First Summer Stack

Since I finally finished my presidential reading quest, I've been able to read whatever I want! Yay! I've been devouring books. Most have taken me an average of 2-3 days. I do take some days off here and there in-between, so I'd say I'm averaging 7-8 books a month right now - and I'm loving every minute of it!
At first I had a lot of catching up to do on titles I was dying to read that came out in the midst of my biographies but wouldn't allow myself. Here's my initial post-biography binge list:

1. ​Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
2. Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered, Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff
3. The Clockmaker's Daughter, Kate Morton
4. Love and Ruin, Paula McCain
5. Lost Roses, Martha Hall Kelly
6. Lethal White, Robert Galbraith
7. The Stars Are Fire, Anita Shreve
8. Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
9. Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
10. The Alice Network, Kate Quinn
11. The Huntress, Kate Quinn

Kate Morton is my favorite author of all time, and her latest book absolutely gutted me. You know the feeling when you read the last words and put the book down and your mind is completely absorbed? And you feel like the breath was taken out of you? And you feel like your insides were gutted? And you can't move? And you can't bring yourself to opening another book for a few days because you know nothing will compare with what you just read? (Or is that just me?!). Well, that's what Kate Morton's writing and stories do for me and it's exactly what I felt like after reading The Clockmaker's Daughter.
Most on the list above were historical fiction, my favorite genre. If you enjoy those too, check out 4, 5, 10 and 11. Number 1 was a favorite on everyone's list, it seemed, and although it was very good, it wasn't the best thing I've ever read. I also didn't care too greatly for 9. If you love crime, check out 6. It's the latest in a whole series by a fantastic writer, the one and only J.K. Rowling. She writes this crime series under a pseudonym and all have been great reads.
On to the next stack! Here's what I have read most recently:

1. Untamed, Glennon Doyle
2. The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson
3. The Giver of Stars, Jojo Moyes
4. The Night Tiger, Yangzee Choo
5. The Jetsetters, Amanda Eyre Ward

DISCLAIMER! The Tattooist of Auschwitz is in the photo, but I had it in my book bag and completely forgot about it! Forgot about it to the point of buying it again when I went to the bookstore recently. I seriously have a probl....No! having too many books is not a problem! You can never have too many books. Looks like my mom will get a new one to read. :)
Anyway, I was really hesitant to read Untamed. I saw a ton of posts about it and a lot of conversations. Without knowing much about it, my thoughts were, "I'm a single woman living by herself during a global lockdown. I don't need any self help or lessons in life right now. I'm vulnerable enough as it is." However, man-oh-man was I so wrong! It was wonderful, all it was billed to be. I highly recommend all women to give it a read - single, married, divorced, straight, gay, questioning, whatever! Read it.
I've always loved Erik Larson. His research is immaculate. He makes non-fiction read like fiction more than anyone I've ever found. If you love non-fiction and history, check out all of his works on a diverse range of topics.
Jojo Moyes took a real event and wrote a novel surround it and I totally enjoyed The Giver of Stars. Another big recommend for those looking for a good story surrounding strong women. The Night Tiger was just as good of a story! In these times, there is a lot of awareness of what media we are digesting and who we are learning and hearing from. I was entranced by the Asian culture and lovable characters. The Jetsetters was okay. I label those types of books fluff reading. Set in current times with current problems (alcoholism, coming out, infidelity, divorce, etc.), it would make a great beach read. Nothing too deep there. Fluff books are always good to throw in now and again to give your mind a break!
I'm switching gears to tackle more deep content, taking a chance to learn about my inherent white privilege and what I can do to help abolish systematic racism. The next three books in my current stack are non-fiction, self-discovery reads. I will report back again when I'm done!
In the meantime, feel free to ask for any more info about the books listed above. And feel free to throw out any titles you think I should read! Drop a comment below.

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