I reactivated my Audible account which has made reading books easy this summer as I can "read" as I walk places. But I still read on my kindle in bed and library books at the beach or in airports as I've taken 4 vacations already this summer. Here are some books I've enjoyed and recommend.
This is the most interesting book I've read in a long time! I highly recommend it, its a quick read and you'll learn so much about pre- and post- Apartheid South Africa from the perspective of a bi-racial person with some humor thrown in. Trevor Noah is a comedian and the host of the Daily Show. In the book it talks a lot about languages since he speaks many including English, Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho, Tswana, Tsonga, Afrikaans and some German and Spanish. Check out his stand up specials on netflix or live on tour this year. He's doing 4 shows at the Kennedy Center in Sept.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 2014, 460 pages
I read her other book The Husband's Secret and really enjoyed that. Then when I heard of the HBO series based on her other book, I thought I'd read the book first. Set in Australia, this book follows the stories of 5 moms whose kids all attend kindergarten together. So as I read the book I kept the characters apart by remembering who played them in the HBO miniseries: Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoë Kravitz. The book begins alluding to a murder that takes place at the end of the book, but you have to finish the book to find out who! The book has humor, mom rivalry, and vivid characters.
Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill 2013, 402 pages
As niece of the Church of Scientology's leader David Miscavige, Jenna was raised in Scientology and shares her experience and perspective of it. The little I know of Scientology came from Leah Remini's book which I really enjoyed, however this books explained what it's like to grow up in the organization and how hard it was.
The Muse by Jessie Burton 2016, 416 pages
I enjoyed her first book The Miniaturist so I was excited to see she wrote her second book. The Muse is set in two time frames that intersect in the end over a mystery painting. One of a Trinidadian woman living in London in 1967 working at an art gallery and one of the daughter of an art dealer living in rural Spain in 1936. The plot twists really surprised me! If you're a historical fiction fan, this book is for you.
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena 2016, 308 pages
As an avid Dateline watcher, I love a good mystery. I couldn't put down this fast paced book and finished it in 3 days because I had to know what happened! A couple go to a dinner party next door but left their 6-month baby home alone when the babysitter cancelled. They took the baby monitor with them and checked on the baby every half hour. But when they returned home the baby was gone!
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, 2012, 337 pages
Originally written in Swedish, this international bestseller is in the top 10 bestsellers list on audible and #41 book on amazon. Ove is the quintessential angry old man next door. An isolated retiree with strict principles and a short fuse, who spends his days enforcing block association rules that only he cares about, and visiting his wife's grave, Ove has given up on life. Enter a boisterous young family next door who accidentally flattens Ove's mailbox while moving in and earning his special brand of ire. Yet from this inauspicious beginning an unlikely friendship forms and we come to understand Ove's past happiness and heartbreaks.
Did you know you if you buy books from the airport you can return them for half of your money back? Details here.
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