Hello! I’m Joy, and I love to read. I consider it my greatest talent and favorite hobby. Another one of my preferred pastimes is recommending reads to anyone who is the least bit curious. Seriously. I am always volunteering book recs to people near me, whether they ask or not. I thought it would be fun to bring this passion to Baton Rouge Parents Magazine. I will share with you every book I read month by month and what I think about them. Let’s get started! You can also follow me on Instagram at @joyfulreadswithjoy! 

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

I am now a huge fan of Curtis Sittenfeld. I read her newest novel, Romantic Comedy last month and adored it, so I snatched up this 2016 award-winner for my first June read. This modern update of Pride and Prejudice takes place in Cincinnati and involves a Bachelor-like reality show. As a massive Austen fan, I was intrigued by this concept and interested in Sittenfeld’s take on the beloved Bennetts, Bingleys, Lucases, and Darcys. She cleverly and magnificently contemporises the classic plot and beloved characters.

Summary: Liz and Jane Bennett live in NYC while their family remains in their Tudor home in Cincinnati. When their father has heart surgery, the two older sisters return to the family home to help in his recovery and run errands. Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, the three younger sisters, still reside at home, unaware that their father’s inherited fortune has diminished into deep debt. Jane meets the Eligible Chip Bingley, a former Eligible bachelor on the hit tv dating show. They hit it off, but Liz has fewer sparks with Chip’s uppity friend, Darcy. As the story goes, a comedy of manners ensues, misunderstandings and pride and prejudice take Liz and Darcy on a series of turns. If you know Pride and Prejudice well, you will love all of the expected plot points as well as the smart updates. The characters are true to the classic, just in 2013 America.

I ate this up! I have read P&P so many times, but I was surprised and impressed with how much I loved Sittenfeld’s version. Witty, clever, modern, and so brilliant! I strongly recommend whether you love Austen or not. Please read it and let me know!

FIVE STARS!

D-Day Girls by Sarah Rose 

D-Day Girls is an insightful and powerful true story of the brave, tough, and brilliant women who infiltrated Occupied France and contributed to the Allied victory in Europe. Trained by the British Special Operations unit, these women were couriers, messengers, operators, trainers, and organizers who survived arrest and torture. They helped to liberate France!

Summary: In desperate need of intelligent agents who could prepare France for the Allied invasion, England decided to train women for secret intelligence. They were trained in England and parachuted or traveled by boat into France. This history tells the harrowing story of Yvonne, Andree, Lise, Mary, and Odette and their amazing courage being British agents behind enemy lines. Each of them were instrumental in arming the French resistance and communicating with Britain.

Sarah Rose does an exceptional job of telling both the human and military stories of these women and their partners who faced unimaginable consequences for their valiant efforts. I greatly appreciated the intricate research and the powerful narrative of England and France during World War II. I loved learning of the spy games, the military decisions, the discrete navigation of the network, and the combination of determination and passion to defeat the Nazis. Read this!

FIVE STARS!

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

William Kent Krueger is a phenomenal and personal novelist who creates lovable, complex, and memorable characters in a vivid Minnesota setting. His novel This Tender Land has stayed with me for years. Ordinary Grace is another one that pierced my heart and captivated my imagination. I genuinely love this book, and Krueger’s beautiful words on grief and faith.

Summary: It’s the summer of 1961 in New Bremen, Minnesota. Frank Drum, the son of a Methodist minister, is thirteen during a summer of awakening and loss. Multiple deaths occur in the small town that force Frank and his younger brother Jake to confront grief and their faith. They see their parents as real, vulnerable people and others in their town as complicated humans with issues. Throughout the summer, the boys witness all sorts of events that change them and their community. The Drum family walks through trauma and difficulty together while questioning God and seeing His faith, hope, and love in the midst of suffering.

This novel was published in 2013 but is new to me. It is hands-down one of the most personal and beautiful books that I’ve read. The nuanced perspective of a young boy coming of age in the post-war Midwest was somehow so relevant to me in his search for truth and understanding. I loved his minister father, Nathan Drum. He is an Atticus figure, but more complex with PTSD from WWII and other struggles. Every encounter in this novel has purpose and power. The children, women, the disabled, wounded veterans, and Native Americans are treated with compassion through Krueger’s prose. This is a gorgeous portrayal of a family in a time of crisis during an era of strength and silence. Beautiful. I love it, and I’d love to talk about it!

FIVE STARS!

Warnings: attempted suicide, loss of sibling, domestic violence, PTSD