What I read in September 2019

Another good month in terms of numbers, but only a few books were actually good reads. All of these were books that I was really looking forward to reading, so the fact that I didn't love them all made me a little sad. Ha.

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane | 5 stars. This book was well written and had a really good story line. It was a little hard to get into on my Kindle for some reason, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Part love story, part "mystery" (well, maybe not exactly), part drama, it made me think about how our youth affects our adulthood. I did cry a few times. 

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth | 3 stars. A fun, fast read. Sometimes this type of book is just what the doctor ordered. 

The Fever by Megan Abbott | 1 star. This is the second book I read by this author and I can't understand for the life of me why I put myself through the misery. This author just isn't for me, I guess. The premise of the book is good, and it started off promising. But it just got more and more inane, and some of the language and relationships between characters was not believable. There was too much creepy sex talk (I feel like this is a current trend and I am NOT loving it) that didn't seem to do anything at all for the story, which made it seem even more perverse. Like, why mention those things? Just to shock the reader? I don't like it when an author plays with me like that. In addition, there was not a good explanation about the whole fever thing. I just didn't buy it. I won't get fooled again by this author's book covers and misleading blurbs.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid | 4 stars. This book has received a lot of hype, and when I saw that it was written from an interview style I got really excited. I loved it (I love epistolary-type novels, as I said last month), but about halfway through I actually got tired out by the back and forth of the characters' interviews. The story itself was good, and the author really made it seem like the band exists. It was a really good novel, despite it getting a little tedious towards the end in terms of reading style. 

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah | 5 stars. I think I waited for this book on my library's holds for over a year. I was wondering if the book had gotten "lost", haha. When it came in I had to make sure to read it since I figured if I put it back on hold I'd be waiting another year. Lucky for me, it was a fast read. But that doesn't mean it was poorly written. In fact, I was a bit surprised at how well written it was, considering Noah is a comedian. I learned a lot from this book: about race, about South Africa, about families. Very enjoyable and a book I would read again.

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson | 2 stars. This is my first book from Jackson, and I thought I would like it a lot more than I actually did, since I've heard so much about this author and was hearing a lot of excitement about this book. The plot got a little far-fetched at times, and there were some sexual overtones that were not subtle at all and that I just didn't like much (call me a prude). In all, it had an exciting ending and there were some twists and turns that kept me reading, but I was left with a feeling that it just could have been a bit better.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren | 4 stars. I enjoyed this book a lot. I have to admit that one of the reasons I was drawn in was because it was set in Minnesota (part of it). That part ended up seeming a bit forced, like the author(s) (it's a duo who writes under the pen name Christina Lauren) just used Google to throw out street names and places. Like there were a few moments where the characters seemed to have decent money (middle class), but they were at a club in Minnetonka (super upscale area), then later were comparing notes as to which Cub Foods they went to and naming some on St. Paul's East Side (not a good neighborhood). So, I enjoyed that less than I thought I would. However, the story was super fun and well written and I loved rooting for and hating the characters and couldn't wait to get to the end. So, four stars.

What I read in August 2019

A slower reading month, as we got more guests, got a rental car, and just kept busier in general. I feel like I was fifty fifty this month - loved one book and didn't really love the other.

To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer | 5 stars. This was another recommendation from Modern Mrs. Darcy, and like most of them, it was totally worth my time. Even though it was YA, I just loved this book. The characters were so fun and interesting, and I always love a good epistolary novel. Super fun read!

The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker | 3 stars. This book was not a love, and maybe not even a like. That said, I wanted to know the ending and find out more about the characters. It had a bit of the second person plural (like Joshua Ferris's Then We Came to the End, which I enjoyed), but unlike Ferris's novel , the whole story wasn't written that way. It worked about 50% of the time. The plot was a little slow at times and the book could have been about half the length, but it was good enough, I guess. 

What I read in July 2019

Another pretty good reading month, in terms of quantity (although not necessarily quality). I love summer reading, especially reading next to the water or on the deck. It can be tricky, though, when I also want to visit family. So most of the reading this month happened before bed (which meant I stayed up way too late). It also helped that we were home a lot this July, with no car. 

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger | 2 stars. I picked this book up at the library on a whim. they had a display of graphic novels, and I decided that if I was going to say that this genre was not for me, I at least owed it an attempt. Plus, there isn't a huge time involvement in it. I chose this one first because the author is famous, and even though I didn't love her most famous book (The Time Traveler's Wife) as much as most people seemed to, I figured this would be a solid read and a good intro to the genre.  As it stands, however, I wasn't much a fan of the story itself. It had a good premise (a night bookmobile - and I LOVE the bookmobile) that is tailored specifically to you and everything you've ever read, but it wasn't fleshed out very well and just seemed sad and the main character lonely and dumb and aggravating. 

