Hello readers, bloggers, friends, and lurkers. Do people still lurk on blogs? That used to be a thing where someone would read your blog but never comment, but I don't know if it's still a thing. For the record, I don't mind if people want to read without commenting.
Anyway, let's talk books. It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we read the month prior- aka September. If you'd like to add a link of your own or find out what others are reading, hop over to the host blogs (Memphis Bridges, My Joyful Life, Slices of Life, and The Other Side of the Road).
I put a bunch of books on hold at my local library about a month ago and somehow most came in the same week. Bother. Several were only on loan for two weeks because they're new or extra popular so I tried to read those first. I'm famous for checking out books that have to go back before they're read and I was determined not to do that this month.
I record what I've read on Goodreads and use their star system, more or less. My star system is probably on the harsh side. I'm stingy with the 5* ratings and if I give a book 5* then it's a book that's memorable for me.
I give a lot of 3* reviews, which to me means overall a pretty good read, some flaws or cliched writing that bothered me, and while I enjoyed the read it's probably not a book I'm left thinking about later. I typically never give 1* ratings because if a book feels like a 1* book I'll mark it DNF.
Okay, here we go-
1. Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This is one of those books that left me with mixed feelings. I love Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing style and that shines here as it does in all of her books. I really enjoyed the parts of the book that dealt with the thrill and danger of space travel, solving the problem at hand, and also just the mystery of space itself. I wanted more of that.
I should have paid closer attention to the tag line -A Love Story, because this was definitely more love story than space tale. And it's a sapphic love story which is not my cup of tea. I didn't know that going in or I likely would not have picked this one up.
The book centers around the character Joan Goodwin, a fictional astronaut in NASA's Space shuttle program in the early 1980's. I read that Jenkins Reid based the character of Joan on the real life astronaut Sally Ride. The story starts with a crisis (you might say disaster) involving a malfunction aboard the space shuttle. Goodwin is working in Mission Control as the spacecraft communicator and will need to talk with the astronaut tasked with landing the damaged ship. The story then backs up and primarily focuses on the lives of the astronauts and the events that occurred in the lead-up to the disaster.
I struggled to rate this one because I had mixed feelings when I closed the book. I read a review where the reviewer said they 'wanted more of Joan the astronaut and less of Joan the girlfriend'. I feel the same.
2. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
This was our book club selection for September and received favorable reviews from all. I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did, because the way the story is told you have a key piece of information from the very beginning. The author did a good job filling in the details in a way that was engaging.
The Berry Pickers is the story of a Mi'kmaq family from Nova Scotia who travel to Maine to pick blueberries in the summer of 1962. Their youngest daughter Ruthie disappears from the field one day, and her disappearance naturally traumatizes the family left behind.
The story is told from two perspectives. Joe is Ruthie's older brother, and at age six was the last one to see Ruthie before she disappeared. The other voice belongs to Naomi, a young woman from an affluent Maine family who grows up with an overprotective mother, and a father who is a judge by profession, and is a mostly kind but somewhat aloof father. The dual storyline worked very well.
The Berry Pickers explores themes of family, grief, trauma, and cultural identity. My favorite read this month and I gave it four stars.
3. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Have you ever read a book where you know from the very first page it's going to break your heart? Well that's Broken Country. You know a lot of sadness is coming your way, but you keep reading because you need to know how it all turns out in the end.
This book has been super hyped (it's a Reese Witherspoon book club pick), and I'm always a bit leery of over hyped books. I thought the writing was excellent. The novel centers around a love triangle, and while there's obviously more to it than that, this triangle is at the heart of the book. I just really didn't care for two of the three parties involved in the triangle. While I had tremendous sympathy for Beth, I struggled with so much of her behavior which I will describe as pretty crummy, that I found her hard to like. Three stars for me.
4. The Champagne Letters by Kate Macintosh
I like historical fiction and really enjoyed this one. I also like champagne and we've spent some time in the champagne region of France, so the setting felt familiar. The Champagne Letters is a work of historical fiction set in Reims France in the 1800's, with a second but related modern day story line set in Paris and Reims.
The storylines follow Mme. Cliquot and then a modern day Chicago woman named Natalie Taylor who has run away to Paris following her divorce. Natalie finds a collection of the Widow Cliquot's published letters in a book stall beside the Seine, and she uses these letters as inspiration for starting a new life. Her escape to Paris takes a very unexpected turn and Natalie is forced to make a choice-return home or fight for her future.
I loved the twists in the modern day story, the setting for both, and the champagne talk. There's a movie based on the life of Widow Cliquot that was released in 2023 which I haven't watched yet, but it's on my list. I gave this one 4 stars.
5. Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
A really interesting and original topic, one that definitely makes the reader think. The plot is centered around an accident that happens in a self-drive vehicle. Have you been in a self-drive car yet? I've been in a friend's Tesla which had this feature and I have to say it's a little freaky.
While on their way to a lacrosse tournament in their self-driving minivan, the Cassidy-Shaw family, with 17-year old Charlie behind the wheel (but on autonomous mode), and other family members distracted by their phones, are involved in an accident with fatalities and injuries.
Who is responsible-the distracted teen? the parents? AI? You find yourself thinking about this technology from a couple of different angles, and the accompanying storyline where hidden secrets are revealed definitely held my interest.
Four stars for me.
6. Nightshade by Michael Connelly
Hubs and I had a road trip this month and we always try to listen to something on Audible when we travel. When I asked him what he wanted to listen to he said, 'nothing educational' lol. We often listen to non-fiction or a very lengthy biography when we road trip (hey, we're a captive audience) and those can sometimes get heavy. A friend mentioned she'd just read this Michael Connelly book and enjoyed it so we opted for that.
I have always liked his writing and loved The Lincoln Lawyer and his Bosch series especially, so knew it would be a good choice. We both enjoyed it.
The plot centers around a disgraced LA county sheriff (Stilwell) who is sent to work on Catalina Island as part of his 'punishment'. When the body of a woman with a streak of purple in her hair is found weighed down in the waters of Catalina Harbor Sheriff Stilwell is called into action. Besides the Jane Doe murder there are additional crimes to be solved, including the illegal beheading of a buffalo, and the theft of a marble statue from a men's fishing club. Are the crimes connected and if so, what's the connection?
The story unfolded at a nice pace and you were rooting for Sheriff Stilwell throughout. He's a very likable character and a new one for Connelly. I imagine and hope there will be more stories where he's featured in the future. I gave this one four stars.
So what did you read in September?
