2018 Recent Reads: July-September

It’s time for another edition of 2018 Recent Reads! This is when I share what I read in the previous 3 months. I actually completed my 2018 Goodreads reading challenge in September! I aimed for 24 books, or 2 a month. I read a nice grouping of books this month; mostly fiction with a few nonfiction, mostly paper copies with a few audio reads due to the fact that I get motion sickness easily.

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The Wife Between Us – (I received this book as a part of a sponsored post but with no obligation to post about it on posts outside of that sponsored one) “Twisted and deliciously chilling, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage – and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love” (x). I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t see the big twists coming and couldn’t put it down. 4/5

A Column of Fire – This is the 3rd in the Kingsbridge series, but you don’t have to read any other books in the series to read this one. This is not my favorite book in the series (that would be World without End), but I enjoyed it. This is one of the books that I listened to on Audible. “Ned Willard wants nothing more than to marry Margery Fitzgerald. But when the lovers find themselves on opposing sides of the religious conflict dividing the country, Ned goes to work for Princess Elizabeth. When she becomes queen, all Europe turns against England. […] Over a turbulent half century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents” (x). 5/5 

The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra – This biography examines the lives of the daughters of the last Tsar of Russia. It’s so interesting! “Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 has clouded our view of them, leading to a mass of sentimental and idealized hagiography. With this treasure trove of diaries and letters from the grand duchesses to their friends and family, we learn that they were intelligent, sensitive and perceptive witnesses to the dark turmoil within their immediate family and the ominous approach of the Russian Revolution, the nightmare that would sweep their world away, and them along with it” (x). 5/5

Little Fires Everywhere – I enjoyed this, but I definitely think that it’s overhyped; I preferred Everything I Never Told You over this one. “When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town–and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs” (x). 4/5

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade – This is a book in a series about a secondary character from Outlander. I really enjoy them! They’re a good way to make do before the next Outlander book comes out. This is the other book that I listened to on Audible. “Here Gabaldon weaves together the strands of Lord John’s secret and public lives—a shattering family mystery, a love affair with potentially disastrous consequences, and a war that stretches from the Old World to the New” (x). 4/5 

Lies – (I received this book as a part of a sponsored post but with no obligation to post about it on posts outside of that sponsored one.) I didn’t see the twists at ALL! I wouldn’t say that this is an amazing book, but I did read it in 36 hours. “Six days ago, Joe Lynch was a happily married man, a devoted father, and a respected teacher living in a well-to-do London suburb. But that was before he spotted his wife’s car entering a hotel parking garage. Before he saw her in a heated argument with her best friend’s husband. Before Joe confronted the other man in an altercation where he left him for dead, bleeding and unconscious. Now, Joe’s life is unraveling. His wife has lied to him. Her deception has put their entire family in jeopardy. The man she met at the hotel has vanished. And as the police investigate his disappearance, suspicion falls on Joe” (x).

What Happened – This took me forever to finish, both because I always struggle with nonfiction and also because it lagged in the middle. I think that some chapters didn’t need to be as long as they were. But all in all, I liked it, and it was super interesting. “In this “candid and blackly funny” (The New York Times) memoir, Hillary Rodham Clinton reveals what she was thinking and feeling during one of the most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections in history. She takes us inside the intense personal experience of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party in an election marked by rage, sexism, exhilarating highs and infuriating lows, stranger-than-fiction twists, Russian interference, and an opponent who broke all the rules” (x). 4/5

Into the Water – I had a hard time getting into this, but once I hit about page 60, I couldn’t put it down! It’s so good, and the ending made my jaw literally drop. “A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother’s sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she’d never return” (x). 5/5

What have you been reading?

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