June Reading Wrap Up 2017

June was a really great reading month! I gave 3* and above to every book, I found 3 new favorites, and I pushed all of these bad boys off of my TBR. That is definitely the best part. I am adding only a couple of books each month to my TBR and always knocking more off.

Here are the 9 things I read this month in the order I finished them (starting from the bottom in the above photo):

1. Ship of Destiny (Liveship Traders #3) by Robin Hobb - 5 stars.
This is by far the best fantasy book I've ever read. I didn't love the first two books in the series but they progressively got better and this book just surpassed everything. From page one, I was pulled into this story and didn't let go for the next 900 pages. I never thought such a long book could keep me that engrossed all the way through, but I've never read something quite like this. 

2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - 3 stars.
This book began my dive into my TBR shelves where I'm picking books randomly using random.org and my husband is picking them randomly for me as well. I have had this book for a few years and have wanted to read it for longer than that. This was a bit of a disappointment though. It was so predictable and I wasn't a fan of how the plot progressed. Good writing but at this point I can't really remember any solid details about it. His other books sound more interesting to me though, so I would give him another try.

3. The Sixteenth of June by Maya Lang - 4 stars.
How excited was I when this book popped up as the random choice on random.org IN THE MONTH OF JUNE?! I mean, it was obviously fate that I had to read it. This was an enjoyable read following three main characters in the span of one day. It was also related to Dubliners by James Joyce which I've never read, but this actually made me want to at least try to read it. A short book that delved into the past in order to make sense of the present, I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

4. Revival, Vol. 1: You're Among Friends by Tim Seeley (author), Mike Norton (illustrator) - 4 stars.
Oooo, this was creepy. I can't do scary movies but I definitely can enjoy a book or graphic novel that has that scary/creepy feel. I picked this up on a whim off my shelf and I really enjoyed it. I'm getting a bit pickier with the graphic novels that I continue on with after reading the first volume, and this one definitely intrigued me enough to continue on in the series.

5. Well-Read Women: Portraits of Fiction's Most Beloved Heroines by Samantha Hahn - 5 stars.
A coffee table type of book, Hahn incorporates quotes and illustrations to create a "portrait" of many different heroines from fiction. The illustrations have a watercolor feel and are beautiful. I will look through this again and again.

6. The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore - 3 stars.
A novel from my Mom's pile of books that she has read and one that I remember her enjoying. We follow the lawyer involved in the Edison/Westinghouse light bulb suit and what I enjoyed most about this book was the setting. New York, 1888. It felt like a character in itself. The actual story took me way longer to get through then I expected. I thought there would me more urgency to the plot, but for me, I didn't feel that at all. I am definitely looking forward to the movie with Eddie Redmayne, though.

7. Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick - 5 stars.
The fact that I'm happily married, have been in a relationship with the same man for 9 years, and absolutely loved this book goes to show how phenomenal Bolick's writing and ideas are in this piece of non-fiction. She uses her own experiences and 5 pioneering women from the last century and a half to discuss being single and all that that lifestyle can bring. She's so intelligent and intertwines her experiences so effortlessly throughout this somewhat "academic" collection. If I had the talent, I would want to write something just like this.

8. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - 5 stars. Read my review here.
Loved this. Haven't stopped thinking about. Go read it, please.

9. Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer - 4 stars. Read my review here.
Young adult science fiction retelling of Cinderella. She's a cyborg. Enough said.

Such a solid month of reading. Here's to July being just as great! 

Audiobook Review: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

I don't read very much young adult and I usually only pick up titles that a wide range of readers have enjoyed. Cinder is the first book in The Lunar Chronicles series and since the final book came out last year, I have been looking forward to giving the series a try. I listened to this first book on audio from Overdrive and it was definitely a good choice. I had similar good luck with listening to The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins on audio. Young adult novels as audiobooks seem to be the best way for me to ingest the stories.

Each book in this series is a sci-fi retelling of a fairytale. Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella where the princess is a cyborg. Meyer did a fantastic job of incorporating elements of the original fairytale into a very unique world. There were hints to other fairytales as well which made me eager to read the other books in the series. The writing was fast-paced and engaging and although I did figure out the major twist pretty early on, that didn't deter me from enjoying the book as a whole. If you don't read very much young adult, I think it is best to go in to these books looking for a good time and not to overanalyze every element.

