We'll be back again in June, where we will also be sharing our most favourite beach reads recommendations!
*****
BRIE
Since the last time we met to talk books, I’ve read a whopping ten books! I’m pretty sure this is a new record for me. Granted, one was a novella, and a few were audiobooks, but I’ve been doing really well at fitting in reading into my life. I’ve even managed to read a few books that have been on my own bookshelves for much too long, so I’m pretty happy about that. I read a few duds though (Into the Abyss, The Best Laid Plans, and The Thief of Broken Toys), but the rest I really enjoyed.
Favourite: I read quite a few good books this time around, but they were all so different. I think the two that stick out to me the most (yes, it’s a tie, and it’s a fair one since they are both by the same author and companions to one another), is The Kitchen House and Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom. These two books had me hooked from the beginning and I found myself reading late into the night for both of them. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, and while my favourite era has always been WW2, the times of the slave trade and the Underground Railroad is fascinating and intense, and I believe, an utterly important time to read about.
Looking Forward To: Re-reading The Hero’s Walk by Anita Rau Badami for my Calgary book club. I first read this book over ten years ago, and while I remember loving it, I don’t actually remember anything about it, so a re-read is definitely in order. I'm also looking forward to reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (just picked up a copy at the thrift store), and Remember Mia by Alexandra Burt, the next installment in my online book club!
*****
BECKY
It seems like some kind of record that I managed to finish seven whole books over the last two months. The Girl in the Spider's Web was the longest read and the biggest drag, I didn't think I would make it through anything else. Suddenly my to-read pile on the bedside has dwindled and it's time to make a trip to the bookstore. It was a struggle to choose a favourite because aside from One Day (my book club pick for March) and The Girl in the Spider's Web, they were all great reads.
Favourite: In the runnings for first place were Inside the O'Briens (the first A Slice of Brie Book Club pick), Eleanor & Park (my #booknerdsofRD book club pick for April) & Attachments, which I won from a giveaway from Brie. All three were books that I struggled to put down and finished in record time. Ultimately, Attachments won, followed closely by Eleanor & Park. Turns out, I'm a big fan of Rainbow Rowell.
Looking Forward To: There are two books on my pile that I can't wait to dig into, The Royal We, and Bird Box (Brie's runner-up last month). I have heard nothing but good things about The Royal We but am so intrigued with Bird Box since I'm darkly into creepy things. I'm just not sure if I'm prepared for the weird dreams that are sure to accompany such a book.
*****
ALLISON
The last two months can be referred to as "the nine weeks I devoured completely heartbreaking yet fabulous books with one exception". Looking back I didn't think I read 6 books, taking a break after the heartbreak of The Invisible Bridge and another break for the first two weeks of vacation (mostly because I was more enamoured by US Netflix than not wanting to read...I actually brought three books on vacay and juuuust managed to finish Inside the O'Briens before Brie's Book Club), but obviously I did, and I really loved most of them. I was in a bit of an historical fiction phase, could you tell?
Favourite: It was easy to pick a favourite in my February round-up because I didn't love most of the books I read at the beginning of the year. This time? So hard. I really LOVED 4/6, one was pretty good (Inside the O'Briens), and one was ok but painfully predictable (The Attachments). I dove right into The Light Between Oceans mid-February on the recommendation of...just about everyone I know. I think I read it in three days and stayed up till 2am on Monday/Tuesday morning to finish it because I had to know how it ended. Next I slowly but consistently read The Invisible Bridge. Wow. Seriously heart-wrenching, it tells the story of a young Hungarian Jewish architecture student whose life and understanding of the world around him is altered by WW2; at its core though, it's a beautiful love story. The Nightingale? Excellent! I just finished When Breath Becomes Air; again, heartbreaking but beautifully written. I hear there's a long wait list at libraries for this memoir so I would recommend you read Dr. Kalanithi's essays in Stanford Medicine and The New Yorker.
Looking Forward To: I've finally cracked open The Art of Fielding; I adore baseball and figured it was about time I read this baseball classic. I just (as in, while I am writing this draft on Monday afternoon) got the notification that All The Light We Cannot See, which is also very highly recommended by my book-loving peeps, is ready to pick up at the library.
*****
Have you read any of our favourite books? Thoughts?
Best book you've read lately?
What are you hoping to read in the next month or two?
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