Wednesday 2 January 2019

2018 Book Club Reading List

Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved to read. The number of books on my To Be Read list is...extreme- about 50 books, not including the ones on my Kindle! I have also been in a Book Club with some friends from high school for 3+ years. I thought it would be fun to share the books that we read in 2018!



January: How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran- I am not a Caitlin Moran fan, never have been. I would give this book a pass. My full review can be found here

February: The Child by Fiona Barton- A house is demolished and a baby's body is found. A journalist is on a mission to figure out who the baby is. Not my favourite book, but worth looking into as a lot of people enjoyed it.

March: We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter- This is the heartbreaking true story of the Kurc Family, a Jewish family separated during the war and what they endured. This is a sad story, made even sadder knowing that these are real people and their real experiences. I recommend this book, we need to be reminded of the past and how people should not be treated.

April: The Good Daughter by Karen Slaughter- After watching their mother get murdered, two sisters are forced into the woods- one left for dead, the other manages to run. 28 years later, there is a school shooting. This reunites the sisters and we learn more of what unfolded the night their mom died and how the two events are connected. Didn't like the ending, but would recommend this book. My full review can be found here.

May: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena-  The Conti's leave their baby home alone as they attend a dinner party next door. While at the party, their daughter is kidnapped. As we try and figure out what happened to the baby- who took her, where she is- more and more secrets are unveiled. Highly recommend this book!

June: Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan- We join Ashley Keller as she participates in a mommy bootcamp competition run by mommy blogger turned mommy lifestyle expert, Emily Walker. She is up against the perfect mom's that we find on social media. Ashley is more real, relatable...we watch her struggle and see her attempt to make her life look perfect on social media too. This book is hilarious and really enjoyed it! Definitely recommend it. 

July: Only Child by Rhiannon Nevin- Told from the point of view of six year old Zach, who we first meet while he is hiding in a closet during a school shooting. This story reminded me a lot of Sandyhook. We see how Zach and his parents- from Zach's point of view- grieve the loss of their son and brother. Interesting seeing such a scary and tragic situation from the eyes of a child. Highly recommend this book.

August: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote- This was my pick, and a book that had been on my reading list forever. We join the narrator as he meets Holly Golightly and gets to know her. Holly lives in a fantasy world, and believes that nothing bad can happen. This is a short story and worth the read, especially if you like the movie- which was inspired by the book. Truman Capote is one of the most renowned author's of the twentieth century and everyone should read at least one thing by him.

September: Pick Your Own Book- September is the anniversary of our book club, so we decided to do something a little different this month. Each member got to pick what book they wanted, and then would share their thoughts of the book with everyone else at our September meeting. This was a lot of fun! I read The Children by Ann Leary. Recluse Charlotte lives with her mother in a home owned by her stepbrothers. Charlotte has a fictional life online that begins to unravel. Her home life also faces some changes when her stepbrothers return. Of course secrets are revealed and things start to change. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

October: Salem's Lot by Stephen King- Author Ben returns to Salem's Lot in hopes of being inspired for his new book. There's a mansion with a questionable history, two men buy it and open a business in town..they are also questionable. Two brother's go into the woods, and only one comes out alive. People start getting sick, dying, and disappearing. This is a creepy, creepy book. I don't like scary books, but I would recommend this book if you do. 

November: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris- This is a book that everyone MUST read. This is a true story as told by Lale, the Tattooist, and life in a concentration camp. The horrors that people went through, how they were treated, the strength of the human spirit, and even some humanity shown to the prisoners. We need to be reminded of what happened during WWII and never forget. This books should serve as a warning to never, ever, let history repeat it's self. I hated this book- it was difficult to read and made my stomach turn- but everyone needs to read it. You can find my full review here.  

December: The Broken Girls by Simone St James- The long abandoned girls boarding school Idlewild Hall, has been purchased by a women, Margaret, and is being renovated to become a girls boarding school again. Journalist Fiona's sister's body was found years ago in the abandon field of the school. Fiona is writing a piece on the school, discovering it's history and wanting to know why Margaret is so interested in the school. Her investigating reveals secrets of the school- including what happened to a student who went missing- Mary Hand who haunts the grounds, and what really happened the night her sister was murdered. This was hands down the creepiest book we read this year, but I highly recommend it! 

My top three books that we read in 2018 are:

  1. Confessions of a Domestic Failure (June)
  2. The Children (September)
  3. The Broken Girls (December)


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