I love reading book recaps and then reading what others share and adding one million books to my Goodreads account. Usually, I have about 5 books every other month to review. It’s been three months since volume 17 and I have done a lot of reading this summer. Instead of diving into each and every one in detail, I’m going to share my favorites here because there were definitely some duds.
Books I Didn’t Love and Wouldn’t Recommend
To be fair, I finished all of these, so I did want to know the ending, but I gave them 2 stars (I only save one star for books I HATED but read.)
Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close (Amazon/Goodreads)
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware (Amazon/Goodreads)
The Glitch by Elisabeth Cohen (Amazon/Goodreads)
Single State of Mind by Andi Dorfman (Amazon/Goodreads)
These were all on a list of books I should read this summer or something like that. Like I said, there was enough to keep reading, but I wouldn’t tell you to read them. Unless you love chick lit about annoying girls, mysteries about annoying girls, weird sci-fi story about a tech CEO or are a huge fan of Andi from the Bachelorette.
Books that I liked
When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger (Amazon/Goodreads) – This is a follow up to the Devil Wears Prada books. It’s a great summer poolside read because you can fly through it. The story is interesting enough and Miranda Priestly makes an appearance. If you didn’t love her other books, this will definitely not be up your alley.
Natural Disaster: I Cover Them. I Am One. by Ginger Zee (Amazon/Goodreads) – I didn’t know much about Ginger Zee, but I found her book to be a great read. I picked it up because I was interested in the journalists point of view when covering natural disasters and while the book touched on that, it wasn’t the main theme. It was a quick read and I was able to pick it up while reading other stuff and still follow along.
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (Amazon/Goodreads) – I didn’t love this book, but when I got to the end and found myself sobbing, I realized that I was pretty attached to the characters at that point. I love her storytelling and it was interesting to follow two people for decades. The story didn’t seem rushed. The only reason I just “liked” this one is that I had just finished a different book of hers. I tried to fight the comparison, but I couldn’t help it. I’ve learned not to read books by the same author within the same year going forward so I can stop being an ass about it.
The Year of Less by Cait Flanders (Amazon/Goodreads) – I love reading the stories of people that take on big challenges to better themselves and this was no different. It was well written, inspiring and relatable. Being an adult whose parents get divorced is not something you hear or read about very often. It happened to me and I couldn’t find anyone that could relate, so there was something quite wonderful about hearing someone else’s thoughts about it.
What You Don’t Know About Charlie Outlaw (Amazon/Goodreads) – This was recommended to me and I don’t remember where. It was good, but not great. It’s a little far fetched, but I was entertained. I don’t really remember anything else about it (I read it in early June) so maybe that says something about my thoughts on it…
The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories #1) by Chris Colfer (Amazon/Goodreads) – My niece recommended this book and I can’t say no to her. I love that she is a book worm. This story is definitely written for young audiences, but it was fun to read. It’s great for the 8-12 year olds. We will definitely be reading the rest of the series because they are her favorite books.
My Favorite Books that you should definitely read
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (Amazon/Goodreads) – This book was wonderful. I had to wait a long time for it to come to the library and it did not disappoint. The story follows a struggling family to the wilderness of Alaska. They ride a roller coaster of emotions that seem to match up with the crazy wild that is Alaska. I think this book is as good as my other favorite of hers, the Nightingale.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Amazon/Goodreads) – This was our book club choice this Summer. I had read the back multiple times and it follows two sisters and their descendants through eight generations. That seemed overwhelming to me and I would put it back down. I’m so glad my friends decided on this one. It was fascinating to read stories of the slave trade in Africa all the way through Jim Crow and even more current times. The stories just dive in to one piece of each person’s life. You could read them all separately, but then they all still tie together. It was beautifully written and sometimes painful to read because of the realistic storytelling, but you should read it.
That’s all for this round up. Go check out the rest of the awesome book recaps linking up here on Steph’s blog.
Let me know if you’re reading any of these books this year. What should I read next? I’ve got this stack to work through (except the top book – I’m almost done with that one.)
