While I am still reading away,  I am so incredibly proud to say that I have tackled SIXTY books this year! I am really excited about that considering my goal this past year was to get my reading groove back.  Doing these monthly round-ups has truly been a powerful motivator to get back into the habit of reading again, so thank YOU for helping me accomplish my goal this month!

Be sure to check our MomAdvice fan page for a weekly check-in on what everyone is reading each week on our Facebook Fan Page. I hope you will swing by on Fridays and share about the books you are working on or request recommendations with one another. So far it is a huge success and I have gotten a few new ideas for my own stack!

Just as a reminder, I read many more  books than are just featured here, but try to feature the ones that are my absolute best picks of the month here. If you want to read more, please feel free to friend me on GoodReads! My username is momadvice and I am always happy to connect with people there too! There is nothing more motivating than seeing what other people are raving about and my to-be-read pile continues to grow with all of my new friends on there! In fact, many of the books featured are ones that I have found through my friends on GoodReads.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Fans of, “The Help,” will truly appreciate and enjoy this fantastic novel from Kathleen Grissom that documents a story of slavery told from two perspectives, with enough plot twists and turns to leave the reader on the edge of their seat until the final page.

Orphaned while aboard a ship from Ireland, a seven year-old Lavinia is taken in by the captain and placed in his kitchen to work among the servants. As a white girl, working in the kitchen and serving the master’s family is an unlikely place for her to be, but she is taken in and embraced by Belle, the captain’s illegitimate daughter.  As unlikely as it seems, Lavinia is taken in as part of the family and finds that she truly is loved by all who know her.  Despite being white, she is treated like the rest of the children with the same amount of love and discipline that their own children are shown.

Unfortunately, her white skin sets her apart and she finds herself grappling with difficult situations as she grows older and who she must side with when racial situations arise. At sixteen, under the guidance of the captain’s family, she is sent away to get a proper education and to be among her own race. Through an unlikely turn of events, she finds herself returning to the captain’s home,  now in the unique role as the mistress of the home. Lavinia struggles with her new role and being in charge of instructing the staff (her own former adopted family) on the household maintenance and chores that must be done. Her life takes one sad turn after another, as Lavinia struggles to find her place in a world that is so divided.

Likewise, Belle’s life is filled with sadness as she loves a man that cannot belong to her and is victim of abuse. Being the illegitimate child of the captain comes with no extra perks, and she works the kitchen as the rest of the staff, struggling to decide if she wants her papers to be set free, especially when her freedom  comes with the price of losing the love of her life.

his book is a very sad tale told through the eyes of Lavinia & Belle, both offering a unique perspective on what is happening in the home and around them  It has so many plot twists and turns that you will be up all night reading this one and sheds light on the true issues that faced slaves and the difficulties of the politics that surrounded race in those days.

(MomAdvice Rating- 5 Stars out of 5 Stars)

The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard

The Good Daughters is a slower paced novel, built around an unlikely relationship that occurs after the Plank & the Dickerson families have daughters that are born on the same day in the same hospital. While the two families could not be more unalike, the Planks seem insistent on keeping up with the Dickerson family and keeping the two “birthday sisters” forever intertwined.

The Planks farm their land while the Dickerson family is artsy and lives hand-to-mouth in a nomadic life.  The Dickerson’s daughter Dana is obsessed with biology, struggling with her sexuality and feels she is as different as her family as she can be. Ruth, on the other hand, loves art and becomes fascinated with that world while trying to find a love to call her own.

The book is told in alternating points of view from Dana and Ruth as they go through Woodstock, love, marriage, divorce, jobs, and what happens when their parents become older.

The slow-moving plot and character build leads to a twist at the end of the story that the reader just might be expecting, but adds another little twist that gives the reader some satisfaction in understanding why these two families will forever be intertwined together.

A solid read with great character build make it a good read to tackle this winter!

(MomAdvice Rating- 3 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Honolulu by Alan Brennert

Honolulu happened to be recommended by two of my readers last month  (thanks Jennifer & Susan!) so I decided to pick this one up and give it a read. I am so glad that I did read it as it was a tiny bit reminiscent of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, which was one of my favorite books this year.

