January 2020 is already over. It has been a looooong month. I have read some amazing books in all three
categories that I track. My overall favorite book of the month was The Book Woman of Troublesome
Creek. I really enjoyed reading about the Blue people living in the hills of Kentucky. However, I have read
several five star books that I highly recommend.
Fiction
The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Most Fun We Ever Had. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Peacock Emporium. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Printed Letter Bookshop. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Silent Patient. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Thirteenth Tale. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nonfiction
I’d Rather be Reading. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When Less Become More. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Middle Grades/Young Adult
The Boys Start the War. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Great Five. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ready Player One. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The War I Finally Won. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The War That Saved My Life ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book 1
The Overdue Life of Amy Blyer
By Kelly Harms
Genre: Fiction/Books about Books
Setting: New York
I thought I would start the new year out with a book from my favorite genre, books about books.
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms is just adorable. It tells the story of Amy, a single
mom who works in the school library in the suburbs of PA. Her husband, John, left her and their
two children three years ago to “find” himself in Hong Kong. John comes back to be with the kids
and gives Amy the week off. She goes to New York to attend a conference for librarians and meet
up with an old friend. There her life changes forever. What I love about the story is that she meets
someone who loves books just as much as her. I also liked that she had her daughter writing in a
reading journal during the summer. I loved this story and give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
Book 2
When More Becomes Less
By Emily Ley
Nonfiction — Self Care
I don’t know about you but I am always trying to multitask, even as I write this post I am watching
Emma on Prime Video. Emily addresses how this need of ours to constantly double up on our tasks
is wearing women down. It is true and I am very guilty of it. I have read many books about how to
squeeze more into my day. The message has been if it is really important to you, you will find the
time. However Emily is writing just the opposite, She says women are sending the wrong messages.
For example, the messages that women just need a little wine to destress or chocolate to relax or we
earned a little sweet treat or deserve a weekend away, is not a healthy message.
Instead we need to look inward and prioritize what is important. Slow down, stop rushing through life,
take time to enjoy the little moments. Emily writes, what kind of message are we sending our children
that we solve our problems by turning to alcohol, sugar treats, and run away for the weekend. She
suggests creating a “toolbox” to help you create calm moments in your life. Of course everybody’s list
will look different. When I look at Emily’s list and adapt it for myself this is what I came up with:
Sketching in my notebook
Catching up with a friend
Looking through one of my photo books
Read a good book
Ride my bike
Work in the garden
Create a project
Drink some tea and day dream
Work in my bible journal
She is suggesting we don’t have to do everything. We need to slow down and figure out what is important
and focus on that.
Book 3
I’d Rather Be Reading
By Guinevere De La Mare
Genre: Books about books
This is an adorable little book with several essays by different people about reading. One essay which
I really enjoyed is by Maura Kelly. She writes a Manifesto about the Slow Book Movement. The Slow
Book Movement is to improve your intellectual health by reading classic literature 30 minutes a day. I
am a firm believer that people should read every day, especially to children. There are so many
benefits to reading aloud to even the youngest child. I am someone who practices what I preach.
My best memories from my own childhood are reading with my mom on her black rocking chair and
we(my husband and I) continued that tradition with our children. Each child could pick out two stories
at nap time and bedtime and we would read them all the books and we have four children. Now as
Papa and Nana, we still continue to make reading a priority with our grandchildren. One of us always
tries to read a couple of stories while they are here and I take the children to programs at the library.
I enjoyed the essay by Ann Pachett where she writes about her struggles of identifying her favorite
books and like most readers it really depends on your mood and life at that moment. However she
did create a list of twenty five books she enjoys and she answered several questions about books.
I added a lot more books to my tbr list based off Ann’s list.
Book 4
The Most Fun We Ever Had
By Claire Lombardo
Genre: Fiction
Setting: Chicago, Illinois
I wrote this book down on my tbr list after reading a review by @prose_and_palate where
she wrote the book was about a dysfunctional family that was entitled and spoiled but yet
she loved the characters. For some reason the dysfunctional family appealed to me around
the holidays.
This was a great family drama story. The love story begins with David and Marilyn. Who
throughout their forty year marriage can’t seem to get enough of each other. They have four
daughters, who grow up seeing their parents’ love for each other and find it hard to find a love
to match up to their parents. Each daughter has a story of her own, which of course overlaps
with a sister and a parent at some point. I commented on a post @readherwriteher and she
wrote back comparing the book to the TV show This Is Us. Which is a great way to think of this
book. The book flips back and forth between the present time and the events earlier in the girls
childhood that might have influenced the present day situation. This is a great story I give it
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
Book 5
The Silent Patient
By: Alex Michaelides
Genre: Psychological Thriller
I will be honest from the start. I did not want to read this book. My friend picked it for book club
and I had procrastinated until a couple of days before club to read it. I listened to it on audiobook
yesterday as I was cleaning the storage area. And OMG….I couldn’t stop listening to it. In fact,
I listened to the entire book in one day. I generally can figure out murdered mysteries and easily
get bored with them. I watch so much NCIS, I feel like I’ve been trained by Gibbs. I know all his
rules, but this story did not follow the rules. I don’t want to say too much about it in case you have
not read it yet but I was totally caught by surprise at the end.
