Whelp, 2021 is officially underway. I’ve had a good reading month, ending January having read 5 books. If I can continue at this pace, I should be all set to meet my goal of 50 books for the year.
Here’s what I completed in my to-be-read list this month, along with brief notes or review comments.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith’s classic tale is actually one I hadn’t read previously. I appreciated the peek into Francie Nolan’s young life. I learned about her life and the life of the other Nolans as they navigated their poverty-stricken lives in Brooklyn during the early 1900s. It’s a long read, but well worth it.
Christmas Jars – This short book by Jason Wright was based on an interesting concept. On Christmas Eve, those in need find glass jars full of money on their doorsteps. The novel follows newspaper reporter Hope Jensen as she investigates the origin of the jars. Along her journey of discovery, she learns more than she anticipated about herself and others close to her. The main issue I have with the plot is that money is often found to be the solution to complicated troubles faced by jar recipients. This part of the story didn’t ring true to me.
Beach Read – There’s nothing like a summer beach read in the middle of Winter. Ha! Emily Henry’s book was a fun romance about a writer who is learning about her father’s secrets as she struggles to meet her writing deadline for her next book. She spends her time at her father’s beach house where she meets another writer with his own troubles.
Crazy Stupid Bromance – This is Lyssa Kay Adams’ third book in the Bromance Book Club series. (And #4 is due out this Summer!) I love her stories! They are completely ridiculous, and the author knows it. They are about a group of men who read romance novels to learn how to be better men and find romance for themselves. I am always cracking up reading her novels.
The Vanishing Half – This is Brit Bennett’s novel that is just as good as her first: The Mothers. It is about identical twin sisters who grew up in a small, Southern black community. You follow the lives of the twins over decades as one embraces a white identity and the other a black identity. It was thoughtfully written and thought provoking.
I’m well into a number of other books already as we lead into February, so I’m excited to keep reading. I think Mr. 7-Year-Old and I will finally finish Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this month, which we started last August!
Happy reading!
Reflect. Plan. Live. 