7 books I read on our honeymoon

Fiction Book Reviews 

In Five Years – The TLDR: A corporate lawyer’s life is turned upside down when she experiences a vision of her future self, living a completely different life.

This was a super quick read for me. It was good, but not great. Interesting storyline that had its unique elements, but probably one I’m never going to “recommend” to anyone. 

Demon Copperhead – The TLDR: Born into poverty in Appalachia, Demon Copperhead must use his wits and resilience to survive foster care, child labor, addiction, and devastating loss.

I had seen this book in many stores and was curious about it since it’s an unusual name/title. However, I did not read the summary/back of the book, so when I started it I had no context on what the story would be about. Sometimes that can be a good thing! I felt like the book started out slow, partially because I didn’t know what the plot was, and felt like there was not a story arch forming. However, as it goes on I became more invested in Demon. It also reminded me of some of the opioid crisis documentaries that have come out over the years, such as Dope on Netflix. Demon Copperhead makes the addiction crisis personal, in a way that makes you really understand how difficult it is to pull generations out of a cycle. By the end, this book had captured me, so it’s a recommended read! 

Where the Forest Meets the Stars – The TLDR: A grieving woman’s solitary life is upended when a mysterious young girl claiming to be an alien appears, bringing unexpected healing and connection.

Definitely a unique storyline for this book. Unfortunately I’m also labeling this one just OK. While the storyline was different (young girl claiming to be an alien), it didn’t deeply captivate. Sort of left me saying “so what?”. After I finished the story didn’t stay with me, or really feel like it had garnered an emotional reaction. I didn’t grow attached to the characters.  

The Nightingale – The TLDR: In Nazi-occupied France, two sisters embark on dangerous paths to protect their loved ones and resist the occupation. The story and characters are fictional, but it is inspired by the real-life experiences of many brave women who lived through World War II.

This is a top recommendation from me. I had been seeing this book in stores for months and had seen it on other ‘best sellers 2023’ lists. It didn’t disappoint. Captivating, captured me emotionally, and has a lot of action. While the story is fiction, it did also teach me more about history, WW2 and some of the roles women played in the resistance. 

Twenty Years Later – The TLDR: A TV reporter investigates a gruesome unsolved murder from the past, while hiding her own dark secrets.

I can’t recall how I came across this book, it may have been free on KindleUnlimited. As I sit here to write this I’m now forgetting the full plot – half because it was almost a month ago that I finished this, and partially because it wasn’t that memorable.  Now that I’ve jogged my memory, this was a murder-mystery, it certainly had some interesting plot twists. However, I again can think of other books that I would recommend before this one (ie The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) 

Self-development Books 

Two books that I read that were focused on personal development were You Are a Badass and Think & Grow Rich.  

You Are a Badass – The TLDR: Self-help book by Jen Sincero that encourages readers to embrace their inner badass and live their best lives. Sincero argues that most people are held back by their own self-doubt and limiting beliefs. 

This was yet another book that I’d seen in the aisles of Target and on my friend’s book-shelf, and when looking at the KindleUnlimited books I decided to download. The book held a lot of inspiration, but I don’t necessarily have a lot of “action” or “next steps” that I took away from it. It’s part motivational talk, and it also covers manifestation. I put it down feeling inspired and that “ready to take on the world” feeling, but now weeks later, I can’t recall specifics. I’d recommend it if you’re in a funk and need something up-lifting, but it didn’t necessarily change my direction. 

There were however a couple quotes that struck me and I highlighted. 

• “We are spiritual beings, having a physical experience” 
• “Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past”

Think & Grow Rich – The TLDR: The book is based on the premise that anyone can achieve success if they are willing to believe in themselves and take action. Hill interviewed over 500 self-made millionaires and identified 13 principles that are essential for success.

This was the most interesting, random read I would say. Again I had heard of this book’s title before. Drew had also, and believed it to be a book about personal finance tips, which I also thought it was going to be more financial based success advice. It was far from that. It was published in 1937, which you can tell by some of the male-centered language and phrases. Some of the strangest concepts in the book: 

• Sixth sense: Hill believed that everyone has a sixth sense, which he defined as “the ability to communicate with Infinite Intelligence.” He argued that by developing your sixth sense, you can tap into the power of the universe and achieve your goals more easily.
• Sex transmutation: Hill believed that sexual energy is the most powerful force in the universe, and that it can be used to achieve anything you want. He taught readers how to “transmute” their sexual energy into other forms of energy, such as creative energy or business acumen. This was definitely the most bizarre section, where the author really started to lose me and question his legitimacy. 
• Brain trust: Hill believed that by creating a group of people who are all working towards the same goal, you can create a “brain trust” that is more powerful than any individual mind. He taught readers how to create and manage their own brain trusts.

There were a few quotes I highlighted that struck me. 

• “Knowledge is only potential power. It becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action, and directed to a definite end.”
• “The way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge.”
• “The world has the habit of making room for the man whose words and actions show that he knows where he is going.”

Overall, it’s one of the classic self-help books, and was quite unique, so I’ll give it a recommendation. But I’m honestly surprised how many 5 star reviews it has on Amazon, given how “out there” many of the concepts he shared were.  It did feel heavy on manifestation and felt a bit a la spiritual –  but if you read closely it’s pretty straight forward advice that he repeats: “Have definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants and a burning desire to possess it.” Some of the stories he provides as examples, Edison & Ford, the root of their success is hard work, trying and failing many times, and not giving up. 

That’s the round-up of my latest book recommendations! Next books on my list nightstand are ‘Swipe up for more’ and ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ (which multiple people have raved about to me).