The Cactus by Sarah Haywood | 5 stars. Such a fun book. Totally unexpected. This book reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, which I loved. This book was funny, entertaining, and just a great summer read. 

The Farm by Joanne Ramos | 4 stars. This book causes mixed reviews for me. I think my expectations were just too high. I thought it would be á la Margaret Atwood, maybe even a modern classic, but it didn't quite deliver on that front. There were parts of the book that were slow, and I think the synopsis on the book flap oversold the book too much (and may have been a bit deceitful, even). But, putting aside my initial frustration and disappointment, it was a good read.

Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine | 3 stars. This was the other graphic novel I picked up to test out the genre this month. It was a series of stories, some better than others. I enjoyed it a bit more than the other one, but in the end I think I've decided this may not be a genre I keep coming back to. I liked the illustrations in this book much better than the Niffenegger one, so there's that.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb | 5 stars. This was a recommendation from the 2019 Summer Reading Guide at Modern Mrs. Darcy, and honestly, one of my favorite books of the summer. Part memoir, part therapy, part commentary on life and relationships, Gottlieb lets us be a fly on the wall of her job as a therapist. I learned new things, too, about therapy in general. A really fun read that packs a lot of punch.

Pines by Blake Crouch | 4 stars. About halfway through the month I decided that I needed a little thriller/horror in my summer reading. A quick page-turner that may make me suspend belief and keep me guessing as I read. Crouch did not disappoint, and this was a fun book that actually seemed quite credible. If you enjoyed City of Ember (YA), this might be a good (adult) book for you.

So lots of reading happening this month, even if there were a lot of hit or miss titles. I love summer reading!

What I read in June 2019

I haven't been on such a reading streak for a long, long time. Part of it, I think, is because I'm getting more used to and comfortable with reading digitally, so I'm able to get the new releases and want to finish along with everyone else on the Internet who's talking about the newest books. And the other part of it was the fact that I had surgery, so I had a couple of weeks off of work and not much I could do in the meantime. So, that translated into a lot of reading for me. All in all, I read 12 books this month! Woohoo!!!

Here's what I read this month:

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward | 1.5 stars. This was definitely a fast-paced thriller and suspense novel, and I read it in two days, but there were too many things that had me suspending belief a bit that I ended up only giving it 1.5 stars. One of the problems I think I had with it is, (spoiler alert) it's another case of an unreliable narrator, and lately I've been reading a lot of those type of books. Unfortunately, I didn't think Ward pulled it off as well. I felt like the narrator was constantly trying to get me to believe her, to convince me her story was right, and after a couple hundred pages it became pretty evident that she wasn't to be trusted. But more than that, which is mostly a personal preference, there were some other parts of the story that didn't seem credible. Sending text messages after 9/11 (when most people, and probably the people she was sending to, wouldn't have really done this - it wasn't as prevalent back then as it is now so it seemed unlikely), having a cell phone and reliable cell phone coverage in Bulgaria and Macedonia during civil unrest (seriously? I live in a peaceful "third world" country, and it wasn't until the last couple of years that we've even had somewhat reliable and decent coverage), binge watching Game of Thrones on Netflix in something like 2005 (was that even possible? And binge watching wasn't even really a thing, was it?)... there were quite a few other things that had me raising my eyebrow. I felt like the author was trying so hard to write a back story while remaining relevant to today's readers, but if you're going to write in the past, your story has to make sense for the times. I tried fact checking some of the things that were bothering me, so it isn't like the author didn't do her homework, it just didn't seem believable (an English teacher in the third world during a time of political unrest making cell phone calls in the mid to late 90s? Uh-uh, not having it, even if "technically" it is right.)

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone | 5 stars. A friend of mine read this with her daughter, and then they recommended it to me. I love getting book recommendations - it's a bit of a guilty pleasure, although it's not really anything to feel guilty about - so I checked it out from the library. I never got around to reading it, however, until I was in the hospital this month and decided to "pick it up" (it was on my Kindle). It's YA (young adult), but I immediately got into the story and really enjoyed it. I thought it was written really well - good plot, a little romance, solid narrative voice, a little bit of mystery for fun. Really enjoyed it.