This book chronicles the life of Regret, whose name speaks volumes about how her father felt about having a daughter, in 20^th century Korea. Regret has a strong desire to read and learn and through some unlikely assistance from her aunt, she makes friends with a prostitute who offers to give Regret lessons in reading.  As Regret learns, she begs her family to allow her to go to school, but her father has no desire to have a learned daughter. When he discovers Regret knows how to read, he raises a hand to her and Regret knows that she cannot stay in their home any longer.

When she hears that prosperous Korean men that have moved to Hawaii are looking for mail-order brides, she decides that this will be the best way to get away from her traditional family. She submits her picture and is accepted as a bride, she looks forward to beginning a new chapter in Hawaii.

Prosperous does not begin to describe the men that meet these mail order brides though. Many are much older and much poorer than the pictures led these brides to believe and Regret finds herself with a field worker who has very little and expects no less than a traditional bride.

The reader gets to go on the journey with Regret as she is in a loveless marriage, as she struggles to make ends meet, as she makes friends with unlikely people, as she finds true love, and as she finds that her best friends and allies just happened to be her fellow mail order brides.

is a beautiful tale filled with the politics and history of 20^th century Korea, including well-documented research surrounding court battles and politics that were happening during this era.  I truly was captivated until the last page- a fabulous read for any historical fiction buff!

(MomAdvice Rating- 4 Stars out of 5 Stars)

The Hunger Games Triology by Suzanne Collins

I spent the rest of the month reading The Hunger Games series that everyone has been raving about.  I hate to do a separate review of each of these books, since it would give much of the plot away, but I will say that I was over the moon about the first book, really enjoyed the second one, and the third book was a disappointment to me after experiencing how fantastic the first and second book were. That isn’t to say that the third one is not good, it just is not as strong as the first two books in the series.

The story follows an unlikely heroine, named Katniss, who lives in District 12 with her mother and sister. It is not an easy life as Katniss is responsible for the hunting for her family just to make sure their family has food on the table, especially since the death of her father.

Even tougher for the family though is the annual reaping day where the government chooses two children from each district to compete in a battle to the death, leaving only one winner of their annual Hunger Games. When Katniss’ sister’s name is drawn, Katniss does the only thing she can think of…she volunteers to take her sister’s place to save her life. Paired with the baker’s son, Peeta, whom she has known since she was a child, she is thrown immediately into the ring to begin a battle to the death.

The battle is televised for everyone in the district and it is the stories of those in battle that the audience can find endearing or come to hate. Should they love who is competing, they can gather the proceeds in their district to offer their team’s district team gifts to help sustain them in battle.  The coaches for the District 12 team realize that one way that they can make the audience members truly love Peeta & Katniss is by creating a love story between them.  It is this story that they must continue to act out throughout the battle as alliances are made, broken, and lives are lost.

Lucky for Katniss, she is strong with a bow and arrow and it is her strength that will help carry her through the battle. The series is written for young adults and young girls will definitely find a lot of love for Katniss as a strong female who can measure up to the men in battle.

This series is fabulous and was devoured by both my husband and I. We actually fought over the books because we both were reading through them so quickly. I am so glad that we were able to read it together and I can’t wait until my children are old enough that they can enjoy it too.

The Hunger Games (MomAdvice Rating- 5 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Catching Fire (MomAdvice Rating- 4 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Mockingjay (MomAdvice Rating- 3 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Not enough great reads for you? Check out our Books section of our site for monthly recommendations and ideas for making reading a priority again in your busy mom life!

Disclosure: All of the links above are affiliate links and are provided so you can locate the books quickly and easily. Feel free to order a book, but we encourage utilizing the library system and buying me a latte instead.  Then we both would be really happy and we could have our own little book club together! Wouldn’t that just be so much more lovely? Happy Reading!

What has been in your book stack this month? Feel free to share your book recommendations or feedback on any of the books that have been mentioned above! I love getting new suggestions for my book pile!

