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Happiest When Reading

A place to read my latest book reviews.

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Earl and I are trying to decide if we’ll regret #dnfing Americanah? 🤔 . Let me be clear: the writing is good, I’m curious about what’s happening, but it’s lacking the in-put-down-able-ness. I literally look like Earl minutes after picking it up. . Tell me, friends...should I continue on or move on?
This was quite the timely read given what's currently going on at the borders of Mexico. In this fictional account, set "15 minutes in the future", Layla and her parents are taken to an internment camp in the middle of a dessert. After the president declared all Muslims to be "enemies of America", he then had them rounded up and put in camps. But Layla and her new friends aren't going down without a fight. They secretly come up with several resistance plans in order to gain back their freedom. . I thought this book was well done, and given that it was fictional, it doesn’t take the reader long to realize that we could easily end up in this exact scenario TODAY if people continue to sit back and be silent. I believe everyone - teens and adults - should read this book to motivate us to use our voices while we still have them. Also, to remind us those of us with some privilege owe it to our friends and fellow countrymen to use our voices the loudest.
#partner | I don’t always gravitate to lighter reads, but it seems as if my July is full of them. Thankfully, they’ve been some of my better reads, so I’m definitely not complaining! . Awhile back, @anniebjones reviewed this one, so I added it to my #tbr. It did not disappoint. I loved the writing and the characters of this story so much. While it kind of lost some of its steam towards the end, it didn’t detract anything from the overall story. . You don’t need to know a thing about beer or brewing beer to get fully immersed into this sweet book about an older lady, her selfish sister, and her wonderful granddaughter. Told in alternating perspectives, I actually loved each narrator equally as well. And, as a Colorado girl, I was thrilled that Coors made an appearance! . I am now adding J. Ryan Stradal’s first book, KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST to my TBR…I’ve heard the very best things of that one as well!
#partner | Holy moly…this was quite the ride through a serial killer’s mind. Isreal Keyes was a notorious killer who buried “kill kits” in various parts of the United States. He would then fly into a city, dig up a kill kit, and then go on a killing spree. When he was finished, he’d return to his home in Alaska, a seemingly “normal” dad and girlfriend. After he was arrested for his last murder, he opened up to the police and FBI, telling them the gruesome details of his killing sprees. Keyes committed suicide in prison, so law enforcement aren’t sure they’ve connected him to every victim though they think there are at least eleven. . AMERICAN PREDATOR reads like fiction and I was so intrigued, I read this book in one sitting. Intense, fast-paced, and well-organized, this is the perfect book for fans of I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK and true crime.
#partner | #RomCom usually has me running for the hills, but I have to admit that I’ve read some really great ones lately. . WAITING FOR TOM HANKS is sweet and adorable and perfect in every way. I loved the references to 90s/2000s RomComs (Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and When Harry Met Sally). I also loved how Annie’s love for RomCom’s comes from her relationship with her mother, who has since passed away. She continues to watch them as a way to feel closer to her mama…that’s something I can totally relate to! . This is the perfect book for the beach or pool or when you’re needed something lighter to dive into.
#partner | SO MANY GREAT READS THIS WEEK! I can’t believe what a week of reading it was! . I highly recommend WAITING FOR TOM HANKS, THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA, and AMERICAN PREDATOR (fuller reviews to come later this week)! . Also, I’m still making my way through DAISY JONES AND THE SIX and WHISPER NETWORK on audiobook. I’m enjoying both of them as well! . Like I said, it’s been a great reading week. What have you been reading (and loving) lately?

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