weekend book binge | 01.14.18
The last few weeks have been a little nutty - I've spent the last week back in Texas due to a family emergency and we are all just worn out. I've been escaping at night to my beloved books for a little reprieve and lemme tell ya...I'm in the middle of some good ones.
rosemary: the hidden kennedy daughter by kate clifford larson
The Kennedy family is absolutely sprawling...and full of tragedy. One of the most famous names in American history also harbors some of the saddest stories, as well. Though the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and his brother Senator Robert take center stage, the story of their sister, Rosemary, is one of the saddest. Considered to be slower than her siblings (due to a horrific birth), Rosemary was seen as a blemish to the Kennedy family name. In order to make her more manageable, her father scheduled her for a controversial new procedure in 1941. Rosemary's botched lobotomy, and her life thereafter, becomes of the darkest stories in the Kennedy family history. This book has already sent me down a myriad of Wikipedia rabbit holes...and I imagine it will send you that way, too.
the wicked girls by alex marwood
The Wicked Girls introduces the readers to Amber and Kirsty, two women in completely different situations with nothing in common...other than a devastating secret that could unravel the lives they've built for themselves. Caught up in the midst of a brutal serial killer, a working class woman and a crime report cross paths after years of trying to forget the dark past that stains them both. Slightly reminiscent of Parker-Hulme case of 1954, this novel is an interesting read that makes you feel slightly uncomfortable. Though not as intensely conflicted as All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, it's hard to not feel sorry for and be disgusted by the characters at the same time.
harry potter and the half-blood prince by j.k. rowling
Like a box of chocolate, I've honestly had to slow down my Harry Potter intake. I want to devour the series. Again. I've watched the movies, read the original-print books, and now...I've gone audiobook. I am in love with narrator Jim Dale's take on the characters. As the storyline becomes increasingly darker, the books just keep getting better. All of the subtle nuances I missed when reading (and that weren't included in the movies), are all popping up - and that doesn't even include all of the hilarious "adults only" humor J.K. Rowling slips in.
reconstructing amelia by kimberly mccreight
"She didn't jump." Imagine your life turning upside down - one moment, you get a phone call saying your daughter has been suspended. The next, as you arrive at her school, you find she's jumped from the building to her death. But what if it all isn't what it seems? In a best-selling debut novel, Reconstructing Amelia takes a look at exclusive schools, bullying, peer pressure, and friendship...and the toll it takes on the young psyche.
