Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing: Essays by Lauren Hough

 

Kindle Edition

Another from the Real Simple recommendations list (yes, each month I look at the "what we're reading" section in Real Simple magazine and usually pull one or more of the books they recommend into my "to read" list on my phone).

I started this on April 25 and finished it on April 30 - another quick read.

Real Simple said this:

"Lauren Hough has endured more than most of us in 10 lifetimes, and she reels it all... from her globe-trotting childhood in an infamous cult to her time in the U.S. Air Force to her eye-opening experiences as a bouncer and cable installer. Hough bravely and compellingly shares how our search for identity can be searingly awful, wickedly funny, and totally worth it."

I'm not a cult expert or even a cult novice. I know next to nothing about them let alone how to leave them. This book was really interesting. It's presented as a collection of essays, and that presented a few issues for me. Some of the content seemed repetitive and the book itself didn't follow a linear timeline. I guess because - essays. Different and the same topics can be part of more than one essay, and they were. The book still held my interest and had me shaking my head in disbelief in many of the essays. Thinking, "how could that happen?" and "holy shit" multiple times.

The glimpses Hough offers into her experiences in the cult and outside it show aspects of life that most of us haven't even thought about or imagined, let alone lived. That she's been through all of the travails and nightmares this life has brought her is a testament (maybe?) to the human spirit and about how much shit some can endure and still keep forging ahead.

 Post written on May 3. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Diamond Head: A Novel by Cecily Wong

 

Kindle Edition

I learned of this book in Real Simple magazine and voila! was able to get it without a wait on my kindle from my local library. I started this book on April 17 and finished it on April 21. A quick read.

I really enjoyed the time-skipping aspect of this book and the storytelling. It follows members of several families and tells their stories and how they became intertwined. This is NOT a time-travel book. It looks at each person and shares their story going back in their personal history.

This book is about relationships, choices, family. It spans 1800s China to 1960s Hawaii. There's so much about the book that I enjoyed. However, the ending; I didn't love the ending. It was too abrupt. Maybe I was too invested in the characters, too invested on learning what else would happen. The ending left me wanting more. Maybe that's good? Maybe that was the author's intent? But it was disappointing. 

A short synopsis: Rich man (Frank) "saves" poor girl (Lin); marries her and eventually takes her to Hawaii. They live a lavish life. Before Lin is able to get pregnant, a concubine gives them their first child, a son, Bohai. When in Hawaii, Lin gets pregnant and has a 2nd son. We learn about Frank's and Lin's histories and come to know their two sons as well. Bohai, their first, is a-typical. He comes to marry Amy and they have a daughter, Theresa. The author weaves this concept of how soulmates are linked together by an invisible red string tied to them both. Some people are able to find their soulmate/intended easily, not making any knots (complications) in their string along the way. When a person does make mistakes, make wrong turns with relationships, etc., their strings get knots. With too many knots, it becomes harder and harder to untangle them.

The characters in this book have many knots, many twists, and many turns. The author provides a lot of context about each character and gives detailed insights into their knots, twists, and turns. Maybe too much? For me, no. It is a meandering book that paints a very detailed and personal picture of each of the characters. It definitely pulled me in. As I mentioned before, the ending was disappointing. I wanted more.

Bottom line, I really liked the book and the depth of each of the characters, the vivid pictures, the complicated relationships. I just wanted a better ending (a more satisfying ending).

Post written on April 28. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Because of Miss Bridgerton: A Bridgerton Prequel by Julia Quinn

 

Kindle Edition

Yes, I jumped on the Bridgerton bandwagon (books and series) and loved every minute of it. I started this book on April 13 and finished it on April 17 and loved every minute of it.

This book introduces us to the generation or two before the family we know from the Netflix series. We meet Billie Bridgerton (the older sister of Edmund of Violet & Edmund Bridgerton). This is her story.

Typical (and I don't mean that negatively) of Julia Quinn's stories, we learn of Billie's life and how she fell in love with, maybe someone unexpected, though not really unexpected all that much.

