My Week in Books (3/18/19)

(#partner #freebooks. Thank you, Ballantine Books, Algonquin, Graydon House, Red Lightning Books, Libro.fm, Pantheon, HarperOne, and Harper Perennial for the free books to review. All opinions are my own.)

The #bombcyclone hit and it hit us hard. We were without power for close to 18 hours which gave us a lot of reading time! Between naps, forging for food that didn’t need preparation, and watching the snow blow sideways, I think my whole family is feeling a little bit stir-crazy at this point!

Last Week’s Reads:

• Daisy Jones and The Six by: Taylor Jenkins Reid (Ballantine Books) – Pub Date: March 5, 2019
  • Dare I say that I like this book even better than The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?! I was a little leery of the interview format at first, but once I acclimated to it, I couldn’t put this one down! I LOVED it!! (Read my review here.)
• A People’s History of Heaven by: Mathangi Subramanian (Algonquin) – Pub Date: March 19, 2019 (TOMORROW!)
  • This is an amazing book about friendship, love, and standing your ground set in a slum in Bangladore, India. There are several characters in the story but it mainly focuses on five young girls who are coming-of-age in a society that values boys more than girls and doesn’t really support girls getting an education. But with the older women of the slum pushing these girls to continue their schooling and with the help of the principal of their school, these girls believe in themselves and their contribution to society! (Read my full review here.)
• The Things We Cannot Say by: Kelly Rimmer (Graydon House) – Pub Date: March 19, 2019 (TOMORROW!)
  • While I loved the WWII/Nazi timeline of this book, the present day component was just meh for me. (Read my full review here.)
• Queenie by: Candice Carty-Williams (Scout Press) – Pub Date: March 19, 2019 (TOMORROW!)
  • I wavered on this one for a good portion of the book and almost DNF’d it. For some reason, I didn’t and I’m glad! I’ll have a full review later this week…so check back! 😉

Currently Reading/Listening:

• Five Feet Apart by: Rachel Lippincott (Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers) – Pub Date: November 20, 2018)
  • After Katherine at @readwithkat hosted an online book club for this one, I knew I had to read it. I find it so important to read books about things I have no idea about. This one is about two young adults living with cystic fibrosis (CF). This one may take me awhile because I’m actually doing a read along with my 11-year-old daughter!
• A Grip of Time by: Lauren Kessler (Red Lightning Books) Pub Date: May 1, 2019
  • Still loving this book about a group of inmates who join a writing group in prison. Not only are their personal narratives given in bits and pieces, but Kessler also gives a lot of background information on the United States’ prison system and how reformation is necessary.
• 🎧 Cherry by: Nico Walker (Knopf) – Pub Date: August 14, 2018
  • Audiobooks can be hard for me to get into, but as an effort to get more things done around the house, I’m focusing on listening to them more! As a member of the Libro.fm listening squad (#librofmlisteningsquad), I have a promo code for you to use to get more audiobooks in your life as well! Follow this link to the Libro.fm website to get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 ($14.99)! I’d love to hear what audiobooks you’ve listened to and loved recently!
• Next Year in Havana by: Chanel Cleeton (Berkley) – Pub Date: February 6, 2018
  • Cleeton’s next book, When We Left Cuba, is due to be released next month (April 9, 2019), so I figured it’d be a good time to revisit one of my favorite books from last year. I’m ⅓ of the way into it and loving it just as much as I did the first time. I also talked about both of these books on Sarah’s Book Shelves Live Podcast. If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, you can do so here!

Likely to Read Next:

• The Other Americans by: Laila Lalami (Pantheon) – Pub Date: March 26, 2019
  • This is a family drama, a murder mystery, and a love story all in one! With a cast of characters divided by race, religion, and class, I think this one sounds promising as a real thought-provoker.
• #IMomSoHard by: Kristin Hensley & Jen Smedley (HarperOne) – Pub Date: April 2, 2019
  • I have a feeling this one is going to be hugely funny…or a huge flop. Humor can be hard, but I’m hoping it’s just the light read I’m currently craving!
• In Another Time by: Jill Cantor (Harper Perennial) – Pub Date: March 5, 2018
  • Yes, yet another WWII historical fiction book on my TBR. As soon as I get through my #partner #freebooks from this era, I will be taking a break! I love it, but I need something else…maybe a good psychological thriller?!?!

Phew! That was a lot…thank you #bombcyclone for all the downtime!

Tell me, friends, what’s been your favorite reads lately?