The first few weeks of September I read some really great things, and then I predictably didn't get around to blogging until now. So, here's the latest and greatest books I've found!
The Light We Lost was a recommendation from a co-worker. It was beautifully written, so much so that I ended up in tears at the end. The book starts on September 11th, 2001, and it follows a couple through their lives together (and apart). It's worth the read, but Kleenex is necessary for sure.
The Wife Between Us was an advance reading copy I received. This one comes out in January, and when it does, Y'ALL NEED TO GET THIS BOOK. The initial premise is about an ex-wife and her replacement - or so you think. There are so many twists in this one, and I could not stop reading. I had to know what was next. Calling it now that this is the next big thriller that everyone will read and want to talk about. Just remember, I was ahead of this trend.
Red Teaming: How Your Business Can Conquer the Competition by Challenging Everything was interesting at times, but also, not all the times. The book was a little too business-y for me. There were a few activities and things that are transferable, but for a lot of it, it just wasn't my jam. Oh, and thanks to Blogging for Books for the hook-up once more.
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction was phenomenal. From the title, you can figure out the subject. This was such a fantastic read that really explained what it's like to love an addict, try to get that addict help, and what the recovery (and relapse) process looks like for all involved. It's an honest and raw memoir that really helped me learn more on the topic of addiction.
Bumped was okay. Megan McCafferty wrote one of my all-time favorite teen angst series - Jessica Darling (aka Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings, Charmed Thirds, etc.) This one was an intriguing concept, but also just wasn't my thing. It's about a society where teen girls become infertile at 18, so getting preggers early is big business. So, yeah.
Small Great Things was outstanding and infuriating and everything in between. It's a story that alternates between a black labor and delivery nurse, a white supremacist whose son has died in the nurse's care, and the lawyer who is defending the nurse. The storytelling is amazing and real and y'all, check this one out.
What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen is another heartbreaker, but amazing read. It's about Madison Holleran, a freshman runner at UPenn who completes suicide. Kate Fagan (who is an incredible writer) goes back through her social media to trace just what happened and show the dichotomy of how Maddy lived on social media and in real life. It's a read that also had me in tears and also really made me think.
Enjoy: A New Approach to Stress and Burnout Prevention was okay. It was a Strengths-based look at how to manage stress in your life. There were some good tips there and there. However, there were also profiles of the author's clients she used as examples. Because their Strengths weren't my Strengths, I struggled to connect/do anything with these. I wanted something more actionable, and it just wasn't what I got.
Stay tuned for the rest of Septembers reads soon-ish!
