What I Read in May #ourgoodlifebooklist

Thank you for the nice response to my April Book List. I appreciate the comments so much.  On to my May book list. I don't have ten books this month, but I do have nine, so let's get the party started!

The books listed below are ones that I received for free in exchange for my honest feedback. The links are Amazon affiliate links which means that I will get a small commission if you purchase from me.

The Books I Read in May

1.  The Editor by Steven Rowley  This darling book is about a wanna-be author, James Smale, who has written a beautiful book and has sent it into several companies, and the unexpected happens, an editor loves his book and wants to work with him. The marvelous surprise is that Jackie Kennedy Onassis is the editor! James and Jackie develop a warm relationship and Jackie pushes James to stay authentic to the book he is writing, even if it means rewriting the ending. This is a gorgeous book that everyone who loves Jackie Onassis should read. (fiction)



2.  Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl  Ruth writes about her time as editor in chief of Gourmet magazine and working for Conde Nast. She spares no details and reading about her wonderful opportunities to spend time with the best food magazine in the business was fabulous.  She even includes some of her favorite recipes. I am particularly taken by the lifestyle of the owner of Conde Nast and how decisions were made. Never a dull moment.



3.  Lemonade Farm by Laura Cayouette  The story of a dysfunctional family set in the 1970s, the "Lemons" are considered weird by locals and treated as the outsiders that they are. The Lemonade Farm is named because "when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade" fits the trials that the family is going through at the time.  It starts as a coming of age but quickly turns into a commentary on the American family in the 1970s. As this is when I grew up, I recognized the details that the author added to her story to make it realistic, and that it truly was.



4. Wanderers by Chuck Wendig  Shana wakes up to see her sister in a strange malady, a sleepwalking type of coma.  She walks to a pre-determined place that only she can see, but Shana and her father follow, hoping to get her to wake up. When she is joined by others, the two of them realize that this is something bigger than sleepwalking. As the world starts to see more and more of the sleepwalkers, it starts to panic, and growing terrorism and police state start to emerge. When the Center for Disease Control gets involved, the story moves quickly into a new direction. Powerful story for those who love "end of the world as we know it" types of books.



5. The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper  This is the fictional story of May Alcott, sister of Louisa May Alcott. May Alcott is an artist that is as good as her sister is a writer. The story tells us of how May lives in Louisa's shadow, even having to use Louisa's money to live and study in Paris. We learn the struggles of an artist, the lifestyle and the coming-of-age of May.  The story intertwines some famous people of the era, including Mary Cassat, who befriends May in Paris. I loved this story!



6.  A Single Thread by Marie Bostwich I picked up this book at a quilters' store in Branson when I was there for a work conference. I fell in love with this first book of the series. The main character, Evelyn Dixon, is newly divorced when the Texan decides to leave Texas and move to Connecticut where she falls in love with an old, dilapidated building. She has the idea to open a quilters' shop and she does.  Along the way she meets incredible women who have their own stories and lives, and the web that is woven is a beautiful story of friendship, new love and the heartbreak of illness.  I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!



7. Goose Girl by Shannon Hale  I picked this book when I was looking on Amazon for a young adult fiction story. Based loosely on the Grimm's fairy tale, this is the story of Anidori Kiladra Talliana Isilee, the Princess of Kildinree, a small country ruled by a Queen and her daughters. Anidori is not what most princesses are like and therefore is a disappointment to her mother.  She is such a disappointment that her mother decides to make her younger brother the king and sends her away to another country to marry a prince no one has met.  Along the way, the guards and foot maidens turn on Anidori and try to kill her and her main guard. Thinking that they were successful, the party continues the trip and introduces the foot maiden as Anidori to the King.  The real Anidori finds work as a goose girl for the King and learns many lessons about the kingdom. A fascinating story that I enjoyed reading.



8.  The Order of the Redeemed by Warren Cain  Of all the books, this is the one that kept me up reading deep into the morning hours. The Order of the Redeemed is a society of people, formed during biblical times, whose purpose is to help people redeem themselves of the guilt they carry for actions that destroyed the lives of people they knew and loved.  It starts with Kirk Murphy who lives with the guilt of the death of his girlfriend. Kirk goes on an incredible journey of spiritual guidance that helps him live without the burden of his guilt. From there he is selected to help Kevin and if he succeeds, he will be able to forgive himself for his actions. The stories continue and as life does, the stories connect lives and allow us to help one another, if we will allow. Cain weaves a magical story, filled with people in real pain. We learn to not judge what another person does, for we do not know the extent of their anguish. This is a real page-turner and one you do not want to put down. This is not my typical genre, but I couldn't stop until I knew that the characters were going to be ok. Make this one your summer read.



9. Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon  This was our New Town at St. Charles book club selection book.  I don't know of many book clubs that choose cookbooks to read, but this was a great selection for us. The cookbook is organized around stories of Reese's from growing up in the south. Each of our members picked one recipe to make for the group. A future blog post is in store, so I will let you wonder which recipes we selected!  We loved this book, especially the topics Reese chose to share with us about her growing years.

Goodreads Reading Challenge:  35/50

Which one has grabbed your interest?  Consider purchasing a book you discovered here from me! Amazon pays me a small commission and that helps the blog continue.  Happy reading!