Off the Shelf - July 10, 2017

A weekly update of all my bookish activities. What I'm reading, where I'll be and what I'm anticipating.

Five Romances that Will make you Cry (and I love them all)

If you're anything like me, you love a good romance novel every once in a while (or all the time). While I definitely prefer my characters to all end up happily coupled off and living blissfully ever after, that is not always realistic or the best way to end a story. Sometimes the best stories have the saddest endings or not the ending you wanted for the characters. Below are five of my favorite romance novels that are beautiful love stories even though they didn't end up the way I wanted them to. Curl up, grab your tissues and maybe warn anyone in the house that it is very likely you're going to ugly cry - and it's best they leave you alone. Or lock the door so no one can take incriminating photos. Because I probably would.

Memoir Monday: Hunger Makes Me A Hungry Girl by Carrie Brownstein

Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl, Carrie Brownstein

Happy Monday!

Today is the beginning of a new series on The Book Gawker in which a memoir that I read the past week will be featured every Monday! Memoirs are some of my favorite books to read. They lend a sort of authenticity and relatability to people who we typically see from afar, their stories laid out for us to read or listen to in a such a way that we might understand the experiences that shaped their lives both privately and publicly.

It's Women's History Month, so I found it fitting that this week's memoir was, Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein. Maybe (presently) best known for her work in the comedy series, Portlandia, Carrie Brownstein first made her name known as one third of the indie punk rock girl band trio, Sleater-Kinney. I found her memoir to be funny and insightful as she chronicled her days growing up in Redmond, Washington putting on talent shows with neighborhood children, to haunting record stores as a highschooler and eventually making her way into the indie punk rock scene after leaving college to pursue her career as a musician.

Book Worm: January's Book Reviews

This month was a productive one for getting a start on my 2016 Goodreads Challenge. I was able to get through eight books in all, some I loved and others I found disappointing. One thing they all seem to have in common is beautiful cover art. I must be a sucker for a pretty book jacket. I think that this list may have something for everyone;  historical fiction, noteworthy/award winning literary fiction, a beach read, humor and young adult fiction.

Reading Recommendations: Martin Luther King Jr Day

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. - Martin Luther King Jr

It's Martin Luther King Jr Day today (as if you didn't already know) so I thought it would be appropriate to share six of my favorite books that fit into the black American literature and civil rights themed genre. I know that there are a lot of amazing books in this genre that are not listed here, so feel free to list your own recommendations or additions to this list.

The Best Books in the World According to My Kindergartener

One of my favorite things to do is take my son book hunting with me. We enjoy looking for books to read at nighttime as we wind down for the day. I'm not sure if all kids are like this, but we seem to have a rotation of favorite stories that we read night after night. Are you kids like this? I'm pretty sure I was - I have memories of reading Make Way for Ducklings over and over again.

I asked my little guy to pick out his five favorite books and here is what he brought to me:

Book Anticipation: January 2016 New Releases

There are a slew of new releases out this month that I can't wait to read. Here are a few new reads out this January that sound interesting to me:

Title: The Longest Night by Andria Williams
Genre: Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction

Print Length: 400 pages

Publisher: Random House (January 12, 2016)

Publication Date: January 12, 2016

Set in Idaho Falls 1959, Nat and Paul Collier move with their two daughters to a remote military town where Paul will be stationed to oversee a nuclear reactor.

When Paul discovers that the reactor has been compromised and that the military intends to cover it up, he keeps the information from Nat.

His lies, along with her growing unrest and difficulty settling into a new town takes its toll on their relationship and they begin to drift apart.

Book Review: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

image via amazon.com

Title: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
Genre: Mental Health, Biographies, Memoirs

Print Length: 300 pages

Publisher: Flatiron Books (September 22, 2015)

Publication Date: September 22, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

Furiously Happy is about "taking those moments when things are fine and making them amazing, because those moments are what make us who we are, and they're the same moments we take into battle with us when our brains declare war on our very existence. It's the difference between "surviving life" and "living life". It's the difference between "taking a shower" and "teaching your monkey butler how to shampoo your hair." It's the difference between being "sane" and being "furiously happy." -Furiously Happy

Book Review: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

image via amazon.com

Title: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Genre: Literature & Fiction

Print Length: 391 pages

Publisher: Riverhead Books (September 15, 2015)

Publication Date: September 15, 2015

Rating: 4/5 stars

"Every story has two sides. Every relationship has two perspectives. And sometimes, it turns out, the key to a great marriage is not its truths but its secrets. At the core of this rich, expansive, layered novel, Lauren Groff presents the story of one such marriage over the course of twenty-four years." - via hardcover edition

Transparency. It is seemingly the stuff that strong relationships are made of and what many couples strive to have with each other. Complete and total honesty in every situation no matter what. Lauren Groff's novel, Fates and Furies, flips this ideal on its side entirely. Told first from the perspective of Lotto Satterwhite and then later from his wife, Mathilde, Fates and Furies shows the reader both sides of the marriage coin and how two people who have spent the better part of their lives together can have completely different perspectives of life, love and success.

