The 9 Books I Read in May

I read so many great books this month!  I don't usually read quite so many books when the boys are still "in school" but many of them were so compelling I just could not put them down.

1.  Turning Point by Daniel Steel-- 4 trauma specialists from the United States head to Paris for a 4 week training seminar with Parisian trauma specialists.  After a two week hiatus the 4 Parisian doctors come to the United States for a reciprocal event.   Each ones sees the seminars as a turning point in their lives and are forever changed.  New friendships are formed, relationships begin and end, jobs are changed, and personal growth happens all around.  A pretty typical Danielle Steel novel.

2.  California Girls by Susan Mallery-- Three sisters Zennie, Finola, and Ali all get dumped the same week.  Zennie isn't into dating anyone and decides to become a surrogate for her best friend not thinking through all that her body will have to endure and the changes she'll have to make to her lifestyle.  Finola learns her husband is cheating on her in a very public way and begins to examine her life based on his actions.  Ali is just weeks away from getting married when her fiancé's brother, Daniel, comes to tell her that Glen was debating about just leaving her at the alter.  Daniel offers to help her cancel everything and becomes a true friend in a time of need.  Just as all three sisters find their lives in upheaval their mother asks for help cleaning out the house they grew up in so she can sell it. I always enjoy stories about family ties.

3.  The Ladies' Room by Carolyn Brown-- When Trudy overhears her cousins discussing her husband's affairs and her daughter's secret marriage during her own Aunt's funeral her entire life changes in an instant.  She decides to change her address, hair style, clothes, and attitude.  A very fun and light story about a woman in her 40's finally coming into her own.

4.  Every Breath by Nicolas Sparks-- This love story spans 25 years and I was captivated from the very moment I began reading the prologue.  A series of letters and photos are found in a mailbox on a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina... as the story unfolds we hear the entire life story of the two main characters.  I was actually very disappointed to read the author's note in the back and discover that both the prologue and the epilogue were made up!  I honestly thought this whole story was based on a true life story... and reading that it wasn't made me think just a tad less of it..

5.  Before We Were Strangers by Brenda Novak-- Sloane returns to her childhood town at the age of 28 to finally uncover what happened the night her mother disappeared.  She had often suspected her father, the mayor, had more to do with the night in question than he admitted to but had felt powerless to take him on.  With the help of a few friends Sloane begins to unravel a 20+ year old mystery... but it's not always clear who your true friends are.  Fraught with danger, mystery and intrigue I often thought this book was going to take a much more sinister turn.

6. We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh-- Letty has spent the last 14 years working three jobs to support her children and her parents, leaving her mother to act as both mother and grandmother to her two children.  But when her parents decide to move back to Mexico Letty must step up and be both the breadwinner in the family and a real mother.  Uncertain what to do and how to connect with her kids she muddles through the best she can.  Filled with emotion this was a fabulous story and I was so thrilled my sister had recommended it to me; I read it in just two days!  It was my favorite book of the month!

7.  Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover --- This book came in as a very close second favorite (maybe even tied for first!) this month.  Based on the real life story of a young girl growing up in a rural family in Idaho.  Her father fears the government and educates his children at home with the help of her mother.  They rely on herbs and home remedies to treat themselves and it becomes clear by the third or so chapter that there is some mental illness in the family.  I wasn't sure as a homeschooling parent myself that I would like this book since there is often a negative connotation still linked with homeschooling but I could not deny that this was a very powerful telling of a life story that is like none other that I have ever heard.

8.  Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews-- this fun and light novel was just what I needed after the last two emotionally fraught books I had read.  When Cara's father calls in the loan he gave her to open her own flower shop she is determined to prove him wrong and knows if she can just get the biggest wedding of the season off without a hitch she'll be all set... but life rarely goes off without a hitch and Cara is constantly putting out fires.

9.  Breaking the Silence by Diane Chamberlain-- When her father dies and her husband commits suicide shortly after, Laura is left with a little girl who won't speak.  Emma is traumatized by her father's suicide and no one knows just how much the little girl saw.  Unsure of what else to do Laura finally contacts the only person she can think of-- Emma's biological father; a man who never even knew he had a daughter.