Show Us Your Books - October 2018

Happy Tuesday! And I hope you’re ready for another edition of Show Us Your Books! I also want to take a second to congratulate both hosts on the 4th anniversary of this wonderful linkup! I’ve only been doing it for a little over a year, but I absolutely love it, and I’m so happy to be a part of it now. Thank you, Jana and Steph for all you do to keep this going each month 🙂

Linkup Guidelines:
This linkup happens the second Tuesday of every month. The next is Tuesday, November 13, 2018.
1. Please visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & Steph
2. Please display the button or link back to me and the linkup hosts on your blog post
3. Please visit a few other blogs who've linked up and get some book talk going!

Last Month’s Edition & What My Ratings Mean

 

5-Star Reads ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*The Dream Daughter - This is only my third 5-star book this year. It’s part historical fiction, part contemporary, with a touch of sci-fi thrown in for good measure. I couldn’t get enough of it, went to bed late three nights in a row, and was sad when it ended. It may not be for everyone, but it was 100% in my wheelhouse. review + recipe

A Place for Us (4.5) - This novel was so close to a 5 for me, but there was one flaw I couldn’t get over. Still, I absolutely loved it and it’s worth all of the praise it’s getting. Fatima Farheen Mirza’s debut is an immersive and intricately woven story about family and faith and so much more. It’s powerful and moving. Look for my review + recipe post later this week.

 

4-Star Reads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Bookshop of Yesterdays - I fell in love with Amy Meyerson's novel, which is a family saga centered around a cozy Los Angeles bookstore. It inspired me to bake up some Fig & Goat Cheese Muffins, which were one of the character's favorites. The author even complimented my pairing, and said she was planning to make them herself! I was pretty pumped about that 🙂 review + recipe

*Virgil Wander - Leif Enger is an award-winning author who I’d never heard of before coming across his latest novel. He truly has a gift for language, painting a colorful and complete picture of a Midwestern small town and its inhabitants without overdoing it. I fell in love with the quirky characters, who were both richly described and realistic. review + recipe

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage - I really liked this peek into Ann Patchett’s life, which I read as part of the Book Challenge by Erin bonus round. I love author memoirs that also offer insights into the writing world. I related to a lot of her anecdotes, but it was all around enjoyable. Her writing is wonderful.

 

3-Star Reads ⭐⭐⭐

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (3.5) - This nonfiction book by Michelle McNamara follows her obsession with and subsequent research into the Golden State Killer. It’s not a topic I’d normally read an entire book about (and, in fact, lots of it freaked me out -- not ideal for late night reading). Her writing is transporting and compelling. It was published posthumously, and as such, some of the chapters were pieced together from her notes or other articles. Unfortunately, those chapters fell a bit flat and took away from the storytelling. I wish she’d been able to finish (and see him get caught earlier this year).     

Give Me Your Hand - This was my first Megan Abbott novel, and I thought it was fine. The story revolves around two estranged childhood friends who end up working on the same research team as adults -- and all that follows. My biggest pet peeve with this one was that it required a lot of suspension of belief to make it come together.  

*The Clockmaker’s Daughter - I can see why Kate Morton has so many loyal fans, her writing is lovely, though this story felt quite long. It’s not an action-filled, or plot-heavy novel. It’s much more about the moments in time we visit and the character development, which are beautifully described in Morton’s transporting prose. And while the story was engaging, I wish it’d been a little more to the point. review + recipe

Currently Reading

Good Morning, Midnight - I’m not far enough into this novel to say much on it, but I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’ve heard it’s akin to Station Eleven, and from just two chapters in, I think perhaps it has some elements of The Martian as well. Stay tuned for more!

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*I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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