I hope you are still enjoying our round-up of great reads each week.  I am still happily plugging away at my to-be-read pile, and just love sharing ideas for great books to read with our readers. This month’s reading includes both a couple of more serious reads, while still offering a couple of fun chick-lit books that would be great to tackle.  I don’t know about you, but as holiday preparations are underway, I find myself longing for a little escape through fun literature that can take my mind off of my endless to-do list. I hope that my suggestions will offer just that for you!

Be sure to check our MomAdvice fan page for a weekly check-in on what everyone is reading each week on our Facebook Fan Page. I hope you will swing by on Fridays and share about the books you are working on or request recommendations with one another. So far it is a huge success and I have gotten a few new ideas for my own stack!

Just as a reminder, I read many more  books than are just featured here, but try to feature the ones that are my absolute best picks of the month here. If you want to read more, please feel free to friend me on GoodReads! My username is momadvice and I am always happy to connect with people there too! There is nothing more motivating than seeing what other people are raving about and my to-be-read pile continues to grow with all of my new friends on there! In fact, many of the books featured are ones that I have found through my friends on GoodReads.

Room by Emma Donoghue

“Room,” is a stunning book written by Emma Donoghue that will stick with readers long after they have read the final pages. Told through the eyes of a five-year-old little boy named Jack, Room & his Ma the only things he has ever known because he has been held, and was even born in Room, his entire existence. His only glimpses of the outside world are through a skylight above their room and the limited amount of television he has watched through his time there. Of course, he doesn’t believe that anything in the television is real because he has never had the chance to experience what lies outside of the room.

His Ma was kidnapped and held hostage for seven years. She was just a child herself when she was taken and she has done everything she can to make Jack’s life just as rich as can be without being able to leave Room. In fact, she put me to shame as a mother reading all that she was doing with her child. Ma has thought of everything from celebrating Jack on his birthdays, to art time, to gym time…she manages to make it work in this tiny room.

The book is written in the language of a child which I thought would be very annoying, but quickly found it to be both endearing and poignant. I am sure it was a true challenge as an author to write in this style and to not make it unbearable to read. Emma Donoghue captures the voice and innocence of Jack perfectly in this stunning book.

While I wish I could say more about the book, it would definitely take away from the plot and the beauty of enjoying this one through fresh eyes. As a reader though, know that your heart will ache and root triumphantly for this mother & child to see the outside world!

(MomAdvice Rating- 4 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger

From the author of, “The Devil Wears Prada,” is a great new read following a normal everyday couple and what happens when fame comes knocking.

Julian & Brooke live a relatively idyllic life as both have focus on their careers. Julian works a day job, but has high hopes of one day becoming a famous musician. Brooke, his wife, is his number one fan who works two jobs to help support her husband’s struggling career as he tries to break into the record industry. They both hope that he will one day become famous and do what he loves so much. Of course, the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for,” really rings true when Julian finally becomes the rock star he has always wanted.

While Julian is whisked off and surrounded by a PR team and record executives looking to boost his image and get him mentioned in tabloids, Brooke is left wondering what this will all mean for her and their marriage. When a scandalous picture is taken of her husband with another woman at Chateau Marmont, Brooke must decide if she can truly believe Julian or if the pressure from fans and the people he surrounds himself with have become too much.

As she struggles to continue doing her job while still supporting Julian and being there for all of the events that are happening in his career, Brooke now finds herself, at times, lonely and practically single. With every obstacle placed in front of their marriage, the reader is left wondering if any marriage could survive the fame and scrutiny of the public.

A heartbreaking and real look at fame and how it could alter a relationship, this is a little more than your typical chick-lit! Lauren Weisberger delivers another great new read filled with pop culture references and many cameos from some of your favorite celebrities!

(MomAdvice Rating- 4 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Ape House by Sara Gruen

Isabel is an ape researcher who has devoted her life to working with the bonobo apes. The apes are like family to her and they use sign language and a linguistics chart to communicate what it is they need. Isabel & the staff accommodate to what the apes need from getting them lattes to filming their excursions for the apes to watch later. All that they do is meant to study & research the apes while keeping them in a safe environment, and learn about how they communicate with one another.

