I have purchased at least a half dozen parenting books in the almost two decades that I have been a mother. I have read less than one of them.
There is nothing wrong with any of the books; I’m just not a self-help reader. I still buy them, though. I purchased one about raising an adult last month, with every intention of reading it and learning valuable lessons. Once it was in my hands, however, I knew I wasn’t going to read it. I’ll skim it, maybe, but in all likelihood it will sit on my nightstand gathering dust.
I prefer to learn through reading in a more subtle way; the self-help and how-to genres are just too in-your-face for my taste.
The thirteen books I have read so far in 2018 have left their own marks, imparting lessons that range from an historical overview of plagues to an examination of what it means to fall in love. Fiction or non-fiction, a good book seeps into my psyche, settling into my brain and heart and leaving me with more than I had before.
Here are brief reviews of my favorites of those thirteen books.
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post; I make a few cents from any purchase you make.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
I loved Jones’ Silver Sparrow, so I knew I’d read her newest novel, even before (and perhaps despite the fact that) Oprah chose it as a book club pick. As I hoped, this book has strong writing, strong characters, and Jones’ gift of making societal issues intimate so the reader can experience them through the people she creates.
Celestial and Roy are a happily married couple starting their lives in the New South. Their future seems bright until circumstances rip them apart; I don’t want to ruin the shock I felt when I discovered what happened. When they are reunited, how do they resume their lives together? Jones explores marriage and commitment against the landscape of a modern world where justice is fleeting and nothing lasts forever.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley.
The teaser for this novel intrigued me – put a Vietnam POW with violent PTSD on an Alaskan homestead with his wife and daughter, and let Alaska do its work. This is a family drama, a coming-of-age story, a small town tale…but for me, Alaska was the main character. The summer abundance and unforgiving winters feel like a fairy tale, but it is a way of life for the few who can manage. Leni, the daughter of that broken couple, becomes a survivor in this amazing wilderness. This was the rare novel during which I cried – really cried, and I woke up early one Sunday morning to read the last third of the book with no interruptions. So, so good.
The One by John Marrs
I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley.
There are so many places an author could go with the concept of a biologically certain soulmate, or match, for everyone. Marrs explores many of these scenarios, and the result is a fast-paced, enjoyable ride through five couples’ experiences with finding “the One.” While I found a few plot point fairly predictable, that did not diminish my enjoyment of the book. This would be a fabulous book club pick – so many issues to discuss, from privacy to free will to the definition of love itself.
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
If you could find out the day of your death, would you want to know? The four Gold children visit a mysterious fortune teller in 1969, and find out. The novel then visits each sibling, one by one, following Simon, Klara, Daniel and Varya through the next four decades. Would you live differently if you “knew” when you would die? Is it a self-fulfilling prophecy? The Immortalists is a thoughtful examination of four individuals who handle this knowledge and their ability to exert free will in very different ways.
Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright (audio)
Why did I choose this book? It was a daily deal on Audible, and call me morbid, but I was intrigued by the subject matter. The book turned out to be an interesting listen, as the author frames each chapter/plague with historical anecdotes. The focus is not the medical details of the diseases, but rather the way in which society handled the outbreak. By highlighting the heroes who fought these plagues, Wright reminds us of the power of the human spirit and mind. She takes an obviously sobering topic and infuses occasional wit to create a unique piece of historical non-fiction. I feel much smarter after listening, and I’m also washing my hands much more frequently.
Missing Isaac by Valerie Frasier Luesse
I received a copy of this novel from Bookish First.
Pete is a good, white Southern boy on the cusp of manhood when he loses his father. Isaac is a good, black Southern man who was Pete’s father’s farmhand, and a surrogate father to Pete after his dad’s death. Isaac disappears, and based on the books’ title, I thought that the plot would focus on searching for him. Instead, what follows is a touching coming of age story set in a tiny Southern town in the 1960s.
While some of the characters are cookie cutter, I quickly got caught up in the lives of the town’s residents. Combining the mystery of Isaac’s disappearance with the budding romance between Pete and a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, it almost reads like a Hallmark movie…a bit predictable but fully satisfying in the end.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate (audio)
In 1939, five siblings are stolen off their riverboat while their parents are not there. They are taken to the Tennessee Children’s Home, to be peddled as orphans and adopted by families with the means to pay the fees. In present day, senator’s daughter Avery Stafford meets a nursing home resident who claims the dragonfly bracelet Avery is wearing is hers. And in the elderly woman’s old photo of newlyweds, the bride looks just like Avery’s grandmother.
It’s the plot beginnings of a good novel, and Before We Were Yours was definitely an engrossing page turner. But this book was so impactful for me because the entire adoption story is based on truth. If you’ve never heard of the Tennessee Children’s Home scandal, you will know all about it by the end of this novel. Wingate builds her story on horrible realities of families destroyed, weaving the decades old tale with a more hopeful (and a bit cornier) modern one. It’s a tough listen at times; I found myself dreading hearing the chapters narrated by 12-year-old Ril as she recounts her experiences in the children’s home. The plot is fairly predictable, but I appreciate that Wingate resisted the urge to tie everything in a neat little bow at the end. History doesn’t work that way, and novels shouldn’t always either.