As an audiobook, I thought this was great. Rebecca Soler narrates the book (and, I believe, the entire series) and she did an incredible job with all of the different voices. She was both female and male characters, droids, characters with accents and I was shocked at how effortlessly she flowed between them all. I will no doubt be reading all of the books in the series on audio if she is the narrator.

If a Cinderella-as-a-cyborg retelling sounds fun to you, I absolutely recommend giving this a read. And if you enjoy audiobooks or are like me and don't listen to a lot of them, I would give this a whirl in that format as well. It is definitely lighter than The Hunger Games but the interesting plot and engaging writing will suck you in in just the same way.

Review: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Since Americanah was published in 2013, I have been looking forward to the reading experience. I've heard generally positive reviews and had a feeling I would like it, or at least take something from it. I think one of the reasons I waited so long to read it was because of the whole delayed gratification concept us readers like to torture ourselves with; putting off books we know we are going to enjoy. (Also, it's over 500 pages and you know, that can be intimidating). I read Adichie's non-fiction abridged TED Talk We Should All Be Feminists last year and absolutely loved it. It was one of the first feminist things I had read that was intersectional and since then, I've been eagerly awaiting reading more of her work.

I ended up loving Americanah, and, though not perfect, hit me and pushed me and pulled me in ways I did not expect.

We follow Ifemelu, a young Nigerian woman, who emigrates to the United States to attend university and Obinze, a young Nigerian man, who tries to emigrate to London but ends up coming back to Nigeria. They are young lovers who part ways in their early twenties and meet again years later back in Nigeria. Ifemelu's experience in the United States was the majority of the story and the people she meets and the experiences she has really impact her identity as a Nigerian woman, a black woman, and a Non-American Black (NAB). She uses a blog to talk about different issues in the US from an NAB perspective and Adichie interweaves many different types of people into Ifemelu's life to enhance her analytical and curious nature. As Ifemelu looks back on her childhood in Nigeria, and then looks back on her life in the US once she moves back to Nigeria in her 30s, we see this entirely different perspective from someone who has been so many different women depending on where she has lived and the people she has formed relationships with.

Obinze's perspective is very small in comparison throughout the novel, and to be honest, I don't remember as many details of his life except when he is connected to Ifemelu. I think this is the biggest weakness of the book because I never got to connect with him and when we did get the story from his perspective, it felt out of place. I would have liked either a more balanced book between the two or zero chapters from his point of view and anything related to him would have come from Ifemelu's experiences with him.

To get the most of this book, I wouldn't make it a quick read. It's extremely engaging and the writing pulled me in, but taking time to think about what Adichie is saying will showcase the real magic of this novel.

It also reminded me a bit of Zadie Smith and Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue.

Americanah is extremely relevant today and I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks it sounds interesting and/or wants to open their mind up to looking at the world in a different way.

Mid-June Book Haul

I have quite a few books to haul for it to only be the middle of June. But 4 of these were free because they were ARCs from my work, so I mean that's not too bad. And three were from a used bookstore, so they were cheap. So this may look like crazy-book-spending-month, but really, I'm quite the frugal shopper and got some sweet deals.

There are 4 ARCs, 4 Adult Fiction, 2 Comic Books, 1 Young Adult Contemporary, and 1 Graphic Novel. Off we go!

ARCs
1.

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

A princess must reclaim her mother's throne and defeat a sorceress who is trying to destroy her in the process. Historical fiction with a magical element. It's also apparently going to be a movie with Emma Watson as the lead. And the book isn't even out yet! I'm really looking forward to this one.

2.

Animal Madness by Laurel Braitman

The rest of the blurb on the front is: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves. I'm always iffy with animal books because I'm a super-sensitive when it comes to any kind of negativity with animals, but I'd like to get over that and this looks like a fascinating science-based read.

3.

I Forgot To Remember by Su Meck

This is "A Memoir of Amnesia" and this looks like another fascinating read, but also emotionally tolling. I'm excited for this one, but I think it will be tough.

