What I Read in September 2024

Thanks for popping into Thinking Out Loud Thursday.  It's the first Thursday of the month so I'm thinking about the books I read last month.  

First - WOW.  Can you believe how fast September flew by?!?  We were on vacation for a week where I did very little reading and my book total definitely reflects that.  I read three books last month.  Let's look at what they were ~

The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides

This was our book club selection for September.  I would never have picked this book up if it wasn't for that fact.  The book was long - 411 pages.  It was interesting, but I can't say I loved it.  However, everyone else in our book club seemed to think it was great.  Here's the summary ~

On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment?

Hampton Sides’ bravura account of Cook’s last journey both wrestles with Cook’s legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. Cook was renowned for his peerless seamanship, his humane leadership, and his dedication to science-–the famed naturalist Joseph Banks accompanied him on his first voyage, and Cook has been called one of the most important figures of the Age of Enlightenment. He was also deeply interested in the native people he encountered. In fact, his stated mission was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London, to his home islands. On previous expeditions, Cook mapped huge swaths of the Pacific, including the east coast of Australia, and initiated first European contact with numerous peoples. He treated his crew well, and endeavored to learn about the societies he encountered with curiosity and without judgment.

Available HERE

Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins

I chose this book because it was available for free on Audible, and I needed something to listen to during my commute. It turned out to be a pleasant read, and I enjoyed it.  The book has many twists that explore romance, family, and friendship.  Here's the summary ~

The Frosts are a typical American family. Barb and John, married almost fifty years, are testy and bored with each other...who could blame them after all this time? At least they have their daughters-- Barb's favorite, the perfect, brilliant Juliet; and John's darling, the free-spirited Sadie. The girls themselves couldn't be more different, but at least they got along, more or less. It was fine. It was enough.

Until the day John had a stroke, and their house of cards came tumbling down.

Now Sadie has to put her career as a teacher and struggling artist in New York on hold to come back and care for her beloved dad--and face the love of her life, whose heart she broke, and who broke hers. Now Juliet has to wonder if people will notice that despite her perfect career as a successful architect, her perfect marriage to a charming Brit, and her two perfect daughters, she's spending an increasing amount of time in the closet having panic attacks.

And now Barb and John will finally have to face what's been going on in their marriage all along.

From the author of Good Luck with That and Life and Other Inconveniences comes a new novel of heartbreaking truths and hilarious honesty about what family really means.

Available HERE

Swept Away by Robyn Carr

Last month I read The Summer That Made Us by Robyn Carr and liked it enough that I wanted to read another book by the same author.  I picked up Swept Away and was not disappointed!  Several times I was touched by the main character, Jennifer.  If the name Robyn Carr sounds familiar, it might be because she wrote the books Virgin River is based on.  

Jennifer Chaise is proud of her life. Coming from nothing, she's used her beauty to her advantage and is swept up in a glamorous world of wealth and privilege as the mistress of a high-flying businessman. But when she walks in on a violent scene in their Las Vegas hotel room, Jennifer knows she can no longer ignore the truth about her boyfriend and she flees. Desperate to escape the men searching for her, she invents a whole new persona—with a new look and a new name—as she hides out in a small Nevada town.

Working as a waitress in the local diner, she finds a mentor in Louise, a retired professor who takes her in. As Jennifer begins to embrace a new life, she realizes how much was missing from her old one: a sense of community and purpose… But it's not easy to simply disappear. Her neighbor Alex is a cop, and while he's friendly enough, he may also suspect that Jennifer is not what she seems.

Although she is under constant threat of being discovered, Jennifer is surprised to realize that, for the first time, she's genuinely happy. Suddenly this real world is all she wants. But will it be enough when her past catches up with her?

Available HERE

Just a reminder - don't forget to pick your Amazon First Reads this month.  In October, Prime members get to choose two Kindle book selections for free!  I picked When We Were Widows and A Very Bad Thing.  What did you pick?

Now it's your turn - what are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

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