Books, articles, and sometimes podcasts that piqued my interest or were particularly memorable. I don’t take the time to summarize them since a search engine can do that quicker and with more eloquence than me. Just some quick thoughts on each. Feel free to send recommendations on other material! Here is the latest handful of content that I really enjoyed!
*I recognize that this particular cohort of books has similar trends! If you’ve read my other recommendations you know that I don’t always stick to just one genre or plotline trends but this time around it seems that occurred… so sorry if this grouping isn’t to your particular tastes- more to come!
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
I did not read this book I listened to it. It was one of few books I have listened to recently that surprised me. What a joy to be taken aback by how a storyline turns out! I can’t provide many details without spoiling the plot. I can definitely say it has interesting and important details in every chapter and takes on several different characters’ points of view. The formatting allows the reader/listener to try to put the pieces together themselves as the story unfolds. However, if you are like me, I thought I had it solved and the ending threw a curveball. It is suspenseful, a little dramatic, and emotional. It reminded me of how much I loved Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann , and for a lot of similar reasons. If you like suspenseful mysteries with multi-character perspective I strongly recommend this book!
An American Beauty by Shana Abe
While this book’s plotline was somewhat predictable, it has such beautiful writing and characters. The character development that this author accomplishes is thorough and, for a reader like me, really enjoyable. I was deeply invested in what happens to the lead character and emotionally impacted by her experiences. While the story itself is fictional, it is inspired by the real life of Arabella Huntington who was, at one point, considered the most wealthy woman in the United States. Insight on the challenges of women and culture of the time period is interesting.
The Briar Club: A Novel by Kate Quinn
My bias here is that I was already a huge fan of Kate Quinn’s work before reading this. She did not let me down, as this was yet another really fun and intriguing book! I read it and then I listened to it a couple of months later. The narration by Saskia Maarleveld was really well done. The end of the audiobook version has a conversation with the author and the narrator that brought additional depth and appreciation for the creation of this book in both formats. This is another multi-character perspective book, but the character I was least expecting was the narration from the house’s point of view. Yes- the literal house in which a lot of the scenes take place. It made me smile and it is a brilliant way to provide “outside” point of view that is actually quite intimate. The house has it’s own personification and biases! The women in this book were so inspiring. These characters are inspired by real people despite the storyline being fictional. I can’t recommend this one enough!
Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali by Cassidy Randall
This book is incredible. These women’s stories are, for countless reasons, so deserving of finally having more light shed on them. I found myself genuinely angry, sad, overjoyed, stressed, inspired and full of admiration throughout reading about these women’s real life experiences both on the mountain and off of it. Cassidy Randall does a wonderful job telling each woman’s background and helping make real the gravity of challenges they faced as individuals and as a team. I am deeply grateful that this was written and for what these women accomplished.
Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O’Brien
This book is an absolute delight. I have a special relationship with owls in my own life. My mom bought me this book without having read it herself. Now I am going to ask her to read it if she has free time because it is heart melting. When reading it I thought to myself that it felt like such a worthy use of time. Not only did it teach me so much about owls from a scientific lens, and humans from a social lens, but Wesley made me smile and cry… a lot. What a beautiful, sweet, interesting gift of a book this is. I would also consider it family friendly. It is very moving and intellectually stimulating.