It’s been a year since my last blog post, and last year’s post was about the books I read. I guess I’ve been reading and not blogging. My reading goal was 24 in 2024. I exceeded my goal and read 29, but for some reason, the cute little graphic that Good Reads made for me didn’t count my last book of the year. Weird. As always, audio books helped me accomplish my goal. It’s so easy to hit play as I’m getting ready for work, driving, cooking, traveling, or doing other little tasks, and listening to a story is a great way to fill that time. The Libby app and my sister’s Audible account helped me listen in an affordable way.

I enjoyed fiction books much more than non-fiction this year, so I’ll start with that category. The books are listed in order of most favorite to least favorite. Just because something is further down on the list doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. If I don’t like a book, I won’t continue reading it, and I won’t leave a bad review for it. I’ve written two books, and I know how horrible it feels to have someone post a bad review. So, here are my (positive only) reviews.

Fiction

The Women by Kristin Hannah
Excellent! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Women can be heroes too – that’s the theme of this book. This was a historical take on the very real stories of the women who served as nurses during the Vietnam War. 
This story will rip your heart out, then give you all kinds of hope. It’s masterfully told- I couldn’t put it down. 
I know that World War II stories are very popular, but I would love to see more from this era, preferably by this writer. I cannot say enough good things about this book. Go get it today and start reading it. My book club is reading this in early 2025.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Absolutely delightful and another five star book.
This book was similar to The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, and oddly enough, was published in the same year (2019). The books are similar in that they are both about the pack horse librarians in the Appalachian mountains, specifically the coal mining areas of Kentucky and West Virginia, in the 1930s. However, in this book, the main character is a Kentucky blue person. Google it- they really existed. These people were so different that you can imagine how poorly they were treated, and the main character in this book endures a lot of social, emotional, verbal, and even physical abuse. Her story pulled at my heart, but with most good books, it had a happy ending, a good dose of drama – all the things. It’s a wonderful little story. I pitched this as a possibility for my book club and we’re going to read it this spring.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
I feel like I was the last person in the nation to read this, but it was rarely available on Libby, at the library, or the half price book sale, so I finally broke down and paid full price. It was worth it. I finished it about a month before the movie was released.
This was such a great story about a young woman with two great loves, how she fell in love with both guys, and how one broke her heart. The book’s sub theme of domestic violence teaches us that it’s never simple when dealing with a mean partner. I am ashamed to admit how quickly I have said that I would leave an abusive man, or I would knock him flat. You just don’t know, and it’s so complicated. This book taught me so much and helped me be less judgmental of situations I fortunately don’t understand.  
Great story, great lesson. Highly recommend. I also loved the movie. It was almost as good as the book, but not quite. If you’ve seen the movie, I would recommend reading the book anyway, as always, the book has so much more details. Blake Lively is perfect for the part of Lilly Bloom – well, she’s perfect in everything. #IStandWithBlake

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Two Kristin Hannah books in one year, both in the five star category.
This book is one of her older novels, published in 2010. I don’t know how I have missed this one for so long.
I flew through this – there’s just something about her writing that keeps me turning the page. Kristin Hannah is one of my most favorite authors, and I’m disappointed in myself for putting this book off so long. It’s a brilliant tale of mothers and daughters, sisters, and husbands and wives, with World War II/Leningrad as a backdrop. I learned a lot, cried a little, and loved this story.

The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester
This was a wonderful book to conclude my 2024 reading journey. Excellent storytelling, great characters, very creative.
This book bounces from World War II and modern day and follows two women: Estella (the grandmother) and Fabienne (the granddaughter), and we see how their stories develop and intertwine. Estella is a clothing designer in the 1940s; Fabienne is a museum designer with a talent like her grandmother’s in clothing design. Oddly enough, Fabienne doesn’t know a lot about her grandmother’s story. The author does a beautiful job of slowly revealing Estella’s story while Fabienne develops a story of her own. I may recommend this for book club next year.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

Great story by one of my most favorite authors. Kate Quinn is a master of character development, research, and storytelling. I enjoy her author’s notes and details about gathering her ideas almost as much as the story itself. 
This story mostly takes place after World War II. The book hops around to different characters and time periods which kept me interested, but sometimes when I read late at night, I got confused. 
Once I realized where the story would go, I couldn’t put it book down, and I can’t wait to read Quinn’s next book, The Briar Club. It’s in the cue and I’ll start it in the next week or two. I have to space her books out because I get really involved with the characters and sometimes I have dreams that I’m part of the story, which is probably the mark of a great book.

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
This was a beautiful work of historical fiction about a very ugly series of events in American history. 
In the 1960s and 70s the federal government funded forced sterilization of Black Americans. This is the story of a nurse in a family planning clinic that takes a family under her wing, and their two daughters were forced into sterilization. 
The characters were so compelling and the story was gripping. A must read. This was one of our book club books.