I also had this book marked down for the mmdchallenge ( a book outside your genre comfort zone.)
I would be interested in reading another thriller but I have guidelines. I don’t like to read graphic
details of violence and creepiness. If you have a suggestion let me know.
Book 6
The Boys Start The War
By: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Middle Grades
Setting: West Virginia
I read this book because it was on my list for the Battle of the Books. To be honest there was
nothing that stood out to me. The Hartford brothers and the Malloy sisters spend the late
summer and early fall pulling pranks on each other.
I can see how fourth graders might like this book, the boys vs. the girls, who will win???
However, I would only give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️stars.
Sometimes I think the Battle of the Books list could be updated a bit. There are some
amazing new books.
Book 7
The War That Saved My Life
By: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Middle Grades
I had this on my tbr pile for December for a buddy read with @lollipopsandlyrics and I just
didn’t get to it. However I should have given up some of the so so Christmas books I read
for this book because it was fantastic. It is a middle grade book but I highly recommend it
to my fellow historical fiction lovers. It is set in WWII and it is war as seen through the eyes
of a child.
Ada is a little girl who is born with a club foot. Ada’s mother never had her foot fixed as a baby
and is so ashamed that Ada is crippled that she makes Ada stay in the apartment. When Ada
runs away she finds a whole new world exist and there are so many more opportunities out there
for her if she is just willing to preserve and trust other people.
This is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star book and it has many social issues in it for discussion. I highly
recommend it if you are a classroom teacher.
Book 8
The Great Fire
By: Jim Murphy
Genre: Non-fiction
Middle Grades
This middle grade book tells the story of the great fire that burnt down most of Chicago in 1871.
This non-fiction book gives the basic facts of the events that took place during the three days
of the fire. It also follows five or six different people and their accounts of what they saw and
did to survive. I found it to be very detailed and interesting. I read this book because it was
on the Battle of the Books list.
Book 9
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
By: Kim Michele Richardson
Genre: Historical Fiction/ Books about Books
Setting: Kentucky
I put this book on my Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge (a book recommended by a source you trust)
because of a review I read by @lakenlovesbooks.
I had also heard that The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek was very similar to
The Giver of Stars, which I loved last year when I read it. However I read that
there has been some controversy about the similarities between these two books. I googled the
topic and read several articles about the similarities and yes a couple details are very similar,
however the stories of the main characters are completely different.
Cussy is a young woman who works for the packhorse library in Troublesome Creek, KY.
Her daddy is a miner and her mother has passed away. Cussy’s father is determined to find
her a husband because he promised his wife he would make sure she would be taken care of.
The problem is Cussy and her daddy are considered Blue People or colored. They have blue skin
because of a genetic disease called methemoglobinemia, which turns their skin blue. The disease
was concentrated mainly in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky because that is where all the descendants
stayed and tried to hide in the mountains. Cussy believes she is the last of the blue people and she
doesn’t ever want to get married and pass the gene on to someone else. She is happy working for the
packhorse library and feels she could make a good life for herself. Her problem is twofold: Her daddy
is trying hard to marry her off, and the people of Troublesome Creek will not leave Cussy alone.
This is an excellent ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star story and even if you read The Giver of Stars you will enjoy
this story. Cussy is a character you will fall in love with and your heart will break for her as she tries to
fit it and still be her own person.
Book 10
The Printed Letter Bookshop
By: Katherine Reay
Genre: Fiction/Books about Books
Setting: Chicago, Illinois
I’m on a roll right now. All the books I wanted to read about bookshops or books about books
are on my #unreadshelfproject and when I have to pick a book from the shelf to read next a book
about books is always my first pick.
It took me a couple chapters to get into The Printed Letter Bookshop and to get to know the
characters but once I did, I just fell in love with them. A great group of women working together
in a bookshop trying to keep it running in memory of a dear friend who helped them out it life.
Maddie, Janet and Claire all become great friends, however there are always roadblocks in life
that you have to work through and that is what this book is about.
What I liked about the story, Madeline, the original owner, was a retired school teacher. The
“printed letters” in the title of the bookshop refers to all the letters students wrote to her thanking
her for being their teacher. As a teacher myself, I love receiving letter/pictures from my students
that are from the heart. Anyways, I loved that she had them hanging up all around her bookshop
and that she continued to tutor students in reading while she owned the shop. If only I had the
money to do something like that, I would definitely love to that during retirement.
