February Reading Suggestions: The Paperfruit Reading Challenge
As we wrap up February here are some suggestions that fit into The 2019 Paperfruit Reading Challenge. Feel free to join me on The Paperfruit Facebook group or on Twitter to share what you are reading. I’d love to hear from you.
Historical
America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie
I love well researched fiction based on history and this book has been sitting on my shelf for too long. Seriously though, I love finishing a book set in a historical framework and then heading over to the google machine to check and see how accurately it was portrayed. This book has a fictional narrative that props itself up against a historical timeline. Some liberties are taken but this novel explores the untold story Martha Jefferson Randolph, affectionately known as Patsy. She was the secret keeper of Thomas Jefferson in the wake of her mother’s death through her father’s political career.
This is a book about family, the weight of choices and sacrifices for Patsy Jefferson.
Fantastical
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
To wrap up February check out this new fantasy by Samantha Shannon. Queendoms. Dragon Riders. Forbidden Magic. If you need some dragon infused fantasy to hold you over until Game of Thrones comes back to HBO, here it is!
Heads up this one just came out today! (2/26/19)
From Goodreads:
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
Beneficial
How to Bake by Paul Hollywood
Everyone loves the Great British Bake Off. Here is a book that contains the fundamentals of baking. Paul Hollywood busts the myths around baking and demystifies intimidating bakes with easy-to-follow recipes for a variety of all the best things; breads, pastries, cakes and biscuits. Continue your Hygge journey with some of these treats! Croissants and triple layer chocolate cake? Yes, please!
Theatrical
The Devil Wears Prada by Laura Weisberger
Oh boy! I love this movie. Thought I’d give the audio book a go this month. This might be one of the few books I’ve read and found that the movie adaption is better. It was still enjoyable for before-bed-listening-time.
My issues with the book vs. the movie: For one thing, the timeline felt off. I know, I watched the movie first, that’s on me. The transitions and development in the movie felt more natural. Even the evil dark lord of a boss can’t be 100% evil, I think Meryl Streep added breadth and depth to the novel’s one-dimensional Super B of a Boss. It’s still a fun enjoyable read that will make you feel good about your job and thankful for your boss.
Side note: The catch phrase “a job a million girls would die for” in the book grated on my nerves – I’m going to watch the movie again this weekend.
Criminal
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by: Hannah Tinti
From Goodreads:
After years spent living on the run, Samuel Hawley moves with his teenage daughter, Loo, to Olympus, Massachusetts. There, in his late wife’s hometown, Hawley finds work as a fisherman, while Loo struggles to fit in at school and grows curious about her mother’s mysterious death. Haunting them both are twelve scars Hawley carries on his body, from twelve bullets in his criminal past; a past that eventually spills over into his daughter’s present, until together they must face a reckoning yet to come. This father-daughter epic weaves back and forth through time and across America, from Alaska to the Adirondacks.
Both a coming-of-age novel and a literary thriller, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley explores what it means to be a hero, and the cost we pay to protect the people we love most.