I decided to try something a little different this month. Each time I go to do my reading wrap up at the end of the month I find it hard to remember which books I read within the last 30 days and which ones fell in the month before. Especially for books early in the month or ones I finished right on the cusp of the month change. I'm going to try keeping track of all of my books in this blog post, as I post them, so that at the end of the month I can take a nice look back at everything I read this month! Let's see how this goes!
The Narrative of Mary James
October 3 2022
I'm really excited to share this book with you, especially because today is also it's Publication Day! The Narrative of Mary James (not Mary Jane as I had mistakenly thought it was called lol) by Lana Orndorff is such a neat book and I would highly recommend it!
I started the novel Friday afternoon/early evening and I went to bed without quite finishing it, but couldn't fall back asleep after my cat woke me up early Saturday morning because I HAD to finish this book! So it is a quick read and one you wont want to put down.
The book begins by introducing us to Mary, a woman in her early twenties who has recently married her childhood best friend after divorcing and running away from an abusive first husband. Her husband, Jack James, is a Vietnam Vet who is eventually revealed to be gay, something that Mary knew prior to marrying him. The story takes place in the 1970s in a small town where gossip flows quickly and secrets rarely stay private for long. There are a variety of secondary characters, including two sets of married neighbours, and a psychiatrist down the street who no longer has a practice and provides counselling in his home, which is sometimes shares with his college-age, anti-social son who often chooses to commute rather than stay at college.
While the writing is composed mainly of chapters written in a narration style, there are also several other pieces of writing woven throughout, including diary entries and letters. As a result, there are actually a variety of narratives woven together. It wasn't until the very last line of the epilogue: "this narrative was their winning combination, and the key to making their marriage last" that I realized just how many narratives were going on in the story and how the characters were able to twist the narratives to tell versions of a story best suited to a situation.
This is the kind of book that would be great to read with a book club. There are so many pieces to unpack and discuss, that it almost feels lonely to not be able to share my thoughts about this story in an open conversation. So if you're in a book club, definitely add this book to your suggestions list!
Thanks to @KatieandBreyPA for letting me be a part of this book tour, and I can't wait to see what the other tour members thought about this book!
At Home on Marigold Lane*
Debbie Mason
October 7, 2022
At Home on Marigold Lane by Debbie Mason is a small town romance that reminds readers of the importance of second chances and forgiveness. Like many small towns, everyone in Highland Falls knows everyone's business. As Brianna Macleod tries to recover from an almost fatal accident where she sustained brain and leg injuries, she can't help but feel on display while navigating life with a disability. When an awkward toilet paper tower accident in the local grocery store catches the attention of her ex-boyfriend and the surgeon who saved her, Cal Scott, she has to admit that she has been avoiding making a follow up appointment to discuss her injuries. Between Cal and Bri's sister Ellie, the nagging about a follow up appointment finally hits Bri's breaking point and she reluctantly gets the medical attention she needs. In an attempt to prove her independence she decides to rent a shared home on Marigold Lane. Bri's roommate happens to be Cal's sister Em, a young woman who lost her fiance in the line of duty, who also happens to be Bri's former best friend (it's a small town after all).
The story follows these main characters as they shuffle through life's ups and downs hiding behind lies and navigating small town drama, all while trying to figure out if the people they loved in the past have a space in their present. This book is packed with good humour and opportunities for the characters to break out of the comfort zone in order to do the right thing. Mason reminds readers that life is messy, but there are always opportunities for happy endings, you just might have to work through some of the crappy stuff first. Definitely a heartwarming and enjoyable read.
Though this is book 5 in the Highland Falls series, and only the first book I have read, I feel that it would be both perfect as a stand alone story, and interesting to go back and read the other books. I can tell just from a quick glance at goodreads that the other books tell the story of secondary characters, so I feel it would be a good way to learn more about the other characters, but Mason did a great job giving enough background detail that having read those other books first was not a necessity.
Thanks to Hachette Book Group and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for mailing me a copy of this book to read and review!
The Shape of Sound
October 8, 2022
This one got it's own blog post: https://teachreadinspire.wixsite.com/website/post/the-shape-of-sound
Rhythm of my Soul
Elin Dyer
October 9th
See my separate post here
Not My Type
Veronica Adler
October 10, 2022
I just finished Not My Type by Veronica Adler and it was awesome! A romantic comedy with alternating POV, this sweet and funny romance is perfect for romcom lovers like me!
Eve is a 26 year old dedicated small business owner who runs a bakery, is dabbling in content creation on tv and youtube and really has no time to date. Daniel is a doctor in his early thirties who has a history of screwing up any romantic relationships he finds himself in (especially the ones his sister sets up for him). After a disastrous meet cute which involves spilled coffee and embarrassing super market antics, the two just happen to keep running into each other. As their unusual serendipitous relationship starts to form they realize they have someone close in common: Sienna, Daniel's sister who happens to also be one of Eve's best friends.