John Thigpen is a journalist who has been assigned the story of the bonobo apes and comes to document what the research lab is doing with them. He finds he is immediately drawn to Isabel and the apes and is excited to write a piece about them.

Shortly after his visit though, the ape lab is bombed and Isabel is injured and hospitalized after the bombing. She is in pain, but concerned more for the apes and their well-being. When news footage shows the apes hanging in the trees because they are so frightened, Isabel becomes increasingly agitated about where they will end up. Where they end up though, no one could have guessed.

After the apes are captured, they are thrown into a reality series home called, “Ape House” and documented twenty-four hours a day on television that can be viewed for the price of a membership. A seedy former pornographer producer has decided to exploit the apes as they subject them to ridiculous situations in order to make money off of them. Particular concentration seems to be on making the apes act or do things in sexual ways, in hopes to boost the ratings.

When John begins working as a reporter for a tabloid paper, after being let go from his last job, he is assigned coverage of the Ape House series. He is once again trying to find out information about Isabel and what happened at the lab that would have caused the explosion. He ultimately is faced with blowing the cover off of the whole situation and uses his investigative reflexes to find out who would have bombed the lab and how the apes came into the hands of this producer.

I was so excited to dive into, “Ape House,” and couldn’t wait to see what Sara Gruen came up with next. Although she spent years researching and spending a great deal of time with the bonobo apes, which was evident throughout the storyline of the bonobos, the story just wasn’t as solid or the characters as endearing as I had hoped. I was hoping for more from this book and there were too many characters and side stories that took away from the research and beauty of the story of the apes. I still breezed through the book and found it to be a quick read, but wished that the storyline didn’t have so many loose ends and unnecessary characters, focusing more on the storyline of the apes themselves.

(MomAdvice Rating- 3 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Over the years, I have enjoyed reading Becky’s shenanigans and expenditures in the Shopaholic series more than I can say and the new Mini Shopaholic is just as enjoyable and endearing as Sophie Kinsella’s earlier books in the series.

Becky is now happily married to Luke Brandon, the love of her life, and they have a two-year-old little girl who is Becky’s biggest challenge yet. Minnie is a strong-willed child who has a love and fascination for shopping just like her mother. As she is banned from stores for her bad behavior and tantrums uncontrollably when things don’t go her way, you wonder how Becky will be able to manage their child.

As Luke is wrapped up with work and the difficulties of managing his business & they struggle with their badly behaved Minnie, Becky decides to take it upon herself to throw a surprise birthday party for Luke that will include all of his friends and colleagues. The catch is that a financial crisis in London has forced everyone to be on a budget, and this will include Becky and the party of the year that Becky is hoping to throw. Since Becky has rarely had to do anything on a budget before, hilarity ensues as Becky tries to pull off a budget-friendly party and not have Luke catch on to her plan.

Readers will be entertained as Becky tries to find jugglers and fire-eaters by bartering through Craigslist with her high fashion wardrobe pieces and as she crafts homemade pom poms for the party décor. As a YouTube, “Happy Birthday to Luke” campaign is underway and newspapers are blasting about the party of the year, you will be giggling to the last page at what lengths Becky will go to as she tries to celebrate Luke’s birthday and extinguish the fires as the word begins to spread about the party.

I really enjoyed this quick read although the last two chapters really made the whole book for me. It is the glimpses of the realness of Becky and her everyday struggles with a strong-willed child that made this a great read for moms and her shopaholic ways that add that little bit of escape to every day life.

(MomAdvice Rating- 4 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Not enough great reads for you? Check out our Books section of our site for monthly recommendations and ideas for making reading a priority again in your busy mom life!

Disclosure: All of the links above are affiliate links and are provided so you can locate the books quickly and easily. Feel free to order a book, but we encourage utilizing the library system and buying me a latte instead.  Then we both would be really happy and we could have our own little book club together! Wouldn’t that just be so much more lovely? Happy Reading!

What has been in your book stack this month? Feel free to share your book recommendations or feedback on any of the books that have been mentioned above! I love getting new suggestions for my book pile!