Sister's Choice Quilts

My interests are quilting, reading, cooking, family, decorating, and matters of style. I post regular quilting tutorials and book reviews of current fiction.

May Reading Re-cap

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I read quite a lot in the month of May.  Twelve books total, which is a lot more than I have done in a great while.  It seems my powers of concentration are back!  I read 8 hardback books, one audio book and three books on my Kindle.  So here is my take on them:

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The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell.  Very atmospheric and suspenseful. A wealthy family in London doesn't manage their finances well and takes on some lodgers to make ends meet. Before they know what hit them, the lodgers come to dominate the family in a cult-like fashion. Multiple points of view, but it all comes together in the end. You won't want to put this one down.  Four stars.

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The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber is set in The Badlands of South Dakota in 1917. The main characters Rachel and her husband Isaac are unusual in that they are one of very few black homesteaders who took advantage of the Homestead Act. Believe me, it was a hard life for a woman on a ranch with five kids and an infant on the way. The descriptions of the land, the harsh weather, the loneliness, and the dilemmas that settlers faced on a daily basis, were all done so well. The main character Rachel, has a big conflict due to her husband's fierce pride and ambition, and I was completely satisfied as to how everything was resolved.  Four and a half stars.

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The House of Trelawney by Hannah Rothschild. This book was just so so for me. Part rich people behaving very badly, part family saga. The story is about a family of English aristocrats who have blown through their fortune, but are still living in their 700 year old formerly grand family castle. The place is literally falling down upon their heads day by day. All the characters are thoroughly unlikeable and it was hard for me to care what happened to any of them. Two and a half stars.

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A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight.  I was speeding through this book, enjoying it up until the end.  This book is a psychological thriller about the secrets between couples and the faces some folks put on for their friends and neighbors. I had a few issues with the book.  I didn't think "red herrings" were explained away properly and the actual conclusion seemed to come out of nowhere.  Just barely three stars for me, but I am in the minority.  Other people have loved it, so don't listen to me.  Check out the reviews on Amazon.  And would you look at the cover?  Do you see the man lying behind the woman?  Isn't that a clever illustration?

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The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal was one of the most charming feel-good books I have read in a long time.  The story of two sisters, a granddaughter/niece and their struggle to make a name for themselves in a man's world.  A group of feisty grannies gets together when the chips are down and teach themselves how to make beer.  Really good beer.  I loved this book. Four and a half stars.

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The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi is set in 1950s Jaipur, India.  Lakshmi, our main character has with hard work and determination started a new life for herself as a talented henna artist.  She escaped from a brutal marriage and now supports herself independently painting intricate designs on the hands and bodies of wealthy Indian women.  She has her own secrets however and knows her carefully built life could easily be undone by gossip and a ruined reputation.  Her story is fascinating, and I highly recommend this peek inside Indian culture.  Four enthusiastic stars.

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Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankin was a fast, fun book to read. The reader gets a peek into the lives of rich New York mommies who have more money than sense. If you follow any YouTuber or Instagram influencers whose lives seem just a tad staged and perfect, you might enjoy seeing some of these characters get their comeuppance. 100% Chick Lit. Three plus stars.

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Beach Read by Emily Henry was not for me. I am definitely in the minority here, and that's ok. This book was just not my cup of tea, although loads of others are loving it. Two published writers, both with writer's block, find themselves next-door neighbors in beach cottages on Lake Michigan.  They hate each other at first, then they strike up an interesting bargain. I found the characters unbelievable and the pace too slow. I'd be reading a section of the book which was leading up to sex scene and find myself thinking "For heaven's sake, get on with it". When the characters finally did have their moment, I found myself thinking, "For heaven's sake, get on with it". I just wanted the whole thing to be over. Positives are: clever banter and fun secondary characters.  If you enjoy the "romance" genre, you might like this book, so check out the Amazon reviews and read the rave reviews.

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Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore.  It is 1976 in the oil fields of West Texas, and the women in this novel are not having a good time of it. Feminism may be on the rise elsewhere in the United States, but in Odessa, Texas women are on earth to serve their husbands, stay home, raise a passel of kids, and smile while at it. Told from multiple female points of view, this book could be pretty bleak, but the underlying message the reader is left with is one of hope. The women are strong, resilient, and flawed. The men who figure into the story are all either absent or violent ignorant thugs. Despite the exaggerated gender portrayals, the story is compelling. The characters are very well drawn and will stay with you after you finish the book. The plot is gripping and you will be turning the pages as fast as you can to see what happens next. I was completely immersed in this book from the first page to the last. Cormac McCarthy for women.  Five stars.

The other books I read were Bossypants by Tina Fey, Where the Lost Wander (reviewed in a previous post), and I Found You by Lisa Jewell.  I Found You was an audio book which I really enjoyed.  The subject of the novel is a man with amnesia who is found on the beach in Cornwall.  Good story.

