BJ’s Standout Reads: September 15, 2017
I typically read a book every week. I read when I wake up in the morning before I work up the energy to get vertical, and then I read before I go to bed. I also listen to audio books while I’m puttering around too. I keep a list of every book I’ve completed on my site, here.
Here are the standouts of books I’ve read lately that I really got into.
The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle. Imagine if your husband was leaving for a work trip. He was headed for Orlando. But then another plane leaving from the same airport crashed. That plane was bound from Seattle. You’re relieved, right? He was on the plane to Orlando, not Seattle. But what if he was actually on the plane to Seattle, and he was in that plane crash. How do you find out why he was going to Seattle in the first place, while coming to grips that you’ve just lost your husband suddenly? This book covers grieving and mystery. And I was completely obsessed with learning why he was going to Seattle instead of Orlando.
Modern Lovers by Emma Straub. This book covers the story of three best friends from college, Elizabeth, Andrew and Zoe. They had a band in their college days, but one of their bandmates went on to pop star fame, while the others went on to lead normal non-famous lives. The famous one, Lydia, joined the 27 club and died at age 27. A movie is being made of her life, and the producers approach the other band members to ask permission to use the band’s most famous song, which was written by Elizabeth. Andrew, her husband, doesn’t want to release the rights to the song. Over the course of the story we learn why. This book covers the lives of these 40 somethings as they navigate difficulties in their marriage as well as trying to keep the past in the past.
The Two Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman. The story starts in the 40s and spans into the 70s. It’s the story of two brothers who live in a two family house. The brothers are running the family business, a box company in Brooklyn, while their wives are in their traditional role of raising the families in this two family house. On the night of a blizzard, the brothers are away on business while their wives, Rose and Helen, both give birth to their babies on the night of the storm while trapped in their house. And it’s this point that life changes for them. I pretty early picked up on why their relationship changed that night. But it was still interesting to find out when the truth would be revealed and how.
BJ Knapp is the author of Beside the Music, available for purchase here. Please sign up for the Backstage with BJ Knapp mailing list to get updates on events, signings, dog pictures and so much more.
added on 09.15.17