Books for Adults – Page 5

The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams

This novel tells the alternating stories of Vivian in 1964 and Violet in 1914. One morning, Vivian receives a strange parcel in the mail that leads her on a path to finding more about her family’s past and a mysterious aunt named Violet.

Violet is working in 1914 as a female physicist in prewar Germany under the watchful eye of Dr. Grant, whom she ends up marrying. The summer that she meets Lionel Richardson, a captain in the British army, Violet’s life changes forever.

Vivian is working as a journalist in 1964 and begins researching more about Violet’s life for a newspaper article. She learns some family secrets along the way.

I enjoyed this book. I love books about family secrets, and I enjoy the format, the switching between the past and present.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

This is one of the most emotional, heartfelt stories I’ve read in a long time because even though it is fictional, the events and people are based on real events that took place in history. The book is set during World War II in Nazi-occupied France. The story focuses on two sisters (Isabelle and Vianne) who had a difficult upbringing and who couldn’t be more different. How they survive the war and navigate through this time period is compelling. The book depicts how women were able to help during the war doing such things as hiding Jewish children and leading allied pilots out of occupied areas to safety. This time period was depicted so realistically, touching on the starvation and sacrifices, holocaust, concentration camps and death, and love that took place during this horrible war. This story will stay with me for a while. It reminds us of the horrors of war.

This quote by the author sums it up perfectly:

“Men tell stories. Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over.”
― Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale

Please read it — you won’t regret it!!

You by Caroline Kepnes

You is a crazy fun read. We have Joe, who is obsessed with Beck. Joe will do anything to be with Beck, even kill.

The book is told in the second person, which took a bit of getting used to, but really worked for telling the story. Joe is absolutely crazy, a stalker in the 21st century, finding out everything about Beck by hacking into her email, reading her twitter feed and her Facebook posts. Beck, the object of Joe’s obsession is a self-centered post-grad living in NYC. It’s hard to say more without spoiling the plot.

I recommend this if you’re looking for a fun read about a crazy guy who will do anything for “love.”

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

New Year’s Eve in London finds a desperate woman climbing the stairs of a tall building with the intention of throwing herself off. Then, she finds three other people up there with the same intention.

Thus begins this quirky, dark -humored novel by British author Nick Hornby. The four people talk themselves down, go for coffee, then decide to form a support society. Each is completely different from the other – a disgraced TV personality, a punk young woman, a failed (American) rocker, and a middle-aged woman with a terribly disabled child.

It concludes relatively happily, as the four encourage one another to accept and conquer the challenges they each face.

Clutterfree with Kids by Joshua Becker

The complete title of this book is actually Clutterfree with Kids: Change your thinking. Discover new habits. Free your home. Since that was such a mouthful, though, I decided to go the extra mile and even de-clutter the title of this post! I have to admit that I didn’t really know what to expect when I checked out this book. As many of you are probably doing right now, I read the title and assumed that it would be a collection of tips and tricks on how to organize your home better so that you can eliminate clutter. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was less Secrets of an Organized Mom and more Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. Rather than tips and tricks for being better organized, I found inspiration to live more simply. Becker gets to the root of the problem and acknowledges that people who desire a less cluttered home, and who want to spend less of their time cleaning up and organizing their stuff, should work on owning fewer things. While some people take minimalism way too far for my comfort, I thought Becker’s approach was perfectly reasonable. And though I could probably go on and on about different things that resonated with me, I think the perfect summary can be found on Becker’s Becoming Minimalist website — “Never underestimate the importance of abandoning crap you don’t need.”

The Andy Cohen Diaries – A Deep Look at a Shallow Year by Andy Cohen

Since I am a huge fan of the Bravo Channel and Watch What Happens Live, I have been following Andy Cohen for a long time. This fulfills all my needs for name dropping and fancy movie star parties and club hopping (all being done by Andy of course, not me, darn it!. ) He is hysterically funny and the situations he ends up in are so comical. Get the book to see all the pictures. But an added plus is that I’m listening to this in the car and Andy reads it so it makes it that much more fun!

My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard

Can the mundane details of everyday life be transformed into literary art? This is Karle Ove Knausgaard’s accomplishment in his six-volume novel/memoir entitled My Struggle.

Four of the six books have been published in America, and we are joining a worldwide chorus of praise for this new literary star.

So what is Book 1 about? As Jerry Seinfeld might say – it’s about nothing. In blinding detail, Karl Ove takes us along on simple events in his life, bouncing from adulthood to childhood and back again.

Is it a novel or a memoir? It’s a memoir with such great detail that he either has an encyclopedic memory, or he’s filling in his personal story with lots of fiction-like details. This is not your typical novel by any stretch.

Somehow, his hyper-real style pulls us deep into his world, and…well, it’s difficult to get out.

I, for one, am hooked.

The Day We Met by Rowan Coleman

The Day We Met tells the story of Claire, a woman in her forties who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. As she begins to lose more and more of her memories and her sense of self, she begins to write in her memory book so she will not forget the important people in her life.

The novel alternates between present day and sections written in the memory book, sometimes told from Claire’s point of view, and sometimes from her daughter, husband, and mother.

I found this book a little difficult to read at times, because of the reality of Alzheimer’s that is presented. However, I thought the book was well written and that the characters were all well developed.

