June was a great reading month for me. Not only did I seem to read quite a bit, I had some great selections! In fact – four books from June wound up on my First Half Top Ten List – not bad at all!
My summer is off to a great start too in other areas, we had a lovely long weekend in the Colorado mountains away and it was just what I needed. My husband and I don’t travel as much as we thought we would as empty nesters, partly because we adopted a dog last year – but we did take this chance to get away and really unwind. That included reading time too, of course! I even completed another title on my 2024 Goals Reading List.
Here is what I read in June.
Sandwich – Catherine Newman
Ah, this book was like a giant hug to every memory and every current experience I have been going through. As I said in the comments on an Instagram post when reading it, I felt like Catherine Newman was a fly on the wall of my life for the last ten years. There were parts I read out loud to my husband and he just laughed and said, sounds about right.
In Sandwich, Rocky has just arrived for her summer vacation on Cape Cod – the same rental they have been visiting for 20 years. Her adult children and one plus one are there along with her husband. Her parents will be joining them later in the week. Rocky is fighting a battle within her own body as she enters Menopause and explains eloquently how she feels betrayed by herself. Slipping in and out as gently as the rolling waves, Rocky brings us on a journey of her past, allows us to be a guest in the present and explores her future’s thought and fears.
This book was perfect for an empty nester like myself. I too cherish every moment I am able to spend with my now adult children and could relate so much to this part of the book as well as the path forward with your spouse and the ever changing needs of our aging parents. While many of Rocky’s experiences were unique, I could relate to the emotions involved in just about every part of the book. Newman has nailed this one and not only do I think every mom approaching the empty nest will devour it, but I do think others will love it as there is something for everyone. While I didn’t cry (not a really a reading crier), you may, and there will be laughs galore. Grab it now!
🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
What Happened to Nina – Dervla McTiernan
Nina and Simon are that perfect young couple – they’ve been friends since they were five years old and began dating at 16. Now young adults, they seem to be happy and in love. They go on a vacation to Simon’s parents’ Vermont home in Stowe and only Simon returns. What happened to Nina? Told in alternating voices/POVs, this was a riveting page turner from the beginning that kept me hooked until the end. Simon’s family is very wealthy and throw money and lawyers at everything but Nina’s parents are determined to do anything to find their daughter. How far would you go to find your child? There was one late development that threw me a little and I didn’t love, but otherwise this was a goodie! The story felt very realistic and sadly could have been ripped from a number of headlines. I did listen to What Happened to Nina? on audio and the narrating of the multiple POVs added greatly to the story. Great summer binge-able book!
🍷🍷🍷🍷1/2
All The Colors of the Dark – Chris Whitaker
I fell for this one hard in the first 25% and then have to say the rest large chunk of this very long book was a tiny bit tougher for me. The last 25% then wrapped up with a bang with everything coming together. I love a slow burn yet this one was 25 years of time type of slow. Due to my busy schedule it almost took me generations to get through it and while that is my own issue, it made it harder to come back to and sink in again. I get the feeling that if I had 2 – 3 solid days to immerse myself in Whitaker’s world, this may have easily wound up a 5⭐️ for me. Here’s what you will be reading about – a pirate, a beekeeper, a kidnapping, missing girls, small towns, family trauma, heroes, a painter, a detective – ooh and so much more. Does the truth really set you free, or will it tear you apart? Whitaker is a wordsmith to the Nth degree and does so with ease as he weaves a character driven literary tale of both suspense and drama throughout time. I did love it, but wish the slow burn was just a crackle faster. This one will be hot, hot, hot all summer long. Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. All the Colors of the Dark will be available on 6/25/24.
