Hello Beautiful

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is centered around the four Padavano sisters in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. 

William Waters grew up in a house without love. His parents barely looked at him. The only time he had any happiness was when he was playing basketball. When William earns a scholarship, he chooses a school away from his parents. He meets Julia Padavano during his freshman year.

Julia comes with her family. The four sisters are inseparable. As William become part of the Padavano circle, he has his first experiences of a loving family. The house is always full of love and chaos.

Napolitano writes characters whom you would want in your own life. Her stories will stay with you for long after you have stayed up all night to finish her books. 

Napolitano, Ann. (2023). Hello Beautiful. New York: The Dial Press.  

Lessons in Chemistry

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is one of the most delightful books I have read this year. 

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist. In the early 1960s there are not many women who have braved the gauntlet required to get an advanced degree. Now she works at the Hastings Research Institute. And Hastings is where she meets Calvin Evans - a man who sees her like no one else has. 

Filled with amazing characters and laugh-out-loud scenes, but also containing the realities of the time, the struggle to be taken seriously and one of the best dogs ever written. 

Read this book. I have listened to the audiobook and am now reading it - back to back. 

Garmus, Bonnie. (2022). Lessons in Chemistry. New York: Doubleday.