My monthly book review for October is HERE! I was able to read quite a bit last month! With so much going on in life, I am happy to have gotten through three stories. I am still hoping to add to that in the coming months for more book reviews for you all! However, this month’s books were fantastic for different reasons and I was so glad I read them! Two of them were included on my Fall Reading list too! This month I read Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanely Tucci, A Lineage of Grace – Unashamed by Francine Rivers, and Verity by Colleen Hoover.
October Book Review!
Taste: My Life Through Food – By: Stanley Tucci
This memoir by Stanley Tucci was very different from any memoir I have ever read. He discusses his life tells so many stories of experiences he has had but with a twist. All of his stories revolve around food and the role that food played in his life. Spanning from childhood stories to stories during the shutdowns of 2020, he discusses the importance that food has in his life. His family is from Italy which has a prominent love for food. Italians have an affection for the art of cooking and coming together over a hard cooked meal. Stanley Tucci has incorporated food into his personal life.
He discusses various memories of his mom, his late wife, his kids and his current wife and the wild experiences they have cooking extravagant meals for their family. Tucci discusses how he seeks out unique restaurants when he is on set for a film and the importance that has on his enjoyment of the production. He discusses the changes of New York from when he was a young man to the present day. There are so many stories that will make you think about learning how to cook and pushing yourself with your cooking skills!
Another impressive aspect of this memoir is the recipes that he includes! From pasta dishes to easy appetizers to his favorite cocktails, Tucci includes recipes and directions to cooking some of his favorite meals!
A Lineage of Grace – By: Francine Rivers
This is a book with a series of 5 stories about 5 incredible women of the Bible. Each of the stories is a fictional representation of what these women went through during their lives.
Rahab: a woman of Faith
Ruth: a woman of Love
Bathsheba: a woman who received Unlimited Grace
Mary: a woman of Obedience
I read the story Unashamed which is a fictional story based on the woman, Rahab. Rahab was a woman sold into slavery by her father as a young woman. She was given to the King as a way to provide for her family. As time went on, she eventually became the most sought out prostitute in the city of Jericho. Many men came to her and she listened to their stories as they trusted her with their information. She then relayed the important stories to the king making her the king’s right hand man. She knew everything going on within the city and within the most important walls of the city.
Rahab knew that she was successful but was plainly aware of her status within the city. She struggled with the shame of her lifestyle and questioned why she had been given this life by her own father. Various customers had told her about an almighty God and she wondered if there was meaning to what they said. She wondered if He could save her from her situation and provide her a life worth living.
Rahab had heard the stories of the Israelites coming and claiming the city for their God. She decided to pray and asked if that was His plan to save her and her family. One day she saw two men dressed as Amorite soldiers but immediately knew they were Israelites dressed to disguise themselves and gather information of the city. Rahab knew within time they would be discovered and taken captive. She takes them in and helps them get the information needed and escape back to their camp.
This story is about how Rahab had to trust this new God and His plan to save her and her family. She trusted the Israelites and their plan to release the city of the corrupt leaders. This story is about her faith in God through an unknowing time and situation. Many questioned her and disregarded her. This is a story about faith in something bigger than yourself and knowing that God can deliver from you from even the darkest of circumstances.
Verity – By: Colleen Hoover
Verity is a very dark and twisted thriller story! Lowen is a struggling mystery/thriller writer on the verge of a financial crisis when she is offered a very unique opportunity. Verity Crawford is an award winning thriller novelist but when she has a horrible accident, she is left impaired and unable to finish writing her current book series. That’s when Jeremy, Verity’s husband, hires Lowen to continue her writing on her behalf. He invites Lowen to live with their family so that she can continue his wife’s unfinished work.
As she is getting settled in their home, Lowen finds something of Verity’s which reveals a very dark and twisted story based on her and Jeremy’s family. Lowen doesn’t know what is true or what is made up. While she is uncovering these dark stories, Lowen finds herself developing feelings for Jeremy. She also has a very unsettling feeling that something is off with Verity. Between living in the house surrounded by tragedy, reading a memoir of Verity’s that reveals intimate and dark details of verity and Jeremy’s life and her feelings, Lowen finds herself a difficult and terrifying situation.
Verity is a thriller with an intense love story. I will warn you, this book is pretty dark with an ending that leaves you speechless. However, the twist at the end had me thrown which I appreciated! I hate when I can easily predict the ending and Colleen Hoover did an incredible job! I was pleasantly surprised since mystery and thrillers are not her typical stories. Colleen Hoover has a massive following and I have a blog post about if books are worth all of the hype!
Each of these stories were so different from the others. Each book was different in story line, book type, message and approach. These three books are probably three of the best books I have read in a while and recommend all three! I am looking forward to the books on my list for November and will check back in with you next month! You can also be on the lookout for my Christmas book gift guide coming soon!