Notes From a Small Island

Notes From a Small Island, by Bill Bryson

33/60 | Started 07.05.26 • Finished 07.24.26 | 3.5 stars

I've had this on my TBR for a little while, and if I recall, it was pitched as an amusing take on life in Britain while on a whirlwind tour of the country. While I did find a few of the essays clever in their relation, nothing about it really stuck out to me like I was hoping it would. Not saying it's a bad book, just maybe not quite as entertaining as I thought it would be. Hence 3.5 stars. If you're a traveler, you'd probably enjoy it, though it is a bit outdated I imagine.

The War I Finally Won

The War I Finally Won, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

32/60 | Started 06.27.26 • Finished 07.05.26 | 3.5 stars

So I read a few books between The War That Saved My Life and this sequel. Forgive me. But here we are with Ada and Jamie and Susan, post-London-bombing but right in the thick of WWII. I have to say, I did not enjoy this as much as the first book. Ada's struggles felt more pronounced than they were at the end of the first, almost like she went backwards when things started to steady out around her relationship-wise. I did love the friendship that developed between Ada, Maggie, and Ruth, but there was so much sourness from Ada the rest of the time. Susan remains a strong, loving support throughout everything, and I liked the addition of Lady Thorton to the household. There's also more about horses, along with themes of family, loss, grief, courage, and triumph. I'm glad I read it but it did not live up to the standard of the first book.

Someday I would be grateful. Right now I had no room.

The Calamity Club

The Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett

31/60 | Started 06.05.26 • Finished 06.27.26 | 4 stars

This one is not for the faint of heart. It's a story about resiliency in the face of economic instability and uncertainty. About taking matters into your own hands. About female friendship and the power of community. About double standards. About the inequalities between males and females during the 30s. Between blacks and whites.

But it's also about a brothel, sadly. Stockett's characters have a depth of development that makes them easy to picture, and easy to root for, despite what they've chosen for themselves (or had chosen for them). And (most of) the women of The Calamity Club use coarse language when referencing what goes on behind closed doors. However, I do think that everything ends with too neat of a neat bow, with no real consequences or fallout from actions taken. So I would recommend this one with a bit of trepidation, mostly because of the subject matter. Mind your personal triggers!