The Book Nook Chronicles

Genre: Dystopian Fiction

Author: Margaret Atwood

Page Count: 419

Publication Date: September 10, 2019

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Author: Sally Rooney

Page Count: 356

Publication Date: September 7, 2021

I have done little to no research into the Vietnam War, outside of what I learned in my American History class my freshman year of high school. I’m not sure why. Whatever the reason, I went into this book with a very rudimentary understanding of Vietnam and our time there. I’m so glad I learned more through this novel and through a female perspective.

The struggles that Frankie McGrath faces both in Vietnam and at home are unfair. All of it was unfair. From the socioeconomic divides that took place with the draft to the complete disregard of the soldiers and nurses once they came home. It made me mad and a bit hopeless.

I’ve been to the Vietnam Memorial. Have seen my reflection in the wall and the names etched on every inch. It never set in when I visited that it took so long for the women in this war to receive recognition. I knew that the soldiers were tossed aside when they got home, being a war we had lost. I know that PTSD was yet to be recognized when these heroes came home, but none of it really sank in until this book.

Having it all etched out for me through Frankie’s experience hit deep. I couldn’t give this book more than a 4.5 because of the amount of sorrow it made me feel. In our current world, I don’t really need help in that department. Kristin Hannah is an artist and deserves recognition as such, but it would be nice if she could write something happy for once.

Why do you always have to destroy me, Kristin Hannah? And why do I always come back for more?

I jumped into The Comfort Book as a cleanser from The Women. I was in a pretty dark place after finishing The Women and was hoping this book would pull me out of it.

I hadn’t realized that this book is a collection of quips and musings Matt Haig put together reflecting on his depression and suicide attempt. It is a book of hope, at least that’s its intention, but I don’t remember too much of it.

Something about this short little read just wasn’t sticky after being fully immersed in the darkness of The Women.

If you are a fan of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” you will be so into Elena Ferrante’s The Lost Daughter.

This novella dives into the dark sides of motherhood, exploring the crevices people don’t talk about when they talk about their children. It dives into the jealousies that develop between mothers and daughters, the selfishness that women try to bury when they have children (but often can’t), and the disappointment mothers develop as their daughters grow up and don’t need them as much anymore.

It’s grimy and gossipy. It’s sexy and seductive. It’s dark and gruesome. But that’s about it.

I have always adored Julia Child. I remember going to the Smithsonian for the first time and drooling over her studio kitchen, back when I dreamed of one day opening a restaurant. Though my life path diverged down a different road, I still have a deep love for the mother of cooking shows.

This novel, however, focuses on Child’s time as a spy in Asia during WWII where she meets her husband Paul. A complete work of fiction, Diana R. Chambers’ take on Child’s time in the U.S. military turned what I can only assume to be as a very exciting time in Child’s life into a bit of a beach read.

Filled with romance and espionage, this book was fun, but really seemed to lean into Julia’s lack of self-confidence, especially when it came to significant others (Paul not being her only love interest in the book). Julia is depicted as a self-deprecating, imposter syndrome female from the 1940s and it just made me sad. While I know Julia was the queen of self-doubt even during her cooking days, it was hard to see such a strong iconic female depicted in this way.

If you are looking for a book about Julia’s cooking, this ain’t it, but it does celebrate women in World War II and an American icon. If that’s your thing, I’d say give it a read.

I’m going to be completely honest here: I zoned out listening to this book.

Meik Wiking deserves more credit than that seeing as his work at the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen sounds fascinating. This book, however, focused on finding happiness in your work and I listened to it while I worked, which proved to be a really bad combo.

Wiking dives deep into how having joy in work comes from making a difference and feeling fulfilled–not from the paycheck, the titles, or the time spent working overtime. He discusses how he doesn’t believe in the term “work life balance” because he believes your work and life should coincide in harmony, not two separate entities. He also explains how feeling fulfilled in our work is different for everyone.

He takes a few jabs at the way the United States (or capitalism as a whole) has created a more stressful workplace which I appreciated, but this book never captivated me. I think this read would be easier to digest in a physical copy and not in audio form. Maybe I’ll give it a second try if I can get my hands on the print version.

It’s been a minute since I’ve jumped head first into a series and now I have two going at the same time (this one and the Fourth Wing series). Unfortunately, I think I could take or leave either of them.

When it comes to the Villain series, I am finding that I find these books really charming. They’re like if Tangled and the Ella Enchanted movie had horror thrown into them and I think that’s kind of fun. But, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the plot of this second book was a bit meh.

I was more invested in the secondary characters than I was in Tristan or Evie’s plot points. I also find their “love” story obnoxious and too drawn out. This slow burn thing is not for me, particularly in the way Hannah Nicole Maehrer does it. It feels a bit like fan fiction written by a teenager that’s never been kissed. Can these two just do the deed already?

I will continue to read this series simply because I’m invested in Rebecca’s character development and Kingsley the Frog/Man.