Early motherhood has kept me busy, so I skipped posting the month of May, but I’m back and sharing four books I read this spring (in addition to Lady Tremaine, which I loved). I really enjoyed each of these, and they are all so different.
Strangers by Belle Burden
I really enjoyed Strangers, the memoir by Belle Burden about the sudden and unexpected end of her marriage. She tells the story of her husband suddenly leaving her and her three children shortly after the start of the pandemic. She explores their history together and whether she could have seen it coming, as well as her experiences after he left her and how others responded. It was a fascinating read that broke my heart for Belle, but ultimately, she comes away stronger.
More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen
I really enjoyed More Than Enough. It’s about Polly, a high school English teacher at an all girls school (like I attended!) and her friendships with the three other women in her book club, her husband Mark and their struggles with IVF, her complicated relationship with her mother, and a DNA test she takes that matches her with a stranger. It was a sweet story that goes from book club to school to fertility clinic, and through it, Polly nourishes the relationships that matter most and finds herself again. I recommend this warm book!
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Theo of Golden was a very sweet, heartwarming read. It’s a simple story about a newcomer in the town of Golden named Theo, an older gentleman who begins purchasing portraits drawn by a local artist and bestowing them one-by-one to those the portraits depict. Although no one in the town really understands his motive for doing so, they all go along with it because Theo is very kind, polite, gentle, and warm. Everyone grows quite fond of him. Although the book went a bit slowly for me, I did enjoy it, and it has a wonderful message. I would recommend it if you’re need of a good comfort read.
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Yesteryear was a wild ride! It’s told from the perspective of Natalie Heller Mills, the trad wife influencer behind the account Yesteryear Ranch, in which she posts about her life with her husband and kids living with their chickens, cow, and homegrown vegetables on a large farm in Idaho. Everything is seemingly perfect for her audience. One morning, Natalie wakes up in her house, but it’s not her house, and her family looks like her family, but there’s something different about them, too. When she sees the year 1855 etched on a wall, she realizes something is very wrong. The novel goes back and forth in time, as Natalie gives us her story, and tries to escape from being trapped in 1800s Yesteryear. This book was hard to put down, despite the unlikable characters, and I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on. I didn’t see the twist at the end coming, and it was a bit hard to read. It’s an interesting book to think about and discuss with others – there’s much commentary on our current society, social media, gender roles, religion, mental health, and more.
I am excited to dive into more reading this summer! What are you reading, and do you have any recent favorites?
P.S. More book thoughts and last year’s beach reads.
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