Books I Read This Month: January 2017

Another month, another handful of books that I can check off my "to read" list- and believe me, it's long. This month my husband and I discovered a bookstore that was not only huge, but had awesome prices. If you live in the Salem, OR area, I'd highly recommend Escape Fiction. We spent a good three hours in the bookstore and emerged with bags full of books. So I'm set for the next few months. Isn't that an awesome feeling?!

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I saw this movie years ago and kept thinking to myself that I really needed to read the book. And I'm happy that I finally got around to it. The story is told from the perspective of death who tells us the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl in Nazi Germany who has a habit of stealing books. Liesel's mother can no longer care for her children and Liesel goes to live with her new mama and papa- Hans and Rosa Hubermann. During her time in her new town, she meets Max Vandenburg who is Jewish and seeking a hiding place. They quickly form a friendship and Max teaches her and her papa how to read. I don't want to give too much away, but would definitely recommend this book.

2. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
3. Flawless by Sara Shepard
I know, I'm way late to this ball game. I've been watching the series since it first aired and with the last season premiering this year, I thought it was time to finally read the series. I've read the first two installments in what is actually a really long series (it has 16 books!). I've been told that the books are very different and they weren't kidding! There are even characters in it (like Emily's sister) that aren't in the TV series. Even though the show is not following the books, I'm still enjoying reading the series and will continue with the third installment in February.

4. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
5. Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth
6. Farewell to East End by Jennifer Worth
Again, another program that I enjoy. I just finished season five on Netflix recently and wanted to read the series that inspired the show. The books are a memoir of the life of Jenny- a midwife in the 1950's/60's in London. The series addresses many social issues (including miscarriages/stillbirths, racism, disability, alcoholism, prostitution, and many more). I'm not in the medical field, but still found her memoir interesting in learning about midwifery in the 1950's/60's. How times have changed!

7. Sisi: Empress on Her Own by Allison Pataki
This book is written by one of my favorite authors who has written other historical fictions. I absolutely love her writing style and you can tell how much research she conducted while writing the book. This is a continuation of her last novel, The Accidental Empress, and follows the story of Empress Elisabeth (SiSi) of Austria and Hungary. I had never heard of her before and I love history so I enjoyed learning about her. Pataki offers a unique perspective into SiSi's life that almost makes it feel like SiSi wrote it herself. Pataki's new book, Where the Light Falls: A Novel of the French Revolution, is releasing in July of this year and I can't wait to read it!

8. The Town Behind the Wall by Elie Wiesel
In December, I read one of Wiesel's other books and wanted to look into his other works. This story focuses on Michael, a Jewish man who has survived the Holocaust and searches for the meaning in everything for the rest of his life. My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor and a lot of this book reminded me of the things he'd say to me. This book was more poetic than Night and I would definitely recommend this one as well!





If you'd like to read my "Books I Read This Month" from December, please click here.

50 Book Challenge Tally: 8