As always, I hope you enjoy my reviews! 

36 responses to “May Reading Re-cap”

  1. My local library is now offering pick-up service. There are four on this list that I hope to get. Always a huge thanks to you for listing your reads and reviews.

  2. My local library is now offering pick-up service. There are four on this list that I hope to get. Always a huge thanks to you for listing your reads and reviews.

  3. My local library is now offering pick-up service. There are four on this list that I hope to get. Always a huge thanks to you for listing your reads and reviews.

  4. I always enjoy your reviews! I added Valentine and A good Marriage to my Kobo wishlist. On the weekend, I bought Olive Kitteridge and Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout and I’m wondering if you’ve read either of these? And actually on the Valentine review, it likens the author of Valentine to Elizabeth Strout so the authors must be somewhat similar??

  5. I always enjoy your reviews! I added Valentine and A good Marriage to my Kobo wishlist. On the weekend, I bought Olive Kitteridge and Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout and I’m wondering if you’ve read either of these? And actually on the Valentine review, it likens the author of Valentine to Elizabeth Strout so the authors must be somewhat similar??

  6. I always enjoy your reviews! I added Valentine and A good Marriage to my Kobo wishlist. On the weekend, I bought Olive Kitteridge and Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout and I’m wondering if you’ve read either of these? And actually on the Valentine review, it likens the author of Valentine to Elizabeth Strout so the authors must be somewhat similar??

  7. Hoping to get some camping time in soon so I need to stock up on reading material. Your ‘Happy & You Know It’ review had me at ‘100% Chick Lit’! Thanks for the reviews! Stay well!

  8. Hoping to get some camping time in soon so I need to stock up on reading material. Your ‘Happy & You Know It’ review had me at ‘100% Chick Lit’! Thanks for the reviews! Stay well!

  9. Hoping to get some camping time in soon so I need to stock up on reading material. Your ‘Happy & You Know It’ review had me at ‘100% Chick Lit’! Thanks for the reviews! Stay well!

  10. Thank you so much Nicole. I see a couple books that went on my list. I have really increased my reading lately.
    MAry

  11. Thank you so much Nicole. I see a couple books that went on my list. I have really increased my reading lately.
    MAry

  12. Thank you so much Nicole. I see a couple books that went on my list. I have really increased my reading lately.
    MAry

  13. Thank you SO much for the book reviews! I will be seeing if my local library has the “I Found You” in the audio section when I drop off my returned books this morning. Several of the others you reviewed are now on my ‘must read’ list….thank you! Deb E / CA

  14. Thank you SO much for the book reviews! I will be seeing if my local library has the “I Found You” in the audio section when I drop off my returned books this morning. Several of the others you reviewed are now on my ‘must read’ list….thank you! Deb E / CA

  15. Thank you SO much for the book reviews! I will be seeing if my local library has the “I Found You” in the audio section when I drop off my returned books this morning. Several of the others you reviewed are now on my ‘must read’ list….thank you! Deb E / CA

  16. I love your reviews. We have much the same taste, so I can rely on your opinion (although you can tolerate a slightly higher level of suspense than I can. LOL) I’m headed to my library website right now to request a couple of these. Thanks!

  17. I love your reviews. We have much the same taste, so I can rely on your opinion (although you can tolerate a slightly higher level of suspense than I can. LOL) I’m headed to my library website right now to request a couple of these. Thanks!

  18. I love your reviews. We have much the same taste, so I can rely on your opinion (although you can tolerate a slightly higher level of suspense than I can. LOL) I’m headed to my library website right now to request a couple of these. Thanks!

  22. Thanks for the recommendations. Some of these are going on my “to read” list.

  23. Thanks for the recommendations. Some of these are going on my “to read” list.

  24. Thanks for the recommendations. Some of these are going on my “to read” list.

  25. Thanks for the detailed reviews. I can tell immediately which I will like and which are not for me. I Found You is on my list because I love anything set in Cornwall, one of my favorite places in the world (although I have not seen much of the world)
    Stay well.

  26. Thanks for the detailed reviews. I can tell immediately which I will like and which are not for me. I Found You is on my list because I love anything set in Cornwall, one of my favorite places in the world (although I have not seen much of the world)
    Stay well.

  27. Thanks for the detailed reviews. I can tell immediately which I will like and which are not for me. I Found You is on my list because I love anything set in Cornwall, one of my favorite places in the world (although I have not seen much of the world)
    Stay well.

  31. I appreciate your thoughtful reviews. I am going to add a couple of these on my “to read” list.

  32. I appreciate your thoughtful reviews. I am going to add a couple of these on my “to read” list.

  33. I appreciate your thoughtful reviews. I am going to add a couple of these on my “to read” list.