August 2024
- Katie Peterson
- Aug 1, 2024
- 9 min read
Something old, something new, something steamy, something true-ish
Some romance, some heartbreak, some soul-finding. My reads this month pulled on all the heart strings. Please leave a rating, a comment, or hit the 'like' button to let me know you read this post! Share with your friends and fellow readers! Enjoy.
(Hint: If you click on the image of a book below, it will take you directly to the section about that book!)
Something old: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
Something new: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Something steamy: Unwanted Love by Rachel Smith
Something true-ish: Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosney
Book club choice: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
The Ratings:
Like plain, black coffee. Strong dislike.
A little cream, a little sugar. Not bad. Not great.
Add some flavor or syrup, it's getting good.
I liked this a latte!
Love! Refill please!
The Steam:
No peppers: Love/romance not a major part of this story
One pepper: Mild! Some love scenes; nothing risque on the page; fade to black
Two peppers: Moderate! Slightly descriptive romantic scenes may occur on page; some implied innuendos
Three peppers: Hot! Blushing while reading may occur; lots of spice
It Ends With Us
Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover. Oof. I have such conflicting feelings. She's written some books I've really loved (Hopeless is one of my go-to rereads)...and some of my absolute least favorite books ever (I won't list them in case you're a fan but please feel free to ask me-I'll gladly steer you away). Honestly, I was only motivated to borrow It Ends With Us because I wanted to read it prior to watching the movie which is coming out later this month. Well, on the Colleen Hoover scale, this one definitely went on the side of "I'm glad she wrote this", rather than the "What in the heck did I just read?"
Love triangles. At best, they're emotional roller coasters filled with romance and rivalry. At worst, they're unpredictable, jealous, and violent. The trio making up the triangle in this book? That would be Lily, Ryle, and Atlas.
Lily and Atlas are connected by a simultaneously painful and hopeful past. Dysfunctional and abusive home lives. Misunderstood by their peers. Lonely. And yet, both filled with dreams of something better. More. They find solace in a friendship built on understanding and protecting each other. Before being forced to separate, they make promises to meet up again when their lives are ready for each other. But when they finally reconnect, years have passed, finding them both happy, successful...and with Lily having recently entered into a relationship with Ryle.
Ryle is a neurosurgeon, brother of Lily's best friend, and completely head-over-heels obsessed with Lily. Although initially against anything long-term, something about Lily has him questioning his reasons for not wanting a relationship. Diving head first into a passionate, exciting, fiery courtship has them becoming closer than ever. But as she finds herself sharing more and more about herself, there are pieces of her past that she just can't disclose. In particular, her closeness and attachment to Atlas. Seeing him again has thrown Lily. He knows things about her that she's never revealed to anyone...including Ryle. In fact,
Atlas knows Lily's past better than anyone, and something in his gut is telling him that perhaps the demons she's escaped have found her once again.
Atlas questions Ryle's actions...Ryle questions Atlas' motives...and Lily once again finds herself wrangling with heartbreak and violence. It all comes to a volatile climax when Lily is forced to choose between the one who has forever so gently and protectively held her heart, and the one who fiercely and possessively holds her hand.
If you decide to read, beware! It has a sequel and you'll be so invested in all of the characters lives that you'll want to immediately read that one, too.
Good to know before reading: Domestic violence/abusive relationships
My rating:
Steam rating:
(Maybe one and a half? Most off page. Some scenes include references to sexual assault.)
The Ministry of Time
Kaliane Bradley
You know when a book has so many intricate, scientific details that you almost need the movie to be made so you understand what a scene is actually saying? That's where I am with this book. The romance and relationships...I followed just fine. The time-travel and invention descriptions...I needed to re-read. And I'm still not entirely sure I got it. Did I comprehend everything the author imagined in this one? Possibly not. But did I thoroughly enjoy it? Absolutely, yes.
Our narrator works for The Ministry. Specifically, the secret, newly established department of time-travel. A group of individuals have been plucked from various periods throughout history, with the hopes of seeing how they adapt to the process of hurtling through time, as well as being asked to live in an era much different than the one they know. To help them with the transition, each 'expat' is paired with a ministry-issued 'bridge', or a person to help them adjust. The bridge acts as a teacher, with new vocabulary, customs, and everyday inventions (automobiles, cell phones, microwaves). They also have to 'catch up' their expat on important history lessons: wars, movements, societal norms.
Through a first-person account, we follow our narrator's relationship as she is paired with Graham, who was rescued from an ill-fated sea voyage in 1847 to find himself living with an unwedded female (gasp!) in the future. During their slow-burn (like, real-slow) budding friendship turned romance, they find themselves caught in a web of lies, betrayals, and moles. The entire time-travel project is at risk when the team realizes they are no longer only dealing with people from the past...but also, people from the future. Who is who? And if the people from the future succeed in changing history...no one knows what domino effect of consequences will follow.
It's science fiction. It's mysterious. It's 18th century romantic (think, mostly off the page...our hero is a gentleman, after all). It's out there--but it's worth the 'time' to give it a read.
Good to know before reading:
The narrator is never named. This isn't really important for the story line, but it bothered me to no end. So just be prepared for non-closure on wanting to call 'her' something.
My rating:
Steam rating:
(Maybe a couple of mostly non-descriptive scenes. Off the page for the most part).
Unwanted Love
Rachel Smith
Kat has never minded the feeling of being unwanted. Her parents largely ignore her, unless they want her to accompany them to an event in order to uphold the idea of them having a perfect family. She has no problem finding men to keep her company...although remembering their names or any other details has never been a strong suit. She's living a carefree life...one big party with no responsibilities and no regrets.
