May 2016 Must-Reads

I’m excited to share what I have been reading this month with you. I have 8 great recommendations that would be be perfect for indulging in this summer. This month I tackled everything from historical fiction to thrillers to self-help to memoirs. I can’t wait to dig into another stack for June and share those with you too and I hope this post will inspire you to run out and get some fresh books too!

Want the inside scoop on what I’m reading each week? Join our online book club where we talk about books all day every day. This is not an exaggeration! Join me!

8 Must-Read Books for May 2016

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

I love when books introduce me to a time in history that I am unaware of. Set in 1945, Sepetys explores the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. This ship had promised safety to over 10,000 people, even more than the well-known Titanic. Uniquely told through the voices of four characters, all with different ethnic backgrounds, she explores a hidden time in history in a beautiful and heartbreaking way. This is, perhaps, one of the most researched books I have read as the author traveled to over a half dozen countries to take accounts from passengers, their families, and even deep sea divers to round out her story. Fans of The Book Thief will appreciate this tragic YA story.

5 Out of 5 Stars

The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight

I received an ARC of this book- all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Outliers is the first book in a YA trilogy that begins with a single text, “Please, Wylie, I need your help.” When Wylie’s estranged best friend goes missing, she is led on a wild goose chase, with Cassie’s boyfriend, to bring Cassie to safety. The duo has no idea where they are going and the reader is led through over the half of the book to a surprising adventure that bends the genre from thriller to science fiction. Read the book before you see the film because this one has been optioned by Reese Witherspoon’s production team!

Be sure to read my interview this week with Kimberly and check out the 3 books she recommends we read!

4 Out of 5 Stars

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Leonora, a reclusive writer, receives a surprise invitation from an old friend inviting to her to a weekend away as one last hurrah before she gets married. Set in a glass house in the woods, the four acquaintances share revelations and begin to realize their party is not alone. Forty-eight hours later, Leonora (Nora) awakes in a hospital bed knowing that someone is dead. Nora desperately tries to piece together what happened, forcing her to revisit times in her past that she would rather leave buried.

I’m pretty picky when it comes to thrillers and this one delivers beautifully. The pacing is perfect and reads like a great whodunit mystery. Enjoy the ride and then get ready to see this one brought to life on the big screen by Reese Witherspoon’s production team.

Ruth will be joining me this month in our Sundays With Writers series so be sure to watch for that one!

5 Out of 5 Stars

A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold

If I could make a required reading list for parents, this book would top it. Klebold painfully writes openly about her son Dylan and his involvement in the Columbine shooting. A family, not unlike our family, that offered love and support to their son, becomes part of one of biggest tragedies in history, in part, because they were unaware of their son’s depression. Klebold has devoted her life to helping in the advance of mental health awareness and intervention, even donating all proceeds to organizations that focus on mental health issues.

This was one of the most difficult books I have ever read, but eye-opening that this could happen in ANY family and that it is our job as parents to keep our children’s mental health in check just like we would their physical health. I would recommend reading Columbine before diving in to really get familiar with the story and the inaccurate media portrayal before reading this one!

5 Out of 5 Stars

Rare Objects by Kathleen Tessaro

Set in Depression-era Boston, the book follows Maeve Fanning, a first generation Irish girl, being raised by her widow mother. Maeve engages in risky behavior that lead her to a psychiatric hospital where she strikes up an unlikely friendship with an unstable woman named Diana. Diana runs in an elite crowd, thanks to her wealth, and Maeve begins changing herself to fit in. Dying her red hair to blonde, she begins a job working in a shop selling rare artifacts, being romanced by Diana’s brother, and continuing to engage in her risky behaviors. As Diana pulls Maeve more and more into her fold, Maeve begins to realize how dangerous it all really is.

Rare Objects was a fantastic exploration of social issues that I would not have considered (like being an alcoholic during the Prohibition, for example) and the dramatic differences in social classes. This was another solid read from Tessaro that could have only benefitted from a bit of trimming in length for a tighter storyline.

Kathleen will be joining us this month for our Sundays With Writers series- stay tuned!

4 Out of 5 Stars

Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss

Welcome to the art scene in SoHo in the 1980’s. Prentiss, much like an artist herself, vividly paints the art scene during this time and the story of two unlikely men whose lives become intertwined in surprising ways. The book follows James Bennett, an art critic whose writing is made more beautiful because he has Synthesia, and the rise and fall of that gift when it disappears. Raul Engales is an Argentinian painter running away from his past and the Dirty War who finds that he can use an art studio on a college campus just by pretending he is a student there. When tragedy strikes, Raul & James become friends as Raul’s paintings bring back the gift of Synthesia that James had when seeing his work. They both make tragic missteps along the way though and that is where the depth to the story is truly added.

There is a lot of meat in this story, but there is a feeling that Prentiss could have expanded so much on the storyline of Raul’s sister and what the Dirty War was all about. That said, it would be impossible to not learn something new and fans of art and the Manhattan scenes in the ‘80’s will definitely find plenty to love in this ambitious debut novel. Her descriptions are like paintings themselves, vivid and full of life!

I am so excited that Molly will be joining me this month for Sundays With Writers too! I can’t wait to interview her!

4 Out of 5 Stars

Behave by Andromeda Romano-Lax

Fans of Masters of Sex will appreciate this fictional exploration of Dr. John Watson and his research that was revered by so many to not spoil children based on his research that he developed during his time at Johns Hopkins. Disturbingly, tests are performed on infants to yield responses from them, all being assisted by Rosalie Rayner. An affair develops between the two that taints their reputation in the medical community and adds strain to an already difficult marriage. When they have children of their own, Dr. Watson uses his own research as a basis for how they are to parent which creates squeamish moments for the reader. Despite it being an uncomfortable storyline, it held my interest all the way through, even when the characters were most unlikable.

Andromeda will be joining me this month for our Sundays With Writers series so be sure to check back for that one!

4 Out of 5 Stars

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

If you work in the creative field OR if your heart has always desired to make room for creativity, you will truly appreciate the messaging of Big Magic. I listened to this one on audiobook, with Gilbert reading her book, and it was like listening to an incredible life coach about not giving up on your creative dreams, doing creativity for YOU and not just for the glory of it, and being okay with making mistakes. It is the gentle nudge (and sometimes in-your-face nudge) that you need to hear to get moving on projects that have been pushed away because of risk of failure or lack of time. It’s one I would listen to again, particularly if faced with a slump in my creative life.

Although, self-help books aren’t usually my cup of tea, Gilbert’s no bullshit mantras, are inspiring rather than cheesy.