I loved the opening with Billie and the cat. It was pretty funny and I could totally visualize how it went down. It reminded me a little of one of the old Anne of Green Gables episodes from the PBS version when Anne hurt her ankle (fell into a well, I think?). Regardless, I really love Julia Quinn's writing style, her character development, and the storylines in each of the books.

I got the last 3 Bridgerton books in a combo book on my kindle and was sad when I finished what I thought was the last one. Then realized that the 3rd book in the combo was one I hadn't read yet. Then realized it was the prequel-ish. And now know that there are a treasure trove of other books by Julia Quinn just waiting for me (and you!) to read!

Post written on April 28. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex

 

Hardcover and Kindle edition

I have to admit that I usually don't read books like this. I don't really get excited about pop-culture drama-riddled people/stories. I just don't care. Everyone has drama. Everyone has problems. What makes a "star" any more special than anyone else?

I became interested in this book after seeing Prince Harry's interview on 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper. All I can say is, holy shit. A lot of shit went down, and continues to go down with Prince Harry and his family. After watching that bit, I decided I wanted to read the book. I got on the wait list for the book from my library - it said it would be a "long wait". I happened to mention it to my friend at work and she just finished the book and said she'd bring it for me to read! Score!

So, I wear glasses. I need them to read. I sometimes pretend that I don't need glasses, then I'm squinting and moving the thing I'm trying to read all around to try and find a distance where I can read it (and often I can't). So, I got the book from my friend at work and tried to start reading it. Even with my glasses, the text looked like ants on the page. I could barely see it. This was also during the time where I was in constant pain and couldn't lay down without excruciating pain. So, it was tough to get into this book because 1 - even with my glasses I couldn't see anything very easily, and 2 - pain. 

I didn't get very far very fast - I started the hardcover version on February 26. But then the Husband and I got new library cards for the new city we live in now (since October 2021) and they have WAY MORE kindle books available to borrow and I got on the list for this one and instead of the "long wait" from the other library, it was like a 2 week wait. So I got it on kindle and could read it comfortably with the big font setting! SCORE! I finished the kindle edition April 13

All I can say is, holy shit. This is some shit. There is so much in this book that had me shaking my head in disbelief, in astonishment. How can people treat each other this way? It's truly unbelievable. And sad. So much drama punctuated by a life that is a spectacle in the most public way.

Post written on April 28. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

It's In His Kiss (Hyacinth's Story) by Julia Quinn

 

Kindle edition

Definitely on the Bridgerton bandwagon - loving every book. I started Hyacinth's story on April 6 and finished it on April 9. Like all of the others in this series, it was a quick read.

Julia Quinn's books definitely have a formula. That's not necessarily a bad thing. If the formula works, don't change it. And this formula definitely works.

Hyacinth, the youngest of the Bridgerton brood, has her moment in this book. Another unexpected (expected) match and a story with lots of twists and turns that I really enjoyed. I love Lady Danbury - she is so witty and sarcastic. She's kind of like the Oracle, the all seeing eye. She know's what's up and things usually end up the way she knew they would. I love that people are afraid of her, including the Bridgerton men. 

Bottom line: if you are a Bridgerton fan, this will not disappoint.

Now, they need to hurry up already and make all of these books into the series. Can't wait for season 3 to drop!

Post written on April 28. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

The Fortunes of Jaded Women: A Novel by Carolyn Huynh

 

Kindle Edition

I learned of this book, The Fortunes of Jaded Women, from Real Simple magazine. Real Simple described it as "fun fiction" about a group of sisters "cursed to live without love, happiness, or sons." I started this on March 24 and finished it on April 6.

The description in Real Simple goes on:

"The bad luck seems to extend to one sister's adult daughters, so she consults her psychic for help. What happens next might finally bring this over-the-top family together."

I agree with their assessment that this story is hilarious and heartwarming.

This is another book with deep character development and descriptions. Much of this book takes place in Orange County, a place I'm familiar with. So it was easy and fun to be able to imagine and "see" the places that were described in the book. Most books that take place in places I'm familiar with really pull me in in a different way than books that don't. 

The sisters and their families in this story are complex, funny, and colorful. I enjoyed learning about them all and how all of the drama came to be and how it played out. A fun read!

Post written on April 28. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.