Books I Read in January

 Hello friends! Happy Monday! Today I get to be the substitute librarian at my old school and I am really excited about it. A school I love + a subject I love = a very fun day for me! Sarah from Sunshine and Books-- I get to be you for a day. 😉 So since my mind will be on BOOKS all day, it seems appropriate to finally write my post about the books I read last month. Better late than never, right? I read 3 books this month and all 3 were GREAT! 2/3 will probably be in my top books of the year. Here they are:

Little Secrets-- "Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family―until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.  Permanently. "

I will be shocked if this book isn't one of my top books this year! This book hooks you from the very first chapter, and you can't wait to find out what happens next. This is one of those books that has several surprise twists, but they all come together so well you'll think "ohhh that actually makes sense!!" I hate when there are twists in a story that don't align with the plot whatsoever. This one definitely gets an A+ from me.

**Spoiler alert-- if you don't want to know, don't read the next sentence** A lot of my friends immediately said "no" to this book when they found out the couple's child gets taken, but I promise you the boy is found and he was well taken care of. I bet now you're wondering who did it, aren't you? 😉

The Warsaw Orphan-- "In the spring of 1942, young Elzbieta Rabinek is aware of the swiftly growing discord just beyond the courtyard of her comfortable Warsaw home. She has no fondness for the Germans who patrol her streets and impose their curfews, but has never given much thought to what goes on behind the walls that contain her Jewish neighbors. She knows all too well about German brutality--and that it's the reason she must conceal her true identity. But in befriending Sara, a nurse who shares her apartment floor, Elzbieta makes a discovery that propels her into a dangerous world of deception and heroism.

Using Sara's credentials to smuggle children out of the ghetto brings Elzbieta face-to-face with the reality of the war behind its walls, and to the plight of the Gorka family, who must make the impossible decision to give up their newborn daughter or watch her starve. For Roman Gorka, this final injustice stirs him to rebellion with a zeal not even his newfound love for Elzbieta can suppress. But his recklessness brings unwanted attention to Sara's cause, unwittingly putting Elzbieta and her family in harm's way until one violent act threatens to destroy their chance at freedom forever."

 

This book was very hard to read at times, but is one of those books that I kept mentally going back to as I went about my day. I have read dozens of historical fiction novels about the atrocities of WW2, and while these books obviously discuss the very dark and sinister things going on at that time, they often show glimmers of hope in the people who stepped up to help strangers. This is one of those books. Despite the repercussions had she been caught, Elzbieta and her friends risk their lives to help people they had never met. It is heartbreaking. It is moving. It is a very powerful read. I give this book an A+ and have marked it down as a potential 2022 favorite.

Rock Paper Scissors-- "Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. 

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts--paper, cotton, pottery, tin--and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget."

I had lunch with a friend who is an avid reader a few weeks ago and he told me this book was his #1 book of last year. He loved it so much (and I trust his recommendations) so I downloaded it on Audible right then and there at the lunch table. I'm not sure how Devin felt about me listening on Audible because we would be lying in bed at night and I would gasp and say "WHAT?!?" or "that's so creepy!!" 😆 The commentary was not always appreciated. That being said, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed it, and would give it an A+. I liked my other books this month a little bit more though, so I'm not sure it'll make the "top books" list. Although that seems unfair to compare 3 great books to one another and pick favorites!

Have you read any of these books? I'd love to know your thoughts! 

See you back here on Wednesday for Let's Look. The theme for this month is "What I Ate in a Week" and I honestly had a lot of fun taking my food pictures throughout  last week. I am also very aware now that I eat the same things a LOT-- haha!