I “only” read five books this month! That is because one took me 16 days to read – a book about the history of Centennial, Colorado – and it was fascinating! Two others were fiction, another was historical fiction and one was about the non-profit Water.org. Here’s what I read:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
In this Hunger Games prequel, the author delves into the story of Snow, who is one of the main protagonists in The Hunger Games books. At first, I didn’t want to like him since he was not a nice character in the books, but The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes shows how he got to that point in his life. While a large part of it was outside influences, he makes some decisions that he cannot turn back from – even for love. Hunger Games fans will enjoy reading this book.
The Women’s March by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Women’s March is about the leaders in the suffragist movement who made a lot of headway in hard times. There are about five main characters and while the book is fiction, it read more like a history book. I was hoping for a more gripping story to cover this time period. History lovers might enjoy it, though.
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
The Lincoln Highway follows a group of teenage boys as they grapple with how to make sense of the world after leaving a juvenile detention facility in the 1950s. Emmet and his brother want to head from Nebraska to California, but his car is hijacked by his friends to New York. Emmet has to track them down before making a new life for himself. It’s a fascinating, but probably very unrealistic, story.
The Worth of Water by Matt Damon and Gary White
In Missouri, my children’s preschool teacher was Gary White’s sister. She would have the preschool rotate their fundraisers – one year for the school and the next year for Water.org. We’ve had them on our radar for more than a decade and it was fascinating to read the story of how the organization came about and all the good it’s doing in the world. I high recommend The Worth of Water to everyone!
Centennial by James Michener
It took me 16 days to read Centennial, but it’s probably going to be one of my top reads of the entire year. It’s a history book that brings history to life. This is the first Michener book I’ve read and I really enjoyed how he tied the history of Centennial, Colorado, from the prehistoric era to the 1970s. Historical fiction readers will love it as it reads like a novel instead of a history book. I plan to read more of Michener’s works – probably Alaska next.
What did you read recently that you enjoyed? Share why you enjoyed it in the comments!