Lesson learned.
Happy reading!
i read ‘before we were yours’ for book club and we all enjoyed it. several of us made note of how we did not like how the romance worked out in the end. too much cheese factor. yes, agree, i can’t believe this is based on fact!
Incredible,right?
You had me at 13 books in just over two months. Wow, Dana! I confess that I have been a bad girl re: reading so far this year, so I haven’t read any of the books you profiled. The Immortalists sounds very intriguing!
Let me know if you read it, Alison!
SO many good ones! I have An American Marriage sitting on my nightstand and now I’m looking forward to it even more.
Enjoy it Nina!
Yay for The Great Alone–that’s my company! The Immortalists sounds fascinating. What a great premise!And Before We Were Yours…I keep seeing that book everywhere but somehow never tried to find out what it was about. That does seem like quite a story.
The Great Alone sounds so good!
It was wonderful!
I have a Kindle. I will always have a soft spot for paperback books, though reading in bed, with that peculiar thumb-center, two fingers splayed like a Trekkie at a convention, book-holding style is getting less and less comfortable.)
That being said, the availability of reading material is pretty impressive. And, reinforces the adage about the ‘quality/quantity), nevertheless, I’m glad you’ve written a post offering a list of read-worthy books.
(Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes I’ll spend a little time and collect a bunch of ‘Samples’ from a genre and use them to fall asleep to.)
Gotta go tend the generator, we have been without power for too long now.
I have a Kindle too, but I don’t think I’ll ever give up real books completely. I hope you got power back. We were without for a day, and the Kindle came in handy at night!
But, I still loved it…
Am I the one who told you about “Before We Were Yours??” I loved that book. So much! And I’m excited to read the new Kristin Hannah one – I think (?) I’ve liked everything she’s written. Also, LOL to the self-help books. I finally quit buying them. I used to read a TON of them about baby sleep because Tucker wouldn’t sleep without me (and the boob) and I was so freaked out. I think I had 12-15 books just about that. And now? It seems so silly that I read so many books about it. Each conflicted one another and none of the methods really helped. I just did what worked best for me (and him).
Oh and also agree about the predictability of it and dreading Ril’s part – it took me forever just to figure out what the name was!!!
Before We Were Yours was a book club pick, but you may have told me about it too. If you want a teenage self-help book in a few years, I’ll give you mine!
Didn’t you write a post with tips for finding time to read? I’ve got to go back and find that one! I started The Great Alone a week ago and, I swear, every single time I sit down to read I get interrupted by kids, husband, dog, phone – something! If I ever finish it, I want to read Before we Were Yours next. There are some other ones here that sound great & I would also be totally intrigued but the plagues! 🙂
I did write that post! Do you listen to audiobooks? That may help you – I listen when I cook or fold laundry.
Thank you! My book club is looking for some ideas… I will share these.
Let me know if you choose one! But only if it’s a hit. 😉
I’m with Kenya. I think I’ve read all of her other books and this one has Alaska? I need it in my life.
The one about plagues would be a tough one for me, but I like how you reviewed it. I think I would try it
It was quite educational! You would love the Alaska one, I think.
Just this morning a friend was telling me about “The Great Alone” and her reaction was the same as yours. I will definitely have to put that book on my list.
I hope you love it, Mo!
I’m just here to admire that you’ve already read 13 books this year. I’ve trudged my way through three: The Sun is Also a Star by Nikola Yoon (because my daughter said she loved it), What Happened by Hillary Clinton (painful but educational), and Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (painful but important). Too many lessons for one post, but now I have your list to search through for #4!
My daughter liked The Sun is Also a Star too. Lots of lessons in Hillary’s book, I’m sure. Hope you find some time to read more of what you love!
Wow to your reaction to The Great Alone. Since I’ve read Kritin Hannah, that’s the one I’m most likely to check out first from this list. I too have purchased self help books. I flip through them and never read them for real.
They look good on your nightstand though, don’t they? Having visited Alaska made me enjoy The Great Alone even more – the whole wilderness thing fascinates me!
You know these are my favorite and I feel like I have SO much to say. We seriously need another lunch date!! So, when I found out I was pregnant I bought like 10 books on babies and pregnancy. Then, when I found out I was having twins, I returned them all and bought 20 books on birthing and raising twins. I read them all and all they did was terrify me! I think there was like 5 helpful things in ALL the books. After the boys were born I had no time for anything but them so I read exactly one parenting book (for my blog!) in the past 9 years.
I am currently reading “The Great Alone” and absolutely love it! Next up for book club is “An American Marriage” so now I’m more excited to read it! And “Before We Were Yours” was definitely one the best books I have read recently and the true story behind it is horrifying.
Ok, fine, I’ll be done now but can we Skype later and have a private book club? LOL!
You need to plan another race down here, Allie, so we can have lunch again! And I have a few teen parenting books that I’d be happy to give you when the time comes, although I cannot personally vouch for them as they are unread. 😉
I have only read one on your list with The great Alone, which I couldn’t agree more with your assessment. Plus, I also spent a Sunday late in bed finishing this up, too. But now I also need to go through and add a few more to my list. What can I say, but thanks 😉
I always love trading book recommendations with you, Janine!