I realize I’ve been reading many historical books lately but it’s what I like and what’s popular! From a young girl living in Columbia fearing kidnapping and car bombs, to a young woman living it up in NYC during the ’40s, there is certainly a range despite my selections being mostly historical fiction. I hope you enjoy this month’s book recommendations!

   

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City of Girls

To me, City of Girls almost seemed like two different books. I thought the story was finishing up when I looked down and my Kindle told me I was only 50% through the book.

In the first half, a young woman drops out of college and gets sent to live with her Aunt in NYC. This aunt owns a dilapidated theatre putting on shows full of showgirls and low brow humor for the lower class neighborhood.  The niece is enthralled by the showgirls and quickly adapts to their lifestyle.  After a fun summer of having many men, one scandal sends her back home in shame and despair.

Then the U.S. gets involved with WWII and her aunt saves her again. She’s enlisted to help entertain the navy yard workers. From there, her amazing sewing skills guide her career and life.

The entire book is written in the form of a letter to a friend’s grownup daughter. Throughout the letter the woman’s entire life is described. In my opinion, the story was okay but not very believable nor entertaining. I expected more from the author of Eat, Pray, Love.

   

I’m Down

My book club selected this one to read and I’m so glad we did! I’m Down is a memoir of a woman reliving anecdotes from her childhood growing up in an all-black community where she was a part of the only white family. The twist is her father behaved and seemed to believe that he was black and wanted his daughter to act accordingly.

The author turned out to be very smart and was able to attend a school for gifted children. The juxtaposition between her home life and her school life couldn’t be more evident. The short stories include trying out different sports, how poor her family was, fights with her stepmom, insulting other children, and many more.

At times, you feel furious at the parents for what the author went through. Other times I was laughing out loud.

   

I listened to this book using Audible (highly recommend!). I had a three-hour volunteer scanning job and listening to the book really helped pass the time. If you have a commute you should absolutely be listening to books as much as you can. Though I’ll admit, with a memoir I missed seeing any pictures that a hardcopy or the Kindle version would have provided.

   

Fruit of the Drunken Tree

I liked the premise of this book but the entire story is written from the viewpoint of an 8-year-old girl. Because of this, the reader feels out of the loop about political happenings and details adults would know.

Fruit of the Drunken Tree tells the story of a wealthy family living in Columbia as well as the life of their hired girl who lives in the local shantytown.  While the family is scared of car bombs and kidnapping, their maid has to provide for her entire family while trying to keep her young brothers from drug addiction and joining up with guerrillas.

I loved the history but I would enjoyed learning more about the background of Pablo Escobar. This book is loosely based around the author’s life. It was interesting to read about children experiencing such different (and difficult) childhoods compared to what I had.

   

The Golden Hour

One of my favorite authors hits gold (haha) again. This book takes place during WWII in Switzerland, Germany, the Bahamas, and Scotland. The story spans a few generations of a family and its dramatics involving postpartum depression, adultery, and love.

The Golden Hour features a reporter who dishes tidbits on the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (the former king) while living in the Bahamas. A murder takes place with a man falsely accused.

The book flips back and forth between generations but is surprisingly easy to follow. I found the story interesting especially since some characters are based on real people and the book includes many actual historical events. It’s a great novel with a few twists and turns the reader doesn’t see coming.

   

Want more reading options? Take a look at my September Book Recommendations!