This month included both Emily Henry AND Kristin Hannah’s newest releases — so what’s not to love!
I’m back to reading as much as possible in my free time, which feels great after a difficult February and March. Of course, I say that now… but, fire season is approaching.
Regardless, I did have time to read a few books this month.
(As a reminder: I always track my reading both on Goodreads and via Instagram stories.)
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‘THE WOMEN‘ BY KRISTIN HANNAH
20-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath is preparing for life as an upper-class wife in 1965 Southern California when she hears something that stops her in her tracks: “Women can be heroes, too.” When her older brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, Frankie enlists as an Army nurse and joins him overseas. Frankie finds herself overwhelmed by war — but as overwhelmed as she is in Vietnam, returning home presents a whole new set of challenges: A divided America, a hatred of veterans, a refusal to recognize Frankie’s service as a woman and the undiagnosed medical issues of Vietnam veterans.
Like every single Kristin Hannah novel, this one emotionally destroyed me. Kristin Hannah is one of very, very few writers who can write historical fiction that I literally can’t put down. This novel ramps up quickly: There’s tragedy in the first few chapters and Frankie ships out to Vietnam mere pages in. The first half of this book highlights Frankie’s time in-country. Warning: It is very graphic and not for the faint of heart. The second half of this book follows Frankie’s post-war trauma, including undiagnosed PTSD and a struggle to assimilate back into a country that shamed her for her service. Like all Kristin Hannah novels, the writing is just so, so good. I was brought into Frankie’s world. The story moved fast enough to draw me in but slow enough to add nuance and emotion and detail to every single scene. I absolutely loved this book. If you read it, make sure (like all Kristin Hannah novels) you have a box of tissues nearby!
‘BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN‘ BY JESSICA KNOLL
Was Ted Bundy really a kind, handsome, charismatic man who seduced and charmed his victims to death? Or — more realistically — were Ted Bundy’s crimes accomplished by a man who was actually fairly mediocre and average, who only owed his success and reputation to the woeful incompetence and inadequacy of the detectives, police and journalists who managed his case? “Bright Young Women” tells the stories of two brilliant and hardworking women from across the country who worked tirelessly to find Ted Bundy and bring him to justice.
This is a book I picked up as part of an upcoming book club. One of the Goodreads reviews for “Bright Young Women” simply reads “men are fucking ✨infuriating✨,” and I think that’s a fairly accurate description of this entire book. Another review says “this book does such a good job at showing how famous American serial killers are not brilliant, charismatic, handsome men but are just ugly stupid LOSERS and only got away with their crimes due to incompetent law enforcement and their perceptions of being brilliant are due to media carrying this narrative.” I completely agree. I almost threw my Kindle across the room a dozen times while reading this, but I’m so glad I read it.
‘SLOW PRODUCTIVITY‘ BY CAL NEWPORT
Who isn’t burnt out? Our current model of productivity focuses on do all the things, all at once, all the time. “Slow Productivity” focuses on the concept of doing fewer things, working at a natural pace and obsessing over quality.
As one of those aforementioned office employees suffering from burnout, I was really intrigued by the concept of this book and I really hoped to get something out of it. But, the execution fell short. I feel like a lot of the advice was geared more at entrepreneurs, freelancers and business owners. I didn’t think much of it was applicable to me, a full-time office worker under the employ of someone else. (In fact: I actually tried to implement some advice in this book by asking if a tight deadline I’d been handed while already juggling a full plate was flexible, and I was basically asked to show up at the principal’s office the next day for a light disciplining. Fun.) I felt like a lot of the situations Newport focused on were writers, artists, etc. who had the luxury (rich spouses providing financial support, stay-at-home spouses providing domestic support) to shy away from the capitalist grind. I wanted to glean something useful from this book, but so much of the advice was so impractical, it just made me resentful.
‘FUNNY STORY‘ BY EMILY HENRY
Daphne has always loved hearing her fiancé Peter tell their story: How they met, fell in love, moved to his beautiful lakeside Michigan hometown to start their lives together. Until one day… Peter’s telling a different story to Daphne, about how he’s in love with his childhood friend, Petra — which means he’s calling off his wedding, kicking Daphne out of their home and moving Petra in. With nowhere to go, Daphne ends up moving in with the only person who could really understand her predicament: her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex-boyfriend, Miles.
I don’t think I will ever not love an Emily Henry book! Henry excels at writing chemistry and banter between her characters, and “Funny Story” was no exception. I loved Daphne’s development from an “us” to an “I,” and the ending was so satisfying. Plus, like many Emily Henry books, this book was set in fictitious “Waning Bay” (aka… Traverse City) Michigan, which made me love it SO much more. I devoured this book in one sitting.
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Happy reading!
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