I recommend this story to all of you who love books about books and friendships. There is a little
romance and forgiveness as well. I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️stars.
Book 11
The War I Finally Won
By: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Middle Grades
I recently finished The War That Saved My Life which was an excellent historical fiction book for all ages. I felt I had to read it so I could read The War I Finally Won which is the January book for a buddyread @lollipopsandlyrics.
It’s always nerve racking to read a sequel book because they are never as good as the first book.
However that is not the case for this book.
The War I Finally Won continues to focus on Ada and her brother, Jamie, who are living with
Susan in the British countryside during WWII. Susan’s house was bombed and now they live
in a cottage house that belongs to Lady Thorton. But when Lady Thorton has to move in with
them there is lots to learn about one another. Then a young german girl who is jewish moves in
with them. This causes all new issues. Ada finds herself on the teaching side of things as they
all adjust to leaving on war stamps.
This book has so many valuable lessons to discuss that are different from the first book it makes
is worthwhile to read. I enjoyed this book a lot and I was sad when the book was over. I will never
know how or who Ada and Jamie will become when they are older, but you do know they have a
great support system around them. That’s how you know it’s a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star story, when you
finish the book and you still want to know more about the characters.
Book 12
The Thirteenth Tale
By Diane Setterfield
Genre: Fiction/Books about Books
Wow! I’m not sure what I want to say about The Thirteenth Tale. This book has so many stories layered together. Margaret Lea is the daughter of a bookseller.
She has spent her entire life working with her father selling books. The bookstore was her playground
when she was little and later she began to work there. Now she is a biographer and she is asked to
write about Vida Wilson, a famous author, who refuses to give straight answers to questions.
However, she is ill and she wants to tell her story to Margaret. As Vida tells her story, Margaret
is also dealing with her own ghosts.
The story goes through so many twists and turns and just when you think you understand what
is going on another detail is thrown into the story and everything changes. The story changes
and grows as you read. It is an amazing mystery story. I was so engrossed in this book I read
it all day long. I could not believe the circumstances of the children in this story. I thought this
story deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars for the engaging story and smooth writing style. It was amazing
how the characters’ stories seem to overlap one another.
Book 13
Ready Player One
By: Ernest Cline
Genre: Fantasy/Fiction/Science Fiction
Setting: 2045 Oklahoma City, OK
Young Adult
I don’t know why I picked Ready Player One off the PBS Great Read List, nothing about it appealed to me.
I do not like to read science fiction and fantasy books. The book was set in the future and about a
teenage boy who spends all his time playing on OASIS (video games.) In fact the first time I received
this book from the library I never got around to reading it and returned it unread. However, I made it my
January goal to read this book and to be honest I put it off until the end of the month.
But, WOW, was I surprised, because this book was amazing. I listened to this on audio and it was
exciting. I was drawn into the story from the very beginning. The story takes place in the future,
2045, and most of the world lives through a virtual utopia known as the OASIS. The main character,
Wade Watts, lives completely through this world. He goes to school online, his friends are all online,
if he needs something he orders it all online. He rarely leaves his hideout. Wade is obsessed with
puzzles, games, songs and movies that are favorites of the OASIS’ creator. When the OASIS creator
dies he lays out the ultimate video game, where the winner receives the creator’s fortune, worth billions
and massive power on the OASIS. However, with so much at stake, not everyone is playing fair and
some are willing to kill in order to win.
I can not believe I am going to say this but this is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star book and I highly recommend
Ready Player One to readers who like books about adventure and friendships.
Book 14
The Peacock Emporium
By: Jojo Moyes
Genre: Fiction
Today my little buddy and I are celebrating National Hot Chocolate day with drinks from Starbucks.
Unfortunately we are not getting any reading done here but we are enjoying our drinks and talking
about the signs we can see in the parking lot. That’s almost like reading for a boy that 2 years old.
I read this backlisted book of Jojo Moyes for the #20backlistin2020 book challenge this year. It took
me a few chapters to find my way through the characters but once I did, I enjoyed the story. The story
is about Suzanna Peacock, a young woman, who comes from an English family with a bit of a scandal.
Suzanna was born to Athene Forster and Douglas Forster however her mother ran off. Suzanna was
told her mother died during childbirth. Her father remarried two months later and Vivi raised her.
Suzanna is thirty-five and she still struggles with her identity within the family. She opens a coffee bar
and shop, The Peacock Emporium, despite her dislike for people, Here she meets Jessie and Alejandro
and they change her life. She begins to question everything she knows about herself and her parents and
most important she begins to examine her marriage. I would say this book is a 3 star book. I really had a
hard time getting into the book in the beginning and I just didn’t warm up to the main character. I just didn’t
understand why she wasn’t happy.
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