Prize Women by Caroline Lea
Have you ever heard of the Stork Derby? In short, an eccentric man left a fortune in his will to the woman that had the most babies in a 10 year period. And it just happened to be during the Great Depression. Hundreds of women had lots-o-babies in a time period when money was very tight. Google this. You’ll be flabbergasted to learn that this really did happen.
This book takes that bit of history and places two fictional characters in the middle of it. It’s the story of unlikely friendship, extreme poverty, heartbreaking betrayal, and the trials of motherhood. 
This was the first book I read when I finally found my book club. The book is a little long, but worth it because it was so fascinating.

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
This book kept me guessing. And as I got to the end I couldn’t stop reading. This is my second Lucy Foley novel, and I love her writing style. She hooks me into the story within the first few pages, invests me into the characters quickly, and keeps me turning the page. In both of the books I have read of Foley’s, she gives each character his or her own chapter, which also helps move the story along. In the bottom of a Paris apartment building is a locked room, and the residents of the building all have something to hide inside. The story will keep you fascinated until the very end.
I listened to the audiobook, and each character had their own narrator which also added interest to the book.

Did You Hear About Kitty Carr by Crystal Smith Paul
This was an interesting, unexpected story about a 1950s mega star and the secret she kept all her life. This is a story about lies, racism, and sexism. The story is good. It kept me guessing, and I enjoyed the way it wrapped up. The ending seemed a little rushed, as in the story just kind of ended, but I wanted more information. In all, it was a great story that I would recommend. Another book club book.

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
I checked this book out in search of a good travel story and finished it before I ever left. My reading hero, Kristy, said this was the best rated PG book she read last year, and it was one of the best I read this year.
This book had all the things- relatable characters (except for an eccentric main character), excellent story, fun plot twist. AND it was set in a real museum in New York City – the Henry Clay Frick Collection. If I ever get to go back to New York, I’ll add this as a site to see.

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
Delightful! This short novel is a sweet story that warmed my heart just in time for Christmas. This was a book club pick, and it took me several chapters to realize that I had read this book before, but it had been almost 20 years ago. However, I enjoyed the book just as much the second time around. I love Fannie Flagg’s writing. Her characters seem like people I know. Her towns are familiar to me. Her stories are fun and light hearted. 
If you need a pick me up or just a fun story, this one is great.

Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson
This was a nice story about the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. My great aunt was in the WAC, so I knew about this group of remarkable heroines, but I didn’t know there was a unit for black officers. This was a story of friendship, heroism, racism, loss, and the incredible stress of wartime, then add in a few military officials didn’t respect this group of officers. I really wanted an epilogue to tell me what parts of the story were real and which were fictional. There is a Netflix series coming soon starring Kerry Washington that looks like a similar story that I’m excited to see.  

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood
This book kind of blew my mind, and I haven’t watched the Hulu series yet – I don’t know if I want to. The book was written in 1985, and its a futuristic tale of women losing their power in society. It unnerved me because in the book, they came after the media and well educated women first. Well, at one time, I was a reporter, and now I have a doctoral degree – it hit a little too close to home.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Betty Harris, is captivating. She makes Margaret Atwood’s poetic words come to life. I rated three stars because I got a little lost in some of the time hopping, and I didn’t really get invested in the characters as much as I would have liked.

Camino Winds by John Grisham
I love a good Grisham book. I read at least one a year. This year I read two. This was a little different for his writing, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless.
This is the second book in the Camino Island story, but I don’t think you would need to read the first book to understand what is going on. The story centers around Bay Books, a fictional bookstore in Florida that I would totally shop at if it really existed and if I lived in Florida. It took me a while to figure out who the main character was, but once I got a few chapters in, I was hooked. Good characters, good ending – a fun vacation read.

Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
Let it be known that I read this book months before The Perfect Couple came out on Netflix and made Elin Hilderbrand an author known by all.
This was a nice spring break read. The story was fun with characters I was rooting for. It had a ghost which was a fun twist. I wanted more from the ghost, but otherwise, it was entertaining. I want to go to Nantucket now. This was my first book from this author. I’ll read more.

Killers of a Certain Age  by Deanna Rayburn
This is a great book. The plot is perfect. The characters are captivating. The ending is excellent. It just took me forever (as in eight months) to get through and I don’t know why. But this was a fun read and I recommend it. 
My fellow book lover, Courtney G., has a theory. There is something about the page color and texture combined with the font that can make someone sleepy. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I like this idea because there is no other reason why this book took me so long. The book is about a group of four women spies that are in their retirement years, but someone wants them dead. It was a very clever concept, and I wonder if I would have enjoyed the audio book more.

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Castaway meets The Notebook. This was a sweet story about true love, and how it can happen twice. But what happens when the two love stories intersect?
Not my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid book but it moved quickly and held my attention. She has a new book coming out next year, and I’m excited to read it.

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham
This was classic Grisham. It’s a tale of three law students at a dumpy DC law school. The students use their intelligence to get in on a class action lawsuit. I took this one on our cruise and it was a perfect vacation read. This had the suspense and twists that reminded me of The Firm or A Time to Kill.