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig | 5 stars. Another YA novel. I heard about this one on the What Should I Read Next podcast (which I've only just started listening to and am loving). Let me just say that this book was probably my favorite of the month. Wow - it was totally unexpected but I really loved it so much. Highly recommended.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | 5 stars. I'm a big Harry Potter fan (the books, not necessarily the movies). I'd been reading this aloud each night with Nico (all seven in the series), so of course it was sad to come to the end. There isn't much else out there at the moment, in my opinion, that can compete with Harry Potter. I have to say, the first time I read this book I didn't enjoy it much. It's dark and depressing, I was in constant worry for the characters, there's no Hogwarts, too many people die... and the simpering thing at the end under the chair was just too weird (I'm not sure I get it yet). This time around, however, I enjoyed it so much more, because I got the running commentary of Nico. Anytime I was confused, he would try to explain to me what was going on. He was also good at giving me spoilers that prepared me for a death or a scary moment. (He loved spoiling a lot of the plot lines in HP for me, even though I'd already read the series. I didn't really care, though. HP is one of those books that keeps you reading, even when you know what's going to happen. And spoilers don't bother me as much as they do others.) Anyhow, we're on to another book, and both of us are a little sad HP is over for the time being.

People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges by Jen Mann | 5 stars. One of the things that kept me on a reading roll this month was getting my hands on some "light" reading. By no means is this a criticism of a book for me. In fact, sometimes it's just what I need to keep reading - something funny, light, that I can read in a few days and I don't have to try to keep track of a million characters or plot lines (which I still find a bit difficult to do digitally). Jen Mann has a blog by the same title that my sister introduced me to years ago, and I remember loving her sense of humor, so when I saw she had written a book I immediately downloaded it. It was so good - I laughed out loud at so many parts, and could identify on so many levels. Really funny - a great read!

Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Yuletide Yahoos, Ho-Ho-Humblebraggers, and Other Seasonal Scourges by Jan Mann | 4 stars. I looked at my library and was a bit disappointed that they only had one of the other Jen Mann books, because I was ready to read them all this month. This one was also laugh-out-loud funny, although I did enjoy the other one a bit more. This woman is seriously funny though. 

I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel | 3 stars. I like reading books about reading, or reading books about books, and as I've recently gotten into the What Should I Read Next podcast, I decided to try out Bogel's book (she's the host of the podcast). It was decent - a quick read, with lots of things I could identify with. I would have liked a bit more in terms of recommendations, more "book talk" so to speak, than the novel actually gave, however. I do recognize that that might not have been the author's point.

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas | 5 stars. I saw this book on an Instagram feed a few months ago and got interested. I had tried to get into it back then, but for some reason couldn't. This time I forced myself to get past the first few pages, and then I couldn't put the book down. It was more literary than some of the books I've been reading lately, and that's a good thing. It was just exactly the type of thoughtful and beautiful reading that I've been looking for in some contemporary reading that I just haven't been finding. The language, the imagery, the way the author approaches sensitive topics - it was so, so good. It wasn't an easy read at all, and some parts were, quite honestly, disturbing. But it was one of my favorites of the year so far, in the sense that I could go back and reread this again and again, and probably get something new out of it each time. A bit reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale (a personal all-time favorite), but more modern.

The River by Peter Heller | 5 stars. Another solid, great read. I read Peter Heller's The Dog Stars back in 2013. I picked it up on a whim when I was in the airport going to my sister's wedding. It was one of those books that took me totally by surprise, and I loved it so much that I recommended it to my brother-in-law (and never saw it again). So when Anne Bogel recommended this book again and again on her podcast, I thought I'd better check it out. It was very good, albeit slow-paced and technical in some spots, kind of like the river itself (I liked that part but I can see it wouldn't be for everyone). Also much more literary than anything I've been reading (a plus). I didn't, however, appreciate the end. It was so sad and I didn't feel uplifted at all (which shouldn't be a surprise after reading The Dog Stars but still...). I really really liked this book, though, so I'll forgive the author for that ending. 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides | 3 stars. This was a good suspense novel that kept me turning the pages. A bit forgettable (I'm already having trouble remembering a lot of it), but definitely worth the time to pick up for a quick and enjoyable read.

Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok | 4 stars. This book was picked for the Today Show book club, Read with Jenna. I'd never read anything by Kwok before, and plan to pick up some of her other novels. This one was a page turner, a mystery, maybe a bit of a romance. Not something I would have read on my own, but super fun. The author does a great job of describing the different places in the novel, so that was fun. And she interacted on the Read with Jenna Facebook group all month, sharing her inspiration for characters, places, photos, interviews, etc., which actually made the whole experience really cool. 

