There was a time in my life when I could read 25 or more books in a year. That number sounds crazy now that I’m a working mom. Between work, taking care of the kids and the house, I don’t often have time for myself, and when I do, I’d rather catch up on sleep, do some more random tasks in the house, or let’s be honest–watch something on Netflix.
For 2018, I’m actually quite proud of myself for finishing 3 books. The other good thing about this is that I only borrowed them from the Wellington City Library via their mobile app. I’ve been reading through my mobile phone these days, and that’s the only way I got to finish these books. I spend about 20-30 minutes reading a few pages (I use this timer) reading a few pages when I need to take a break from house work, or at night, just before I go to sleep. Definitely better than scrolling mindlessly through social media (which I still do, but trying to cut back on).
Here are the books I read last year.
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
Amber is a plain, ordinary woman who worms her way into the family of beautiful Daphne and her rich husband, Jackson. She thinks Daphne takes her life of money and power for granted, and devices a scheme to get Jackson for herself. But Amber soon finds that things are not what they seem in Daphne and Jackson’s marriage, and soon regrets what she did.
I enjoyed this book because I’m a sucker for stories where the villain gets her come-uppance. Amber was so easy to hate, and I easily cheered for Daphne. For a large part of the book, it was written from Amber’s perspective, and sometimes it got tiresome to read about her hating everyone, even the couple’s daughters. But the satisfying twist comes towards the end, when I read Daphne’s point of view. Overall, this was a good, albeit sometimes tiring and disturbing (ie. Some domestic violence involved) read. I’d love to see this on Netflix.
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
Lucy and Gabe meet as college students on 9/11. With that traumatizing event, both of them decide that they want their lives to mean something. Their career choices pulled them apart–Gabe becomes a photojournalist working in the Middle East and Lucy pursues a career in New York. They weave in and out of each other’s lives for the next thirteen years, in a journey that makes them question their choices and their fates.
This book is along the lines of “Me Before You” and “One Day”, so spoiler: someone dies. Prepare to cry. Which I did. But now that I’m writing this a few months after reading the book (and also reading other reviews), I’m actually annoyed by Lucy, because the decisions she made about her relationship with Gabe were so childish. It made me ask myself–was I the same way in my 20’s, flipping back and forth over my choices, and sometimes just preferring not to make any, and leave everything to fate? Answer: Mostly, yes.
It’s a good weekend read, if you want a good cry. There are a couple of cheesy lines–like the writer is aiming for the book to be turned into a movie. But I think young adults would like this, if only to learn to be careful and thoughtful about the choices they make, especially when it comes to love.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Mia and her daughter Pearl move to suburban Shaker Heights, and in to the rental home owned by the Richardson family. Pearl eventually befriends the Richardson kids, and Mia takes a job as their housekeeper in order to keep an eye on her daughter. Mia encourages a Chinese co-worker to get custody of her baby, who is being adopted by the Richardson’s friends.
Mrs. Richardson suspects Mia’s motives, and tries to dig in to her past, while ignoring the problems her children face. The novel is about secrets, motherhood, and how planning and following the rules may sometimes just actually end up in disaster.
This novel was a difficult read for me. There’s a lot of subplots and many characters, that I would sometimes have to back-read a few chapters in order to move forward. But the subplots all come together in a nice, solid thread. I’m not sure how authors write a novel, but I imagine this author to be highly organized–as if she had outlined the entire story and characters before she started writing. The ending left me hanging, and I honestly think there will probably be a sequel. Would I recommend it? Yes, but prepared for a long read.
This Year’s Reading Goal
For 2019, I’m setting a very modest goal of 5 books (such a low goal, right?). I’ve already started on one, and I hope to finish it in the next couple of weeks. It’s really just amazing—what was once something I could do in a few days, I have to now finish in weeks! Well, here’s to motherhood and all its duties, right? But I feel like this will not be too hard, and I’ll congratulate myself if I finish above my target. Wish me luck!
