The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs by Matthew Dicks

I'm finally out of my reading lull, and picked up Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens at the library and read before watching the movie. 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I was looking for a novel to read while on vacation, so picked up The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. This book kept me engaged and was a quick read. It wasn't overly juicy but I liked the story and it kept me reading until the end to see what happened. 

I recently picked up The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and enjoyed this novel. It's a multi-generational family saga that looks at racial identity, family and privilege. The book kept me engaged until the very end to find out what happened, it was thought provoking and felt timeless. 

I enjoyed An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. I wanted to read another novel this summer and have also been wanting to keep reading Black Lives Matter recommendations or books by black authors. This one was hard to put down, it was well written. There were certain parts of the book I wanted to be different but all in all I was connected to the story and the characters and thought this was an illuminating portrayal not just of relationships but of the effects of wrongful conviction and racism in America. 

The Giver of Stars is the second book I've read by Jojo Moyes, having also read Me Before You. This book took place in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky during the Depression. It was about a team of women who ran the Packhorse Library, an initiative spearheaded by Elenor Roosevelt to expand literacy to poor, rural areas of the country. 

I loved the historical backdrop of the book and the characters Moyes created. Her books read like a movie, it's no wonder this is already being made into a motion picture (as was Me Before You). 

I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen in the book and even during the slower parts, Moyes doesn't disappoint with her descriptive writing and excellent character development. As this was a novel set in a factual time in history, Moyes gives keen insights and beautiful descriptions around equality for women and blacks, the struggles of the poor, the issues surrounding coal mining in the 30's as well as morality, religion and the pressures of a patriarchal  society.