this time I pushed through, deciding that the characters would either become clear to me or they wouldn’t. They mostly did, although I maintain the character list was entirely too long for this book.
However, I enjoyed the story and will read the next book in the trilogy. I will also finally see the movie where the characters might all come together for me.
From the Corner of the Oval
Oh, this was FUN. This is a memoir of a woman who worked in the White House stenographer’s office during the Obama administration (and briefly into the Trump administration.)
And while the details of her job seem kind of mundane, she also worked in the White House, flew on Air Force One all over the world – often, and had quite the love triangle going on.
She doesn’t try to gloss over her mistakes and this reads much more like a novel than the details of someone’s real life. She’s an incredibly talented writer and I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing what she writes next.
Goodbye Vitamin
This surprised me in that it was a quiet sort of book in which not much really happens, but it was also incredibly touching and lovely and sad. It’s also funny, which is surprising in a book about moving home to help care for your father who has Alzheimer’s.
Homefire
Whoa. I audibly gasped upon reading the last page and that’s even AFTER I knew that the ending was going to be big. I think it’s probably best to go into this book knowing precious little about the story. However, I will tell you that the writing is beautiful and poetic.
The Dream Daughter
This book was sent to me from SheSpeaks. I enjoy Diane Chamberlain – I liked The Secret Life of Cece Wilkes several years ago – so I was excited to see a new story from her cross my radar. This is more than a story about the relationship between a mother and a daughter.
It’s more than a story about family dynamics. And, this is more than a story about time travel. Yes, there’s time travel, but it’s more The Time Traveler’s Wife than Marty McFly. I quite enjoyed this, and unlike the first book on my list, the ending is rather satisfying.
The Book of Essie
This was fantastic! The story is about a Duggar-like family with a daughter who gets pregnant in high-school. The similarities end there because this novel has a delicious feminist bend to it and while the secret was predictable, I really loved the resolution.
Ghosted
Have you ever read a review of a book and then wondered if you were wrong in your own feelings about the very same book? I am guilty of this, and after reading and enjoying Ghosted I read a bunch of reviews that made me doubt myself.
I’m going back to my initial feelings about this book which were that this was a love story with a twist and I enjoyed it. I’m ignoring the other adjectives others have flung at it, because this was a win from me.
Long May She Reign
This was a reread for me. I needed a little palette cleanser of a book, and the fourth novel in The President’s Daughter series was just the book. (I enjoyed and recommend the entire series.) I’m including it here because I’m counting it toward my book goal for the year. Rereads totally count.
As always, I would love to hear what you’re reading lately!
More Reading Recommendations
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