Until abruptly, waking up next to someone new every day no longer feels as exciting as it once did. Kat finds the thought of meeting the flavor of the night at the club bitter instead of sweet. Completing the walk of shame? It suddenly feels...shameful? And when Kat tries to find an easy fling to get herself back on track, she finds she can't go through with it. What's caused her party girl status slump? Kat hates to admit it, but getting to know Jaxson McAllister has something to do with it.
He's the type of guy to hold the door open for her, look into her eyes when conversing, and remember the small details she shares with him. Basically unlike any man she's spent any time with prior. The way Jaxson makes Kat feel has her head spinning. As their relationship progresses, not only does she discover more about him, but also about herself. Now that she knows how it feels to be cherished, Kat can never go back to being unwanted again. Even if that means confronting the people and decisions in her past that made her feel that way in the first place. Facing the unknown, Kat finds she has the strength, and desire, to be so much more than she ever believed.
My rating:
Steam rating:
Fun fact 1: The author of this book is related to one of my book club members and she signed a copy for all of us!
Fun fact 2: The cover photo for this book was taken at a location very dear to me. Check out the cover art again, and then take a peek at my book club below!
Sarah's Key
Tatiana de Rosney
Note: The Holocaust is a topic unique in that you could read hundreds of books about it, and it never ceases to feel so horrific that you truly cannot believe it actually happened. I have read my fair share of World War II era books, and yet this book had me researching immediately upon finishing, containing an event I hate to say I honestly had no idea about. Although the premise of the characters and their lives are fiction, this book is based on the all-to-real horror that occurred on July 16 & 17, 1942. If those dates don't immediately jump out at you, read the book. You won't forget them again.
On July 16, French police raided the homes of thousands of Jewish persons living in Paris. Although murmurings of a round-up had been whispered for weeks, nothing could prepare the individuals and families for what was to occur. When the knock sounded on the door, 10 year old Sarah and her mother were relieved to see that the men on the other side were their countrymen. Not the German officials they had feared for so long, but men who were their neighbors, whose children went to the same school as Sarah, who spoke their language. None of these connections matter, however, as the entire family is herded out of their home and thrust into the fear-filled unknown.
They soon find themselves alongside thousands of other Jewish families, all locked together in the Velodrome d'Hiver, an indoor stadium for bike races. Imprisoned with no food, no water, no sanitation practices, and no fresh air for several days was its own form of hell. But for those that survived these tortuous days, the only way out was a train ride. To Auschwitz.
Julia Jarmond is an American journalist living in Paris in the early 2000's. Her most recent assignment is to complete a story on the sixtieth commemoration of the Vel' d'Hiv' round up. Having never heard of it herself, she begins a deep-dive into her research. Trying to garner as much information as she can, she seeks out someone she knows was alive in Paris at the time, her Mame. When she finds out that Mame's family moved into a recently vacated apartment in July of 1942, she stumbles across a long-buried family secret, one that threatens to form a fissure so deep she isn't sure which relationships will survive it. Prior to July 16, 1942, a different family lived in the apartment. Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, along with their children Sarah and Michel. The records she finds indicate that the mother and father were both recorded as having been on convoys to Auschwitz. What happened to Sarah and her brother? The key to the mystery is hidden in the past. The question isn't whether Julia can find it...it's whether the repercussions it will cause are worth it being found.
Good to know before reading: Back and forth timelines; two narrators
My rating:
(The beginning 3/4 of this book would have gotten 4 cups...but the ending felt rushed and didn't quite contain the closure I was hoping for. I still highly recommend it.)
Every Summer After
Carley Fortune
This novel is a reminiscence...of summers passed, of lives well-lived, of loves lost. Percy answers a call from an unknown number, hearing a voice she never thought she'd hear again. The delivered message has her packing up and heading back to a place she called home during her adolescent summers. Although the cottage she lived in has since been sold, many things remain. The Tavern is still the place where locals go to fill their bellies. The lake waters still shimmer just as brightly as the sun sets. And the Florek brothers are still waiting for Percy's return.
Years earlier, when Percy's family bought a lakefront cottage, all they hoped for was a quiet place to spend their summers together. They didn't realize they'd also meet neighbors who would become like family. Sue Florek, along with her sons Charlie and Sam, immediately welcome them to the lake, and Sam and Percy proceed to spend the next few summers inseparable. A deep friendship gradually progresses to first love. But a series of decisions lead to mistakes, misunderstandings, and ultimately, a betrayal that will leave scars so deep they're still seen a decade later. A funeral brings the trio together once again, and proves to them all that life is unpredictable and often far too short. Will they use the opportunity together to clear the air, or is the past truly water under the bridge?
A quick, sweet summer read, filled to the brim with young love, teenage heartbreak, forgiveness and second chances. The setting is idyllic and nostalgic, and will induce daydreams of running down a dock and jumping in a lake...or, if you're like my book club members, of walking slowly down a dock (with drink in hand) to a boat, and riding that around a lake. Either way-enjoy!
My rating:
(My book club members' ratings spanned from 2-5 stars. So you're going to have to read this one and decide all for yourself. ;) )
Steam rating:
I LOVE the Olympics! So, this month all of my book choices fit into the Olympics theme. Which books will earn gold medals? Will any leave the blogging ceremony empty handed? Only time (and reading) will tell! Let the [reading] games begin!
Read with me in September
Something old | The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown |
Something new | Fast Girls by Elise Hooper |
Something steamy | That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall |
Something true-ish | The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey |
Book club pick | Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura |
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