The Reading Room

The Shell Seekers

A 997 page book not long enough…

The size of this book was daunting as hell at first. Once I got to the last 100 pages I was dreading its ending.

A summary that doesn’t even begin to describe it but you shouldn’t read a longer one: Against the backdrop of an elegant Cornwall mansion before World War II and a vast continent-spanning canvas during the turbulent war years, this envolving story tells of an extraordinary young woman’s coming of age, coming to grips with love and sadness, and in every sense of the term, coming home…

Book Review

Brief summary: Shuggie Bain is an incredibly powerful and challenging debut novel of love, loss, and perseverance that brings light to struggle and inspires a hope for something more. As a fictional account of Stuarts own childhood in 80s Glasgow, it brings an emotional and fearsome reality to life and it will break your heart over and over.

This book felt like a mix between Angela’s Ashes meets A Little Life. Yes, those are two pretty sorrowful books and Shuggie is equally as sorrowful. I highly recommend reading with a group, it was so nice to be able to discuss the many feelings that this book makes you feel (mainly anger and sadness) with the #read group. I had to read in shorter bursts to counterbalance the sadness. I threw it down, I shed tears on its pages, and I stared at the cover (when I was listening to the audio). It is truly a remarkable story. Shuggie is one of those characters we hold in our hearts long after setting the book down.

Book Review

Summary: Vanessa Price is a 28-year-old YouTube star who travels the world using her platform to raise money and awareness for ALS. With a 50% chance that she has inherited the disease, shes determined to live her best life now because she may not make it to age 30. But her adventures are cut short when her half-sister drops off Vanessas infant niece, Grace, at her door and never comes back, catapulting Vanessa into the role of mother figure overnight. Vanessas neighbor, the sexy and successful lawyer Adrian Copeland, is a workaholic with little time for a personal lifeuntil an earsplitting four a.m. meltdown from Grace brings him to Vanessas door with an offer of help. Vanessa and Adrians meet-cute develops into a steadfast friendship and eventually a slow-burn romance.

I Was a Guest on the Unabridged Podcast

Back in May 2020, I had the loveliest conversation with Ashley, Jen, and Sara on the Unabridged Podcast — one of my favorite book podcasts, full stop. We talked about something I care deeply about: the power of building a reading community online, and what happens when books become a bridge between people who might never have found each other otherwise.

What we talked about

I found bookstagram in 2018, about six months after my second child was born, when I was looking for a way to connect with other readers beyond my immediate circle. What I didn’t expect was how much it would change the way I read — not just what I read, but how I engage with books.

Book Review

…that land’s my home. That land’s my deepest wish, my wildest dream, the only prayer and the only temple I’m ever gonna need.

This sums up Frank Starlight perfectly.

Frank Starlight has long settled into a quiet life working his remote farm, but his contemplative existence comes to an abrupt end with the arrival of Emmy, who has committed a desperate act so she and her child can escape a harrowing life of violence.

Book Review

We’re all born with the greatest treasures we’ll ever have in life. One of those treasures is your mind, another is your heart.

Mornings in Jenin follows four generations of the Abulheja family through upheaval and violence in their homeland. The family has deep roots in Ein Hod, a tranquil village of olive farmers. When Israel declares statehood in 1948, the peace of Ein Hod is shattered forever: The entire community is forced to move to a refugee camp in Jenin.

Book Review

“Go now or you’ll never go.”

Evvie Drake Starts Over begins with her leaving her husband (not a spoiler, it’s in the summary). We don’t know why, in fact we don’t know much about that marriage for a little while. She’s an extremely likable character who describes feeling stuck in a relationship like being in a boat on a large bo of water and rowing and rowing and not getting anywhere but being too far to turn around so you keep trekking along hoping to find the other side. Instead of finding the other side though, she gets a phone call saying her husband was in a car accident (also not a spoiler) and has died – on the same day she was leaving him!