Stacking The Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! And audiobooks. Don’t forget audiobooks!
Only two books this week as I have to catch up on some of my TBR. But, these both look good, so I’m pretty happy with what I have.
NetGalley:
I haven’t read much by Jodi Picoult, but what I have read is very good. So, when I saw this on NetGalley, I know I wanted to read it.
Synopsis: Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.
But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.
Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.
In the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.
Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout has been on my TBR and when I saw it on NetGalley, I had to have it. I’ve seen some advanced reviews already and this looks really good.
Synopsis: Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout explores the mysteries of marriage and the secrets we keep, as a former couple reckons with where they’ve come from—and what they’ve left behind.
“Elizabeth Strout is one of my very favorite writers, so the fact that Oh William! may well be my favorite of her books is a mathematical equation for joy. The depth, complexity, and love contained in these pages is a miraculous achievement.”—Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House.
I would like to say a few things about my first husband, William.
Lucy Barton is a writer, but her ex-husband, William, remains a hard man to read. William, she confesses, has always been a mystery to me. Another mystery is why the two have remained connected after all these years. They just are.
So Lucy is both surprised and not surprised when William asks her to join him on a trip to investigate a recently uncovered family secret—one of those secrets that rearrange everything we think we know about the people closest to us. What happens next is nothing less than another example of what Hilary Mantel has called Elizabeth Strout’s “perfect attunement to the human condition.” There are fears and insecurities, simple joys and acts of tenderness, and revelations about affairs and other spouses, parents and their children. On every page of this exquisite novel we learn more about the quiet forces that hold us together—even after we’ve grown apart.
At the heart of this story is the indomitable voice of Lucy Barton, who offers a profound, lasting reflection on the very nature of existence. “This is the way of life,” Lucy says: “the many things we do not know until it is too late.”
That’s all I have for this week. Have you read any of these books? What’s on your list to read? Comment below!
I just picked up Jody Picoult’s book too! Hope you enjoy it Wendy!💖
It’ll be interesting to see what we both think of it!
Wish You Were Here has caught my eye too. I hope you enjoy it. I look forward to hearing what you think. Happy reading!
Thank you Tessa! Have a great week!
I hope you enjoy these! I haven’t read any books by these two authors although I have seen books by Jodi Picoult around.
Thank you! They look good!
I could have sworn that I’ve read something by Jodi Picoult but I just looked and nope??? How is memory so unreliable haha. Happy reading!
Thank you Kal, I’m really looking forward to that book the most. Have a nice week reading!
I haven’t read anything by Jodi Picoult in quite a while and this book looks interesting! I’m not a fan of Elizabeth Strout after reading the books in the Olive series (too slow and depressing for me) so I will pass on her latest. I hope that you enjoy both of these!
Thanks Jodie, I’ll let you know if the Elizabeth Strout book is better than her others.
It might only be two, but they both sound so good. I had to wish for the Jodi Picoult book, so I will probably read it once it is published.
I had to wish for the Jodi Picoult book also, but this last week it came off the wish list and I was able to request it and I got it.
Wish You Were Here sounds very good. I guess the pandemic books are here now!
Thank you Diana, Yes, I’m seeing more and more books with the Pandemic mentioned. Happy Reading
Oooh! I need to read some of Jodi Picoult’s books! Great picks!
Thanks! I hope it’s as good as I’ve heard it is.
I haven’t read many books by Jodi Picoult, but I have heard from her fans that her books are unputdownable. Hopefully you enjoy Wish You Were Here!
Thanks! I sure hope it’s as good as people say.
I’m on an Amelia Wilde backlist glom. While I’ve been waiting for the final book in her very dark Beauty & the Beast trilogy (SECRET BEAST, HIDDEN BEAUTY, FALLEN ROSE), I read the first book of another trilogy, DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA—which was extremely dark and I’m not sure I’ll read the other two books. I also read Wilde’s 2018 Wounded Hearts trilogy (BEFORE SHE WAS MINE, AFTER I WAS HIS, and WHEN HE SAW ME) about three veterans each of whom bears physical and emotional scars from an IED explosion. Although the nature of the men’s situations is challenging, the three romances are quite a bit “lighter” than Wilde’s more recent work.
Oh, Amelia Wilde’s Wounded Hearts trilogy does look good. I’ll have to look it up. Thanks so much!!
I am doing a no-add July to get caught up on my ARC’s and hope to knock off some books on the never-ending to be read list…so I have nothing to add 🙂 I love this idea though. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and am finally starting to feel like I am catching up a bit.
I’m glad you’re catching up. It’s so HARD to not choose new books. I’m glad you’re starting to catch up a bit. That’s what I’m trying to do too.
I downloaded wayyyyyy too many freebie romances and cozies this week. Now I’m going to have to stop again for a very long time if I have any hopes of getting my TBR under control (part of me says I don’t!). I hope you enjoy the two you got and have a great week ahead!!
Thank you Megan. It’s so HARD to not download books! But, I need to get to a more manageable TBR. Happy reading to you this week!