Jillian by Halle Butler was easily a 5-star book for me, just like her book The New Me. It’s about a recent college graduate named Megan who works as a secretary at a gastroenterologist’s office. Megan despises most people, including her coworker, Jillian, a cheery mother who has recently purchased a dog she can’t afford. Megan is an extreme pessimist who is likely suffering with depression, while Jillian is optimistic and willfully oblivious. Neither character is especially likable but both are interesting to read about. I loved the honest and grotesque writing, the dark humor and the way your feelings about the characters constantly change. Read my full review of this book here.
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman tells the story of Nina, a quick-witted woman in her late twenties living in Los Angeles. Nina spends her days working in a bookstore, playing on a trivia team, attending a book group, and sticking to her planner as closely as possible. But suddenly, her quiet life is disrupted when she learns that the father she’s never even met has died, and she is overwhelmed by the idea of meeting her new family members. She also begins to fall for a cute guy on a competing trivia team, which is another disruption to her predictable schedule. This is a very cozy, fun read, with witty banter, and a very likable protagonist. Find my full review of this book here.
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo is a non-fiction book I honestly did not expect to like as much as I did. It explores the sex lives of three women. One woman is left heartbroken and feeling used after a relationship with her high school teacher ends. Another woman is married to a man who likes watching her have sex with other men. And the third woman, who is in a sexless, passionless marriage, seeks excitement through an affair with a former classmate. While I don’t think this book is at all representative of desire for all or even most women, I do think it gives a heartbreaking and honest glimpse into the lives of these three women in particular. Read my full review here.
My Dark Vanessa, Kate Elizabeth’s Russell’s debut novel, is a polarizing read from what I’ve seen, likely because the story is so disturbing as it depicts a relationship between a 15-year old girl and her 42-year old high school English teacher. The book oscillates between 2000, when the relationship first started as Jacob Strane began to groom her, and 2017, during Vanessa’s adulthood and in the midst of the Me Too Movement. This brilliantly written yet deeply troubling novel is about a young girl who is manipulated by an older man into believing he really loves her. It’s both an addictive and uncomfortable read. I think what this novel accomplishes best is its depiction of the longterm emotional and psychological effects of abuse. Find my full discussion of this novel here.
Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand takes place over the course of the summer of 1969 (duh!) and tells the story of the Levin family. The children, along with their parents, usually spend their summers at their grandmother’s home in Nantucket but this particular year things are a bit different There’s Blair, who’s pregnant, stuck in Boston, and is having marriage troubles. Then there’s Kirby, a free-spirited nursing student who is spending the summer in Martha’s Vineyard. And their only son Tiger has just been deployed to Vietnam. So 13-year-old Jessie, the youngest of the bunch, must spend the summer in Nantucket with her strict grandmother and without her siblings to keep her company. I loved reading about each and every character. I also enjoyed that each chapter begins with the title of a song released during that period, giving the story a sort of cinematic feel. I couldn’t help but play the songs in my head as I read! Still, the book was not nearly as light of a read as I’d expected, and it definitely does not brush over the turmoil and overall uncertainty of the time period. This was another 5-star read for me. It’s a fun, moving and extremely readable novel that really captures the spirit of the era – or at least I imagine it does as I was born about 23 years later!
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman is a sweet, heartwarming and absolutely delightful graphic novel about Charlie Spring, a fun-loving high school student who’s been bullied for being gay, and Nick, a rugby player and definitely one of the “cool” kids in school who had always assumed he was straight. But then, Nick and Charlie become friends, and their friendship quickly develops into something more! What I love most about this series is the adorable art style and just how sweet Nick and Charlie are to one another – even in the face of the challenges that come their way. This year I read and enjoyed a decent amount of graphic novels, including volumes 1 and 2 of Hearstopper, and volume 3 is undoubtedly one of my most anticipated reads for 2021!
Space Boy by Stephen McCrane is a young adult graphic novel series about a high school girl named Amy who is able to taste people’s different flavors. Amy lived on a mining colony in space with her parents and her best friend, but when her father loses his job, her and her parents are sent in a rocket to live on Earth – and in the process are frozen and do not age at all for a whopping thirty years! Amy misses space and she misses her best friend, but she begins to adjust to her new life on Earth and to meet new people – including a mysterious boy who’s flavor she cannot detect. I’m not usually a huge fan of sci-fi, but I was immediately hooked after reading volume 1 and am patiently waiting for volume 9 to be released! The artwork is colorful and engaging, and the message of the book is more profound than I expected it to be – with questions about what makes our experiences “real,” and even about the impacts of technology on our lives. Also… I’m very curious to know what my flavor is!
Pawsitive Reads 