Summer of Reading

I have a few more travel related posts left but with it being Labor Day... Happy Labor Day and what to me marks the official end of summer I thought I'd do a book post first. 

                         

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

Synopsis - Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.
After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.
Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.

Thoughts - A Sorceress Comes to Call is a retelling of the Grimm Brothers Goose Girl. I am unfamiliar with the actual story but the Goose Girl and her horse Falada were characters in Stephen King's Fairytale which I read last year I think. It was a good book. It had more than a few unexpected twists and I really enjoyed the female characters. Was it a wow book, maybe not but it was still a solid read.  

Book Lover by Emily Henry

Synopsis - Nora Stephens’ life is books, she’s read them all and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.
Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away, with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.
If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

Thoughts - This is my 3rd Emily Henry book and I have two more of her's on my TBR. Just like the other's, this one did not disappoint. And if you follow my books post I am not a romance reader. But every now and then I like to pick one up and she along with Katherine Center are my go to's. Best thing about her books is the banter.. like how does she do it? Loved it. 

Synopsis - A former slave fighting for justice. A reclusive warrior who no longer believes it exists. And a dark magic that will entangle their fates.

Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.

Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders.

The Orders’ intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future… or the downfall of them both.

But Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders’ deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart.

Thoughts - This books is the first of a three part series. I have only listened to the first book. The second book has been on hold at the library for some time now.. I hope it becomes available soon. I enjoyed listening to it and would actually recommend the audio. Tissanah has an accent, she doesn't speak English and is learning it.. hearing her fumble with her words was enjoyable and I think reading it wouldn't have given me the same feeling. But for some reason Max's character is narrated by two different voices and I found that extremely annoying. It was always like there was a third character. It is all about girl power and fighting for what you believe in plus she has kickass magical powers! 

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Synopsis - Madrid, 1957 - Under the oppressive dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography—and fate—introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War, as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.

Thoughts - Did you know Spain was under a dictatorship? I did not. So this was a very enlightening read. It was maybe a tad too long but still very good. So heartbreaking.. what people do in the name of 'religion' and manipulate it to their own liking. The masses suffering while a few reap the benefits. The book includes vintage media reports and photos as well. If you are okay with long books and like historical fiction this one's for you. 

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

Synopsis - Isabelle should be blissfully happy, she’s about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn’t the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince’s heart. She’s the ugly stepsister who’s cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella’s shoe ... which is now filling with blood. When the prince discovers Isabelle’s deception, she is turned away in shame. It’s no more than she deserves: she is a plain girl in a world that values beauty; a feisty girl in a world that wants her to be pliant.

Isabelle has tried to fit in. To live up to her mother’s expectations. To be like her stepsister. To be sweet. To be pretty. One by one, she has cut away pieces of herself in order to survive a world that doesn’t appreciate a girl like her. And that has made her mean, jealous, and hollow.

Until she gets a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.

Thoughts - What do we have to do to be loved? Be pretty and smart but not too smart.. never smarter than him, stronger than him.. have your own opinions but your opinions must never be controversial right? How much must we change ourselves? This is exactly how Isabella, one of Cinderella's infamous ugly stepsister feels. She wasn't always mean and cruel and so we see things from her side, and you can't really hate her when see things from her perspective. The book had a feel good message about loving yourself. It was a little too YA for my taste but still a solid read. 

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Synopsis - Most people don’t even notice them, three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.
Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

Thoughts - Not my first Backman book. I am a fan. His Beartown series is one of my favorites.. in fact D is currently reading it. Backman's latest is a great book but unfortunately it was not wow for me. The book is about a set of friends and they really are the best of friends.. one would be lucky to have friends like these.. they are 14 and are all poor, most belonging to abusive homes, neglectful homes.. so all they have is each other. 25 years later one of these friends and Louisa embark on a journey as he tells Louisa about the year they were 14. It consists of many sweet and heartfelt moments, a lot of sadness and disappointments.. but all in all the book felt like event after event after event. I don't know how to describe it, maybe like the author was trying too hard, to fit in every teenage shenanigan he could think of.. Don't get me wrong it was still a really good book. Plus it also reminded me too much of the movie Stand by Me. 

You Are Here by David Nicholls

Synopsis - Sometimes you need to get lost to find your way . . .
Michael is coming undone. Adrift after his wife's departure, he has begun taking himself on long, solitary walks across the English countryside. Becoming ever more reclusive, he’ll do anything to avoid his empty house.
Marnie, on the other hand, is stuck. Hiding alone in her London flat, she avoids old friends and any reminders of her rotten, selfish ex-husband. Curled up with a good book, she’s battling the long afternoons of a life that feels like it’s passing her by.
When a persistent mutual friend and some very unpredictable weather conspire to toss Michael and Marnie together on the most epic of ten-day hikes, neither of them can think of anything worse. Until, of course, they discover exactly what they’ve been looking for.
Michael and Marnie are on the precipice of a bright future . . . if they can survive the journey.

Thoughts - I listened to this one and the accents in the audio made it more enjoyable for sure. Now I read - listened to this one right after My Friends and what stood out to me the most that in this book nothing really happened. It was just walking and talking. Talking about mundane everyday things.. music, work, nature.. and then eventually failed relationships.. and it was the everyday normalcy of the story that made me enjoy it. Even as the two MC's slowly start to develop feeling for each other there were none of the Hallmark cliché's.. it was just two people talking. It is rare to find a book so unsensational and still be so very enjoyable.  

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