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Becca

@keepingyouonread

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Always with a book. 📚
Follow for romance, fiction, and children book recs. Mood reader, so you’ll also get mystery and thrillers.
📍Virginia #rva

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Thank you to @brandylanepublishers for the gifted copy.

Penelo struggles to find his special gift. Other children could sing, paint, or were good at lessons. He leaves his village to search for a talent and along the way meets villagers getting ready for the king’s party. He is able to assist them and they recommend him to the king.

✍️ The illustrations are really pretty. I like illustrations with details that can be pointed out or add to the story.

📕 The story is more for older toddlers/lower elementary school - some of the pages have too many words for me to recommend any younger.

🎨 The message is a good one for kids - your talent might not be obvious at first but everyone is good at something.

What’s something you’re good at? My husband says I’m good at remembering random trivia. by @keepingyouonread

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9 days ago

I did audio and physical for this chunk. Set during the Depression in Mississippi, the story is told by Birdie, an unmarried woman visiting her sister, and Meg, an orphan. Their paths briefly cross when Birdie goes with her sister, Frances, to volunteer at the orphanage.

What I liked: The audio is fantastic and I think gave the characters life.

I really liked the storyline - it’s heartbreaking and funny. I loved how the women form this unlikely friendship.

For a novel set in the 30s, it felt sex positive (at least with the women at the Tartt house). There are a lot of social topics covered and I felt like I learned a lot about eugenics, purity laws, and life during the Depression.

What didn’t work for me: For a long book, the ending felt rushed. There were some storylines that aren’t fully resolved.

I do think the middle could have been shortened. It takes a bit to get to the climax of the book.

Who should read it: Historical fiction fans will probably enjoy this one. It has echoes of The Help, with humor found in horrible situations.

Have you read this one, yet? If so, what were your thoughts? Longest book you’ve read this year? by @keepingyouonread

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10 days ago

☀️ sun-drenched reads for your beach bag ☀️

What’s your favorite genre or book to recommend for the beach? by @keepingyouonread

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11 days ago

TLDR: A British politician + sex scandal + reality tv (think the Kardashians).

Lili Lowe is caught giving an up and coming politician a blow job and instead of shrinking into the background, her mother negotiates a reality show for her and her sisters.

What I liked: I enjoyed this - there was enough mystery over how the photos got leaked and what Lydia had up her sleeve to keep me engaged. It felt very much behind the scenes of a reality show.

There is a point about how women are treated in the media and life. Love them or hate them, Lydia and Lili go for what they want and use public commentary and interest to finance the life they want.

What didn’t work for me: For a short novel, it covers a lot of topics and left some things unresolved at the end. The summary hints at each sister dealing with fame differently, but really only Katie seems to struggle with it.

There were a few times the pacing felt a little slow.

Who should read it: You enjoy soapy political-adjacent books. It reminded me a bit of Margot Has Money Problems.

Favorite fruit? What’s a celeb scandal you were obsessed over? by @keepingyouonread

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11 days ago

Thank you to @bestiesandbooklore for the recommendation and @meghan_readsbooks for reading with me.

Katie was in love with the boy next door/brother’s best friend but after her brother died of an overdose, Tyler disappeared. They’re brought back together to ghostwrite a romance novel.

What I liked: I loved the first half with the set-up of their past and current situation. Moving to Meredith’s was a fun summer get away - I imagined it looking like a grandma coastal mansion.

I am a sucker for romances that have deeper themes and this checks the boxes with family abandonment, addiction and overdose.

What didn’t work for me: The magical realism didn’t quite work for me and honestly I still have some questions.

The book felt a tad long.

Who should read it: This reminded me of a mix of Ashley Poston and Float Plan. It’s a bit breaking the fourth wall with how the story is set up.

Favorite book trope? by @keepingyouonread

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17 days ago

On summer Wednesdays we read pink library books.

Shocker, I’ve already finished two. Want to guess which ones? 💖

How’s your summer reading going? by @keepingyouonread

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17 days ago

Thank you @brucelittlefield @sabrina_dax_pr for the gifted book. This pr package was amazing! I loved all the cute dog themed gifts - it coordinated with the book perfectly. The author even included a personalized note.

Add this book to your list of ones that teach a life lesson. It would make a good gift for a child who loves dogs and is moving up in school (think preschool graduation gift). Or I’ve used The Places You Go as a graduation gift but think this would also work - especially for graduates of veterinary school.

🐶 The illustrations are adorable - it’s fun to look at all the different dogs.

🐶 The story is laid out in life lessons from a dog’s pov - like being nice, learning to relax, being loyal. The dogs are giving advice on how to live better.

🐶 The paragraphs are short enough to keep a toddler’s interest but get the point across.

Do you have a dog? Or what type of dog would you want? We had two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that have passed away but I want another one. by @keepingyouonread

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19 days ago

There’s something about poolside reading. Prepare for lots of water and book pics.

Del, Dinah and their two sons, Guy and Shep have portrayed themselves on television for the last twelve years. They play the perfect 1950s family but times are changing and their real life isn’t exactly represented on the show. To make matters worse, the network is threatening to cancel the show.

What I liked: I liked the message that everyone has a societal prison - some is just harder to overcome. And that we can’t truly know what someone is going through without open discussion.

Each character is struggling with a secret of some sort. I was curious enough to see how they’d each deal with their problems to keep going.

What didn’t work for me: I think I just am not into the 1960s theme. I DNF Lessons in Chemistry and debated stopping this one. There was just so much going on. I felt like the author didn’t trust the reader to get the point and it felt very heavy handed at times. And don’t get me started on the end being all sunshine and roses.

For a short book, the middle dragged and I found myself not wanting to read it.

Who should read it: I think this could really work for some people - if you liked Lessons in Chemistry give it a try. There’s certainly a positive message about women, gay and civil rights to be read.

Favorite classic tv show? I remember watching Nick at Night with my grandparents back when it was shows from the 60s vs now it being Friends. 😂 by @keepingyouonread

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25 days ago

Thank you @avidreaderpress for my gifted copy and @brandy_reads for buddy reading and discussing.

Clara and Frances are in love, but no one knows it. Frances is married to someone else. Their time together is always brief until one day they wake up in a mysterious city where they can be together. How long can you live in perfection before cracks start to show?

What I liked: I liked the premise and I think parts of the novel worked really well. It definitely makes you think. The writing is accessible but flowery. The mystery of the city and their situation kept me reading.

What didn’t work for me: There are no quotes or chapter numbers in the books. I can live without chapters but lack of quotations really bothers me. There’s a lot of time jumps and between Clara and Francis’a pov without notice or warning.

The characters are unlikable. Clara does show some growth and I could sympathize and make excuses for her to some extent.

I still had a lot of questions that weren’t fully answered at the end.

Who should read it: This would be a good for a book club to discuss.

What type of book would you pick for a book club to discuss? by @keepingyouonread

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a month ago

Thank you @williammorrowbooks for this book that has sat on my tbr for too long.

Sitara grows up in privilege, her father an advisor to the president of Afghanistan. But one night changes everything and Sitara is the long survivor of a coup. A soldier secrets her away and delivers her to an American diplomat. Using her dead sister’s American birth certificate Sitara (now Aryana) leaves Afghanistan. Years later, a patient has her confronting her past and searching for the graves of her family.

What I liked: The first part is so heartbreaking but also I couldn’t put it down. Even with the blurb, I wondered if Sitara could leave the country.

I liked the growth that Aryana was finally able to have by the end.

I felt like (especially in the first half) I learned a lot about Afghanistan’s history and culture.

What didn’t work for me: Towards the middle, the book read a little Kristin Hannah trauma dump for me - like what else bad could happen to this poor girl.

The second half wasn’t quite as strong as the first half.

Who should read it: This is an excellent choice for a book club - so much to discuss. I loved this was a book about a part of the world I don’t know much about.

I’m cleaning out my shelves, how do you decide what stays and what goes? by @keepingyouonread

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a month ago

Lake Effect follows a group of neighbors from the late 70s to the 90s after the fallout of an affair.

I am fairly certain I saw this one on bookstagram and placed a library hold; I listened to the audio on Libby.

What I liked: I really enjoyed this character drama. The characters all had unique voices and their own storylines.

The late 70s seemed very oppressive for women still (I wasn’t alive so I don’t know if this is accurate) but it was a reality check how recent a no fault divorce is (vs flying to the Caribbean to get one).

What didn’t work for me: There are a lot of characters to keep track of and with one narrator it was a little difficult on audio (at least at first).

Some of the characters come across as selfish. There’s also a lot of secrets and lack of communication at times.

Because there are so many characters, I felt like we didn’t get to see all of them at the end or get a full picture of their lives in the 90s.

Who should read it: You enjoy character driven historical fiction that has family/community drama. You don’t mind slightly unlikable flawed characters.

Do you hang out with your neighbors? What’s your current read? by @keepingyouonread

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a month ago

Thank you @tlcbooktours and @harperperennial for the gifted book.

Book Feature (this one is going in the pool bag)

Sometimes all it takes is a weekend for the person you hated to become something more…

After a disastrous first meeting, Cassie and Marc instant arch nemesis. Years later, when friends are hit with bad news Cassie and Marc decide to put aside their differences and give them the best weekend ever. can they put aside their differences to face the future? Or is this just a doomed steamy vacation fling?

What are you up to today? What books are in your pool bag? by @keepingyouonread

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a month ago