It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

The Its Monday! What Are You Reading meme is hosted at Book Journey.

Life…

It’s been quite a week, I’m glad to say my daughter made it home safe and sound from her first three day Scout hike, in fact just minutes before a wild storm hit that left trampolines and tree branches in the middle of the street and  knocked out power for over an hour. Talk about good timing!

As usual its been a busy week including a funeral where my children were asked to form part of the honour guard (as Scouts) and a 70th surprise birthday party. I also had responsibility for running training for all five basketball teams this week as the head coach went away and I’m delighted to report that four of the five teams won their games on Saturday.

I am hoping this week will be less frantic as I need to get some serious reading done and even I have to sleep sometimes 😉

What I Read Last Week

The Wardrobe Girl by Jennifer Smart

Mrs Sinclair’s Suitcase by Louise Walters

I See You Made an Effort by Annabelle Gurwitch

Making Soapies in Kabul by Trudi-Ann Tierney

The Divorce Papers by Susan Reiger

All I Have in This World by Michael Parker

New Posts

(click the titles to read my reviews)

AWW Feature: Jennifer Smart and The Wardrobe Girl

Review: The Wardrobe Girl by Jennifer Smart ★★★1/2

Review: Mountain Ash by Margareta Osborn ★★★1/2

Review: Mrs Sinclair’s Suitcase by Louise Walters ★★★1/2

Review: The Divorce Papers by Susan Reiger ★★★1/2

Review: I See You Made an Effort by Annabelle Gurwitch ★★

Review:  All I Have in the World by Michael Parker  ★1/2

What I Am Reading Today

Lily is a producer on a successful cooking segment for a daily morning show. The new chef has just arrived on set and he is drop dead gorgeous. And despite everything – the sabbatical that Lily and her flatmate Simone are taking from men, the fact that Jack is a work colleague – Lily falls head over heels for him.  And while Lily battles her feelings, her flatmate Simone breaks their pact and starts dating some guy from her wholefoods shop. That guy turns out to be Jack. Up close, Lily bravely watches on as romance blossoms between Simone and Jack. Or does it? They don’t seem to have much in common, apart from their striking good looks. And Lily and Jack just seem to get each other. Is that the same thing as falling in love? And could she ever dream of betraying a friendship? Lily has to make some difficult decisions about work and home, and realises that if she doesn’t take life by the scruff of the neck, she is the one who’ll be picked up, shaken and dumped

 What I Plan To Read This Week

(click the covers to view at Goodreads)

Told in the collective voices of the wives of the men who created the atom bomb, this is the bold and emotionally charged story of the women of Los Alamos. Their average age was twenty-five. They came from Berkley, Cambridge, Paris, London, Chicago, and arrived in New Mexico ready for adventure, or at least resigned to it. But hope quickly turned to hardship as they were forced to adapt to a rugged military town where everything was a secret, including what their husbands were doing at the lab. They lived in barely finished houses with a P.O. Box for an address, in a town wreathed with barbed wire, all for the benefit of ‘the project’ that didn’t exist as far as the greater world was concerned.They were constrained by the words they couldn’t say out loud, the letters they couldn’t send home, the freedom they didn’t have.Though they were strangers, they joined together – adapting to a landscape as fierce as it was absorbing, and to an existence fluctuating between the banalities of everyday life and the drama of scientific discovery. And while the bomb was being created, babies were born, friendships were forged, children grew up, and Los Alamos gradually transformed from the site of an abandoned school into a real community. But the end of the war would bring even bigger challenges to the men and women of Los Alamos, as the scientists and their families struggled with the burden of their contribution towards developing the most destructive force in the history of mankind. The Wives of Los Alamos is a window into one of the strangest and most monumental research projects in modern history, and is a testament to a remarkable group of women who carved out a life for themselves, in spite of the chaos and moral confusion of war.

Desperate to get away from her family’s expectations of success in love and in work, Dr Beth Harding leaves Sydney behind and takes a locum job at Iron Junction – a mining town in the distant Pilbara. With the mine growing at a rapid pace, the town full of contractors and tensions running high, Beth is convinced she’s made a huge mistake until she meets Will, a man who shares her dreams and could make the difference between going home and staying on. For Will Walker, being born into cattle farming was never the life he wanted. He’s traded a broad-brim for a hard hat and headed down the mines. Iron Junction seems like just another gig in the long road that’s taking him even further from home. But in the lonely fly-in, fly-out life, he never counted on meeting Beth … But when Beth and Will discover that the choices they make will have far-reaching consequences neither could ever have imagined, they have a decision to make. Will they be brave enough to risk loving each other despite everything that stands in their way?

Frank has been in a serious car accident and he’s missing memories—of the people around him, of the history they share, and of how he came to be in the crash. All he remembers is that he is a lawyer who specializes in fine print, and as he narrates his story, he applies this expertise in the form of footnotes.* Everyone keeps telling Frank that he was fine before the accident, “just a bit overwhelmed,” but as he begins to reclaim his memories, they don’t quite jibe with what everyone is telling him. His odious brother Oscar is intent on going into business with an inventively cruel corporation.** Alice, Frank’s wife, isn’t at all like the woman he fell in love with. She’s written a book called Executive X that makes Frank furious, though he isn’t sure why. And to make matters even stranger, stored in a closet is a severed finger floating in an old mustard jar that makes him feel very, very proud. As more memories flood in, Frank’s tightly regulated life begins to unspool as he is forced to face up to the real terms*** and the condition of his life.**** Robert Glancy’s debut novel is a shrewd and hilarious exploration of freedom and frustration, success and second chances, and whether it’s worth living by the rules.
* Yes, exactly like this.
** We can’t tell you what it’s called for legal reasons, but believe us, it’s evil.
*** Which are rarely in his favor.
**** Which is a total mess

Jen has discovered a secret. It’s not hers to share, but is it hers to keep? If she tells her husband Jason, he might get over the shock but will he forgive her for telling the truth? She might drive a wedge through their marriage. If she tells someone else in Jason’s family – the family she’s come to love more than her own – she’d not only tear them apart but could also find herself on the outside: she’s never really been one of them, after all. But if she keeps this dirty little secret to herself, how long can she pretend nothing is wrong? How long can she live a lie? Jen knows the truth – but is she ready for the consequences?

What do you do when your great life-plan works out, and you’re still unhappy? Successful, but on the verge of burnout, Janice MacLeod saved enough money to buy herself two years of freedom in Europe. Days into her stop in Paris, she met Christophe, and her fate was sealed. Forced to find a way to fund her expat future, Janice created a painted letter subscription service, sending out thousands of letters to people who are hungry to receive something beautiful. Paris Letters is the inspiring story of a woman who dared to discover a life she could love.

While you are here…

Congratulate the winner of Lingerie for Felons by Ros Baxter: Paula C

Congratulate the winner of Tiddas by Anita Heiss: Sally R

Thanks for stopping by, I’ll try to be along to visit you shortly!