In June, I read 11 books that I really enjoyed. I read a fiction story about mothers and daughters and another one about an older woman finding that there is still more life to life. I read a biography of Tesla and an inspirational book about chasing dreams. I read about a library fire and an ode to a man’s late wife. As always, there were also a few historical fiction books. Here’s what I read:
Elsa has faced a lot of loss in her life, but loneliness is something new that she faces. Her grown daughter is heading off to live in Russia for a year. Her elderly mother lives with her but their relationship has never been great and since her mother refuses to wear a hearing aid, they barely converse. When she faces another loss, she realizes she must let her daughter know about a family secret – in person – so she heads to visit her in Russia. The themes of love and loss, mother/daughter relationships and learning to live a full life are all found in The Secret We Lost.
Scott Stoddard is finally embarking on his life when he boards a boat heading from America to Switzerland. The plan is for him to study abroad before coming home and helping with his father’s company. Well, that’s his parents’ plan. Scott plans to enjoy living far away from their watchful eyes and it doesn’t take long before he finds ways to be distracted from his studies. Set in the 1960s, An Improbable Pairing sets a romance story in the settings of Paris and Switzerland among people who are enjoying their wealth.
On April 29, 1986, the Los Angeles Public Library caught on fire. Most likely arson, the person responsible was never caught. When it was extinguished after seven hours, 400,000 books were gone and 700,000 books were damaged. Microfiche melted, a patent collection was ash and the historical building was damaged. It was a tragedy I had never heard of until reading The Library Book. The history of the fire, along with the importance of book, libraries and shared history are discussed in this non-fiction book.
Britt-Marie has her peculiarities, but for the most part is oblivious to the fact that others might see them as peculiarities. Her life is straight-forward and organized until she discovers that her husband is having an affair. She takes her balcony boxes and leaves. While at a loss on how to make a hotel room a home, she decides to find a job. The young woman at the employment office finds her a job in the small town of Borg to run the recreation center. She is welcomed by the children accidentally hitting her in the head with a soccer ball, which sends her flat on her back. As she meets the people in Borg, she starts seeing peculiarities in everyone.
Nikola Tesla is sometimes thought of as one of the greatest inventors who ever lived. His story starts in a village in modern-day Croatia. His childhood was not easy after his brother passed away and there were many expectations of what he should do for a job. Sickness brought him the opportunity for his father to open up to other careers and Tesla made his way out of his country and eventually to New York. While many biographies of Tesla have been written, this one goes through his life chronologically by focusing on his ideas and inventions.
We all have dreams and we would all love to see all our dreams come true. Maybe you want to start a business or a blog. Maybe you want to run a marathon or write a book. We can all do things every day to help us get closer to reaching our dreams. Girl, Stop Apologizing is a cheerleader in a book for anyone who wants to start pursuing a dream. Rachel Hollis says that one of her dreams is to encourage as many women as possible to pursue and do the things they love – the things that make them add their spark to the world.
In No Ocean Too Wide, Laura McAllister is working as a ladies’ maid when she gets word that her mother has fallen ill and her siblings have been taken into the care of children’s homes. Their father had died just two years earlier from injuries sustained during a train accident. Without their mother or older sister’s supervision, Garth gets desperate and steals some bread to feed his twin sister, Katie, and younger sister, Grace. He is caught and the policeman takes them to a children’s home. Before Laura can get back to London to check on them, they are sent to Canada as part of the children emigration program – without the family’s permission.
Penny Parker doesn’t know where she’s going in life, but she knows where she is. She’s a dime-store clerk with dependable friends and enemies. She’s curvy and loves food. She escapes from reality by visiting the movie theater and knows everything about Hollywood. She’s waiting for a dream – either a man to love or a career that thrills her. Then an unexpected dream visits her store – a man telling her she has won the chance to be Marilyn Monroe’s assistant when she comes to town for a movie shoot. She just knows this will change her world – Marilyn will be her best friend, she’ll find the man of her dreams and then she’ll know what to do with her life.
Read the full review on OnlineBookClub.org.
We All Wrote on the Same Outhouse Walls is a memoir about growing up in small-town Pennsylvania. Larry M. Farrar gives an overview of his life by addressing different topics, such as church, meeting at the local gas station for pool and school and then talks about the values he learned in each situation.
Read the full review at US Review of Books.
A Funny Thing Happened on my Way to Freedom is a fascinating memoir about a young adult living in Cuba when Castro takes power. After learning the affects of socialism, he realizes he needs to try to escape to live a life of freedom.
Read the full review at US Review of Books.
A true love story, Just One More Song is a book that contains conversations a man has with his wife after she dies. It is a story of processing grief while remembering a great love.
Read the full review at US Review of Books.
