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Month: January 2023

Published on Leave a comment on Meredith, Alone
Meredith, Alone Book Cover Meredith, Alone
Claire Alexander
Grand Central Publishing
November 1, 2022
Hardcover
368
Purchased

Meredith Maggs hasn't left her house in 1,214 days. But she insists she isn't alone. She has a full-time remote job and her rescue cat Fred. Her best friend Sadie visits with her two children. There's her online support group, her jigsaw puzzles and favorite recipes, her beloved Emily Dickinson, the internet, the grocery delivery man. Also keeping her company are treacherous memories of an unstable childhood, the estrangement from her sister, and a traumatic event that had sent her reeling. But something's about to change. Whether Meredith likes it or not, the world is coming to her door. Does she have the courage to overcome what's been keeping her inside all this time?

My review:

When a download of this audiobook was given to me I decided to take a chance, even though I hadn't read too much about it. I'm so glad that I did since this ended up being my last 5 star read of 2022! All I could think while reading was that it reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant, also a book that I loved. I think the other thing that bonded me to Meredith was that she really didn't mind not having left her home in almost three years. I was literally that person during the pandemic! Just to be clear, this book is not set during the pandemic (some people still don't want to read books set in that time), but as the book plays out the reader sees just what has caused Meredith to want to remain in her home. I loved how the main character was so normal in her everyday pursuits, and how the author starts slowly peeling back her past so we see a completer picture of the character. The supporting characters were all wonderful, and kudos to the author for not giving me the schmaltzy romance ending that I feared was coming.

I loved the character of Meredith, and the supporting cast who are there for her no matter whether she socializes with them outside of her home. A great representation of a different form of mental health that we don't often read about. I would love to hear about Meredith's life after the book ends, and that's when you know a character will stay with you.

2

Published on 2 Comments on The Marriage Portrait
The Marriage Portrait Book Cover The Marriage Portrait
Maggie O'Farrell
Fiction
Knopf
September 6, 2022
Hardcover
355
Purchased

Florence, the 1550s. Lucrezia, third daughter of the grand duke, is comfortable with her obscure place in the palazzo: free to wonder at its treasures, observe its clandestine workings, and devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father just as quick to accept on her behalf. Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now enter an unfamiliar court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her new husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate he appeared to be before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble? As Lucrezia sits in constricting finery for a painting intended to preserve her image for centuries to come, one thing becomes worryingly clear. In the court’s eyes, she has one duty: to provide the heir who will shore up the future of the Ferranese dynasty. Until then, for all of her rank and nobility, the new duchess’s future hangs entirely in the balance.

My review:

She got me again!! I went into this novel almost completely blind save for the fact that I loved Hamnet, her previous novel. I am not one to enjoy novels set before the 20th century, that is until Maggie O'Farrell came along. The novel starts with a historical note:

In 1560, fifteen-year-old Lucrezia di Cosimo de’ Medici left Florence to begin her married life with Alfonso II d’Este Duke of Ferrara.
Less then a year later, she would be dead.
The official cause of death was given as ‘putrid fever’, but it was rummoured that she had been murdered by her husband.

Wait.....WHAT? The novel follows Lucrezia, a spitfire of a girl who loves nothing more than painting and is not thrilled with the idea of having to take her sister's place in marriage. You can't help but fall in love with Lucrezia, while at the same time dread her fate. The writing is absolutely exquisite (as was the case with Hamnet), and I loved the glimpses we get into the arduous task of creating those Renaissance paintings we revere. We get to see it not only from how the artists create the work, but the hours of sitting for the portrait. After reading this book, you will understand why the women are never smiling in most of those paintings, ugh...what a life they had! You will root for Lucrezia, who surmises her fate and tries to figure a way out. The ending is superb, no more can be said (if you know, you know).

I highly recommend this historical fiction, and coming from someone who is fairly picky about this genre, that's high praise. It's almost like a historical thriller as we draw near to Lucrezia's fate!

Published on Leave a comment on Spare
Spare Book Cover Spare
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
Biography & Autobiography
Random House
January 10, 2023
Hardcover/Audio
410
Purchased

It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.

For Harry, this is that story at last.

Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.

At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.

Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .

For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.

My review:

First and foremost, if you have no intention of reading this book, please scroll on by! I'm involved in several on-line book communities, and it has been SO tiresome when people just want to discuss the book, and people chime in and announce they have no intention of reading such crap (you don't throw your family under the bus, they are just looking for attention, Meghan must have put him up to it, blah blah blah!!). If you don't want to read it.......great, have at the millions of other choices there are out there, but let those of us who actually have read it, be able to discuss it. Sorry for the rant, but the vitriol out there has been unmerciful!

