the52BookClub2024

Read more about the article Part of Your World

Part of Your World

"Okay, first of all, that pig has a name. It’s Kevin Bacon. It’s rude not to use it.” She was laughing again. “Kevin Bacon?” "Yup. Doug has a petting zoo, and he names them stuff like that.” "Like what?” she asked. “What else?” “well, there’s Scape Goat—that’s Chloe’s mom. Chloe’s full name is Chloe Nose Bleat.” I ticked off on my fingers. “The chickens are Mother Clucker and Chick-a-Las Cage, there’s Barack O-Llama, the miniature horse is Al Capony -"She howled. I grinned. "The rabbits are Rabbit Downey Jr. an Obi Bun Kenobi - ""Daniel, I can’t talk right now. I’m having an emergency.” She sounded like she was crying. I sat up. “Are you okay?” She sniffed. “No. Not really. The power is out, so the coffeemaker won’t work.” ......."This is how you die in the zombie apocalypse," she said with wonder. "I always thought it…

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Read more about the article Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Growing up in the 80s, the Brat Pack actors have always been icons to me. With the release of Andrew McCarthy Brats on Hulu, I became interested in where are they now, what have they been up to and this book, Stories I Only Tell my Friends by Rob Lowe, became a desired read. I didn't previously know much about Rob Lowe outside of his big scandals, and haven't watched any of his movies or shows since the 80s, so for me this was akin to catching up with a friend and hearing what he had been up to all these years. He is an incredibly gifted writer, but he is an even better storyteller. The book is warm and funny, and really does read like a collection of stories expertly woven together. Rob navigates his highs and lows, and I…

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Read more about the article The Nightingale

The Nightingale

Oh this book, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, go read it right now. It is that good. It will likely forever stay with you and change you. You will cry, you will laugh. The book is simultaneously hard to read and painful and heartbreaking, yet a story of love and courage and the will to live against all odds and you wont be able to put it down. It brought WW2 into my heart in a new and different way. This story, of these two women, was such a tale of the things women do, often with no fanfare, no medals, no recognition. And more so how they do it even when in the middle of war and unspeakable evil. Ah, it was so good. I just loved it.   5 stars.   "We are all fragile Isabelle. It's the thing…

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Read more about the article After I Do

After I Do

After I Do, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, focuses on the couple Lauren and Ryan and their marriage. The couple has reached the point that their marriage has become unrepairable. They agree to take a year off. (What they really needed was counseling, but that would make for a much more boring book. ;) ) Without giving away too much of the book, each of them explore what life looks like as they are single. And while some of the book skips a bit into the unrealistic, I absolutely loved this book! It really is about finding your happy ever after, fighting for a marriage in a unique way, and not sacrificing one's own happiness or sense of self. TJR is great at developing strong characters, who you identify with and are drawn into their emotional complexities. Also, if you are an…

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Read more about the article The Summer I Turned Pretty: My 52 Book Club’s Start to 2024

The Summer I Turned Pretty: My 52 Book Club’s Start to 2024

The Summer I Turned Pretty is my first book for the new year. I was in search of a fast, easy read to start my new year, and to kick off The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge. Generally, I enjoy coming-of-age stories, but this book did not deliver for me. I had picked it up, hoping to read the book before binge watching the TV show, and now I am not sure if I will even catch the series. The book focuses on the main character Belly, and her relationship with 2 boys she has grown up with, Conrad and Jeremiah. Maybe I would have loved this more if I was of a younger age, more in line with YA books, but I found Belly to be annoying, the story to be extremely boring and slow-paced, and I didn't enjoy…

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