by Tall Poppy Cathy Lamb

This is what happens when you’re A True Book Lover Nerd and you’re asked to write a book review:

You sit and wonder which book you should write about as you have recently read a full and lovely stack.

Should I write about this one…or that one…or, oh! That one, for sure. It has to be that one, doesn’t it? But maybe this one is the true favorite…

You waste time, you re-read parts of each book, you weigh which ones were ever so slightly more gripping, or had more historical facts, or were especially funny, or made you cry.

And then you remember that you have a deadline in THREE FREAKING WEEKS and you have no more time to dink around so you choose, wait for it, three books.

My three most recent books that I would totally, absolutely recommend, from one True Book Lover Nerd to another:

Wonder by RJ Palacio.
Trust me. You might not pick it up because it’s pegged as Young Adult and some people don’t read YA. I very rarely read YA. BUT. You must read this one. A young, inspiring, smart, funny boy who is not traditionally handsome goes to a public school for the first time. Oh, kids can be mean, selfish bullies. You will cheer for Auggie Pullman as he shows courage and grace most of us don’t think we have. Then you will go to the movies and cheer for Julia Roberts, who plays his mother.

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee.
As anyone knows who has not been on a research trip in the Amazon the last few years studying parrots, this is the sequel to one of our favorite – right? – books of all time, To Kill A Mockingbird. There was so much controversy about the publication of this book, I will not go over something you all know about already. But I think it’s important to read Go Set A Watchman, if only to get a sense of the south, politics, social and racial issues, and civil rights in the 1950’s; to see who Scout has become after living in New York; and to learn the truth about her father, Atticus, and boyfriend, Hank, who still live in their small Alabama town amidst people with small minds.

The Rules of Magic, by Alice Hoffman. This is the prequel to Practical Magic. I am going to quote directly from Amazon for a second so hang on, “From the start Susanna (the mother of Franny and Jet who are the aunts in Practical Magic) sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love.”
And that, my friends, is what starts you on the road to a book about a family, about three troubled siblings in particular, betrayal, loss, death, ancestral history, fear and love. It tells the story about truth and struggle, in terms of life and relationships…and the allure, and curse, of magic.

Now call in sick and go read.

About Cathy
Cathy Lamb drinks too much coffee and daydreams endlessly. That’s how she writes her books. She is the author of many novels, including 2016’s The Language of Sisters.

More on her bio page.