So amazing. A fascinating look inside a family loaded with mental illness leaving you with the question, “can the cycle be stopped?” Lots of twists and turns that kept me up way past my bedtime in order to finish it! #botm #bookofthemonth #emmainthenight

Penny and I enjoyed our first #bingeread of the summer. The Dry was an easy page turner that had some solid twists and turns. Glad I picked up this #kindledeal last week! #thedry #janeharper

“One of the most painful moments in a person‘s life probably comes with the insight that an age has been reached when there is more to look back on than ahead.”

Such an interesting concept. Can‘t say I loved every second of it, but I‘m certainly glad I read it. This book raises lots of questions about fate, free will, & the power of familial relationships, even estranged ones.

This book took me a while to get into because of the structure. I had to read about a third of it before I felt like I knew what was really going on. However, I did like that this book doesn‘t tie up all the loose ends in a pretty bow - life is messy. #redclocks #bookofthemonth #botm

Thank you Amazon for the free books from around the globe! This one was absolutely heartbreaking. I hesitated deciding this was a “pick” because it was so sad, but it is definitely a story that needed to be told.

Skloot does a great job of honoring Henrietta Lacks and her family as well as addressing the ethics behind consent and genetic testing. I loved the narration as well - would totally recommend the audiobook version! #henriettalacks #HeLa

In an attempt to find an audiobook both my husband and I would like on a 6 hour drive, we came across this one. I thought it was interesting but I think I would‘ve enjoyed it better in text form because I felt like I needed to look back at certain details.

FINALLY got around to finishing this one (from my February 2017 #BOTM box 🤦🏼‍♀️). The twist at the end is not believable but also totally unexpected. #behindhereyes #bookofthemonth

Reading about the history and women behind the #BlackLivesMatter movement was fascinating. Our country is broken, and with no quick fix in sight, one could feel hopeless. However, Bandele‘s message is one of hope and possibility. #bookclub #botm

Full disclosure: I was reading this while I was also reading “The Witness Wore Red.” At points I wasn‘t a huge fan of this; this book read a little more like a text book in some places. Regardless, it was so cool to get the history of the FLDS while reading the personal narrative of Rebecca Musser and her struggles and law suits against the FLDS.

Finished this audio book this morning. Non fiction that reads like (or listens like) fiction is my favorite. Often, when I read about fundamental religious groups or cults, the people telling the story were in it for a short time or always on the outskirts. This story being told basically from the perspective of FLDS royalty was fascinating.

Beautifully written. Excited to discuss this one in #bookclub! #botm #bookoftheyear

This has been on my “to read” list for a while. So glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed a look into a culture that is often forgotten about. #hillbillyelegy

It is so easy to point at victims and say “why didn‘t you leave?” a thousand times. This heartbreaking, intimate story of domestic violence shows how deep into a toxic relationship you can get without even realizing it. A beautiful story of survival and thriving after tragedy. #brave #adelebellis

Fascinating. I could not sleep until I finished it last night. Thanks for the fabulous recommendation @echalpan

Used my snow day last week to read about the Radium Girls. So heartbreaking. I was continually shocked by how medical records were hidden from individuals and how silenced women were when fighting for basic human rights. It was truly sickening how long these companies were able to control public opinion. #radiumgirls

I had such high hopes for this book and it turned out to be so predictable. I was expecting some big plot twist that never came. I think it‘s time for a genre change because I am a little tired of entire lives being ruined simply because people can‘t communicate properly. #botm #bookofthemonth #littefireseverywhere

SO. INTENSE. I‘m not a huge fan of anything science fiction-y but this had just enough humanity to keep me reading. Pro-tip: don‘t read this if you have ANYTHING else to do. After about 75% through, I couldn‘t stop. #bookofthemonth #botm #darkmatter

Entertaining quick read. However, there were so many characters, points of views, and back stories to keep straight, it took me like three quarters of the book to finally get those straight. #bookclub #intothewater #bookofthemonth

If you EVER find yourself unexpectedly wrapped up in celebrity gossip, this is the book for you. I finished this in less than 24 hours and have no regrets. #botm #bookofthemonth

Perfect beach read! Exciting page turner that took some twists I did not expect. It definitely took a turn out of the believable eventually, but a great read nonetheless. #botm #bookofthemonth #sincewefell

I found that she rambles on quite a bit about certain things just stating her opinions. I wish it had more stories from her life. Those were the most powerful things to read. Other than that, a quality quick read. 👍🏼 #botm #bookofthemonth #scaachikoul

Finished up some baking and The Husband's Secret. It delivered everything I expect from Liane Moriarty: a slow starter that turns into a page turner towards the end. It did stress me out a bit to think about children paying for the sins of their parents, which seemed to be the whole theme of the book. #bookclub #thehusbandssecret #lianemoriarty

Perfect quick read! So interesting. #botm #bookofthemonth #readingwithpenny

I would be lying if I said this book wasn't a little difficult to read. You are literally reading the thoughts of a woman (which often change quickly, as thoughts do). You jump back and forth in time with the author and sometimes I got a little lost. With all that being said, still really enjoyed this! #handmaidstale #readingwithpenny

I really enjoyed this book in a way I didn't expect. Though the upbringing of Kim was drastically different than my own, we share the same struggles detaching from our parents in a way that makes everyone happy (spoiler alert: this is impossible).

Having a wild and crazy Friday night brought to you by Jeannette Walls and Girl Scout cookies! After reading The Glass Castle, I love getting insight into Rosemary's upbringing. #halfbrokehorses #jeannettewalls #bookclub #booksandcookies

My airplane read. Not super crazy about it though I did like the concept. With so many names and families that are spoken about frequently, it was hard to keep up. I had to continually refer to the family tree in the front which was annoying. #perfectlittleworld #bookofthemonth #botm #bookclub

Finished this up while baking Valentine's goodies for my students. So good!

"But I was quiet, trying to imagine how that would feel: to be so known to someone that you had become almost the same person." I must say, I felt so badly for every single woman in this book. Their insecurities were rampant and taken advantage of easily.

Pups and I are starting this today and I can't wait. I've been saving it for a weekend when I can commit myself to it. #bookofthemonth #bookoftheyear

Tore through this in 2 days. Absolutely loved it.

November's book club book. Book wrapped up super quickly towards the end. I felt like a few loose ends never got tied up. Nonetheless, this book was a great read and provided for excellent book club meeting discussions. #bookclub