You know what I love most about June? It’s my birthday month (the actual date was late week)! It also marks the halfway point of the year, giving me time to take stock of my 100% fiction Goodreads goal. I don’t actually care about achieving that goal. In fact, I’ve thought about not even setting one but if I’m being honest, it’s the best way I have to keep track of my books for SUYB.
I’m thinking about doing it by hand for next year. I want to do it mostly because I feel like Goodreads has gotten mean and pushy, and it takes some of the fun out of tracking my books and TBR. We’ll see. I don’t know. I’m quite lazy.
I’ll update you guys next month.
I’ve also set some summer reading goals. I think I’ll actually–gasp–write a post about them rather than make this post longer than already is. Because what I know you really want to hear about it what I read last month.
Oh, quick note. I meant to track where I got book recommendations from and I’ve done a poor job of that this year. I’m going to work on getting better about that.
Unclaimed Baggage by Jen Doll. TOTALLY judged this book by its cover first. It has a squirrel on it. A SQUIRREL. So I liked that. For some reason, though, I did not know it was a YA book but it is and that’s fine but if you’re going to read it, you need to know that fact. It follows the story of three misfits in a small Alabama town and some of the scenarios are way too real. It tackles a lot of issues: racism, homophobia, religion, and sexual assault. Yep, it packs a lot in there so be careful when you’re reading it. It is a cute little story around all the heavy stuff, though.
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. Someone I follow on Twitter recommended this book to me after I asked for people to tell me a book I absolutely should read. I don’t think I loved it as much as she did, but it is a Very Good Book. It jumps around between characters and time, which is occasionally hard to follow, but it’s a great story about family bonds and tragedies and relationships and what happens when some secrets are exposed.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. As good as everyone says, and now I love Trevor Noah. You can’t not love him after you read this. If you’re looking for a memoir about his life as a comedian or how he ended up hosting the Daily Show, this is not that book. It’s completely about his growing up poor and, as the title says, a crime in South Africa under and in the aftermath of apartheid. I learned SO MUCH about both him and apartheid and I recommend this book just based on that. It’s incredibly eye-opening.
How to be Alone by Lane Moore. I learned about this book on Twitter somehow. But I loved the title and so I requested it from the library and here we are. The title is a little misleading, unfortunately. The book is actually a collection of essays about her difficult childhood and how that’s affected her relationships and her as a person in general. It’s very sad and heartbreaking–and maddening at times–but it’s a good book. She just did a TED Talk so I’m looking forward to watching that when it’s available.
The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci. This was an audiobook that my daughter selected for our drive to Long Island. I don’t generally enjoy audiobooks, but this one was quite enjoyable. It definitely kept me interested and listening and wanting to know what happened next. It is a bit dated (published around 2000) so some of the language is offensive but if you ignore that part, it’s a well-written, engaging YA mystery. There’s even a sequel that she made me get for her from the library as soon as we got home.
Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy. I got this from last month’s SUYB (I can’t remember who posted about it because I didn’t write it down) and since I liked the other book by this author I read earlier in the year, I gave it a try. I liked, not loved, it. It was violent and twisted and sad and disturbing, but I didn’t love the writing or the characters. Didn’t love the plot, either, but it was good enough that I wanted to keep reading.
Tried to get to Daring Greatly by Brene Brown but it went back to the library before I had a chance to read it. This is the second time that’s happened. I think I’ll just rewatch her Netflix special and call it a day on that book.
Currently reading: The Invited by Jennifer McMahon.
TL;DR: Cannot recommend Born a Crime enough. The rest are all good but you know what you like so pick and choose from that list.
Now it’s your turn! Link up and show us your books! Don’t forget to visit my co-host, Steph, and some other bloggers on the list. And if you missed this one, don’t fret. We do it the second Tuesday of every month and you can join us on July 9th for the next one.
