Welcome to Omaha Mom Bookshelf! A series where we share books tips, recommend books, and share how we encourage our family to pick up books and read! Join us every month and share with us what you’ve been reading!
Here’s a Quick Review:
We started the year in January with a printable 21 Books for 2021 and then in February, I gave tips on how to find time to read. March was all about where to buy books in the Omaha area, and in April, I shared how you can start a family book club. Today, I’m ready to spring into a good book!
When the weather starts to turn nicer and nicer, I love to be outdoors with my boys. However, I don’t always want to be playing with them. My secret weapon: I always have a book with me. With the spring weather calling, here are a few recommendations from my bookshelf for the mom who just wants to bury her nose in a book.
“Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book.”
― Jane Smiley
Virgin River by Robyn Carr
I’ll be honest, we got Netflix for Christmas, and I watched the Virgin Rivers series (seasons 1 and 2) before I read the book. I became so invested in the series, it made me want to read the popular Virgin River book series by Robyn Carr. There are eighteen books in the series, and I am interested in reading more. The first book follows the story of Mel, a midwife/nurse practitioner who runs away from her city life to Virgin River answering an ad for a nursing job. She arrives and senses she made a big mistake, but with help from the local bar owner Jack, she sees that maybe there’s a bright future in Virgin River for her after all.
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
Happiness for Beginners is the third book I have read by Katherine Center. I really enjoy her writing. It’s easy to read and her writing style makes you want to just keep turning those pages. This is a fictional story about a 32-year-old woman named Helen, who has recently gotten divorced, and she signs up for a wilderness survival course. She wants to prove to herself she has what it takes to be independent, even though this is way out of her comfort zone. Through a twist of events, her brother’s annoying best friend signed up for the course too. Helen is treated just like anyone else out on the course and has to face troubles and reconciliations to find happiness.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
I really enjoy Kristin Hanna’s historical novels. I fell in love with The Nightingale and she has captured me again, with The Four Winds. I listened to the audiobook of this story, and I felt like I was right there on the Great Plains in the 1930s with the characters. This story takes place during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. We see most of the story through Elsa’s eyes and how she goes from the scoffed-at daughter to betrayed wife, and mother of a surly daughter. The twists and turns of this story are well-planned and thought out.
Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy
What little girl doesn’t want to be immersed in the world of Anne of Green Gables? Sarah McCoy decided to take the world of Avonlea and tell the story of Marilla Cuthbert in Marilla of Green Gables. This story tells Marilla’s story as a young girl growing up on a farm with her family on Green Gables. She lives in Avonlea and that is her small world until her Aunt Izzy shows her that there is life beyond Green Gables. Marilla struggles with which world she fits into and enjoys the most, but this is a great read to add to your bookshelf.
Where are you on your 2021 reading goal? Which books are on your bookshelf this spring? Please share with us in the comments below!
My want-to-read list: Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies (West), Salt to the Sea (Sepetys), The Rose Code (Quinn), and Dear Justyce (Stone).