New Year, New Blog!

Hello my fellow readers!
If you've been following me, you'll know that I formerly wrote the blog, the daydream list. While I enjoyed working on that project, I've had something new in the works that focuses more on something that I'm passionate about.

Welcome to the Book Gawker! I'm bringing my love of all things literary to a new space that will focus entirely on my favorite topic - books. Have you ever stood around the aisle of the book store trying to find something new? If you're like me, you're always looking for another book to read and can have a hard time choosing. I'm hoping that this little piece of the blogosphere will help you find your next book to read.

In the past I've formatted my reviews as a monthly post about the books that I read over the previous month. With this blog, I'm hoping to post more frequently so that I can spend more time thoroughly reviewing each book and giving my recommendations. While I probably will not do a thorough review of everything that I read, I will write my recommendations for the books that I finish this year as I did for last year. I did import all of my 2015 reviews from the daydream list here so you'll be able to look back at them if you choose.

I hope you'll enjoy reading along with me in 2016!

Book Worm: December Book Reviews

December Book Reviews

Sadly December came and went and I was unable to complete my Goodreads challenge of reading 52 books in the past year. I’m not going to dwell on it, I came up on 8 books short and completed a total of 44 books in 2015 which in my opinion was a great effort. Because of some traveling, holiday events and the overall busyness of December I was only able to finish four books. Without further ado here are my reviews:

A Spool of Blue Thread, Anne Tyler:

This is one the best books that I read in 2015, it was short listed for the Man Booker and I can see why. Anne Tyler is a master when it comes to family dynamics and relationships told over a number of years in this novel. A Spool of Blue Thread follows the Whitshank family throughout the years, chronicling the lives of its members. This is a beautiful read, so take the time to enjoy it (ie: this is not a beach read).

The Martian, Andy Weir:

I wasn’t sure that this book was in my wheel house, but I’m glad I gave it a shot. I really enjoyed reading The Martian. I loved Mark Watney’s sarcasm and irony throughout. It gave an air of comedy to a situation that was anything but funny. As far as all of the scientific calculations and information in the book, I’m taking it for what it is (fiction). I know that some people were put off by how accurate the novel is scientifically – I don’t care. It was overall a very entertaining read. I would recommend for next time you’re on a long road trip, or an airplane.

Tricky Twenty Two, Janet Evanovich:

If you’re like me, you’re basically the biggest Stephanie Plum fan girl alive. For Real! I have read all of the other Plum books and they’re all essentially the same. You can count on the following: You will crave donuts, Someone is always getting flashed, Stephanie will be abducted at some point, Ranger is still hot, Morelli still has ulcers, and Lula will kill it with the one liners. If you enjoyed the other Plum novels, you’ll love this one too. Read it with a glass of wine after a long day. I promise you’ll feel better.

Luckiest Girl Alive, Jessica Knoll:  

Will someone please explain to me why there was so much hype about this book?! For the life of me, I could not get into it. Ani Faneli was the most vapid wannabe that I’ve met in literature thus far. I could not stand her. This book has a fairly simple plot, I’ll break it down for you:

1. Parents send daughter to upper class school
2. Girl will do anything to fit in
3. Typical dumb teenage decision making leads our main character to make terrible mistakes that will haunt her for the rest of her life
4. Tragedy strikes
5. Revenge in the form of becoming the most successful (unhappy) person in the world at whatever cost.

I will say pass on this one. I just couldn’t get into it and I think for the subject there are better stories.

And that’s how December of 2015 played out. This month I’m traveling, but hoping to get a good start on my reading challenge for 2016. As always, I’d love your feedback or any recommendations you may have!

Book Worm: November Book Reviews

Oh my word, we are into December already! I am 12 books behind on my Goodreads reading challenge to have read 52 books in 2015. If I accomplish that, December's book review post is going to be a long one.
This month I was all about YA novels, dystopian societies and fairy tales. To be honest, it was a really nice break from all of the other books of "literary merit" (read: Man Booker nominees) that are currently filling my reading list. Without further ado, here are November's reads:



1. Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard

This is the first book in a series, the second book Glass Sword is due in February of 2016 and I cannot wait! The setting for this novel is a dystopian society where the classes are segregated by blood type. The reds (red blooded) live in oppression and poverty while the silvers (silver blooded) live in the middle and upper classes. Our heroine, Mare, is a red who finds herself living in the midst of the Silver Royal Court and the royal family, but what they don't know is that she's working with an underground rebel group planning to overthrow the Silver Monarchy. If you were a fan of the Hunger Games or the Divergent Series, you'll like this.

