Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s been a busy month, full of time spent with friends and family.

Being away in California for two years has truly shown all the time I’ve missed out with my loved ones and I have cherished the moments I’ve gotten to have with them since coming home to Virginia.

Despite all of our quality time, I’ve managed to squeeze in reading time and have read a few new favorite (and some less-than-wonderful) books this month:

1. The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Emma, now a famous painter in the art scene of NYC, paints the images that haunt her; three girls, obscured  by woods, running away, leaving her behind and never to be seen again. One fateful summer spent at an exclusive summer camp years ago echoes throughout her life, day after day, year after year, imprinted in her mind and projected on her canvas.

Confronted by her past and given an opportunity to right what she feels she’s done wrong, Emma is offered a job at Camp Nightingale to give art lessons and seek out the truth about what happened to her friends. Secrets of a family, jealousy, vindictiveness, and lies add up to a heart pounding mystery, full of twists and turns and an ending the reader won’t see coming…

Creepy, thrilling, and has a hook of an ending.

I give it a:

Thumbs Up!

2. The Reckoning by John Grisham

The year is 1946 in the depths of Mississippi, where southern values are celebrated, small town gossip is rampant, and faith and family or cherished above all else. One day Pete Banning, a war hero and land owner, walks into his Methodist church, pulls out a hand gun, and murders the pastor in cold blood. Refusing to explain his actions or reveal the apparent transgression of the pastor, Banning single-handedly puts in motion the ruination of his family and legacy.

The story flashes back to Banning’s experience during the war, which reveal the sheer good fortune of his survival and return home and the hopelessness his family felt at being led to believe he would never do so. It also unravels the secrets of a family, burdened by lies which poison their relationships and result in their downfall.

I really enjoyed this book…right up to the very end, when the conclusion left me completely unsatisfied and frustrated. Like really, Grisham? I feel misled and irritated by the wrap up of this story line.

I give it a:

Meh.

3. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Through three perspectives, a story of racism in America is told.

Ruth Jefferson is an African American labor and delivery nurse, working at a small hospital in Connecticut. Ruth loves her job and takes great pride in the work she does. From helping mothers and fathers celebrate the greatest day of their lives, to supporting those who are less fortunate move through the grieving process of their loss, Ruth has seen and experienced it all…or at least, she thought she had. Then Turk and Brittaney Bauer enter her world.

Turk Bauer is a staunch white supremacist, fully devoted to the movement and looking forward to instilling his values in his own child. Full of loathing for anyone with a different skin color, sexual orientation, or overall out look on life, Turk and Brittaney are enraged when their labor and delivery nurse turns out to be black. Refusing to accept her aid, Ruth is instructed to not handle the Bauer baby in anyway…which results in a devastating situation.

Kennedy McQuarrie is a public defender, looking to do some good in the world even when it feels fruitless and unrewarding. When she crosses paths with Ruth and is faced with a morally perplexing case, Kennedy finds herself not only defending Ruth but unveiling a seemingly taboo topic in the courtroom: racism in America.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Compelling, relevant, thought provoking. I found myself so engrossed in Ruth’s story and her pursuit of justice. I actually liked that Picoult wrote from each perspective, including Turk’s (even though he is severely dislikeable in every way). And the ending is absolute perfection.

I give it a:

Yaaaaas QUEEN!

4. The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock Imogene Hermes Gowar

Set in 1785, Jonah Hancock is informed by the captain of his ship that he has made a miraculous trade: Hancock’s vessel for a dead mermaid. The mermaid in question is a horrific, shriveled up thing, of questionable origin and authenticity; nothing like the intoxicatingly beautiful mermaids of folklore. Never the less, it brings hoards of onlookers, willing to pay a decent price to gawk at it’s appearance.

Angelica Neal, a celebrated lady of the night, finds herself in the companionship of Mr. Hancock as he navigates his newly claimed fortune and fame and she seeks to ensnare him. Unexpectedly rebuffed by Hancock, she seeks attention from a young noble, falling madly in love with him and losing favor in the world she’s found such success in. 

Finding herself abandoned by her lover and with little prospect of being accepted back into her former world, Angelica and Hancock come to an agreement and get married. Looking to prove his true love for Angelica, Hancock attempts to discover a living mermaid, but at what cost?

Yeeeah, I wasn’t a fan of this book. I loved the setting and the language, but the story just didn’t hook me. It was too long and just not as mesmerizing as the synopsis promises.

I give it a:

Yaaaawn.

5. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Hill House is an infamous place, that houses unspeakable and inexplicable tragedy and poltergeist activity. Four people find themselves investigating this supernatural activity and tempting the whims of misfortune.

Dr. Montague hopes to find evidence of the supernatural to write a book. He seeks out individuals he feels will be receptive to the activities of the home. They include Theodora, a self-involved and manipulative young lady who is the assistant of Dr. Montague; Eleanor, a fragile and impressionable girl looking to run away from her old life; and Luke, the charming young heir of Hill House.

The activities of the home are disturbing; from inexplicable writing on the wall, banging and slamming doors and creeping noises in the hallway. Most disturbing of all are the psychological disturbances of Eleanor, which manifest themselves in her paranoia and sense of unease. What terror will befall these people? Will they make it out alive?

This story requires a lot of inferencing and guess work. I read this mostly because of the highly anticipated Netflix series based off of this book. Hopefully it’s just loosely based on the book, because I didn’t love this.

I give it a:

Whaaaa…?

That’s my round up for November! What did you read this month? Share in the comments! 🙂

Happy & healthy reading!

Alexis

Please follow and like us: