It’s time for another great gathering of what YOU have been reading. I am constantly inspired by your selections and looking forward to loading my book back up with so many of these after reading your reviews on your favorite picks for March.
Just as a reminder, if you are a part of our MomAdvice Hangout Group, each month I will ask about what you are reading and ask for a short blurb on a book. You can also email books you are loving to me to amy(at)momadvice(dot)com and I can also add them to our monthly lists. By joining this group, you can also take part in a REALLY awesome online book club- I wouldn’t want you to miss this fun discussion and exploration of a new book each month.
My hope is to inspire you to connect with at least one incredible book this year and I hope you will enjoy this new feature with even more reads each month!
Read It: Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
Recommended by: Jennifer
I read (and LOVED), Curtis Sittenfeld’s new novel “Eligible”. It’s a modern day retelling of Sense and Sensibility, and though I’m typically not a fan of retellings (why rewrite a plot…write a new one!), this one was smart, topical and very fun to read.
Read It: Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
Recommended by: Kim
Circling the Sun is a beautifully written historical novel about the extraordinary life of Beryl Markham…her childhood growing up on a horse farm in Kenya, her marriages and love affairs, and her life as a horse trainer and pilot.
Read It: Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Recommended by: Kim
This nonfiction account of people living in the Annawadi slum in Mumbai, India is both captivating and heartbreaking. This book really opened my eyes to the reality of life as a slum dweller and the amount of corruption that exists there.
Read It: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Recommended By: Rhonda
I absolutely loved it!
Read It: Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom
Recommended By: Christi
I read “Glory Over Everything,” the sequel to “The Kitchen House.“ Good book but a little predictable. (I was obsessed with “The Kitchen House!”) It is still absolutely worth reading though!
Read It: Water from My Heart by Charles Martin
Recommended By: Steph
I just hate to put this one down! His stories grip my heart!
Read It: The Last Good Girl by Allison Leotta
Recommended by: Rebecca
I read an ARC of The Last Good Girl by Allison Leotta and really enjoyed it. It made me want to read more by her! Here’s my short synopsis: Prosecutor searches for missing college girl and discovers that the fraternity involved is known as a “rape factory.”
Read It: Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
Recommended by: Enid
This was an impulse buy when it was a Kindle Deal of the Day. It was a good read- I think it was a pretty accurate portrayal as to how a 9-14 year old would deal with such a horrible disease, treatment, and resulting disfigurement- not bothering to think about some major things, and obsessing over some relatively minor things. There were lots of beautiful descriptions and phrases, and in the “about the author” at the end, I found out she was a poet. I also found out that she died young, so I quickly looked her up and discovered that Grealy is the person Pratchett writes about in Truth and Beauty, and that Grealy’s sister was furious as to how Pratchett portrayed Grealy in that book.
Read It: Bright Side by Kim Holden
Recommended by: Rebecca
A girl leaves for college, falls in love. Sounds ordinary, right? … but fortunately for the readers, the story does not end there because both of them have a secret. Will they trust each other enough to reveal their true selves? And when secrets are revealed, Some will heal you … And some will end you. There is also a sequel to this one called, Gus.
Read It: Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson (audio version here)
Recommended by: Enid
This was a fun book to listen to- the reader did a great job with the voices, especially Frank’s. Frank was an awesome character, but Alice was a little too Mary Poppins-like for my taste. I felt the ending was abrupt- perhaps this means the author plans on a sequel. This was a great quick read. (editor’s note: check out our author interview!)
Read It: The Psychopath Inside by James Fallon
Recommended By: Amanda
This was a fascinating account by a neuroscientist who is convinced people are shaped by their genetics (nature) until he discovers that he has the brain scan of a psychopath….and realizes there may be more to “nurture” than he previously thought. Super interesting and not too technical to just enjoy his story.
Read It: A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary
Recommended By: Jill
I read The Girl from Yamhill, a memoir by Beverly Cleary. It was my favorite portrayal of life during the Great Depression. She was funny, talented, honest. I loved it. After the first three or four chapters I couldn’t put it down. It isn’t gossipy or overly detailed, it’s a story well-told about making sense of childhood and the adults around you during a very different culture.
Read It: The Last Midwife by Sandra Dallas
Recommended By: Tina
Gracy is an amazing woman having kept the secrets of her husband and the mothers she cared for even when it could have had a serious impact on her own life. I loved this book. One of my favorites this year.
Read It: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Recommended By: Julie
I’m currently reading “The Forgotten Garden” by Kate Morton. A line from the book I will save is, “(Cassandra) always hid when she read, though she never knew quite why. It was as if she couldn’t shake the guilty suspicion that she was being lazy, that surrendering herself so completely to something so enjoyable must surely be wrong.” Don’t we all feel a little like this?? I love this line.
Read It: Into the Dim by Janet Taylor
Recommended by: Shannon’s Bookworms
Into the Dim is a wonderful time traveling, action – adventure, mystery, historical fiction, and love story all rolled into one. I love the world building and there was a lot and the author did a fabulous job. The characters were great and many times she took you on such a roller coaster ride. I didn’t know which way this was going to end.
Read It: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Recommended by: Renee
Just Mercy was fabulous. It made me want to enroll in law school immediately (I have not…yet). It also made me aware of how unaware I am of the broken justice system in the U.S. Heart wrenching and uplifting book.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get these books and read them myself! What did you read this month that you loved? Feel free to recommend your favorite reads below or join us in the group to chat about your favorites! We love new friends!
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