Though it had the usual romcom slight predictability, for the most part this book was funny and a nice easy read. There was one intimate scene and the rest was just playful romance. Thanks to the author, and Katie and Brey PA for giving me the chance to be part of this books #booktour! I'm really glad I got to read this one!
October 13, 2022
The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree
Nice Leng'ete
Cultural Anthropology fans (I swear I'm not the only one out there...) will love this memoir! Check out my full review here: https://teachreadinspire.wixsite.com/website/post/the-girls-in-the-wild-fig-tree
October 14, 2022
Wine Witch on Fire
Natalie Maclean
This one was technically a book I read back in the summer, but now that it is posted on goodreads I can share how awesome it was! Here is the link to my separate blog post: https://teachreadinspire.wixsite.com/website/post/wine-witch-on-fire
October 15, 2022
Kissing Games*
Evie Alexander
When actress Valentina Valverde arrives in Scotland to film Braveheart 2. Driven by demons, she’s worked tirelessly since she was a teen. She's beginning to feel like she isn't really living, but she can't stop now: everyone she loves depends on her. Bodyguard Charlie Hamilton has the looks and charm, in fact some would say, he has it all, but he’s broken. Estranged from his family, sacked from his job and with nothing left to lose, he flies to the Scottish Highlands to help his best friend protect Kinloch castle from a crazy Hollywood film crew. Thrown together on set, chemistry crackles between them. Can they let go of the past and find a future together? Or is this just a Highland fling? You'll have to read to find out!
This romcom is a lot of fun. It has a great setting, some fun characters, including a well developed supporting cast, and is the perfect lighthearted pick to read on a relaxing weekend! Thanks to @katieandbreypa and @eviealexanderauthor for giving me the chance to read and feature this book!
October 16, 2022
Vi
Kim Thuy
I finished this one just in time for my book club meeting with my friends Sharon, Christina and Trish from @Canuck_reads! While we all felt like the book didn't quite live up to our expectations, it was great to get together with Canadians from across the country to discuss acclaimed Canadian literature. I've been working on consciously reading more canlit and this group definitely helps me find new books to check out that work towards that goal! If you're a Canadian reader looking for a new reading group, I can definitely connect you with this lovely group of readers!
Vi is a short and is both concisely written but also poetic in style. The story is about a young woman who is first generation Canadian and comments on her adjustments to life in Quebec after escaping Vietnam. While there are many interesting moments, they are fleeting and I often felt I needed something more. At less than 150 pages and with 1-3 page chapters, it is a certainly a very short book, and it definitely could have been longer, I'm not sure I would have wanted it to be much longer, but Thuy left me wanting closure.
October 16, 2022
Shameless - Audiobook
Marilyn Churley (Narrated by Ellen Davis)
I have been listening to this audiobook as I am getting ready for bed the last few weeks and it is definitely keeping me from getting to sleep on time - it is so good!
Shameless is a memoir written by Marilyn Churley, with the narrator for the audiobook being Ellen Davis. It is about the author's experiences as a young adult when she had no choice but to give up her son for adoption as an unwed mother in a time when society had very different moral rules. Churley kept her entire pregnancy a secret from her parents and lived with a male friend who was not the father. She goes on to enjoy her young adult years, falls in love and eventually has a second child, always remembering and thinking of the child she gave up. For many years she considers searching for her son but comes across many obstacles related to the secrecy of the adoption process and documents from the 60s and 70s. In the 80s Churley enters the legislature in Ontario and begins a decades long battle to change laws and procedures related to the closed adoption documents. Her fight for rights for both adult adoptees and biological parents was met with great backlash for many years, demonstrating the problem with government decisions not considering the people who the decision concerns. Many adoptees and adoptive parents were asking for change but a resistance to move away from the secrecy of the past on the part of the government overweighed those voices.
I really appreciated the explanations of how things went in the government and the slow progress carefully detailed over time. I also really liked the references to organizations who were supportive of adoption rights. But by far the most valuable part of this book were the personal stories Churley shared about her own search to reconnect with her biological child and the pain, vulnerability, excitement, joy and fear that came along with that search.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to listen to and review this book. Even more though, I would like to thank the author for both the work she did to advocate for adoptive rights, as well as the writing about this important part of Canada's history.
October 17, 2022
The Women of Fishers Wharf*
I read this one as part of a Boldwood Blog tour so check out my post!
October 19, 2022
May Lynn
This is perfect for Rom Com fans! Check out my full review by clicking on the title above!
October 28
The Girl I Used to be*
Debbie Howells
This one was part of a Boldwood Blog Tour, check out the post here: https://teachreadinspire.wixsite.com/website/post/the-girl-i-used-to-be
And that's a wrap on October!
*DNF