My reading really slowed down in late summer. Maybe it was that beach vacation with small children that doesn’t allow for extra time to “read.” 🙂 This is a combined two month book review! And I have to admit, none of these were my favorite reads of the year.

I started August reading The Dictionary of Lost Words.

Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, an Oxford garden shed in which her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Young Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip and, learning that the word means “slave girl,” begins to collect other words that have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men.

As she grows up, Esme realizes that words and meanings relating to women’s and common folks’ experiences often go unrecorded. And so she begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so she must leave the sheltered world of the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill those pages.

Set during the height of the women’s suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. Inspired by actual events, author Pip Williams has delved into the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary to tell this highly original story. The Dictionary of Lost Words is a delightful, lyrical, and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words and the power of language to shape the world.

Book descriptions come from Amazon.

Oh man, this one took me sooooo long to get into it. I almost quit. Multiple times. It was slow. I didn’t find the concept of how the dictionary came into being particularly interesting. So this was not my favorite. I was kind of bummed by that because I had picked this book off of Reese’s book club, and this was the first one that I was just Meh about. It picked up in the latter half of the book, but honestly, I’m not convinced the book was really worth it considering how long it took to get interesting.

Next up, was…

Open Book by Jessica Simpson.

Jessica reveals for the first time her inner monologue and most intimate struggles. Guided by the journals she’s kept since age 15, and brimming with her unique humor and down-to-earth humanity, Open Book is as inspiring as it is entertaining.

This was supposed to be a very different book. Five years ago, Jessica Simpson was approached to write a motivational guide to living your best life. She walked away from the offer, and nobody understood why. The truth is that she didn’t want to lie. 

Jessica couldn’t be authentic with her listeners if she wasn’t fully honest with herself first. 

Now, America’s Sweetheart, preacher’s daughter, pop phenomenon, reality TV pioneer, and the billion-dollar fashion mogul invites listeners on a remarkable journey, examining a life that blessed her with the compassion to help others but also burdened her with an almost crippling need to please. Open Book is Jessica Simpson using her voice, heart, soul, and humor to share things she’s never shared before.

First celebrated for her voice, she became one of the most talked-about women in the world, whether for music and fashion, her relationship struggles, or as a walking blonde joke. But now, instead of being talked about, Jessica is doing the talking. Her audiobook shares the wisdom and inspirations she’s learned and shows the real woman behind all the pop-culture clichés – “chicken or fish”, “Daisy Duke”, “football jinx”, “mom jeans”, “sexual napalm…” and more. Open Book is an opportunity to laugh and cry with a close friend, one that will inspire you to live your best, most authentic life, now that she is finally living hers.

It was an easy listen. I will give it that. It’s her personal story, and I quite frankly, knew very little about it outside being a devoted Newlyweds watcher. After the previous book, I appreciated the clip at which I could get through this one. But honestly, it was just fine. Completely average, nothing magical or fascinating. I stand by if you want to read a memoir from a movie star that is particularly good, Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey is the way to go.

At the end of the month, I really wanted a book that I knew I would most likely enjoy, so I chose…

The Southern Side of Paradise, the third in the Peachtree Bluff series of books.

With the man of her dreams back in her life and all three of her daughters happy, Ansley Murphy should be content. But she can’t help but feel like it’s all a little too good to be true. 

Meanwhile, youngest daughter and actress Emerson, who is recently engaged and has just landed the role of a lifetime, seemingly has the world by the tail. Only, something she can’t quite put her finger on is worrying her – and it has nothing to do with her recent health scare. 

When two new women arrive in Peachtree Bluff – one who has the potential to wreck Ansley’s happiness and one who could tear Emerson’s world apart – everything is put in perspective. And after secrets that were never meant to be told come to light, the powerful bond between the Murphy sisters and their mother comes crumbling down, testing their devotion to each other and forcing them to evaluate the meaning of family. 

As for picking a book I knew I’d like, this met the criteria. I truly find Peachtree Bluff, the town that these books are set in, charming and cute. The sisters are unique and relatable. And it met my expectations of being sweet, and loved following around with this family. Cute, sweet, easy, and charming.

Here’s a list of books I’ve read so far this year!

• The Bullish Case for Bitcoin
• The Girls in the Stilt House
• One Day in December
• Going There
• The Turkey Shack
• The Great Alone
• The Giver of Stars
• Slightly South of Simple
• Bringing Up Bebe
• The Guest List
• The Christie Affair
• The Alice Network
• It Ends With Us
• The Secret to Southern Charm
• The Secrets of Midwives
• Not All Diamonds and Rose
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
• The Four Winds
• Counterfeit