I got sidetracked this month. I committed to following Reese’s Book Club so I should be reading The Club by Ellery Lloyd. It is downloaded and on my Kobo reading app (Kobo.com is another place I like to get my books!) however I started some other books and was compelled to finish those first. I’ll update you on The Club in a week or two, but I wanted to share my thoughts on some books that I had a hard time putting down.
Book one:
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict
You’ll remember I mentioned this book during my discussion of The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont. Benedict told the same story but from the two points of view: first from Agatha Christie and second Archie Christie. The mistress’s point of view and complicated storyline is missing from Benedict’s version. I have to admit I missed that part of the book. I suspect de Gramont’s book made up Nan’s backstory, but it added a lot of drama.
I did like Benedict’s version because it took the same story I’d previously read and gave it an entirely new twist. I got inside of Agatha and Archie’s heads, which was an interesting, if troubling experience. Agatha had been taught certain mistruths in her life that didn’t serve her well, but she was a smart and intuitive person. In the end, she figured things out.
Archie played the part of a self-centered person who didn’t care for anyone but himself. He also came across as far less intelligent than his wife. The book is heavily influenced by the social norms of the day. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but I enjoyed the descriptions Benedict provided of the times.
Book two:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
This book is not on Reese’s list. I kept seeing it on the top of other charts as I was browsing and ended up picking it up because it was a buy one, get one deal. (Marketing does work!) Turns out this book was on the Good Morning America Book Club pick in October 2020.
I loved this book. It is a Women’s Fiction story for sure as protagonist Nora Seed reads from the Book of Regret and travels through her possible lives to find out if there is a life she can embrace. I marked several lines that jumped out at me. I know this is fiction, but it still spoke to me.
Three of my lines favorites:
- “Because Nora, sometimes the only way to learn is to live.”
- “Never underestimate the big importance of small things.”
- “To be a human was to continually dumb the world down into an understandable story that keeps things simple.”
I’d categorize The Midnight Library as a thinking book. It can be read on the surface and it can be read for the details below the surface. If you like noodling about all the gray areas in life, I think you’ll like this book.
Book three:
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (the get one, in the buy one deal I mentioned above)
This May 2021 Reese pick again qualifies as Women’s Fiction as Hannah Hall searches for the truth about why her husband Owen Michaels vanishes, leaving behind his teenage daughter from a previous marriage. The book did not go in the direction I was expecting, nor did it have a traditionally happy ending. But it was a mystery that traveled to Austin, TX and I ended up learning something about the city I’ve been living in for the last 2 years. Plus Dave’s writing flows, making me want to keep reading to the end.
Books four, five and six:
Starter Wife, Trophy Wife and Work Wife, Books 1, 2 and 3 of The Jilted Wives Club series by Bethany Lopez
Calling these Women’s Fiction might be a stretch considering they are written as romantic comedies, however, I enjoyed them because of the strong female lead character. Yes, I knew what was going to happen as soon as I read chapter one, but they were all fun, fast-paced and entertaining. And book four is coming out later in March and book five is set for November.
I hope it makes sense why I haven’t make it to The Club yet. If a book engages me, it is hard to put down and move on to something else. I didn’t stand a chance with all of this good reading material!
If there is a book you think I should read, drop me an email at carole@carolewolfe.com.
Until next time…
Photo by Lacie Slezak on Unsplash