2. The Lunar Chronicles: Scarlet, Cress & Winter, Marissa Meyer

If you've been following me you already know that I read Cinder earlier this summer and never got around to finishing the following books in the series. The final book in the series, Winter was released this past month so it seemed to be a good time to finish them up. I loved these books! Of the three I think that Cinder and Scarlet were my least favorite, but I loved Cress and Winter. Each book takes elements from a classic fairytale and puts a new futuristic twist on it. The characters were well developed and the storyline was fast paced and fun as our band of rebels work together to overthrow the Evil Queen Levana. Interlaced with action are romantic moments and comic relief. I enjoyed that the final book wrapped up the saga beautifully and all of the storylines were resolved in the end. These would make a great gift to the fantasy reader in your home. I highly recommend them.

3. After You, Jojo Moyes

In the sequel to Me Before You we find Louisa Clark struggling to get her life together after losing the man she loves to medically assisted suicide. In the aftermath of Will's death we find Lou struggling to keep herself together until one day a fall from her rooftop forces her to re-evaluate her life. Personally, I struggled a little with this one. I found Lou to be incredibly frustrating throughout the book, but was happy in the end. I think that this provided some much needed closure for fans of the first book who were heartbroken with the ending. In my opinion I could see a possible third book, but time will tell.

4. For the Love, Jen Hatmaker

Of all the books I read this month, For the Love was my favorite. I will sing from the rooftops, go and buy this book. Go get it on Audible so you can listen to it while you're in the car or out for a jog. I don't care how you get it, but just get it. Jen Hatmaker is absolutely hilarious. I want to be her best friend - for real. We live in a world where we as women are continually striving to be just as culinary artistic as Martha, as stylish as a fashion blogger, as funny as Kristin Wiig, the list is endless. I feel the pressure all the time! I feel that social media doesn't help with this at all - the endless scrolling of perfectly curated homes, outfits and dinners that leaves us feeling inadequate. I'm always thinking, if only...
Jen hones in on this so well and reminds us that these glimpses into the "daily lives" of others are often staged snippets of the best pieces of that person's world. She speaks about "balance" as if it's a unicorn - uh it is! Balance is a mythical beast that we're all searching for but unable to find! Her piece about fashion was on point and hysterical. But what I love about Jen Hatmaker most is how authentic her faith is. This is a woman of God who just gets it and I love that.
Jen Hatmaker, if you ever come to Washington, look me up. I seriously think we could be best friends. #bffs


And that's it for November. As always, if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear them!
-Whit

Book Worm: September & October's Book Reviews

September and October totally got away from me! Between the start of Kindergarten and a hectic work schedule I didn't get a chance to write up my book review for either month.
Forgive me?

Anyway, here's what I've been reading.


1. Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee

Here's what I think about this book. If you're going to enjoy it at all you need to read it as its own novel aside from Mockingbird. If you're like the majority of America, you loved Mockingbird. I did. Atticus Finch was my hero (especially in the form of Gregory Peck). But this book is very different from Lee's earlier work and I found myself having to read this with the understanding that the characters are now different and much time has passed.

2. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I was a little behind the 8 ball on reading this, it seems like everyone and their mother read it last summer. I enjoyed it. I thought it was interesting how the characters were all related to one another and how their decisions inadvertently affected one another. I think this would be a good airplane read.

3. Tales From the Back Row, by Amy Odell

Hilarious. Now Cosmopolitan.com editor Amy Odell describes her experiences as an early fashion blogger. I loved her stories and tongue in cheek style of writing. She's able to pick out and poke fun of the fashion industry in a way that made me want to be best friends with her.

4. Cinder (Book 1 of the Lunar Chronicles), by Marissa Meyer

Who doesn't love a Cinderella story with a futuristic twist? This is the first book in a series of YA novels. I actually liked it, but haven't finished the rest of the series yet. The next book arrives this month. I thought the concept of a Cinderella cyborg was a little weird, but it worked for me throughout the story. Your teenage daughter will probably like this one.

5. Finding Audrey, by Sophie Kinsella

I really enjoy Sophie Kinsella's work and I really enjoyed this novel. Audrey is a teenager with an anxiety disorder. She wears dark glasses to hide her face and has difficulty interacting with people outside her immediate family. Until she meets a friend of her brother who challenges her to overcome her social issues. It was a really cute novel with likeable characters and a great narrator.

