Reading Lately - April

May 10, 2022

 


Happy Tuesday!  I'm joining Jana Says and Life According to Steph for their monthly book club.  Everyone shares the books they have read for the month.



The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles:


Book Description:

In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm where he has just served fifteen months for involuntary manslaughter. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett's intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother, Billy, and head to California where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden's car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett's future, one that will take them all on a fateful journey in the opposite direction—to the City of New York.

My Thoughts On The Book:

This is an adventure story that's set in the 1950s where four boys want to travel the country in search of a new start.  I felt like the book had a slow start but once I got into reading the story I liked the twists and turns of their adventurous road trip.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid:


Book Description:

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with 
Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.

My Thoughts On The Book:

I loved how the author transported me to the 70s music scene about a rock 'n' roll band just starting and how they become famous.  This book deals with band life on the road, relationships, drugs, partying, and rock 'n' roll.  This was a fun and enjoyable read and different from the books I usually read. 

Books I'd like to read from Taylor Jenkins Reid:  
Malibu Rising and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan


Book Description:

In 1973, twenty-year-old Moll Gladney takes a morning bus from her rural home in Ireland and disappears. Bewildered and distraught, Paddy and Kit must confront an unbearable prospect: that they will never see their daughter again.

Five years later, Moll returns from London. What - and who - she brings with her will change the course of her family's life forever. Beautiful and devastating, this exploration of loss, alienation and the redemptive power of love reaffirms Donal Ryan as one of the most talented and empathetic writers at work today. 

My Thoughts On The Book:

It took me a while to get into this book but once I did, I enjoyed this story about love and family.  The book had many twists and turns to the story that I found interesting and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.


The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner


Book Description:

Just after the Second World War, in the small English village of Chawton, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable.

One hundred and fifty years ago, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, one of England's finest novelists. Now it's home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen's legacy threatened, a group of disparate individuals come together to preserve both Jane Austen's home and her legacy. These people―a laborer, a young widow, the local doctor, and a movie star, among others―could not be more different and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen. As each of them endures their own quiet struggle with loss and trauma, some from the recent war, others from more distant tragedies, they rally together to create the Jane Austen Society.

A powerful and moving novel that explores the tragedies and triumphs of life, both large and small, and the universal humanity in us all, Natalie Jenner's 
The Jane Austen Society is destined to resonate with readers for years to come.

NOTE:  I enjoy reading historical fiction books and this one looked interesting to me.  I will be reading this book next and I'll have a review for you next month.

Have you read any of these books?  What book are you reading now?


Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.

Julie

16 comments

  1. I haven't read any of these but have had Daisy Jones on my TBR list for a while now. I'm currently reading two books-- The Home-wreckers by Mary Kay Andrews and That Summer by Jennifer Weiner. I only started them both yesterday but so far I am really enjoying them.

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    1. The Daisy Jones book was a fun read Joanne. I can't wait to read other books by this author.

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  2. They all seem interesting. I think Lincoln Highway is already on my list. I'm reading about the history of HBO, where I worked for over 30 years. It's like re-living my career!

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  3. Oh, Julie...you gave me more titles for my To Be Read list ! Just picked up a new read at the library yesterday, but will look for these when I return it. Thanks for the suggestions!

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    1. I enjoyed these books I read and I'm sure you'll like them Ann. Enjoy reading your books!

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  4. I love to see what you are reading. I usually read mysteries but I've started a crazy book and so far so good! lol The 100 year old man that climbed out the window. It's flashing back to his life and it's different! I'll let you know if it's good!

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  5. you seriously need to read Evelyn Hugo!! So good.
    hope you like the jane austen society, i liked it and am about to start her newest one!

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  6. All of these sound really wonderful. Hope you had a good Mother's Day. Have a good week ahead. xoxo Kris

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  7. Thank you for the book reviews Julie, I like the sound of Strange Flowers, I have added it to my reading list. x

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  8. I loved Daisy Jones and The Lincoln Highway. I am an outlier and not a huge fan of Malibu Rising. I adored Evelyn Hugo.

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  9. I love historical fiction, too, Julie. Thanks for sharing...summer is almost here and that's my book time!

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  10. I always enjoy seeing what my friends are reading and their reviews and suggestions...so many books, so little time! The Jane Austen Society sounds good, I look forward to hearing what you think~
    Jenna

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  11. I really loved Daisy Jones and the Six. I definitely need to read more by her.

    Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  12. Julie,
    Sounds like you read some interesting books....I wish I can find the time t read...I guess I just have to make time..And people thought I would be bored when i retired!! LOL!! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

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  13. You've read a lot! Thanks for the recommendations!! I've read Daisy & The Six but it's been awhile!

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  14. I'm still waiting for Daisy Jones and the Six to become available at the library for me to borrow - it's a popular one! I loved the 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising was great too!

    Hope you are having a great weekend. It's another rainy day here.

    Away From The Blue

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