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
This is the continuation of It Ends With Us. It picks up immediately after the first book. Just because I have this ranked at the end of my books for this year doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I just wasn’t as captivated by it as I was the first book. It’s a good story, I already loved the characters, so it was easy to want to follow along and find out what happens to them. It was worth the time to read it, and I liked that Colleen Hoover took the time to wrap up this storyline and give these characters the ending they deserved. Note: You must read It Ends With Us first before you read It Starts With Us, it won’t make much sense otherwise, and I personally don’t think the movie will substitute. You really need to read the first book to get some of the references in the second book.

Non-Fiction

Very Punchable Face by Collin Jost
A very lovable read. I had to wait months to get this from the Libby app and it was worth the wait.
This book had me belly laughing some times, giggling most of the time, and wanting to meet Colin Jost all of the time. And when I say belly laughing, there was one day that I was doubled over laughing at one of his stories. This book was so light hearted and fun- it was the perfect way to start my summer reading. There’s something for everyone to enjoy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How Y’all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived by Leslie Jordan
Absolutely joy-filled. I read this when a lot was happening in my life, and this book, along with Leslie’s East Tennessee drawl, was a happy place I got to be every time I got in my car. 
I wish I would have become a Leslie Jordan fan earlier. I love everything about him – his humor, joy, confidence, storytelling, accent – but most of all, his light. I’m sad he has passed on, but I love that his stories – in his own voice – will live forever. This is one that I would definitely get the audiobook for.

Oath & Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney
I could not put this book down. Former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney details her experiences on Jan. 6, 2021, then her service on the Congressional investigation. Her service on that committee ultimately cost her a seat in Congress. She did what she thought was right, and she didn’t care if it cost her seat. Doing the right thing was more important to her than an elected office. I wish more people would choose morals over keeping their power.

The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis by George Stephanopoulos & Lisa Dickey
I listened to this book in November 2024, a month when I was giving a lot of thought to the American presidents, past and future: the decisions they make, the stress they’re under, the people they have to please, the people they anger, and how it never ends. 
This book, cowritten by Good Morning America co-anchor George Stephanopoulos, takes us inside one of America’s most famous, yet secretive rooms-The Situation Room. President Kennedy had the idea and pulled together the first version of it, and every president since has used it to varying degrees. The room has been refined and remodeled over the years. Johnson thrived on it. Nixon and Trump hated it. This book gives us a great deal of insight with each president since Kennedy. It’s a great slice of American presidential history. 
I really liked the audiobook. George reads it and he includes clips of interviews and archival footage that provide an interesting texture to the stories. 

Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford by Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin Hill
Clint Hill is the secret service agent you see leaping into President Kennedy’s car seconds after he was shot in Dallas. In this book, he shares his entire career with the United States Secret Service. 
I started this book wanting the secrets of the service. I wanted to know what REALLY happened that the public didn’t know or see with Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford. This book didn’t offer much of that, just some small bits here and there. At first I was disappointed, but the more I read, I realized that Clint Hill is a man with a great deal of integrity; he was a good agent. What kind of a good agent would spill the secrets? So, I simply enjoyed the stories of his time working mere feet away from the most powerful men in the world. It’s a quick read and enjoyable. 

The Woman In Me by Britney Spears
Britney’s life hasn’t been easy and her book goes into so many details to describe it. She has been working since she was 10, had her heart broken several times (sometimes very publicly), and, according to the book, her parents were pretty horrible to her. She hasn’t had much time to forge good friendships with people she can trust. And that’s just the top level stuff. This is her side of the story and if you’ve been following Britney’s career as long as I have, you need to hear her side. I really hoped she would discuss her disastrous concert in Lubbock, but she skipped that part. 

Women & Money by Suze Orman
If you want/need to get your money straight this is incredibly helpful. I read it to be reassured that I’m doing the right things. I picked up a few tricks for my son’s college fund and my retirement savings.

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
This book is best reviewed with emojis: 🫣🫣🤭🤭🤭🙉🙉🙉😆😆😆😆🙉🙉🙉🤭🤭🤭
If you get the audiobook, don’t listen with kids around. Or other humans. 

Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others by Stephen M.R. Covey
This was a helpful book for work. It has some great lessons. It was a little dry though.

And that’s all! There are several great books to be published in 2025 that I’m excited about, and my book club has some interesting titles coming up in the next few months.

For 2025, this isn’t a reading goal, but clearly, I need to blog more. Several years ago, I set out to read the autobiography of each president and First Lady that has been in office in my lifetime. I didn’t make any progress toward that goal this year. I’ll start 2025 with Rosalynn Carter’s book, First Lady from Plains, as Jimmy Carter passed away yesterday. And in keeping with the my goals from the past few years, my goal is to read 25 in ’25. If you care to follow me on Good Reads, I’m easy to find: Erica Irlbeck.