Photo by Elena Kloppenburg on Unsplash
Despite the chaos in the world, May went by quickly. I started going back into my school libraries for a few hours a week and liked the sense of normalcy that provided.
In another act of normalcy, I put together some book lists, one of my favorite things to do. I shared two blog posts featuring Black Lives Matter reading options. Here’s the one for adults, and here’s the one for kids and teens.
Now let’s get to what I read and loved in May.
What I Read
Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson
Her Every Fear focuses on Kate, a Londoner who swaps apartments with her American cousin Corbin. They’ve never met, but the opportunity is too good for Kate to pass up. Kate heads to Boston and hopes to gain back some of the peace and independence she had before a former boyfriend kidnapped her and nearly killed her. Trouble follows Kate, though, when one of her new neighbors is found dead. Corbin quickly becomes a person of interest in the case, and Kate slowly learns that he’s not the person she thought he was. Peter Swanson has become one of my go-to thriller writers. His books are consistently gripping with exciting twists. Her Every Fear is no different.
Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris
This novel centers on Jack and Grace, a seemingly perfect newlywed couple. Everything about them is impressive, including their home and appearances. What looks ideal from the outside is anything but on the inside, though. I typically love domestic thrillers involving a tumultuous marriage, but this one didn’t work for me. The plot seems too unbelievable, even for a thriller. I kept wanting to roll my eyes and toss the book across the room. It was entertaining, so if that’s all you’re looking for, this book will do, but if you’re looking for more, you won’t find it here.
Team of Five: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump
by Kate Andersen Brower
Here’s a list of things I love:
- Air conditioning
- Iced coffee
- Books about presidents
- Books about presidents and their relationships with other presidents
Brower starts off her book in the Oval Office, where she’s interviewing President Trump. She allows him an opportunity to relate to and empathize with former presidents, but he doesn’t take it. His break from the so-called presidents club sets the tone for this book about the relationships between Carter, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43, Obama, and Trump. Brower explores the tensions and friendships between these men in the light of our volatile political climate If you’re a presidential history nerd like I am, you’ll enjoy this entertaining glimpse into the lives of America’s leaders.
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
All I knew about Behind Her Eyes going in was that it has a shocking ending. I can verify that it does, but the stuff before the conclusion is pretty good, too. The story revolves around Louise, a single mom struggling to find her place in the world post-divorce. She meets a man in a bar named David, and they kiss, filling her with hope and desire. He turns out to be her new boss, though, and the new friend she just met is his wife, Adele. As the story progresses, Louise gets more and more involved with both David and Adele. As in every thriller ever, things are much more complicated than they seem and everyone has secrets. My attention span has been pretty short these past few weeks, but this book was the perfect choice to hold my attention.
What I Loved
TELEVISION: Dead to Me
To quote the youths, I can’t even with this show. I haven’t watched anything this addictive in a long time. If you’re unfamiliar, Dead to Me is a series about two women who become friends after meeting at a grief support group. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are fantastic leads who excel at both drama and comedy. I think the less you know about the show going in, the better off you’ll be. There are twists and turns in nearly every episode, so make sure you have lots of time on your hands when you start this series because won’t want to stop.
DOCUMENTARY: American Experience: George W. Bush
As I’ve already established in this post, I love presidential history. I was excited to see a new documentary in the American Experience series, especially because it’s about George W. Bush. I was in high school when the US invaded Iraq, so I knew what was going on, but had no depth of knowledge to understand everything fully. This documentary did what I hoped it would do; I learned a lot about not just Iraq, but about what led to the September 11th attacks, how that crisis unfolded, and how it changed the entirety of Bush’s presidency. If you have even the slightest interest in presidents or American history, make sure to check this out.
What did you love in May? I’d love to hear!
Andrea Is Reading 