I am not myself these Days by Josh Kilmer-Purcell

Some of you may recognize the author’s name — he one half of the Fabulous Beekman Boys! But before that…well let’s just say Josh had a very different life. In the mid ’90s he was working in the advertising business by day and by night he was known as Aqua, a 7-foot-tall drag queen who wore a live goldfish in a bowl as part of his costume. As his night life of clubs and drinking begins to spill over into his day life, he ultimately saw that he had to make a change. His writing is funny and witty and tells an amazing story that also is quite sad. Worth a read, especially if you’d like to contrast the before and after Josh.

The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck

Something just speaks to Charlotte, owner of a bridal boutique, when she finds an old truck at an estate sale. She buys it even though it is welded shut. Her fiance, Tim, iss initially upset at her for spending money on it when they are saving for a wedding.

Upon opening the trunk she finds a beautiful hand-stitched wedding gown and some old military dog tags. Her quest to learn more about this extraordinary dress leads her on a journey that will change her. She learns of the other brides who wore the dress and their stories of love, loss and redemption: Emily from 1912, Mary Grace from 1939, Hillary from 1968. Has Charlotte finally found the perfect dress and is Tim her true love ? If you are looking for a delightful, easy read, check it out!

The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty

I really enjoy this author, and this book did not disappoint. It had just enough funny and crazy to keep me turning the page, and the situations she wrote about in this book rang very true. I loved, loved that the main character was a hypnotherapist. It was so interesting to see her work with her clients in the story. The other fun thing about this author is that she writes about Australia — it’s so interesting to learn about the locations where her characters live.

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

I seldom read biography, and certainly not sports biography, but this book was so highly recommended that I picked it up. I’m so glad that I did. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. While it focuses on the life of Joe Rantz, one of the crew members at the University of Washington, it also presents the other crew members, captures the depths of the hardships filling this country during the Depression, and paints a grim picture of Hitler’s Germany.

Who knew crew was such a grueling sport? I certainly didn’t. These college men worked incredibly hard and sacrificed much to earn a place on the team that ultimately triumphed in the Berlin Olympics. I was inspired by their dedication and by their commitment to each other and to their goal. This is a story about strength of will, teamwork, and values. Read it. You’ll be glad you did.

The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen

The Secret of Pembrooke Park

This novel is set in England during the early 1800s. Sisters Abigail and Louisa remain unmarried despite a sizable dowry until a poor investment forces the family to sell their London house and let (rent) the home of a distant relative they don’t even know in a small village outside London. Younger sister Louisa initially remains in London with her mother for her season while older, responsible Abigail heads to Pembrooke Park with her father to set up their new home, despite the disappointment of leaving long-time friend, Gilbert, before his tour of Italy and without an offer of marriage. Upon arriving at Pembrooke Park, she finds an old estate perfectly preserved from the last family living there. It looked as if the family had fled suddenly, leaving behind everything just as they were using it. Rumor has it there is hidden treasure in the haunted house, but nobody in the village will talk about it. The past, the family, the treasure remain a mystery until Abigail starts receiving anonymous letters, possibly written by a former occupant. As the intriguing story unfolds, does Abigail find love in unexpected places? Can she overcome her insecurity about her younger, more beautiful sister? And, is there really a secret room with hidden treasure? You will just have to read it and see. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

The Lost City of Z

I am not a huge reader of non-fiction. For me to really get into a non-fiction title, it usually has to be about something I really care about (like Say Goodbye to Survival Mode) or read like fiction (like King of the Mild Frontier). This fell into the latter category. A friend had recommended this book to me when it first came out, but it kept getting pushed to the back burner. Finally, I told myself that I needed to take a break from all the dystopias I was reading/listening to and dive into a non-fiction title. I’m so glad I did! The details were so vivid, and David Grann wrote such a fantastic narrative that I thought to myself, several times, “This would make an awesome movie. It’s like a real life Indiana Jones adventure!” Imagine my shock and elation, then, when I heard [on the radio this morning] that it is going to be made into a movie… produced by Brad Pitt, no less. So awesome!

One of the things I liked so much about this book was the layered storytelling. David Grann skillfully wove together his own research, planning, and travel experiences with stories from primary documents relating to British explorer Percy Fawcett’s quest to rediscover the “Lost City of Z.” Though there were many stories about an advanced, ancient civilization in the Amazon (which some believed to be El Dorado), countless explorers failed to find evidence that the city actually existed. Instead, many died in their search or brought back “evidence” that the native peoples were not nearly organized or advanced enough to have built the city of legend. While many wrote it off as a fable, Percy Fawcett, a member of the Royal Geographical Society, became obsessed and refused to give up the search. Fawcett became a legend among explorers because of his uncanny ability to avoid the injuries and illnesses that often killed other men, let alone his aptitude for communicating and negotiating with the various groups of natives he encountered. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see how this plays out on the big screen.

Reunion by Hannah Pittard

Reunion

This is a new author to me. If you enjoy reading about estranged and dysfunctional families, then I think you would enjoy this one — I did. It’s a quick read and told through the narration of the main character, Kate Pulaski.

The first line of the book is, “On June 16, at roughly eight-thirty in the morning, I get the phone call that my father is dead,” which makes you want to keep reading. At least I did.

Kate’s life is pretty well in shambles before she finds out about her father’s suicidal death. Her siblings tell her she has to travel to Atlanta for the funeral, which she can neither afford nor wants to face. The book covers the next four days of her coping with face-to-face encounters with her four stepmothers and many half-siblings. As Kate haphazardly deals with her messed up life, she also comes to terms with her relationship with her father. The book has sibling relationships, adultery, childhood issues, and so much more, so enjoy.