Thank you to simon.audio for providing me with the audio for Away by Megan E Freeman. I loved the book Alone so much and I was thrilled there was a sequel. This one was rather different from Alone though, as it focuses on 4 kids who are evacuated to a camp together. One of them is one of Maddie's friends, but Maddie is not present in this one. ⁣ ⁣ Away follows Ashantae, Teddy, Grandin, and Harmony as they work to uncover what exactly caused their evacuation and resettlement in a camp. The story is told in verse, a movie script, production notes, letters, and news articles. It was a unique way of telling a story. The audio has a full cast and is quite short. As an explanation to what happened in Alone, this did a good job. ⁣ ⁣ You're going away alone - where are you going?
Thank you to getreadprbooks for sending me a copy of We Are Made of Stars by Rochelle B Weinstein and happy pub day today! This book is different from the author's previous, but still just as good. Thank you also for the blanket. I was trying to get Teddy to cuddle on it but he was more interested in the book!⁣ ⁣ We Are Made of Stars is about a group who spend a week at an inn, owned by Jean-Paul and Reneé. The group includes two couples that are friends and come back every year, an actor and his estranged wife who are there for their anniversary, and a mom and her daughter, who chose the inn for their annual trip, but her reasons for choosing it are not clear. Due to financial issues, the inn may be closing soon. ⁣ ⁣ The story is told in alternating chapters in the voices of six of the characters. The main story had to do with 15 year old Rosalie and her very difficult mom, Cassidy, who struggles with disordered eating and drug use. The group unites in their caring for Rosalie, which was very sweet. This book was an interesting look at a variety of characters, marriages, family relationships, and more. It definitely held my interest and was a worthwhile read!⁣ ⁣ Do you have any memories of stargazing?
Thank you penguinteen for sending me a copy of The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman. I really enjoy this author's young adult thrillers. ⁣ ⁣ This one is about Amy, who wakes up in her dorm room to find her roommate and her roommate's boyfriend murdered. Having been in the next room over makes Amy a prime suspect. Meanwhile, Liz, a student journalist begins investigating the murders. When Amy is moved in as Liz's new roommate, the two pair up to determine the actual murderer.⁣ ⁣ This was a light and quick read and I did suspect the culprit! I enjoyed reading this one and finding out more about each of the characters. ⁣ ⁣ How does this week look for you?
Two BOTM books:⁣ ⁣ The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan - a famous author is hiding behind a pseudonym after running from her childhood town. I thought this could have been called the three LOVES rather than the three lives, as it focuses on three parts of the author's life which each feature someone she loved - her childhood best friend, her first agent, and the actor in the movie based on her books. The book is told as a memoir but with other people chiming in, so it's like a documentary. I wondered how no one realized who Cate Kay was sooner. ⁣ ⁣ We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin - this was a strange read about a pair of sisters. Sigrid and her sister Margit grew up with toxic parents. Sigrid coped with this by hiding in an imaginary world with her toys. She is now struggling with her best friend having a drug addiction and the politics in her small town. The content is focused around a suicide attempt and includes a past sexual assault. A quote I liked from the book: "If I could pick how the world worked...Everyone would understand everyone, and we would all sincerely care about each other. No one would ever think about hurting people or killing themselves. The clouds would all turn pink."⁣ ⁣ Have you read either of these? Or what are you reading today?
Thank you stmartinspress for sending me a copy of Never Planner On You by Lindsay Hameroff which came out this week! This was such a sweet read that was a nice break from some of the heavier ones I read this month. ⁣ ⁣ This one is about Ali, who spent a night with Graham back in college. That night included them getting matching tattoos. They never expected to see each other again, but they are reunited in Baltimore, where it turns out that Graham is the groom in the wedding that Ali is currently planning. The wedding may not be for a perfect couple, but a lot depends on it - the future of Ali's job and the success of Graham's family run hotel included. So Ali and Graham have to deny their connection and definitely can't fall for each other. ⁣ ⁣ I enjoyed a lot of this book including the way Ali feels like a mess and her relationship with her sister and other family members. I thought some of the communication issues between characters went on a bit too long. It did keep me entertained though, and I loved the Jewish rep!⁣ ⁣ There are also great pop culture references in this one - what references in a book make you so happy when you see them?
Thank you to harperperennial for sending me a copy of Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche back in 2021. This is on my backlistbooks2025 list and I listened to it this month. ⁣ ⁣ This is about Kambili, who is 15, and growing up in Nigeria. Her father is a strict person who uses religion as an excuse to abuse his family. Kambili and her brother visit their aunt and cousins and she realizes that not everyone practices religion the way her father does and that families can be happy. ⁣ ⁣ While this was an interesting look at culture, colonialism, patriarchy, and religion, there were parts I was uncomfortable with, especially how Kambili falls in love with a priest. The priest is "young," but he is certainly an adult and in a position of authority. His treatment of Kambili isn't fully appropriate. Also, Kambili demonstrates forgiveness towards her father, which was hard to accept. This is Adiche's first book and certainly worth the read. ⁣ ⁣ Wouldn't it make sense that this book cover be purple? What's something you enjoy that is purple?