This fall has been a big time of transition for my family. LJ started kindergarten and now my days include balancing drop-offs and pick-up for both kindergarten and preschool. Add in a toddler’s (can’t believe it’s not “baby’s” anymore!) nap schedule and a few extracurriculars to the mix, plus just daily life things like meals and laundry and cleaning, and you can probably see why I chose to pare back on other things while I got my bearings in this new stage. I’ve also been prioritizing rest (my goal for November!) and it’s been a refreshing change of pace. Home projects and this blog are creative outlets for me, but it was a good decision to hold them loosely over the past few months so I could actually enjoy this stage of transition for my family. It feels like we’re in a good groove now and I’m ready to be more consistent here again – and what better way than to jump back in than to catch up on my book reviews?
I haven’t had the brain space for too many books these past few months but I did read three books over the course of September and October. Let’s discuss!
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
In college, it was the six of them: inseparable best friends. Then tragedy struck. Now it’s the five of them and while they don’t see each other as often, they know they can always count on one another to show up when life gets hard. And when life gets super hard, they show up and throw a funeral. This funeral is for the living friend, giving tribute to them and reminding them that they are loved and supported and celebrated. These funerals have happened over the course of decades, and in an intricately-told story weaving past and present together we see both how the past funerals unfolded and how the characters are preparing for and processing the next one, which may be the hardest living funeral yet.
This was a new author to me and I was so impressed with his storytelling. I devoured this book in 24 hours. I simply could not put it down! It was an incredibly intimate portrait of a decades-long friendship that has gone through varying stages of closeness. Poignant, thought-provoking, deep. I loved how the present day struggles of two of the characters were woven in with the history of the past funerals for the others. I highlighted two passages that really struck me: “We weren’t meant to see everything, we weren’t built to do everything, we aren’t capable of knowing everything. At a certain point, peace has to be found with the choices we’ve made.” ” Not everything had to be Paris to be a life experience. It was just that some things needed to be new, and carry with them the air of excitement that comes with the uncharted.” I love when a book causes me to pause and reflect on my own life, and those moments, as well as others throughout, did just that. Ultimately, I thought it was a meaningful look at what it looks like to show up for one another in life’s toughest moments and what it means to live a life well lived. I absolutely loved it and will be thinking about it for quite a while.
The Montessori Toddler: A Parent’s Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being by Simone Davies
“Turn your home into a Montessori home–and become a more mindful, attentive, and easygoing parent. It’s time to change the way we see toddlers. Using the principles developed by the educator Dr. Maria Montessori, Simone Davies shows how to turn life with a “terrible two” into a mutually rich and rewarding time of curiosity, learning, respect, and discovery.”
I happened to see this book on the shelf at my local library and decided to check it out. I was vaguely familiar with some of the principles of Montessori and was curious about ways I could implement some of it into our home and daily practices. This book is FULL of practical ideas ranging from how to set up your home to lists of activities for your toddler at different stages of development to advice on cultivating routines for everything from getting dressed to brushing teeth to cleaning up spills and helping in the kitchen. It’s not a book I devoured, but I did enjoy picking it up here and there and reading a bit at a time, writing down little bits of wisdom and advice along the way. It’s definitely aspirational and I’m far from fully implementing this lifestyle for my family, but I am on board with many of the Montessori ideals and found this book to be really helpful. I was inspired to make tweaks to our routines with all my kids, even the ones outside of toddlerhood, and I have appreciated those changes in our life! It was inspiring for me and if you’re interested in Montessori at all, I think it’s worth checking out, even if you just want to browse through for some ideas.
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
April Clarke-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford. Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit and they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends during their first term. By the end of the year, April was dead. Now, a decade later, the man convicted of killing April, whom Hannah testified against, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder. (summary adapted from Amazon)
The cover gives very psychological thriller vibes, and it does eventually have a few heart-pumping scenes, but this book felt more like a mystery and less like a thriller to me. I will say, I kept having a deja vu sense – it was my first time reading it but it felt like a book I’ve read before. Even though it’s not psychological, it reminded me of Girl on a Train or The Woman in the Window – Hannah isn’t necessarily an unreliable narrator, but there are elements of questioning her memories that makes it feel similar to other books I’ve read. I liked the dual timelines and enjoyed picturing the Oxford setting (in my mind, it looked kind of like Harry Potter ha!) but the characters were all a bit unlikeable for various reasons so it was hard to know who to root for and who to suspect. The mystery was intriguing and I was invested in figuring out what exactly happened to April, so it held my interest even when it got a little slow at times. It kept me guessing for a long time, and while I did suspect some aspects of the twisty reveals, there were also parts that I was completely surprised by. Overall, it doesn’t land as a top recommendation for me but it was a solid mystery and if you’re in the mood for a suspenseful read without gore or jumpiness, this would be a good choice.
We’re approaching my favorite time of year to read – cozied up with a blanket by a twinkling Christmas tree! – and I’m excited to dive into the huge stack of books I just checked out from the library. If you have any must-read recommendations to add, send them my way!
simplify the chaos 