Now, if you've gotten this far, let's discuss and I'll give my thoughts. For those in the camp of why did he write this book, it is explained within the first few pages in the introduction. He basically is telling his story leading up to why he felt it was necessary to leave England (in a nutshell, he was protecting his family from what happened to his mother). The book starts off around the time of his mother's death, and I was moved to tears by his account of this time in his life. It definitely effected his entire life from that moment on. He then recounts his boarding school years (the only part I found kind of dull) and his years in the military. I was really surprised at how much of his time was spent in real danger, as opposed to his brother (who as the heir didn't do any combat). He doesn't hold back in discussing his drinking and drug use after the war (PTSD likely), and I felt he didn't make any excuses for the things he actually did. The major part of his narrative is surrounding all of the things reported by the media that he didn't do. I honestly thought he didn't throw as many people under the bus as he could have. He includes code names for the members of the monarchy staff who actually gave the press false information about him (and later Meghan) to make sure other family members were seen in a more positive light by the people. The person(s) who come off the worst are probably my least favorite of the Royals anyway, so I can't say I was surprised. I found the book to be compelling, honest, and am hopeful that by telling his truth it will help him heal from all that has been done to him by the press.

For a final side note, I listened to this book on audio, and would highly suggest that format (if you are an audiobook listener) as Harry narrates it himself. At the end of the audiobook, it tells the children's charities that proceeds from the book will be going to (take that, all you "he's only doing this for the money" people!).

I've never had any issues with Harry, and after reading this book, I still don't. I was happy to experience his side of the story, and hope the press (and all the mean people) can let him live his life with his family.

Published on Leave a comment on Just the Nicest Couple
Just the Nicest Couple Book Cover Just the Nicest Couple
Mary Kubica
Park Row Books
January 10, 2023
Advance reader copy
320
Free from publisher

Two couples, two close friends, one missing husband… Jake Hayes is missing. This much is certain. At first, his wife, Nina, thinks he is blowing off steam at a friend’s house after their heated fight the night before. But then a day goes by. Two days. Five. And Jake is still nowhere to be found. Lily Scott, Nina’s friend and coworker, thinks she may have been the last to see Jake before he went missing. After Lily confesses everything to her husband, Christian, the two decide that nobody can find out what happened leading up to Jake’s disappearance, especially not Nina. But Nina is out there looking for her husband, and she won’t stop until the truth is discovered.

My review:

I've read almost, if not all, of this author's works. You can always count on her for a solid thriller that will keep you engaged throughout. I say that last part because I think some thrillers rely too much on that final twist. I'm a reader that no matter how good the twist is, I need to be interested in the entire book, not just the last part. And if you can throw in some smaller hooks along the way, that makes it even better. This book did a nice job of keeping you guessing as we follow the wife of the man that is missing, and the husband of her friend (and possibly the last to see him alive). The characters are well fleshed out, although none of them are particularly likeable. I did think that Lilly was a bit wishy washy and could have maybe had a bit more of a backbone, but that's the girl power in me coming out 🙂 I liked the back and forth perspectives from the two characters and the fast flow to the story. While I had a couple glimpses of potential twists, I can't say that I really figured it out (no surprise there, I'm not very good at these things!).

A well written thriller that keeps you on your toes throughout. I don't think any of Kubica's books will ever top The Good Girl for me, but this one is definitely worth the read.

Published on Leave a comment on Best Books of 2022

At the end of each calendar year I like to look back at my reading. It's fun to see how it changes year to year in regards to amount read, content, and ratings. My overall total for 2022 was 290 books, with most of those consumed via audiobook. My overall rating slipped this year coming in at 3.3. While this was a bit disappointing, given the way I rate books, that means it falls slightly higher than good (which is a 3 star read for me), so that's fine (every book can't be stellar and still be enjoyable in the moment). These 10 books were my 5 star reads for the year. To receive a 5 star means not only was it a great read, but it is one that I will think about for years to come! Without further ado, here they are:

I typically only rank my top 5, but all of these are excellent reads. I always find it hard to pick my favorites, but here goes.

#5 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus........I loved the protagonist in this one and the way she found a way to educate through cooking. I will think about her for a long time to come as the epitome of girl power in the era I grew up in.

#4 Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.........Who would have thought I would fall in love with an octopus, but Marcellus was one of the best (and most unique!) storytellers of all time. I loved that the other protagonist was an older woman, although her storyline did end up a bit predictable.

#3 The Appeal by Janice Hallett...........What a unique premise, and I loved it! We follow along as two students try to crack a years old murder case. We as readers go through the evidence in the case (emails, texts, newspaper articles, letters, etc.) as though we were on the case. Can you solve it? So fun!

#2 Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng...........A scary and thought provoking look at how our country could end up if the wrong people come to power! Brilliant writing and wonderful characters nearly gave this the top spot.

And my favorite book of 2022 (drum roll):

#1 The Measure by Nikki Erlick..........I was hooked from the very beginning thinking about what I would do if put in this situation, and then I was hooked on seeing what was to happen to the ten people we follow through the book. So many issues brought up in this one that I couldn't put it down! While the writing was not as on par with that of my #2 book, I just couldn't ignore the uniqueness of the plot!

Looking at this list, I think what stands out to me the most is that my top picks all had something that made them different than the average story. Maybe because of how many books I consume, this is something that appeals more to me now? Only time will tell.

If you've made it through this far, I hope some of these books will interest you, or have you already read them? What were some of your favorites of the year? Now onto 2023!