My April 2020 Book Reviews!

I am currently over 50 days into quarantine and social distancing and I have to be honest and say that I am not reading all the books like I thought I would be.  Personally I am having a hard time maintaining focus long enough to read a book.  I am trying to show myself grace within this time, while doing things to set myself up for success.  I am maintaining my workout routines, trying to get up and do my hair a few days a week, put on real clothes, etc.

Anyways, I digress, this month I read three pretty good books.

Dead Wake by Erik Larson

I have been trying to read Erik Larson books forever! I have heard wonderful things about his ability to make a nonfiction book read like a novel.  I have to say they were right.  This book is a nonfiction account of the sinking of the Lusitania.  He develops (as much as he can without any embellishments) the characters in a way you don’t typically get in a nonfiction book.

I didn’t know a lot about the Lusitania before reading this book.  To be honest, I put a few of his books on hold at my library (eBooks, of course) and this was the first one that became available.

I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I recommend this book if you enjoy nonfiction reads, or submarines.  I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

During the school year, we do a two month unit on reading novels about the Holocaust.  I personally love this unit, it is my favorite thing that we do all year.  But, because of this I tend to avoid reading WWII books outside of it because I am just burnt out of the topic.

I have wanted to read this for a while but couldn’t bring myself to do it. But, oh em gee, I’m glad that I did.  This novel is a sweet story that reminded me a little of the movie “Life is Beautiful”.  Not in the story line, the story line was very different.  But, the protagonist has the same somewhat whimsical quality that you don’t often find in books about WWII.  That personality trait of trying to make things better for another person.

I really liked this book.  It also was not very long which I find to be a plus these days! I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

This was my book club book this month.  My book club is still reading novels as usual but we are meeting monthly via Zoom.  It is nice to still get that same interaction each month even though we are not sharing a meal or seeing each other in person.

This novel is about a group of women who run a library that delivers books to people in the mountainside in the Appalachians.  The protagonist is a woman who is from Europe and “talks funny” and the locals do not originally accept her.  When she first joins this group of women delivering books, she is not welcomed with open arms.

It is also the story of her working through a strained marriage and finding happiness in herself.

I found this book challenging to get into.  It took me a while to really enjoy the book or care about the story lines.  But, once I did I liked the book.

I gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Any recommendations?

Also, Check Out:

10 Best Books I Read in 2019

March Book Reviews