As you can see from the stack, I’m still at home and still reading. These are the selections from Brandi’s Life of Quarantine Book Club in April. Membership consists of just me and there’s no rhyme or reason to the selections.
This was a good news/bad news kind of month. The good news is that I finally finished the Richard Paul Evans Road trilogy. I’m not a huge fan but he is typically feel good and uplifting. Something that I find necessary right now.
The bad news is that I discovered the annoying world of self published books on Amazon. Some are great. Some aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. This particular book was about the Zoot Suit Riots but was basically just a patchwork of quotes from news articles.
There were some standouts too.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is a beautiful book. This bestseller has received a lot of hype, causing me to put off reading it because the hyped-up books often don’t appeal to me.
The author is actually a zoologist by trade and this was her first novel so I didn’t know what to expect. I certainly didn’t expect the reclusive main character to be so real and relatable. Known to the community as Marsh Girl, she lives apart from society, her life shaped by her childhood and her future determined by a community that judged her from afar.
It reminds me of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, my favorite book of all time.
Quiet by Susan Cain was a real treat. It’s well researched and smartly written, providing insight into the differences between introverts and extroverts. It thoroughly explains why introverts are so easily dismissed.
Between a third and half of the workforce is introverted so I believe this should be required reading for anyone who manages people or plans work spaces. Many famous introverts changed the world including Rosa Parks and Steve Wozniak. There would be no Alice in Wonderland if not for an introvert.
It turns a bit dry at times but is still an excellent use of your time. There’s even advice for parents of introverted children and teachers who need to find a way to work with different learning styles.
The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon is a page turner. She has mastered the art of suspense and the craft of intertwining multiple stories into one. While one story begins during the golden age of travel at a roadside motel, another picks up the story years later when the interstate system has left the hotel rundown and closed. But there’s a secret, monsters and lots of intrigue. Well worth your time.
Yankee Doodle Gals: Women Pilots of World War II was written for a younger audience but is an excellent read for anyone – especially those interested in World War II history, aviation and women’s rights.
It uses a lot of great photos and thoughtful text to tell the story of how women flew 77 kinds of military aircraft during the war, doing work with planes that some male pilots were afraid to fly. They trained as Army but, despite promises they would soon be part of the Army, it never happened and they were dismissed with just a letter of thanks. It took decades for them to be recognized for the heroic work they did for the American war effort. You can get a gently used copy from a small bookseller on Alibris.com for under $3 plus $3.99 shipping and it is worth your money to do so. Also, it’s not just for girls! Have your boys read it too!
Honorable Mention goes to Jeffrey Archer’s Only Time Will Tell. I truly enjoyed this story. It’s the first in a series and I have ordered the next two books from small booksellers on Alibris. We will see if Archer maintains my attention!
What have you been reading?