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Not Your Granny’s Book Club
I was always an avid reader, from as early as I can remember. My bookshelves were filled with every Babysitters Club & RL Stine book I could get my hands on. My mom was the same, and I have fond memories of going to our little book store in Omaha and the library. I love to read almost as much as I love to write, but somewhere along the way my reading of books became almost non existent. I fell into the trap of scrolling on my devices, scrambling my already anxious brain right before I go to bed. I do like to read the news or on Reddit, but I needed to find my way back to books.
So last spring, when one of my best friends told me that she was thinking about starting a book club I knew I wanted in! The Book Club group chat was created, and the rest is history. There are twelve of us now in the group, and it is so much more fun to have people to discuss with the novels we are reading. We all throw suggestions out and a pick a couple at a time. We all bring a yummy dish, a bottle of wine, and get together to talk about what we read! Didn’t read the whole book? We don’t care, come hang out anyways. Have to bring your kids with you? Cool, I will bring mine too so they can keep yours busy. It’s laid back, it’s fun, and it has 100% reignited my spark for reading. There is something to be said for being held accountable. And while I know they’d never oust me for not getting through a book (I still haven’t finished All The Light We Can Not See), getting to hang out and hear everyone’s unique perspectives is the best part. You can’t do that if you don’t finish, so I find myself wanting to keep up. I love going over the different theories you can find online about the books and then hearing how we each interpreted it. We swap books and are always starting something new!
Here are some of our favorites that we have read so far:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – The story of Evelyn, a 79 year old starlet who gives a final interview to an unknown journalist. Being married eight times to seven different men, definitely gives her an interesting story to tell.
The Housemaid / The Housemaid’s Secret – This duo of psychological thrillers kept me hooked from beginning to end. Follow Millie, living in her car when she lands a dream job for a wealthy family. But what are they hiding? What is Millie hiding? The Housemaid’s Secret is the perfect follow up to the original. Buy both at the same time, you won’t want to wait.
The Perfect Marriage – What do you do when your husband is accused of murdering his mistress, but you are his lawyer? Sarah is faced with this gruesome reality in this suspenseful book, did Adam kill the beautiful Kelly Summers? Couldn’t put it down once I started!
Verity – There has been a lot of buzz around this dark novel from Colleen Hoover. Handling sensitive topics paired with some graphic scenes make this book not for the faint at heart. If you are into psychological thrillers like we are (I am seeing a trend in what we read) this is a must. I do not suggest reading the extra chapters that can be found online. I did and I wish I hadn’t, I preferred the ending the way it was.
The Arrangement / The Amendment / The Atonement – This three part series follows Peter and Ainsley’s attempt at fixing their marriage with an arrangement – they will date someone new once a week & never discuss the dates with each other. When the rules get broken, will they recover? Buy the trilogy, because you will want to read them one after another.
None of This Is True – When shy Josie Faire meets Alix Summers on their shared birthday, she becomes enamored with Alix and her fabulous life. Josie proposes an idea for Alix’s podcast… and you will just have to pick up this book because I read it in one day! 10/10 for this Lisa Jewell masterpiece .
Happy Place – Spending the week at a beautiful Maine lake house, this novel follows Wynn and Harriet, who have broken up 5 months ago and haven’t told their friends. Trying to keep the ruse up to not ruin anyone’s time, will it bring them back together? Such a feel good.
Layla – Another favorite by Collen Hoover, this book has a paranormal twist that I absolutely loved! Leeds and Layla are one of my favorite fictional couples as of late, and I may have shed actual tears on this one. Give this one a try, its a departure from her normal genre, but an easy and well written read like all of Hoover’s books.
I am currently reading the thriller Pretty Girls by Kristin Slaughter and so far I am loving it! My goal for 2024 is to try to read a book a week, and I am (almost) on track so far.
