Books I've Read in Quarantine

Welcome, everyone! I posted a blog post late last night so if you haven’t seen it yet, go ahead and click here to read it! I am posting as often as I can like I have said before I am working off a computer that is slowly leaving me, but I am doing my best to get content out as often as possible!

I wanted to do a more lighthearted post since I have been a bit politically heavy the past few days. While they are extremely important, it is also vital that you take care of yourself and your mental health. For me, reading is a big part of self-care. I have been a book worm since I learned to read, and since I graduated from college in March, I have finally had time to read for fun again! Graduation coincided with quarantine exactly so I have been moving through books pretty quickly! All of my female family members have also been doing a book club throughout quarantine as well, so it has given me a chance to read some things I may not have! So, without further ado, here are all of the books I have read in quarantine!

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood- I loved this book. I waited to watch the Tv show until I was finally able to read the book and I am so glad I did! While there are some differences, the same basic threads are there. This was our first book club book and it was quite a way to kick it off. The basic premise of the novel is that women have become second class citizens under a very powerful, religious government. They have split the women into many categories (one being the handmaids) and all women must wear full-coverage clothing, no makeup, no nail polish, and aren’t allowed to cut their hair. The biggest kicker? The women aren’t allowed to read and the handmaids must bear the children of the powerful men of the world. Jump into this one if you want a taste of a feminist, dystopian world.

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert- This was our second book club pick and it was definitely an overcorrect from the first one. A couple of people needed a more relaxing book after The Handmaids Tale, and we ended up with this one. It wasn’t a bad novel by any means, but it was very predictable and read like a Hallmark movie. It was a very standard tale of a woman who falls for the wrong man and after that her life spirals out of control. It is based in Milwaukee around the main character’s restaurant and all the trials her life goes through with it. Again, not a bad novel! Just very predictable and not really my cup of tea. I found the characters a bit hard to connect with and none of the men were really likable in any way. This is all my personal opinion and would be a good book if you need a palette cleanser after a more intense book.

How To Be An Overnight Success by Mariah Hatzistefanis- This was another book that underwhelmed me a little bit. While I was not expecting this to make me a success by reading it, I was expecting a few more practical tips for women wanting to start their own business. It was more like reading an account of a happy accident of a woman who managed to build a massive company. While I understand that there are some happy accidents and a lot of things that happen without specific intentions, there is no way she built her whole brand that way, and that was how this book read. It could be that she is not a strong writer (not all people are) but I was hoping for some more practical tips and just didn’t feel like those were here.

The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty- I absolutely love Liane Moriarty! I have read a couple of others by her and I love the way she writes. It is very witty, while also flowing so well. She makes you feel the charters in a way very few authors can. This novel follows a woman who inherits her ex-boyfriend’s aunt's house when she passes. When she gets there, she gets wrapped up in a dangerous love triangle and a massive family secret that brings her even closer to a family she had once loved. It is truly wonderful and if you love a mystery with dynamic characters, I highly suggest this one, and most others by her, honestly.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan- This was the third pick for book club, and while it was a slightly predictable novel again, it was written much better and the characters were written in a way that makes you fall in love with them immediately. This novel follows a young divorcee as she is trying to figure out how to become her own person when he beloved boss (a writer) passes suddenly. She inherits his home and his life’s mission: to return all the lost things he has found over the years to their rightful owners. It has the feeling of a rom com but with all of the mystery and fun of much different novel. Another great palette cleanser if you need to rest from the world or from an intense novel.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman- This is one my favorite movies in the world, so I figured it was time I read the novel it was based on! There are a few major differences from the novel to the movie, but the same basic threads and characters that stay the same. The main story focuses on two sisters who were raised by their aunts after their parents tragically die. The aunts seem to posses magical powers, maybe the girls do too? It follows them into their adult lives as they have to figure a pretty massive mess they have made. This novel is for fans of romance, fantasy, and all things in between. The bulk of it takes place during a New England summer, which makes it the perfect read if you are also dying in summer heat.

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett- These are both the next picks! The Rules of Magic is my next personal pick and is the prequel to Practical Magic she wrote just a couple of years ago. It focuses on the aunts and their lives before the sisters get to them. The Vanishing Half is the next book club pick! This one is about two Black sisters who runaway at 16 and end up living drastically different lives. One of them lives with her Black daughter in the town they grew up in while the other passes as white and lives as white. I am really excited to delve into this one, especially with the current protests that are still going on. These guys will be in my next round-up of books so stay tuned for those!

Thanks for reading lovelies! See you tomorrow for another round up post of some other favorite things of mine!

Madey