Recent Reads June 2021
The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
So I actually read this in May, but didn’t get to update last month’s book post before it published. I LOVED this book! I can’t remember the last time I read a book in less than a week, but I read this book in two days. I just couldn’t put it down! I love the concept behind it, and it really makes you think about how different your life could be just because of small choices. The story was thoughtful, and definitely came to a nice heartwarming end. I really would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read, it’s been my favorite read so far this year!
This was the book club pick for this month. We wanted something that was a bit more of a breezy summer read for June. I was hooked on this book instantly - it really gets you with the intrigue in the first chapter and I COULD NOT put this book down! I really liked the way the author related each year to social and political events; as the years went on in the book I really related more to those things as they related to my own life and I could easily put the book into a timeline in my head. While I certainly don’t agree with the type of relationship the main characters in the book have, you really do feel for them and understand where they are coming from, and it was a bittersweet book that I really enjoyed.
This past year has really made me question drinking culture in our society - nurse drinking culture, mommy drinking culture, and the drinking culture in my personal social circles and life. I read about this book on Reddit and really thought it was interesting; it’s supposed to help you remove the unconscious desire for alcohol through facts and “luminal points.” While I don’t necessarily feel like it has done anything to my unconscious mind (and maybe that’s the point), it really has made me think about what having a drink actually is - as the book puts it, you’re literally drinking poison and slowly damaging your body over time. The book makes a great point about how “glamorized” drinking tends to be, and how cavalier we are towards drinking. I can’t tell you how many times in my nursing career we’ve left the floor saying how we really need a drink. And mommy drinking culture, don’t even get me started on that… what are we saying to our kids by saying “mommy needs a drink because of you” or whatever so-called “cutesy” drinking culture related mom-things there are out there. It really is wild how acceptable drinking is, and this book made me think about it in relation to my own life and what I want to portray to Jack in our home. Definitely a worthwhile read!
Darkfever - Karen Marie Moning
So one of the members of my book club talked about this book during our most recent meeting and I was intrigued. Since she owns the book, she dropped it off on my porch one day for me to borrow, and here we are! This is definitely not a book I would have picked up on my own - as much as I like all the elements involved, reading the synopsis on the back wouldn’t have gotten me, especially knowing it’s a series. This hooked me, though. I am intrigued and want to know what happens!!
Bloodfever - Karen Marie Moning
The second installation of the “Fever series” - still a lot of intrigue and mystique - I don’t don’t have a lot to say about this because I feel like it’s really just a piece of a story, so I can’t pass judgement yet.