4.

Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert

Set in the Chicago jazz scene of the 1960s, this book focuses on a singer and her ten-year old daughter, who tell the story from their alternating perspectives. Emotional, I'm sure, but the 1960s jazz scene is what really drew me in.

Adult Fiction
1.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

What I'm currently reading now. Really, really enjoying this one. I feel like the end is going to break my heart, but I don't know the story so perhaps I'm wrong. I love getting to know a whole cast of characters intimately and that's exactly what this book holds.

2.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Historical fiction. Enough said. The quote inside the front flap of this book is what makes me insanely excited for this story though: "I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers."

3.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

I think this was a book students had to read in school, but I never did and it's one of those books I just feel like I need to experience. It probably won't be easy to get through but as I said before, I'm really trying to diversify my reading, and it just comes with the territory. I'm looking forward to digging into this one.

4.

Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert

I haven't met a book yet by Elizabeth Gilbert that I didn't LOVE, so when I saw this one in the used bookstore I was ecstatic. Both her nonfiction and fiction works are wonderfully written so I'm sure I will enjoy this one just as much.

Comic Books

    Deadly Class Volumes 1 and 2 by Rick Remender, Wesley Craig, and Lee Loughridge

These are the very first comic books I've ever bought or read. C and I stopped into the local comic book store and after hearing great things about these from Priscilla at The Readables, I figured they would be a great place to start. I love superheroes, especially X-men, but I really have no idea where to start with those comic books so that will have to be for another day.

Young Adult Contemporary

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I picked this one up because I decided to join the Booksplosion Goodreads group and I started this bad boy yesterday. Nothing will be said until I'm finished. And even then, it will probably be very little that I say, because, as the inside flap tells me, if anyone asks about the book, just lie. :)

Graphic Novel

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples.

I've never read a graphic novel, but after hearing so many amazing things about this series, I checked it out at work, and after reading the first few pages I knew I was going to jump right on the bandwagon and fall in love. (yes that was a run-on sentence, but, okay, this just deserves it. no time for periods when something is this good!)

There is my mid-June haul! Hopefully, I'll be back at the end of the month with something much smaller.

But probably not. :)

*most book links are affiliate links for indiebound.org

Review: The Unexpected Waltz by Kim Wright

I will probably do a written review for every book I read, mainly for my personal reading archives, and perhaps also, to help fellow readers out and to create discussions about the books.

My first review is on The Unexpected Waltz*. I got this as an ARC from the bookstore I work at and it came out June 3. Here's the goodreads synopsis:

From the author of the critically acclaimed debut Love in Mid Air comes this moving novel about a middle-aged widow who finds her feet by embracing a new hobby: ballroom dancing.

Kelly Wilder becomes recently widowed from a much older wealthy man with whom she spent her married life doing charity work, building a lovely home, and, as she says, “pretending to be a whole lot more conservative and stupid and nicer than I really am.”

Now, with too much time and money on her hands, Kelly has absolutely no idea what happens next. So on a whim she signs up for a ballroom dancing class, and slowly, step by high-heeled step, begins to rebuild her life with the help of friends old and new: Nik, a young Russian dance teacher who sees the artistic potential she left behind; Carolina, a woman in hospice, anxious to experience a whole lifetime in a few months; and Elyse, Kelly’s girlhood best friend who knows all of her past secrets—including the truth about the man who long ago broke Kelly’s heart.

In the vein of Jennifer Weiner's novels, Unexpected Waltz is a deeply felt story about moving on after loss and finding a new walk—or dance—of life through the power of second chances.



Overall, I liked this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the ballroom dance aspect of it and the characters that were brought in through that part of the story. All of the characters in the story were likable and it was a light read that didn't hold emotionally intense or extremely negative topics. If you aren't looking for too much from a book other than a fun story and an array of different characters, then this is great. 

