Book Round Up

Who is ready for a great list of books? Me, that's who! With coooooold temperatures to keep me inside plus a long trip ahead of me next week, I need to make sure I have plenty of books to help pass the time. Here's a mash up of books that have caught my eye this week that I think you will all like too! 

Single, Carefree, Mellow by Katherine Heiny : Pleasure, commitment, deceit, loss. These are the ABCs of love and here is a intricate story of numerous women and how they cope with loving men who are either unavailable, cruel or all around not "the one." I feel like this should have been a book I could've read in my early twenties but nevertheless, it's always encouraging to me to read other women's stories of woe in the love department so that I know I am not alone... 

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend: Imagine having a pen pal and you travel to their hometown to meet then, and when you arrive to meet your friend, you discover that she has passed away. Most of us would turn around and go back home, but not Sara. She decided to open a bookstore in the tiny town that Amy lived in and she makes much more of a difference for its citizen than she could have ever imagined. 

Good on Paper by Rachel Cantor - Described on Amazon as a "deft, funny, and big-hearted novel about second chances" this book is a different story line than what I would usually read but it just caught my attention. What piqued my attention is the comedic side that it has...a funny account of a single mother who lives with her child and her gay friend who has hit a career stumbling block and she's given a unique opportunity to work with an eccentric poet and translate his latest work. Sounds kind of fun, right? 

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner - I am a sucker for memoirs. I become totally engrossed in other people's stories and this one, I have a feeling, is going to hook me. Ruth Wariner is the the 39th child of her polygamist father and her life is as far from typical as you can imagine. She tells the story of her life in the polygamist cult and turning her back on the things she knew were wrong in her family's lifestyle. After her father is murdered by his brother in an attempt to further his position in the church, Ruth's mother marries another polygamist. Shuffled back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico and numerous homes trying to survive, Ruth begins to think about what life and a future would look like if she was brave enough to escape her family...

The Secrets of Midwives  3 generations of midwives and the youngest is secretly pregnant. And the longer she tries to keep the secret of her baby's father, the more secrets from her mother and grandmother's past keep emerging... I have started to read this book before and can't for the life of me remember why I didn't finish reading it. Every time I see it on Goodreads, I always think it's a story I would love so I just need to buckle down and finish it.  

The Good Good-Bye by Carla Buckley  This had me at "family tension and ER thriller." As much as I love Forensic Files and 20/20 I don't know why I don't read more thrillers. I love a good family drama too. I've been trying to read The Pocket Wife for a couple weeks and I just haven't been able to get into it so maybe this cliff hanger will get me in the mood. Two college roommates, who are also cousins, lay unconscious in the hospital and their family members await news of how the fire that injured them was started.

So there you have it, six great books to get you started on your new year reading list. This week, the temperatures are suppose to plummet into the teens and I can't tell you I am happy about it. So I'll be inside, tucked deep into the couch reading and cuddling with the kids. 

This time next week, I'll be on my way to sunny California for a trip to with my mom to the Critic's Choice Awards and the Ellen Show. Excited doesn't even begin to describe what we are feeling, just in case you were wondering! 

Happy Friday!