Welcome to the June book review! At the end of each month, I review the books I’ve read. Enjoy!
The Book: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Category: Literary/Cultural Fiction
In Three Words: Full-circle family.
Biggest Takeaway: I love how Lahiri writes around major life events but gives them all a soft focus, showing the reader every detail in the packing of a just-deceased father’s apartment, the succulent meal eaten with a new girlfriend.
The Book: I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam
The Category: Nonfiction/Self-Improvement
In Three Words: Yes, We Can!
Biggest Takeaway: Longtime readers of this blog will know I’m a Vanderkam fan (a Vanderfan?) and wrote a guest post for her blog last winter. This book is further celebration of Laura’s overall mission statement: that we all have time to do the things we care about if we just think creatively and consciously arrange the pieces of our lives.
The one point where I disagree with her is on the point of wasting your time cleaning up the house, because “the toys will just come out again in the morning, but you’ll never get that time back.” While that is true, I think it discounts the personality of the cleaner. I know that I feel happier and more creative in an ordered space. I think my other hours in the house would be less happy and productive if I didn’t spend a small amount of time clearing up daily (and getting physical exercise while doing so).
The Book: As You Wish by Cary Elwes
The Category: Memoir
In Three Words: Repetition run wild.
Biggest Takeaway: It is lovely to read a Hollywood story where everyone from the actors to the director to the writer comes out a hero. I gained respect for every celebrity listed in this book. However, the stories weren’t enough for a full-length book; there’s a lot of unnecessary padding.
The Book: Starstruck by Rachel Schurig
The Category: Romance
In Three Words: Unlikely celebrity coupling.
Biggest Takeaway: To date, Rachel Schurig is still the only romance writer I read because of her unique characters and great plot structure. This one came together a little too easily for me; I wanted more drama between the heroine’s baby daddy and the celebrity boyfriend.
The Book: The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin
The Category: Historical Fiction
In Three Words: Fraught Victorian romance.
Biggest Takeaway: Historical fiction can be just as much of a page-turner as a thriller or mystery. I knew this, of course, but hadn’t read one in awhile that fit the bill. I devoured The Fortune Hunter in one long weekend. (Crossed fingers that someday, a book reviewer will say the same for my historical novel.)
Did you read any of these books? Leave a comment to share your opinion!