There was a lot I didn't personally enjoy, however. I love adult fiction, especially books where we get a lot of character development. Being able to see how characters became the way they are through their past and then seeing them grow throughout the story is one of my favorite tools in fiction and I thought this book would be ideal for that. Perhaps it was supposed to be, but it really felt short in that aspect. Everything was very surface level. Death, hospice, cheating, affairs; normally these things are emotional. I didn't feel much emotion at all when these topics came up because I felt they weren't dug into deeply and I didn't feel connection to the characters. There were different people and settings the main character, Kelly, interacted with and the flow seemed very choppy. Parts of the book I enjoyed more than others and it was a very nice ending. But a lot of the time I went, "Eh." 

It was disappointing for me because it sounded like it could have been so much more than it was. But if you are looking for a light, quick read, then this definitely works. It wasn't awful by any means and in general I liked it, hence why I gave it 3 out of 5 goodreads. 

*The link to the book is an affiliate link with indiebound.com.

Top 5 Wednesday #2

Top 5 Wednesday was created by gingerreadslainey and is a weekly prompt that showcases a different topic each Wednesday. You can join the Goodreads group here.

Today's topic is The Top 5 Books You Struggled To Finish. Now, I didn't actually finish 2 of these books, but there are VERY few books I've ever not been able to finish so I felt like they needed to be on this list because I do plan on pulling through and finishing them at some point. When that point will be, I do not know.

1. 

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

I didn't finish this book. It put me in such a reading slump. I really really really want to get through this because I love the writing. I just hated the characters and it was all so negative. I was also reading this on my e-reader and this was when I realized that I just don't enjoy reading books digitally. I've tried and tried and it's just not my cup of tea and part of the whole reading experience is just taken away for me. So I'm hoping that was a big part of the reason I couldn't finish, and physical form will help pull me through.

2.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

This was so disappointing for me. I saw the broadway play twice, had the soundtrack on repeat, and devoured this story. Absolutely my type of book. It was just not at all what I expected. It was VERY different from the play and the feel of it was so much different. I finished this book but I was so bummed with how it was originally done. I hoped that maybe things got better over time, but for the second book, Son of a Witch, it wasn't even possible to get through the first chapter. Biggest disappointment from a book I've ever experienced.

3.

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler 

This book was my Grandma's and my aunt thought I would like it because my Grandma and I had very similar reading tastes. The idea of this book and parts of this book I really enjoyed. But the characters were unlikable, to me, and that made it very hard to get through. I ended up just pushing through it when I was on vacation and spent a whole pool day just reading this and I will say, not allowing myself to stop and analyze it seemed to help. This wasn't a bad book but it wasn't as good as I was hoping and was very difficult to get through.

4.
 
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

I'm going to finish this book and series at some point. I read The Maze Runner and liked it enough to continue with the series and find out what was going to happen. It's not my normal style of book so the main reason I wanted to finish it was solely to find out what it was all about. If I had read these books back to back I probably would have gotten through it, but my library had a long wait for this one so it was weeks before I got back into the series again. It totally bummed me out and I was just so over bad stuff constantly happening to these kids. I ended up looking up what the rest of the books held and although it's not great, I really would like to read through it because I did enjoy the first book. I just have to be in the right mindset for it.

5.

The Steady Running of the Hour by Justin Go

I recently read this and if you saw my May Wrap-Up, you'll have read my not so great review of it. This was another disappointment because it looked like just my kind of book. I read a lot of reviews that were similar to my feelings in that it seemed like I should have liked this and it makes me wonder if I missed something huge. This was long but not awful to get through because I wanted to find out what was going to happen with all of the characters. It was slow which was the main reason it took me like a month to read. My feelings of blah emerged once the book was over and the ending that I had been reading and reading to get to was so incredibly disappointing. This one I struggled to get through but things were worse once it was over. 

I'm happy to say there aren't many I've struggled with and these are probably most of them. I'm sure I will run into more, but in my reading mindset right now, I don't plan on not finishing a book unless there's a MAJOR reason I cannot do it. Big goals :)

*Book links are affiliate links with indiebound.org

Monday Missions #2

Monday Missions is a weekly feature that introduces the books I plan on reading this week. It was created by A Thousand Lives of Daisy.

