Do you love to read? If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you should know that I love to read! I keep track of what I read here, for my own memory and as recommendations for others.  This month I read…

• The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris [audiobook] – I enjoyed hearing the author reading this story. I wanted to learn more about my state’s newest Senator and in preparation for what came last month- her announcement that she is running for President in 2020. I appreciated learning about her history, her previous work, and her beliefs. She is a strong advocate for all human lives and equal treatment under the law. She is incredibly passionate about her disagreements with the current president’s philosophies. While this wasn’t the most well-written book I’ve read/ listened to, it told a story and I enjoyed hearing it. I look forward to seeing Ms. Harris’s future.
• When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger – I didn’t even realize this was a Devil Wears Prada novel until after I finished it… duh! This was a fun, cheesy chic lit read that I needed in between more serious reads. The story revolves around three women who are loosely connected from their past, who reconnect as they each face life-altering events. They support one another through divorce, career changes, and family growth.
• One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus [audiobook] – I’ve been seeing this book on a lot of must-read lists, so I was happy to listen to the audio version. It’s a combination of two of my favorite genres: mystery and YA. I enjoyed that each chapter was narrated by one of the four main characters: Nate, Addy, Bronwyn, and Cooper. They are all framed as murder suspects in the murder of Simon, one of their classmates who also happens to run a gossip app all about them and their classmates. It was a fun mystery with various twists and turns!
• Past Tense by Lee Child – I love the Jack Reacher series and this one was so interesting! While Reacher was following an adventure down his family heritage, a crazy motel was offering a “game” that was revealed slowly throughout the book (and it was horrifying!). It was fun when Reacher’s storyline and the “game” at the motel crashed together.
• A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena – I’ve read at least one other book but this author. This was was fantastic – a quick-paced, suspenseful mystery. Karen gets into a surprising car accident and has short-term amnesia. Her husband slowly realizes he doesn’t know everything about his wife as their life unravels, with their nosy neighbor constantly getting into their business. The last page twist had me hoping there is a sequel being written!
• The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena – Having loved A Stronger in the House, I checked my library app for this book and read in a very short period of time! I loved this mystery, which kept me guessing the entire time. When a couple’s child is kidnapped, the police quickly suspect that one of them did it. But as the story progresses, you realize how much everyone has to hide- from the sad parents, Anne and Marco, to her parents, to their neighbors, and more. Fun read!
• From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein – I loved this memoir written by a writer who worked as a stenographer in the White House during 5 years of the Obama administration. It was a cross between a cheesy love story (like the lululemon book I just finished!) and a biography following the president around the world. I enjoyed her glimpses of the president on a treadmill in a hotel gym many mornings, and her description of some interesting political players.

I very rarely abandon a book. This month I tried to read Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron De Hart, but just couldn’t finish it. It was a biography over 700 pages long. I enjoyed learning more about RBG, but there was such dense details about the law that I just didn’t have the patience to stick with this.