recent reads

I'm back again with a post on my recent reads. I've been frequenting the library about every three weeks, which has been such a treat. I don't have too much time to peruse if I have the kids with me because they are quite literally ticking time bombs. Toddlers in a quiet zone is a new level of anxiety.

Let's get into the books...

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I bought this book because everyone was raving about it, and I get the hype. It's definitely an easy read and you'll get through it fast - think vacation read! It's about a famous actress, Evelyn Hugo, who has had seven husbands and has even more secrets. She hires an aspiring journalist to write her story - which is full of secrets and scandals. I loved the character of Evelyn for her boldness and her self-awareness, and I loved hearing about her real life from her perspective and not the headlines. All the while you're wondering why she hired this "nobody" journalist for the job (you will find out why). I thought the ending was perfect.

Ask Again, Yes. This was a panic grab at the library when my kids were all over the place. However, I'm glad I picked it up. It's a novel about two families and how they navigate life and their ties to one another after a tragic event. It deals with some heavy issues, such as mental illness, alcoholism, abuse, etc. You'll feel all the feels, and really get to know the characters on a deeper level. 

The Sanatorium. The cover is super spooky and it starts out with all the eery vibes you'd expect. It's a murder mystery/thriller based in a hotel that was once a sanatorium. It definitely gave my American Horror Story vibes. I loved the setting, but I never felt super connected to the characters and didn't find the story believable at all. It just went a little off the rails. I wanted the big reveal to be bigger, but it came up short. I was like "THAT'S who did it and THAT was their motive?" 

The Goldfinch. I had always had an interest in this book, but never found the opportunity to read it. Maybe it was the page count that was intimidating. Speaking of the page count, this could have been a great deal shorter. It was SO wordy that I was getting lost. That said, I enjoyed the story and the relationships within the story. It is about a young boy, Theo, who loses his mother in a terrorist attack at a museum, but he survives. He steals a painting amongst the chaos and holds onto it into his adult life. Theo is in turmoil about what to do with this painting for years and it eventually lands him in sticky situations. 

Leaving Time. This book was a little all over the place with elephants, psychics, private detectives. I'm not sure I would have picked it up at the library if I had read the summary. However, I found the book easy to read and entertaining, even if it was pretty out there. It's about a girl who lost her mother as a baby, but doesn't know what happened to her. She hires a psychic and a private investigator (what?!) to help her find her mother or at least what happened to her. The twist at the end was pretty good - think The Sixth Sense. I also learned a LOT about elephants. That's probably the strangest review I've ever written.

The Family Upstairs. I've become a fan of Lisa Jewell because I get through her books quickly. They're easy to read and you're kept on your toes. It's about a girl named Libby who inherits a mansion on her 25th birthday. There is a whole mystery behind her birth parents and the cult-like things that went on in the house before she was born. Libby is determined to figure out what actually happened. The story is told in three different perspectives, which can be a little confusing, but also entertaining when you start putting the pieces together.

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