Happy Monday! How's your reading going this month? I'm pretty happy so far, but this week I'm super busy with work so I'm hoping my books don't fall by the wayside too much. Here are my Monday missions for this week:

1.      
 
The Brief Wondrous Life by Oscar Wao

I'm currently reading this and I'm about 100 pages in. If you'll recall from my June TBR, I'm reading this for the Writer's of Color Book Club Goodreads group. So far, I'm really enjoying it! The footnotes take up some time, but I actually really like reading them, so I don't mind taking the extra time. 

2. 

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I decided to join the Booksplosion Goodreads group because I watch all of the moderators' booktube videos and I'd really like to start reading more YA. Because contrary to crazy articles that have been circling the web these last couple days, I'm not ashamed to read YA and I think there are so many enjoyable reads in the genre that I would just like to expose myself to more. (Judging others for what they read is just not cool guys, not cool). This month's pick is We Were Liars and I plan to start that in the middle of the week. I think it will be a nice, fast-paced contrast to Oscar Wao.

3.

50 Fashion Designers You Should Know by Simone Werle

I'm still working on this one from last week. This book will definitely be a month-long read because it's just one of those things where I like to read a couple pages a day. It works out nicely because I read about 1 or 2 designers per day and it's a nice break from the novel I'm currently reading.


So those are the books I plan on reading this week! Have you read any of them? What are your Monday Missions?

*The book links are affiliate links with indiebound.org

Top 5 Wednesday #1

Top 5 Wednesday was created by gingerreadslainey and is a weekly prompt that showcases a different topic each Wednesday. You can join the Goodreads group here.

This week's topic is the Top 5 Characters You Wish You Were More Like. Before even looking at my books for ideas, all I can think of are the characters who I love but are awkward and weird like me, and so maybe I should look for some confident, not-so-awkward characters? Do I even read books with people like that in it?!

Oh well.





1. Elizabeth Gilbert, herself, in Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This woman is a beast. She's so unhappy with her life that instead of settling and ignoring her fears, she stands up and walks out of her old life into a completely new one. She's adventurous in her travels, her food, her spirituality, and she says "screw you" to what society says she should be.

2. Claire Waverley in Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. She's a chef with a magical garden. She has her own business and is very independent. Her food is literally made with magic. I can't stress that enough. Food=Magic.

3. Katey Kontent in The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. Personally, Katey was one of the best characters in any book to follow throughout the story. She has wit and "her own brand of cool nerve." She wasn't trying to be anything and just went with the flow. Even though she lived in a time when things were not simple, she made it seem simple. She was a solid narrator and if I can't be her then please can I be her bff? like for real. please?






4. Jacquetta in The Lady Of The Rivers by Philippa Gregory. The mother of Elizabeth, The White Queen, and the great-grandmother of Elizabeth I, Jacquetta chose her own life (for the most part) at a time when women had no say in their own lives whatsoever. She married the man she loved even though he was below her and was the most loyal friend. She also wasn't afraid to do what was best for her family and change sides which usually sounds sketchy, but for her, it made perfect sense. She had her own beliefs and thoughts and stuck to them as much as she could. I can barely do that now!





5. Marie-Laure LeBlanc in All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. So, yes, she's blind and I don't necessarily want that, but her courageousness and bravery is inspiring. But don't call her brave, because, as she so plainly states: "But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life."* It's hard to wake up and live life on some days for me and I'm not in the midst of World War II BLIND.  She's just fierce. And she doesn't even mean to be or want to be.
I talk a little bit more about her in my May Wrap-Up.




There you go! I do read about non-awkward characters! They are all weird in their own ways though, but that just makes them even cooler.

Who are the 5 characters you wish you were more like?

*This is a quote from an ARC copy of this book so it may be different in the published copy.

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly blog prompt created by The Broke and the Bookish that features a different top ten book list every Tuesday.

Today, for my first Top Ten Tuesday post, the theme is The Top Ten Books That Should Be In Your Beach Bag This Summer. Most of these books I own and have read with a couple that I have sitting in my TBR pile. I definitely think summer is a time for lighter reading, and by that I mean lighter topics and/or smaller books. Then again, a little Harry Potter anytime of the year never hurt anyone. 

1. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. This takes place during the summer in Maine and we get into the nitty-gritty of the Kelleher family. Amazing book that will make you want to travel to Maine.

2. Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman. I think summer is the perfect time for short stories and when they're about nature, it's just a solid reading match. One of my favorite books.

3. The Summer Everything Changed by Holly Chamberlin. I haven't read this one, but anything with summer in the title is a score in my book. Family relationships in Ogunquit, Maine. Because Maine is the summer standard in books.

4. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. One of my absolute favorite books. Gardens, magic, family. Oh man, it's perfect for summer.

5. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Another one of my favorite books, this isn't as light of read as the others, but I think travel/adventure books are great summer reads. Also, personal growth is at its best in summer, I think. 

6. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. Obviously. I haven't read this one yet, but I  plan to this summer. I love the movie so I think it's pretty solid to give this as a recommendation.

7. The Atlas of Love by Laurie Frankel. I love love love this book. This isn't based in the summer and the main characters are actually student teachers in college, but I read this many summers ago on the beach and it just seemed the perfect place to read it. And it's based in Washington so they talk about how it's still sunny out at like 9:00 at night. Jealous? Me too.

8. Is Everyone Haning Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. So much fun. There's literally nothing else I can say. It's just so. much. fun.

9. The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall. I haven't read this one yet and I recently just picked it up because of the cover only. The story is based in Hungary during the summer every year which definitely sounds great as a summer read, but this cover. Come on.

10. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen. This is the only one I don't own and haven't read but you'll recognize my girl from #4 as the author so I know it's going to be magnificent. I'm waiting for the paperback release to read it, but there was a little companion/prequel novella ebook (did I just use all the book-vocabulary that I know?) that I read and I just know it's going to be THE summer book. I mean it's based at a lake house. Obviously, we've got a good one here. 

There you go! My top ten books for summer that I recommend for your beach bag. Have you read any of these? Agree or disagree? What are your beach book recommendations?

Monday Missions #1

Monday Missions is a weekly feature that introduces the books I plan on reading this week. It was created by A Thousand Lives of Daisy.

Starting off the week with some Monday Missions! This week I hope to make it through 3 books.

 I have an ARC of The Unexpected Waltz by Kim Wright. It's a novel about a widow who takes ballroom dance classes to try and move on with her life after her significantly older husband dies. She also forms a bond with a hospice patient and leans on her free-spirited best friend to rebuild her life. It looks like a light read that will hopefully take me out of my heavier reading coma.

I'm also going to try and read a non-fiction book about fashion designers, 50 Fashion Designers You Should Know by Simone Werle. I have so many non-fiction books in my TBR that I'd really like to try and read a fiction and a non-fiction each week. There are beautiful pictures in here as well so I'm excited. I'm a sucker for fashion books, what can I say.

Lastly, I'm going to try and listen to Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan on audiobook. C got me into Jim Gaffigan and I love him. He's hilarious and this book is him talking about his life with 5 kids. I love autobiographies on Audio when they're read by the author. 

We'll see how far I get by Friday!

Books! And My May Wrap-Up.

I've recently discovered book blogging. It's awesome. Booktube (book videos on youtube) takes up chunks of my time now, as I watch people, young and old, male and female, talk about books they want to read, books they like to read, books they're not too crazy about, and anything book-related you could imagine. I've found my people. Now, I tried the booktube thing. I made two videos but only posted one because I realized 1. I'm not a great speaker, hence why I've never wanted a career where I do a lot of presenting or talking. It's not awful, but it's not fun enough to warrant the stress of talking for ten minutes. 2. It's much easier for me to write things out because I can take my time with what I want to say.

So I'd like to use this space as my personal book blog in a sense. Posts will mostly be about books right now and we'll see where it goes from there.

Onto my May Wrap-Up!

This month I read three books. Two of them were over 500 pages so they took me lots of time to get through.

1. The first book I actually started in April but read most of in May. It was The Steady Running of the Hour by Justin Go. It is an historical fiction based in present day and World War I and takes the reader all over Europe. Mountain climbing is a prominent part of the story with Mt. Everest at the center. We follow the main character as he traces his possible ancestors' pasts to find enough evidence to prove a large fortune is his. But as we read, we get the sense that he's searching not so much for the money, but to find out what truly happened in these two people's lives.

