I used to read a lot through out my life, but I was in a reading slump these past few years. I found out that I was going to an Alaskan cruise trip at the end of the spring term; I thought it would be a good idea to catch up. When I read the Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo I then proceeded to read more than one book that lasted me the whole summer. Here are the top four books that I read this summer:
The sEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN Hugo- Taylor jenkins reid
Before going on my Alaskan cruise trip I had no clue what book I should bring. I went to booktok and see which book was most recommended. “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” is one of the books with many videos from booktok. When I first opened it, I could not put it down. This book follows upcoming journalist Monique who interviews Cuban-American Evelyn Hugo as we follow Hugo’s journey to Hollywood Stardom and the seven husbands she marries along the way. This book also mentions her life and what it is like being bisexual. There is also a plot twist at the end that left my jaw dropped. Trigger warning: this book contains themes of domestic violence.
The Housemaid- Freida Mcfadden
The Housemaid illustrates the point of view of a woman, Millie Calloway, who just got out of parole and has been hired as a housemaid to a wealthy family. She is given benefits such as living in the family’s house with her own room. Although, the major disadvantage of the room is that it has a door knob which locks only from the outside. This justifiably leaves Millie paranoid and uncomfortable. As the story progresses you can feel her paranoia and her suspicion about what is this wealthy family may be up to. It took me the a day to finish the other half of the book, but the plot twist at the end made me pick up the sequel immediately- The Housemaid’s Secret. If female rage was a book it would be this one! Trigger warning: this book contains themes such as drowning and domestic violence.
Vera Wong’s unsolicited advice for murders- jESSE Q. SUTANTO
We follow the life of Vera Wong, who is a widow running a tea shop located in San Francisco’s Chinatown. She is trying to communicate with her distant Gen-Z son that has moved out to see what is going on in the world. However, one night as she walks downstairs to her basement she finds a random dead man and a flash drive. Wong concluded that since the police will not help solve the mystery, she decides to solve the case herself. As she waits for the killer to come back to collect the flash drive she does not realize that she will forming friendships with new customers leaving her to wonder which one is the killer.
The song of achilles- Madeline MIller
This beautiful story is taken place during the Greek Heroic Age. It will leave you heart broken but put you back together again repeatedly. We follow the story from the point of view of an awkward young prince, Patroclus. Patrolus was exiled by his father and sent to the kingdom of Phitia where he meets his future companion Achilles- the demigod. Achilles is illustrated to be the complete opposite to Patroclus physically. As we follow their journey from childhood in Pithia, to their training, and then the Trojan war in their late adolescence to mid twenties. This book demonstrates what it is like choosing to love someone for who they are and learning how to persevere as a couple.