The Big White Farmhouse

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#11. THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE by Carla Buckley
★★★☆☆

If a Hallmark movie/women’s fiction novel and an apocalyptic novel had a baby, it would be this book.  It follows a mother of two, who allows her soon-to-be ex-husband back into the house after an H5N1 outbreak wreaks havoc on the world.  Reading about a pandemic during a pandemic may or may not have been the wisest choice, but I sure am grateful that ours doesn’t have a 50% death rate like the one in the book.  Not the best novel I’ve ever read, but definitely a thought-provoking one.

#12. THE FORTUNATE ONES by Ellen Umansky
★★☆☆☆

This was a weird one.  I went into it thinking that it was a dual-timeline modern day/WWII-era historical fiction, which it was…except it wasn’t.  (How’s that for a description, ha!)  Both stories revolve around a specific piece of artwork that means a lot to both main characters, but it proved not to be a very interesting premise.  Just an okay read for me.

#13. THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF RACHEL DUPREE by Ann Weisgarber
★★★☆☆

This one was a sad story about an African American couple trying to survive as homesteaders in the harsh environment of the Badlands (in South Dakota) during the early 20th century.  There were a lot of thought-provoking parts to this novel, especially about prejudice and a marriage created with two people on different pages.  Solid three stars.  (This fit the Historathon prompt for “A Book With a Person’s Name in the Title”)

#14. THE GIRL IN THE GREEN RAINCOAT by Laura Lippman
★★☆☆☆

I was looking for a quick change of pace before diving back into historical fiction, so I picked up The Girl in the Green Raincoat.  (I rediscovered it while picking books for The Booktube Spin.)  This novella, at just 158 pages, is about a pregnant private investigator on bedrest who tries to solve a case while stuck at home.  A fast read, but definitely forgettable.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but I guess this book is part of a bigger series and I dove in at #11.  Oops!  (This also fulfilled the Buzzword Readathon Challenge prompt for February, “a color.”)

#15. THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS by Jennifer Rosner
★★★★☆

The author describes the book this way: “The Yellow Bird Sings is a story about longing: the longing of a child and her mother to be connected, to be heard, to find their way home.”  I had a hard time getting into the first third of the book, but was very invested in the characters after that.  The ending was beautiful.  P.S. Some sexual content, that most likely was true to life during that time, but still hard to read.  (This was also the group read for Historathon.)

#16. THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR by Shari Lapena
★★★☆☆

Thanks to the Historathon challenge, I am learning that I need a bit of a palate cleanser before diving back into heavy historical fiction novels.  This time, I went with another one unearthed due to The Booktube Spin.  The story is about a couple who left their sleeping six-month-old baby home while they were at a dinner party right next door.  They brought the baby monitor to the party and checked in every half hour, so nothing could possibly go wrong…right?  Nope.  At the end of the party, they return to find the front door ajar and the crib empty.  The rest of the book is a twisty ride!  Fast paced and enjoyable, but you do have to suspend belief a bit.  I flew through it during a snowy weekend.

#17. THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO US by Annie Barrows
★★★★☆

Set in small town West Virginia in the late 1930s, this chunky book is about a young girl, her unconventional family, and a visitor who comes to town to work on the Federal Writers’ Project.  This was surprisingly deep and hit themes like loyalty and forgiveness and truth.  I especially loved the witty banter between family members.  3.5 stars, rounded up.   (This fit the Historathon prompt for “A Place You’ve Visited”)

#18. THE LOST GIRLS OF PARIS by Pam Jenoff
★★★☆☆

This book is the fictional story about a group of female secret agents during World War II.  It’s told in three perspectives – one is the “current” day of 1946 and the other two primarily occur two years before.  I blew through it during my 24in48 Challenge and found the historical aspect of female agents riveting, but ultimately thought it was just a solid three star read.  I wanted less romance and more spying!  Good, but not amazing.

#19. NEVER LOOK BACK by Alison Gaylin
★★★☆☆

Another quick change of pace with a fast-paced thriller that was recommended on Youtube.  This was supposed to be about a true crime podcaster researching an old case, but in reality, it didn’t have much to do with the true crime podcast phenomenon at all.  Still good and twisty, but pretty dark and gritty.

 

#20. BENEATH A SCARLET SKY by Mark Sullivan
★★★☆☆

This 500+ page novel was about the heroic acts of a young Italian man during WWII.  I thought the story was good and generally interesting, but found the writing a little too simplistic and juvenile for my taste.  After finishing the book, I did a little research on the main character and apparently there’s a bit of controversy regarding how factual some of the scenes were.  I found the discussion of “How much fact vs. fiction should you put into a book to still call it ‘based on a true story’?” fascinating and thought-provoking. (This fit the Historathon prompt for “A Book With No People on the Cover”)

#21. BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S.J. Watson
★★☆☆☆

I’ve had this thriller on my Goodreads TBR since 2012!  I finally found a used copy on Better World Books and…it was just okay.  The premise is that a middle-aged woman wakes up each morning with amnesia, not knowing who she is, where she is and who the man is in bed next to her.  The man has to explain that he is her husband and that she had an accident years ago that made her unable to retain memories.  The book follows her as she keeps a journal, trying to understand what happened in her past.  It was definitely a page-turner, but was another book that you probably shouldn’t think too deeply about or else the entire thing unravels in plausibility.  (P.S. A lot of sexual content.)