7.01.2013

Second Quarter Books

Excellent

11. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein- This is the story of two best friends- a pilot and a spy- during WWII. Told from the spy's perspective, we learn how the girls became friends and the events leading to her capture by the Nazi's. I fell completely in love with these characters.  There is an excellent twist in this book and after finishing I immediately began re-reading, which was so fun to do while already knowing the end.

12. Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley- Such a wonderful, insightful, and profound book. I read it years ago but recently found it on my shelf and decided to re-read. President Hinckley's words are sure proof to me that we have modern-day prophets.

13. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton- I LOVED THIS BOOK!  It’s the perfect summer read, and I could not put it down.  Laurel’s very elderly mother is about to die and Laurel is determined to find out more about her mother’s secretive past.  This story goes back and forth between Laurel in present day and her mother in 1941.  I love how the clues gradually come together until they reach a perfect end (in my mind.)

Great
14. The Pursuit of Lucy Banning by Olivia Newport- This was a very cute and fun romance. I loved the historical context of Chicago during the World's Fair.

15. Below Stairs by Margaret Powell- This is a memoir that partly inspired Downton Abbey. Margaret Powell does a great job of describing what life "in service" was like without being too whiny (not that she doesn't deserve to be whiny.) She is witty and tells some great stories.

16. The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas- A quick and cute mystery story that takes place in Kansas in the 30s. There are lots of characters, and when I was finally able to distinguish them I loved all the quirky personalities.

17. Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosentrach-  Jenny and her husband decided early on in their marriage that they were going to have family dinner together every night (or most every night.)  She tells how they accomplished this goal as their lives evolved from single to married, married to married with children.  I loved reading about their family dinner experiences, and Jenny is so real- not preachy or condescending.  Family dinner has always been a priority in my family so it was fun to read how another family carries out this tradition.  She also includes recipes throughout the book: some of which I have already tried, and some I will definitely never try.

Good
18. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin- Ina May is a huge proponent of home birth, which is clearly not my thing so I definitely didn't love and agree with the whole book, but I did find parts of it very interesting and helpful with my baby's birth. The first half of the book is all birth stories and they started to make me feel ill so I skipped ahead to the second half.

19. The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan- I read half of this in the hospital while waiting to finally be discharged and the other half in my first couple days home with baby Mattie. While it is definitely not a "feel good" book, I really enjoyed it and was completely captivated by the plot and characters. 

6 comments:

Kathryn Story said...

I'm going to start The Secret Keeper this week! Thanks for the recommendations :)

Lisa said...

Rach, what would I do without your book recommendations? Not read, probably. Seriously, I think I started reading again about the time you started doing these posts. Thanks for being so awesome!!! I read Standing for Something a couple years ago and loved it, too. President Hinckley was the real deal. It made me realize you don't have to be splashy and fabulous to live a good life. A life full of hard work, integrity, family, and other good values will bring you so much more joy than any amount of fame or fortune.

Erick and Megan said...

I think I had code name verity on my hands at the library the other day. I'll have to actually get it in my bag next time!

Katie said...

Adding 11 and 13 to my to-read list!

Chace & Rivka said...

I love your book reviews. I don't know how you cram in so much reading--what's your trick? Probably sleep less?! (Not an option for me if I want to be nice mama, not swamp witch mama...) But I want to try to, also. I thought this whole nursing-Blythe-every-few-hours gig was going to buy me more time to read, and that it did--to read to my OTHER two girls! They get a little jealous... Anyway, you're an inspiration!

Allison said...

I still cannot fathom how you get all of these books read!