This book looked so, so good. And I feel like I should have thoroughly enjoyed it because the idea is right up my alley. But I really didn't enjoy it. It was slow, a lot of lines were in French with no subtitles of any kind, I didn't feel connected to the characters at all, IT WAS SLOW, and the end was not what I had pushed through the book to get to. It was disappointing to say the least. I gave it a 2 out of 5 on Goodreads.

2. The second book I read was All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This was another historical fiction, this time based in World War II with chapters at the end moving ahead to 1974 and 2014. It took place in both France and Germany, and specifically in Saint-Malo, a French city off the coast of Brittany. We follow the two main characters as they alternate their point of view every other chapter or so. Marie-Laure is blind and lives with her father in France who works at the National Museum of History in Paris, where a valuable, legendary stone supposedly is held called The Sea of Flames. They have to flee Paris when Germany invades and go to Saint-Malo where her great-uncle lives. Werner is an orphan who lives in Germany with his sister Jutta and is gifted in the sciences, specifically physics. He easily repairs radios and finds them magical. He is sent to a Hitler youth school and is eventually a part of the army, using his radio transmission knowledge to find illegal uses of radios. He ends up in Saint-Malo when Marie-Laure is there and in 1944, the city is bombed my American bombers and most of the buildings are destroyed. 

This was a wonderful, wonderful book. The chapters had subchapters that were a page or two which I loved and the writing was beautiful. There was a lot of detail but it wasn't slow or boring or dragged on. I loved the characters, including the minor characters who were just as integral to the story as Marie-Laure and Werner. It showed both perspectives of the war and I thought Werner's perspective was absolutely necessary to show how much things were not black and white and not what people assumed. Marie-Laure was an inspiring female character. Her disability didn't make me pity her, and her attitude was incredible to experience. I gave this book a 5 out of 5 on Goodreads and I recommend it to historical fiction lovers, war story enthusiasts, and character development fiends. 

3. The third and final book I read in May was Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. This is the true story of Chris McCandless, a young man who had just graduated college, gave all of his savings to charity and gave away most of his possessions, and set off on travels throughout the country, ending in the wilderness north of Mt. Mckinley in Alaska. SPOILER After changing his name and not speaking to his family for two years, he tried leaving Alaska and perhaps starting over, but ran into two main instances of horrible luck, which lead to his death by starvation in August of 1992. This was made into a movie which I recently just saw for the first time.

This was a very interesting book. I knew what happened going into it because of the movie so there wasn't a driving force to find out what happened for me, but I think that helped me appreciate the details of the book. The descriptions of Chris' environments were very cool and although there were a lot of terms I wasn't familiar with, I could still get the idea of what things looked like and what Chris encountered. I also enjoyed Krakauer's personal account of climbing in Alaska as well as the stories of people who were very similar to Chris in their beliefs and their travels. I felt like I understood Chris more after reading this book. He had a lot of lofty ideas that, I think, were at the heart of them good, but he portrayed them sometimes in very negative ways. I can understand his frustrations with the world and how people can be, so I really connected to him at times throughout this story. Krakauer definitely portrayed him in a more positive way then negative but I think that was the best thing to do. A lot of the time, his portrayal of Chris came from Chris' own journal entries or memories people had of him. My biggest fascination was the effect he had on people. One person in the whole book seemed to have a negative take on him, but even that is a bit far-reaching. Everyone who he met on the road seemed to really like him, found a connection with him, and just overall enjoyed his company. He had a charm that I don't think was intentional, but very real and natural. Even his father, who had a troubled relationship with his son, said he thoroughly enjoyed being in his company. The story is tragic, there is no other way to put it. But the book really makes it accessible to readers and I think brings up some controversial but important topics. I gave this book a 3 out of 5 on Goodreads. It's a little low because while I did enjoy it, it's not my normal type of book and so I felt comfortable only saying I liked it, rather than I really liked it or it was amazing.

That was my May! Hopefully more will be read in June.