6. Why Not Me, by Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling is one of my favorite comedians. She is hysterical. Just read it. Especially if you're had a bad day at work.

7. See Me, by Nicholas Sparks

Okay I know you're all like, NOT NICHOLAS SPARKS! I know, I know. But this was actually really good! Typical Sparks with his Carolina love stories, but this was suspenseful (albeit slightly predictable) and had me all wound up. I'm sure the book has already been optioned for a movie - so who would you cast as Colin and Maria? I'd love to know.

8. In a Dark, Dark Wood, by Ruth Ware

LOVE THIS. A bachelorette party gone wild in the woods. Think this, you wake up in a hospital and can't remember the events that put you there. Someone is dead and we don't know how that happened and now you're going to go out to the nearest bookstore and get this so you can find out. You're welcome.

And that's it! There are some cool new books due out this month that I'm excited to read.
Anyone out there have a good recommendation for me?

-Whit

Book Worm: August Book Review

August was a busy month for reading! I got a little behind on my Goodreads challenge of reading 52 books this year so I'm trying to catch up! I feel like August was a good reflection of my reading tastes - they're varied. My favorite for the month was definitely All the Light We Cannot See. I'm not sure why I was so far behind everyone (it seems like everyone read it last summer!) who read this already, but better late than never. Close second was The Rosie Project. Read on for my reviews.


1. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
My take on it: I absolutely LOVED this novel. Please be warned though, if you're looking for a fast paced WWII historical fiction novel, this isn't it (one of those later). This isn't a book that you read for pace, it's a book that you read for the language, the beautiful prose and intricately woven storyline of the characters. I don't want to give away much of the storyline, but it's beautiful, unique and thought provoking.

2. West with the Night, Beryl Markham
My take on it: I wish I was Beryl Markham! Markham's memoir chronicles her life from a eventful childhood in Africa through her adult years when she attempted to be the first woman to fly solo from East to West across the Atlantic Ocean. This book was incredible. Markham's writing is simply wonderful as she tells stories of race horses and elephant hunting in the bush. I especially enjoyed the pieces about her time as a race horse trainer. I have to agree with Ernest Hemingway on this, "She has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer . . . [She] can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers . . . It is really a bloody wonderful book." Read it, I think you'll be just as enchanted with it.

3. At the Water's Edge, Sara Gruen
My take on it: Let me start by saying that the entire premise of this novel is ridiculous! We all know that taking your wife and best friend on a wild goose chase to prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster in the middle of WWII is absolutely insane! Yet that's what this book is about and I actually liked it. Once you get over how preposterous this whole thing is the book is actually quite enjoyable. I would recommend this as an airplane book. It's fluffy, and dissolves like cotton candy but still kind of sweet. And the book jacket is beautiful...

4. Me Before You, Jojo Moyes
My take on it: This was kind of emotional for me and to be honest I think there are two different camps for this one. You either loved it, or you didn't. We're dealing with a few topics throughout the book, the most controversial of which is assisted suicide. Will is a quadriplegic who prior to being in a freak accident was a highly successful business man living life to the fullest. Now wheelchair bound he believes that he cannot continue to live in a body that is in constant decay. Lou loses her job working in the local café and is hired by Will's family to keep him company. You can guess how this is going to go. I would recommend the read, but be warned social hot topics ahead.

5. The American Heiress, Daisy Goodwin
My take on it: I've heard this compared to Downton Abbey which was why I picked it up. Other than the upstairs/downstairs dynamic it's not very Downton like. I think I enjoyed this book the least which was disappointing to me because I had high hopes. Cora Cash is an American millionaire's daughter who seeking a title (highly promoted by snobbish mother) marries an English Duke. Floundering naively through English society, Cora begins to realize that not everything is as it seems. We have a love triangle (of course!), snooty English butlers, an undermining mother in law and backstabbing friends - all the makings of a great summer read! Unfortunately for me they just didn't come together and I felt that the author didn't know how to end the story. I would say skip this one.

6. The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion
My take on it:  If there was a novel about Sheldon Cooper trying to find a wife using scientific methods this would be it. I loved this novel. I thought it was charming and funny. Don Tillman has decided to find a wife so he develops the wife project and by way of questionnaire begins to search for the perfect woman. Enter Rosie; a smoking, cussing, barmaid who has enough emotional baggage to load up a train. Definitley not a suitable mate, and wife project reject. Together they set out to find Rosie's biological father - hilarity ensues. Read it.

So there you have it! All of my reads from August. Who has recommendations for September?