Current Reads

I've been on a reading kick lately, which has been really nice since I hadn't been reading for a few months and I missed it.

I've finished off 4 books recently so I thought I'd summarize and give you my thoughts on each in case you're looking for some reads for this Summer!

A House For Happy Mothers by Amulya Malady

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Goodreads synopsis:

In trendy Silicon Valley, Priya has everything she needs—a loving husband, a career, and a home—but the one thing she wants most is the child she’s unable to have. In a Southern Indian village, Asha doesn’t have much—raising two children in a tiny hut, she and her husband can barely keep a tin roof over their heads—but she wants a better education for her gifted son. Pressured by her family, Asha reluctantly checks into the Happy Mothers House: a baby farm where she can rent her only asset—her womb—to a childless couple overseas. To the dismay of friends and family, Priya places her faith in a woman she’s never met to make her dreams of motherhood come true.

I really enjoyed this book. It was about a topic I had NO idea about, and was quickly drawn in to the logistics of everything, and the story of the two women's lives. I found the book really interesting, and a quick read. 

I'd give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner

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The (partial) Goodreads Synopsis:

For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia has been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The supermommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety.

When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is the most exciting thing to happen in Upchurch, Connecticut, since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though the local police chief warns her that crime-fighting's a job best left to the professionals, Kate launches an unofficial investigation -- from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school....

I thought this book was ok. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Kate's life when she was single, living in NYC with her best friend more than the present day story. I thought her husband was kind of a dick, and all Kate did was complain about how fat she was and how hard it was taking care of her kids. I sensed not a lot of love for them, despite her saying it like 3 times during the book. The mystery part was so-so. This book was good for an easy read, but wasn't a work of literary genius. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

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The (partial) Goodreads Synopsis:

Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. 

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

I had this book on my To-Read list for a while, and finally got around to reading it. This book is tricky for me to rank because I felt like the beginning was really hard to read. The way the summary describes Ove is true--and that's kind of how the book reads: a bunch of short sentences, about a grumpy guy. It was hard to get into and took until about 30-40% into the book before it got a little less doom and gloom feeling. BUT, the rest of the book turned sweet, and it was interesting hearing Ove's back story. I teared up at the end of the book

I'd rate the first part of the book 2 out of 5 stars, but the rest as 4 out of 5 stars. So I guess I'd give this one 3.5 stars out of 5.

Right before I left for my trip I ripped through After You, by Jojo Moyes, which is the sequel to Me Before You.

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I won't post the summary here, because if you've read Me Before You, you know that this follows Louisa Clark in the aftermath of how Me Before You ended. 

I'll be honest and say that this was nothing like what I expected from the book. It had been a bit since I'd read Me Before You (but recently saw the movie), but it felt like a totally different character than the first book, which was probably the point. It took a bit to get into the book and wait for something to happen, but once it did, I enjoyed it and wanted to find out what happened. If you're curious what happened to Louisa after Me Before You, then you should check this book out.
I'd give this one 3.5 stars probably. Maybe 4. I go back and forth on this one.

What have you been reading this summer? Any good recommendations?