Life By Kristen

5 on Friday: Book Recommendations

Friday the 13th! Be careful for ladders, black cats, and other signs of superstition today!

4 months into 2018 and I’ve read 23 books out of the 80 reading goal for this year. Here are 5 books I’ve read this year I’d definitely recommend.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Not historical fiction in the traditional sense of the genre, but historical in that it follows one famous movie star over the years as she tells the story of her life and career to a journalist. I picked this up because I love depictions of old Hollywood, but this book is so much more than that. The main character Evelyn Hugo is complicated and dynamic, and it was not predictable in any way. I could barely put it down! 5 stars.

Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World by Ann Shen

A free Amazon Prime Kindle book that I grabbed while Q watched a horror movie that I knew I wouldn’t enjoy. As a person in women’s history, I was pleasantly surprised that there were so many women in this book that I had never learned about before. So many of their stories are fascinating, and it’s got me thinking about the many historical fiction ideas for my own writing based on some of these amazing females. I only gave this 4 stars because I thought the book could have included more diverse women.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

An audiobook listen, I chose this book because science/nature/space are mesmerizing to me, but also so outside of my realm of understanding it’s a little embarrassing. I never did well with science in school ( especially physics and chemistry) so I decided to listen to this to try to have a better understanding. Tyson’s documentaries and work with astrophysics is centered on trying to make it more palatable for the average person, and I so appreciate that. This short audiobook ( I listened within one commute week, so I think it was under 8 hours total) is narrated by Tyson, who has a great speaking voice. I will admit it gets 4 stars only because there was a whole section explaining protons, neutrons, and so on that totally made my head hurt and confused me more, but that’s my own personal shortcoming in the science realm and not a dig to Mr. Tyson!

Coming Clean: A Memoir by Kimberly Rae Miller

Another free Kindle book that I can’t remember quite when I downloaded it, but this memoir about living with parents who were hoarders was both fascinating and horrifying. 5 stars.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Is there anything more wonderful to a book lover than a book about a bookstore owner and the world he lives within? I devoured this book in almost one sitting and it was so heartwarming, charming, and lovely. 5 stars.