Happy Beginning of June!
More importantly, Happy Summer Reading! I’ve got a e-reader full of books to devour this summer. Today I’m sharing three.
Feisty Deeds, Historical Fictions of Daring Women
by Assorted Authors.
FEISTY DEEDS is a fun collection of short stories all focused on women defying the norms of society. You’ll read about a Victorian artist who “paints” people, a handmaiden risking death to save the knight she loves, a daring camerawoman who risks life and limb to capture a peace protest turned violent, and more. I enjoyed jumping from historical period to historical period.
What I loved about this book was the fact that none of the stories ran longer than 3000 words (approximately 10-12 pages). For people who are continually interrupted by calls for food and popsicles, it means they can pick up and put down the book without losing track of the storyline.
Best of all, the proceeds for this book go to the Women’s Fiction Association Scholarship Fund which helps writers facing economic hardships continue working at their craft.
The book goes on sale on June 8th – which coincidentally is Women’s Fiction Day.
The Secret Keeper of Main Street
by Trish R. Thomas.
Hands down, my favorite read of May. Set in 1950s Oklahoma, The Secret Keeper of Main Street takes everything that’s great about a nighttime soap and puts it in book form.
It all starts with Bailey, a black dressmaker with the gift of second sight, finds herself drawn into local scandal and mystery when she agrees to help a Elsa Grimes, the local oil heiress with a terrible secret. Meanwhile, her aunt Charlene is hiding a huge secret of her own as is Elsa’s mother, Ingrid.
So many secrets, so many plot twists. A few of the subplots were tied up a little quickly for my liking, but I’ll forgive her.
With a page-turning plot and a multi-layered cast, this book makes for a fantastic summer beach read. It’s out tomorrow, June 4th.
Amazon: https://bit.ly/454PHkx
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3X75qxx
Bookshop.org https://bit.ly/3RaVhMo
I truly enjoyed this book, which is the story of a widow finding herself in post-war New York.
The Trouble With You
by Ellen Feldman.
Fanny Fabricant is a young wife and mother whose life is turned upside down in a split second. Suddenly, everything she thought her life would be is out of reach, and she’s forced to find a way to support herself. She does so by taking a job as a typist for a radio serial producer where she learns about Washington’s blacklisting of suspected communist. When the scandal hits close to home, she makes a decision that changes her life.
I loved seeing Fanny go from being insecure and adrift to becoming a confident, strong woman. It was like seeing a flower blossom on the page. I could identify with her struggle as well. Who hasn’t had to choose between taking a risk or playing it safe?
It was also refreshing to read a book set in after WW2. Feldman did a great job of portraying the male chauvinism of the era as well.
For those who watched The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, this has a very similar feel.
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3yN2fkr
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3RcwQxU
Bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/3wAVykE
WHAT I’M WATCHING
Drennon Davis on Instagram. Davis is a comedian whose cats Frog, Toad, Newt, and Doug have adventures. It makes sense if you don’t think about it. (@drennondavis)
WHAT I’M READING
Inspired: Understanding Creativity by Matt Richtel. I promised myself that this summer, in addition to beach reads, I would take a deep dive into one of my favorite subjects – psychology. This book, which is more anecdotal than some of my other reads, looks at where ideas come from.
