I’ve been trying to turn and burn through the titles lately, and here’s what I’ve read…
–Marissa
Rocket Men by Robert Kurson was just SO FANTASTIC. I love all of Kurson’s nonfiction books (which totally read like fiction) including Shadow Divers and Pirate Hunters, but this was my JAM. I love Kurson and I’ve always been absolutely enamored with the space race of the 1960s. This was about the daring – I didn’t realize HOW daring! – mission to send Apollo 8 around the dark side of the moon in preparation for the moon landing. Kurson just weaves in the science, the men’s personalities and lives, and the impact the mission had on the space program – and the world. I’m not kidding… I started this in the morning, intending to read one chapter, and had it done by that late afternoon. SO good.
Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence was just… if ever a book could be written just for me, this is it. Spence writes “love letters” (and some not-so-lovey ones!) to the books in her life as a public librarian. I howled with laughter, I nodded emphatically, I wanted to write her my own letter to tell her I agree about Nicholas Sparks, The Time Traveler’s Wife and Fifty Shades of Grey. This is an obvious choice for any librarian, but anyone who loves books – and libraries! – will dig this too!
Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall was a Book of the Month last month (yes, of course I’m a subscriber!), so I bumped it up my “digital galley” list. This is a perfect recommendation for folks who enjoyed You by Caroline Kepnes, as the books are similar. An unreliable narrator, a twisted view of a relationship, and the aftermath when things go too far. A serviceable psychological read that was easy to zip through.
I also read So Close to Bein’ the Sh*t Y’all Don’t Even Know by Retta, which was just a fresh, funny, honest memoir from a famous Hollywood face who happens to be ridiculously down to earth like the rest of us! I also read Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser, which was a fine enough novel, but not a terrible memorable “mommy lit” story for me, and just seemed to drag on a bit in the reading. I also just finished Intermission by Elyssa Friedland, about a couple who take a six month hiatus before deciding whether to proceed with becoming parents or separating forever. I like the premise very much, but found the story a bit cloying and boring-ish in parts.
stubbornsunshine.com 