🍷🍷🍷🍷1/2
The Same Bright Stars – Ethan Joella
Ethan Joella is an author that I have thoroughly enjoyed and his latest, The Same Bright Stars is no exception. Here we meet Jack, a 52 year old restaurant owner in the Delaware touristy beach town of Rehoboth Beach. Ever since he took over the family restaurant after his father’s death, it has been his entire life. He has passed on chances with love and much of life, all in the name of keeping the restaurant running. He now has a tempting offer from a corporate backed restaurant group that has been buying up restaurants along the coast. He could sell and retire. This quiet, lovely character driven novel explores Jack’s past, his family, his employees, his community, and his friends and the relationships he has with all of them. He is definitely tempted as he examines his life and quite frankly, he wants more. He realizes everything he has given up and wonders what more is out there. While going through the motions of his day to day grind and exploring his options, big revelations from his past are brought to light.
I especially liked the excerpts from “That’s Rehoboth Beach: A Guidebook” as we meander through the seasons. Often times a setting is fictional, or when it is a real place, it is glossed over. In this case, Joella does an exemplary job of bringing Rehoboth Beach to life and it is a character itself that he has made a very conscience decision to highlight. You can feel the sticky candy on your fingers, smell the salt in the air, sense the traffic creeping into town on a Saturday, and hear the children shrieking at the boardwalk arcade. I have been to Rehoboth and it is indeed magical. The sense of joy that Joella awards this idealistic little beach town is a love letter in itself.
Thank you to NetGalley And Scribner for an advance e-copy in exchange for my review. The Same Bright Stars will be available on 7/2/24.
🍷🍷🍷🍷1/2
The Return of Ellie Black – Emiko Jean
The Return of Ellie Black was a June pick for one of my in person book clubs (I am in two). It was already on my radar so I quickly pushed it to the top of my TBR to get it read in time. This was a very hard read. Note to all – maybe don’t read this as your young adult daughter is traipsing around a foreign country on a somewhat solo vacation. There are so many nuggets in this one about the world today. I am actually sad I will miss my book club meeting as I could speak for hours about this topic and would love to hear the thoughts of my friends. I found the book riveting and completely unputdownable. So much so, I alternated between the audio version and ebook and read 95% of it throughout one day. We meet Ellie on page 1 as she begins recounting her two+ year disappearance after she walks out of the woods and two hikers find her. Alternating POVS, mostly Detective Chelsey are more present day as they work to solve who took Ellie, where, and why. They all have histories and each adds depth to the story. I’ll leave it at that. This is a horrifying page turner, especially if you have a daughter. While fiction, there is so much here to think about that could happen anywhere, any day. Some of it became a bit far fetched, and I have to think the author did that purposely to keep it more fiction-y and perhaps let us mommas sleep at night. As others have said when reviewing this one, I choose the bear.
I have now read enough books about horrible men this month. I will be moving on to something lighter.
🍷🍷🍷🍷1/2
The Summer of Yes – Courtney Walsh
Kelsey is an aspiring junior book editor that has a near death experience and she has a wake up call. She realizes she spends way too much time worrying and saying no, and she is now going to have a Summer of Yes. While recovering in the hospital she meets hospital roommate Georgina Tate, a notorious very successful business woman and their paths continue to merge. The Summer of Yes is a fun, mostly light book that was a good palette cleanser mixed in with a little light romance. Thank you to Harper Collins/Thomas Fisher Publishing and NetGalley for an advance audio copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The Summer of Yes will be available on 7/2/24.
🍷🍷🍷1/2
Brooklyn – Colm Toibin
This was mostly fine – I was expecting an interesting immigrant story, but really lacked the depth and layers I was expecting. It all just seemed quite random, like an unorganized bullet point list of someone’s train of thought and experiences, but it just felt somewhat sterile. I read it to get a background before starting Long Island. I was very surprised the way it ended so abruptly, like it was in the middle of a chapter. Very odd that we finally have a sequel 15 years later. I hope Long Island is better.
🍷🍷🍷
Bear – Julia Phillips
I was drawn to this one based its setting in the San Juan Islands, a place I love. That was indeed the best part of the book. Well, that and the bear. I strongly disliked Sam and couldn’t relate to her at all, even though I too have been a caregiver. I do sympathize with the circumstances that Sam and Elena had to endure but overall the book just wasn’t a good fit for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Hogarth for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Bear will be available on 6/25/24. Perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did.
🍷🍷
