Books Read in May: 16
Books Read for the Year: 72/150
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History’s Greatest Question, by Rice Broocks (spiritual book). I’ve really enjoyed Broocks’ in-depth and detailed look into the arguments for the existence of God and of Jesus as the Son of God. If you have questions, these books are detailed answers.
Made to Crave, by Lisa TerKeurst (spiritual book). As someone who struggles with eating healthy, this book spoke to me on a lot of levels.
Stillhouse Lake, by Rachel Caine (from the TBR stash). I’ve read—and loved—pretty much everything Rachel Caine has written, so I don’t know why this languished on my Kindle for so long. Very creepy thriller about a woman who finds out her husband is a serial killer, and then spends her life running from the people who hate and blame her and threaten her children. This book left me pretty disgusted with people, I gotta say.
The Question of Red, by Laksmi Pamuntjak (cultural book of the month). I’m not sure what to say about this novel, set in Indonesia in the 1960s and the 2000s. It’s a tale of love and loss amidst a cultural revolution, and I found it quite sad, but very good.
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood (classic). I know this isn’t technically a classic, but I’ve heard so much about it, plus the Chaucer reference in the title, and the style of the novel made it feel like one. And…I was completely underwhelmed.
For Review:
Paper Ghosts, by Julia Heaberlin. A thriller about a girl ready to find out the truth behind her sister’s disappearance years ago. The man she thinks killed her sister now has dementia, so she convinces him she’s his daughter and takes him on a road trip to jog his memory. But does he really have no memories of the crimes he’s suspected of?
The Stars at Oktober Bend, by Glenda Millard. Alice’s electrics don’t work right, as a result of a traumatic brain injury, but she writes poetry and struggles to get beyond the “forever 12” perception even her family has of her. As she struggles to unravel the secrets of her past, she meets Manny, running from his own past, but hearing the words Alice doesn’t even speak. A fantastic, emotional read!
Elektra’s Adventure’s in Tragedy, by Douglas Rees. When Elektra’s parents decide to divorce, she ends up in a tiny town in California with her mom and sister and an eclectic bunch of neighbors. Her only wish is to go back to Mississippi with her father, but Elektra realizes there’s much more going on in life than she ever thought. I enjoyed a YA without a strong romantic plot (or subplot, for that matter), and Elektra is an intriguing, determined character.
The Girl and the Grove, by Eric Smith. I wanted to love this tale of magic, family, race, and the saving the environment, but the uneven characters made this a less-than-satisfying read.
The Way You Make Me Feel, by Maurene Goo. I loved everything about this book! Clara is the class clown and troublemaker, but when one over-the-top prank lands her in hot water, she ends up working in her dad’s food truck for the summer, with her arch enemy, Rose. Clara’s snarkiness and attitude kept me laughing, but her growth over the course of this book had me flipping pages to finish this book in one sitting.
The Crossing, by Jason Mott. This dystopian tale of a twin brother and sister who have only each other to rely on in a world where older people are just quietly falling asleep and never waking up sounded fantastic. But…Virginia, who remembers everything really annoyed me. She thought she was smarter than everyone else, and she was just unlikable.
How to Walk Away, by Katherine Center. Loved this story about Margaret, who has her dream job and her dream fiance when a plane crash leaves her paralyzed. As she struggles to heal, a grumpy physical therapist shows her the way through her pain and sadness. Fantastic read!
Furyborn, by Claire Legrand. This is a story of two queens, a thousand years apart; one of them desperate to keep her best friend safe, the other desperate to find her missing mother. Both of them have magic they’re hiding from the world, and a darkness they are fighting inside.
City of Bastards, by Andrew Shvarts (review forthcoming). I hadn’t read the first Royal bastards book, but that really didn’t matter. I loved the voice in this, and the characters are absolutely fascinating, even if I didn’t like the culture (totally agree with the title on this one).
Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe, by Preston Norton. I LOVED this! Cliff, known as Neanderthal by his crappy classmates because of his 6-foot-five-inches and 250-pound-physique just struggles to get through the days since his brother’s suicide a year ago. Then Aaron, superstar jock and total jerk has an epiphany from God—he must change certain things at their school, and he needs Cliff’s help to do it—and the two become friends. Cliff’s voice is hilarious! I don’t normally prefer male narrators, but I loved Cliff from the beginning. The supporting characters are just as quirky and likeable as he is.
Us Against You, by Fredrik Backman (review forthcoming). I loved Beartown, and I loved this follow-up just as much! I was invested in the hockey team…and I couldn’t care less about hockey in real life! The characters here are so richly detailed, that I was glued to the page to see what would happen..and which of them would die.
Left Unfinished:
Anger is a Gift, by Mark Oshiro. I wanted to like this. The diverse cast was promising…until everyone who wasn’t diverse—i.e. straight, Caucasian, traditional values—were judged and ridiculed by the main characters. I also did not appreciate that all cops were presented as bad people who abuse their power. I refuse to read a book where any group of people is judged entirely on the actions of a few. I only read about 15% before discarding this.
Blood Will Out, by Jo Treggiari. I read 25% of this. Billed as a YA thriller, I couldn’t even make myself care if the characters lived or died. Way too much distance from them, and they were too erratic for me.
Linking up with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy for Quick Lit.
Tomorrow Is Another Day 