Every once in a while I like to write a blog post about something other than gardening, food and nutrition. This happens to be one of those posts. And I’m still one of those weird ones that likes to hold an actual book in my hand so I have instant access to subject matter.

These are some of my recent reads - either for my neighborhood book club or through the Book of the Month Club (linked below). All are super great stories but for very different reasons. Click on the image to get the book on Amazon. Enjoy!

Eight Hundred Grapes

What is the secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine? 800 - of course! Set in the Sonoma hills, secrets kept and secrets exposed are at the core of this novel. I love how the stories and secrets of multiple generations are told and revealed at just the right moments. It’s a great reminder that sometimes others are participants in your story (or lesson), but sometimes it’s not your story - it’s theirs.

Oil and Marble

This is a story about the rivalry that existed between Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti from 1501 to 1505. Michelangelo has youth but no sophistication - Leonardo possesses genius but his life is falling apart. Taking place in 16th-century Florence, the author delves deep into the lives and minds of both artists and weaves a story so real that you have to continuously remind yourself that it’s fiction.

Greenlights

This is a book that just needs to be read. And probably read again. Based on the diaries that he’s kept for 35 years, Greenlights shares McConaughey’s life lessons. He uses the phrase “catching greenlights” to illustrate a way to deal with life’s challenges, and imparts wisdom based on his own stories - even the ones that are super personal - hoping to show the reader that even the yellow and red lights eventually turn green.

The People We Keep

This is a really different type of read. It’s part coming-of-age, part lessons learned, part hardship & heartache and part finding your place in the world. As the reader travels throughout the state of New York with April Sawicki, life through April’s eyes takes shape via her songs. And not only do we meet those who briefly cross her path, we meet those who have so much influence that they become keepers.

Cloud Cuckoo Land

So I happened to love “All the Light We Cannot See” but this book is totally different. An ancient manuscript is the constant that runs through this story about 5 very different persons living in different times and different places. It’s not until the very end that the author brings it all together. This novel is challenging at times as it’s very long (622 pages) and it skips quite often between all of the characters and time periods. But it’s definitely worth the effort.

As promised, here’s the link to Book of the Month Club. I’ve been a member since 2017 and absolutely love it. Happy Reading!

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