The Valedictorian of Being Dead by Heather B. Armstrong | 3 stars. I have conflicting emotions about this one. First, let me just say - that title! Disturbing and annoying in a really cool way, which totally grabbed my attention and made me need to read this book. Second, I read this book pretty quickly. It was definitely a topic (mental health) that I haven't read a lot of, and since it was a first-hand account it offered a lot of insights into it that a thriller wouldn't. I wanted to know what happens. But...there was just something about the writing, the author, that I couldn't get around. Sometimes the author seemed a bit like she was trying to convince me too much. Melodramatic. I mean, she was melodramatic and that was the point - she was suffering from severe depression. But I found myself a bit skeptical at times, and then feeling guilty because what do I know about her experience? What do I know about depression and suicidal tendencies? Really nothing, so I hate to pass judgment. I just wanted to love this book when I really only just kind of liked it.

What I read in May 2019

May was an awesome reading month for me. Sometimes I have a hard time getting into and finishing books, but this month that was not the case. And two of these books surprised me in really wonderful ways. 

Here is what I read this month:

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson | 4 stars. I don't remember where I got the recommendation for this book, but I do remember that I was super excited to read it based on the cover. I just love how beautiful the cover is. I read this on my Kindle, so I couldn't enjoy the cover as much as I would have liked, however. 

This book totally surprised me, not necessarily in a bad way but not always in good ways, either. It is not something I would normally read: half fantasy, half history, it kept me confused a bit at first. But I loved the historical setting (Grenada, 1941 and the Spanish Inquisition). The author's take on this time in history, from the perspective of the last concubine of the last Emirate of Muslim Spain, was so interesting and a topic I would have never dreamed up. I loved that part. The magical aspects were a bit strange at times, so I would say this book is definitely not for everyone, but it was such a nice change from what I've been reading.

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai | 5 stars. I had a hard time getting into this book and almost decided it wasn't for me in the first chapter. It starts out at a party with gay men in the 80s, and I thought it might be all about excess and superficial topics. Also, in the first chapter there were so many names and relationships I couldn't understand, I started thinking it would take too much mental work to keep track of it on my Kindle. When I met the character of Fiona in Chapter 2, however, I became invested in her story right away, and decided to stick with it just to hear how it panned out. Soon I was involved in all the stories, however, and started really rooting for all the characters. The book also delved into the AIDS crisis, something I haven't read much about, and I thought the author did such a good job of making everyone involved so humane and human. In the end, this is probably one of my favorite all -time books, even though (or maybe because) it wasn't an easy read.

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin | 5 stars. I read Conklin's first book, The House Girl, and while I liked it well enough, it wasn't a book I devoured or couldn't stop thinking about. This book, however, was a completely different story. I got completely hooked on it from the first chapter, when we meet Fiona (another Fiona! What a funny coincidence) in the future (I think it was the year 2079), but the book isn't really about the future (although we get some interesting glimpses into where we might be headed). It's a family saga, principally about the love of four siblings and how they deal with each other as they grow up. It isn't super sad, and it isn't super happy and uplifting, and there are many things all of the characters do that make me mad (which is probably what made the story good), but I just loved following the story. The ending disappointed a bit - I wanted more closure, more of a sense of "what happened", but because the author didn't do so means the story will probably sit with me for a long while to come.

Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini | 5 stars. This was the May book for my Refugee reading Book Club. It's more of a poem set to a picture book, but it was powerful and beautifully illustrated (although hard to appreciate reading on my iPad, but at least I got the colors). Super short read, but a nice complement to many of the books we've been reading.

From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, And Finding Home by Tembi Locke | 3 stars. I picked up this book because it was the book Reese Witherspoon chose this month, and I've been enjoying her book recommendations. I liked the book pretty well, although about 3/4 of the way through I started to feel like it was dragging on a bit. But it was nicely written and I always enjoy books about Italy and food. A bit similar to Under the Tuscan Sky by Frances Mayes.

The Au Pair by Emma Rous | 4 stars. This was a fast moving thriller that I enjoyed just for the fun of following a plot and trying to figure out the mystery the author was presenting us. As thrillers go, I felt like it was pretty decent. I actually love a book I can just breeze through and don't want to put down.

I haven't read this many books in a month in a long time so this month I feel really good about my reading life!

Books on my "Reading" Kindle shelf

There is nothing better than going to a bookstore or library and just browsing the stands/stacks. Sometimes I think I enjoy that even more than the actual reading! (Well, on second thought...) But really...looking at those shiny covers, feeling the pages beneath my fingertips - it's simply a one-of-a-kind experience.

Now that we have digital shelves, I find myself browsing online web sites, Instagram accounts, library web pages and recommendations at all hours of the day. I really enjoy doing it, but of course it sometimes cuts into my actual reading time. Still, there is just something about seeing a bunch of books together that makes me feel so excited - the possibility, the anticipation, the wonder of just what that book holds between its covers. This, no doubt, leads to my requesting and checking out/buying/downloading so many great titles.

So after looking over my reading apps and realizing that I may have a problem (in a good way), I thought it would be fun to make a list of all the things I currently have downloaded on my phone, iPad and/or Kindle. Some of these I am in the middle of reading, some I just like knowing I have, and others have been renewed or checked out more than a few times. And because I only keep track on my Goodreads account of the books I actually finish, sometimes I wish I had a list of the books I'd been looking at at a certain time in my life.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara | I've been hearing about this one so much that I finally decided I'd better read it. I'm just a few chapters in and so far it's great - good writing and an interesting (true) story.

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt | I honestly wish they had more ebooks at my library by Byatt. I love her writing. That said, I find I don't enjoy her as much digitally as I do when I have her physical books. I think because I like to just linger with her words and stories, and I don't tend to do that on a device.

Mercy Road by Ann Howard Creel | I got this free from NetGalley (my first! Yay!) and am excited to read it. It's set in WWI and is about a woman who becomes an ambulance driver. I like historical fiction and loved The Alice Network (woman spies during WWII) so I think this will be right up my alley.

Habit Stacking by Thomas M. Reed | I keep checking this one out because it has to do with my word this year (habit), but there are so many other books I've gotten into that I just haven't made the time for this one yet. I think there may be an element of procrastination, as well, since I haven't been paying much attention to my word lately.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg | See above.

Making Habits, Breaking Habits by Jeremy Dean | Also chosen because of my word, but this book has been opened. In fact, I'm about a third of the way through. I haven't picked it up recently, but I've really loved it so far - what it tells me about habits, how and why we make them, how and why we break them, and how we might (might!) be able to actually keep them.

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson | Almost finished with this one. It was one of those books I chose mostly for the cover, and was surprised when it turned out to be very fantastical. (I thought it would be more like historical fiction.) I'm enjoying it, even if the last third has gotten a little slow. It's definitely a book you can sit with, one that makes you think, and one that also makes you suspend belief at times. Nothing wrong with that!

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher | I downloaded this last night on a pure whim. I heard a podcast (What Should I Read Next Podcast with Anne Bogel) in which she mentioned this was one of the iconic books of the 80s, and I was quite upset I'd never heard of it! I thought I was such an avid reader, but had never heard of this one. So of course, I just must check it out.

Overrun by Andrew Reeves | I decided to add something educational and nonfiction to my growing list. A few months ago I read a book by a man who cycled around the Great Lakes, and I got interested in the region. This book is about some of the environmental issues the region is facing, more specifically the Asian Carp Crisis. It will be either really fun and interesting, or...not.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides | I've heard so much about this one and had to wait a few months to get it as a request at my library. It's due in a week so I need to read it before it expires! I've heard it's such a page turner that you can read it in a day, but my problem is that I don't have a whole day to read! Ha.

How Hard Can It Be? by Allison Pearson | Added some humor reading to my "pile". I really don't know anything at all about this book.

People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen Mann | My sister Amy got me interested in this blog a few years back. I haven't kept up on it, but thought I might enjoy a book by this blogger. Not sure if this is just her blog content wrapped up in the shape of a book, or if there is something new here, but I think Mann will have something interesting and funny to say.

I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel | Since I just re"found" Anne's podcast and blog, I decided I'd better try one of her books (I didn't know she was an author). I love a good book about reading, and I like Anne's content on both her other mediums, so we're going to give it a try.

We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai | I am participating in a Refugee reading book club and the book for this month isn't available at my library (and I really didn't want to buy it that badly, since it was in essay format), so I thought I'd try this one as a substitute. I haven't even opened it yet, though.

An Odyseey by Daniel Mendelsohn | I cannot remember for the life of me why I chose this one. I'm pretty sure I heard about it on Instagram or a blog or a podcast. I usually only flag or download things that really catch my eye/ear, so there must be something I thought would be good about it, but I can't remember anymore and that has made me reluctant to open it. I need to stop doing that!

Brotopia by Emily Chang | This was a Book Club read for PBS NewsHour Now Read This. When I went to their blog just now I realized the Mendelsohn book is this month's pick (May). So that's where I got that recommendation!

The Au Pair by Emma Rous | Another book I've heard a lot about, waited months on the holds list for, and now have like two days to read because I put it off. I think it may be a thriller type, so hopefully "easy" reading. 

So, folks, there you have it! My TBR list. I will be happy if I read just a third of them. 

Here's to good reading!