meet the newmans

Hello and happy Friday!

I feel like I’m limping to the finish line of this week! It’s been a good but busy week. Actually, it’s been a good but busy month of May, but with the busyness means I didn’t have a ton of time to read this month.

Here’s what I’ve been reading lately…

The two books I read this month were:

{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}

Meet the Newmans:

Summary:

For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favorite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now it’s 1964, and the Newmans’ idealized apple-pie perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch. Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb—literally. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and the charmed luck of rock ‘n roll idol Shep may have finally run out.

When Del—the creative motor behind the show—is in a mysterious car accident, Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands. She hires Juliet Dunne, an outspoken, impassioned young reporter, to help her write the final episode. But Dinah and Juliet have wildly different perspectives about what it means to be a woman, and a family, in 1964. Can the Newmans hold it together to change television history? Or will they be canceled before they ever have the chance?

Quick Thoughts:

This book was such an interesting read. I’m kind of an “old soul” when it comes to TV shows, and I remember growing up loving watching reruns of shows like Leave it to Beaver, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, and I Love Lucy.

The Meet the Newmans show is very similar to those family shows with the perfect family…but of course looks can be deceiving. This book had family drama, deception, romance and more. In today’s world, we know that social media portrays the perfect, and in this book, the show portrayed perfection, but the Newmans had a very different life behind the scenes.

Rating:

The Last Book Shop in London:

Summary:

August 1939: London prepares for war as Hitler’s forces sweep across Europe. Grace Bennett has always dreamed of moving to the city, but the bunkers and blackout curtains that she finds on her arrival were not what she expected. And she certainly never imagined she’d wind up working at Primrose Hill, a dusty old bookshop nestled in the heart of London.

Through blackouts and air raids as the Blitz intensifies, Grace discovers the power of storytelling to unite her community in ways she never dreamed—a force that triumphs over even the darkest nights of the war.

Quick Thoughts:

I chose this audio book based on it being available on the Libby app, it was historical fiction and less than 8 hours listening time. Anyway, this was a pleasant surprise. I love reading about WW 2, and the setting of London is always one I’m drawn to.

I loved all the characters in the book, especially Grace. She was as strong woman who carved a life out for herself. So many other characters were the perfect fit as friends, confidantes and mentors. Grace’s involvement and growth as she works in the bookshop is beautiful as is the relationships that come because of her work there. This was a lovely read, and I highly recommend it!

After reading the Goodreads summary, I learned that the book was “inspired by the true World War II history of the few bookshops to survive the Blitz.”

Rating:

Soon, I’m going to compile my summer reading list, and I can’t wait!

Usually, I save Fridays for a Friday Favorites post, but this week I’m just blogging about what I can when I can. Since I usually do a “recap” of posts, here are the other posts I had this week: