This post is coming to you live on my way to see Phil Collins (yes, you read that right) so I apologize for the typos, brevity, and assorted other mistakes like wonky fonts and stuff

HOLY SHIT. How has it been four years since Steph and I started this? Time flies when you’re reading books, I guess. But before I get to the paltry amount of books I read last month, I want to say how honored and overjoyed I (we) are that you guys join us every month. There is no better reader community than all of you.

Thank you for four years. Thank you for book talk. Thank you for you.

*wipes tears*

Okay. Books. I read 5 of them last month which, for me, is shameful. But life happens and I had to adjust. And I’ve received no more nastygrams from Goodreads so I must still be on track to reach my arbitrary goals. So that’s cool.

Here’s what I read and as a heads up, I didn’t love anything so none of these should be added to any lists with any sort of urgency and I’ll add the Goodreads links at some point.

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center. This book is a mess. It went in 40 different directions, only finishing about 1/2 the plot lines (um…she had a suicide calendar and that was briefly discussed. Why did we not come back to THAT particular thing? Seems like maybe we should have), and every single character was a gigantic asshole. I can read unlikeable characters but OMG, all of these people sucked. Plus, it was 100% predictable. Or maybe these kinds of books just aren’t for me. Discovered this one through SUYB.

Gun Love by Jennifer Clement. This book was great on so many different levels but at the same time, it felt rushed and incomplete. I wanted her to explore more of the situations she described, particularly the foster care part because she just sort of rolled over that as a means to an end when it could have been much more. I liked the way she approached gun violence and gun culture and family and homelessness but it felt…lacking. Learned about this book from either IG or SUYB. Can’t remember.

French Exit by Patrick DeWitt. He wrote The Sisters Brothers, one of my all-time favorites but his one before this and this were underwhelming. This one is weird, quirky, and so amazingly written but I don’t think I’m smart enough to understand what he was trying to do. I mean, I get the basic plot and satire (sort of) but it left me feeling like I missed the joke. He makes light of some serious topics which I guess is also making a point that I don’t get. As far as recommending the book, it’s short and fast so yes but if you don’t like oddball, weird books, then pass. Found out about this one because I obsess over his books.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage. I don’t know what the fuck this book was. Horror? Bad seed-type stuff? Mental illness commentary? Mother-daughter drama? Something else? All of it? I can’t figure it out. I hated the chapters about the mom but the daughter kept me intrigued enough to not hurl the book against a wall. And the dad stuff was almost gross and made me want to shower. I feel about this one like I did Bird Box. I get why people love it but not me. Was not worth waiting 4 months for. At all. Can’t remember how I heard about it.

Make Your Bed: Little Things Can Change Your Life by William H. McRaven. Commencement speech-turned book. Like the Last Lecture but not nearly as powerful or moving. However, if you’re stuck and need a kick in the ass, or you’re training future leaders who are younger than like 15, this is a good primer. Didn’t help me but I read it in 45 minutes and was not a complete waste of time. The guy was a Navy SEAL. He had some good stories. Read this because my daughter had to.

TL;DR: Meh. Nothing great this month.

Currently reading: Burden by Courtney Hargrave with Cherry by Nico Walker on deck

And now. A giveaway. For you! As a thank you for four great years, Steph and I have some gifts to hand out, including some Amazon gift cards and bookish mugs. So make sure you enter! And also…link up and show us your books!* (Giveaway is after the link up)

*you don’t have to link up with a post or even have a blog to enter. It’s open to everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holy books! I cannot believe it’s been 5 weeks since the last time we all got to together to talk books. A lot’s happened since then, too. I mean, I went on vacation (recommend), did a readathon (not sure if I recommend), and had many dog emergencies (do not recommend). Somehow, in the middle of all of that, I finished 13 books.

I can’t say that it had something to do with the nastygram from Goodreads but I can’t say that it didn’t. Mixed feelings on that. But at least now I’m on pace to achieve my completely arbitrary goal (I’m even 1 book ahead). So that’s nice.

I struggled on how I wanted to discuss all of these books because, let’s face it, 13 reviews, especially my long-winded ones, is too much. I didn’t hate any of them, either, which made it even more difficult. What I settled on is reviewing my 5 favorites from the month and then a short recap of the rest.

Let’s do it.

The Favorites

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones The writing, the storytelling, the plot, the characters…everything about this book is marvelous. It was wasn’t anything I expected it to be and it was exponentially better. I felt the gamut of emotions while reading it, and I know it’ll stick with me for awhile. My only complaint is that the ending felt a bit rushed compared the pace of the rest of the book but I’m willing to let it slide. Easily in my top 10 of the year.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah I don’t often believe the hype about a book but this one lived up to every good word, glowing review, and emphatic recommendation. It’s full of beautiful writing, complex characters, and every emotion possible. I loved the whole damn book from start to finish. It should come with a trigger warning for domestic violence so be warned if you haven’t read it yet. Unfortunately, it’s central to the plot and cannot be avoided. This is also easily in my top 10.

Nomadland by Jessica Bruder This is an excellent case study with tinges of ethnography about the other side of van dwelling. Usually we hear about the privileged who eschew materialism and embrace minimalism to travel and simplify their lives while still earning a good living. This exposes the opposite of that, focusing on older people, low wage seasonal workers, forced into van life for survival. It’s a fascinating look at the culture, how it came to be, and why it persists.

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling This is a book about the woman in the middle of a severe depression who runs away from her life to forget and escape all the shit that’s affecting her. She’s functional but her depression is deep. She’s sympathetic and pathetic at the same time, and you feel for her situation–all of them, no matter how hopeless they seem. It’s written in an almost stream of consciousness which makes it a bit annoying to read but also get you inside her head and the writing is gorgeous. ARC from NetGalley.

The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn This is a very good, very fast-paced psychological thriller that will fuck you up. Anna is an asshole but unlike other unreliable narrators, you understand exactly why she’s that way and it makes her sort of sympathetic. The book reads like the old-timey movies referenced throughout and I like that kind of self-awareness from the author. The plot was engaging, I second guessed myself at times and while I recommend it, and really, really liked it, it was just a bit shy of all the hype.

The Rest (you can read my full reviews on Litsy if you really want to)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury A classic I’ve finally read. I think I liked the ideas behind the story more than I liked the story itself.

The Dime by Kathleen Kent Another standard mass market thriller but with an exceptionally badass female lead who I hope gets more books about her. The plot went a little haywire towards the end but nothing it couldn’t come back from. Learned about it from some random book list.

Squeezed by Alissa Quart A very good, very accurate discussion of life in the middle class, especially for middle class parents. Saw this one on Twitter and pounced on it. If you wind up reading it, please let me know. I need to discuss.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote The original true crime book. Can’t believe I haven’t read it until now. I feel like every true crime book has been chasing the standard it set.

The Body by Stephen King The source material for “Stand By Me”. You cannot go wrong.

Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam A book encouraging people to manage their time so they’re not swamped and can actually enjoy guilt-free downtime. Not something I generally struggle with but as always, she has some good tips and I am now in the middle of a very long rabbit hole about time poverty.

Down City by Leah Carroll Not what I expected it to be. It was more of a memoir focused on her dad than addressing her mom’s murder. Found it on some list. If you listen to the Crimetown podcast, you’ll enjoy this one. Some familiar names crop up.

Free Fire by CJ Box Mass market thriller, seventh in a series about a game warden who solves murders and other assorted crimes. Learned about it from a Mental Floss article on the place where committing the perfect crime is possible. The book expands on that theory.

TL; DR: All of these are good books and I would recommend each one. 

Currently reading: Florida by Lauren Groff and A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen

Now it’s your turn. Make sure to visit my cohost, Steph, and some of the other bloggers joining us. Next one will be on September 11 and October is our FOUR YEAR anniversary. Holy. Shit.

My reading slowed to almost a halt this past month. I don’t know what’s going on except that I’m insanely distracted. I also tried to force myself to read a book that was not doing it for me because I kept hearing good things about it and that killed my reading motivation. Spoiler: I quit on it because I truly didn’t find the book worth it and now when I see it on all these best of lists I’m all WHAT THE FUCK THAT BOOK IS NOT GOOD AND YOU ALL ARE VERY MISLEADING! I don’t think I’m cut out for artsy-type books and that’s what this one was. The book? We’ll get to that in a minute.

As always, don’t forget to visit Steph and some of the other bloggers linking up. And also don’t forget that we’re having a second, special year end edition on 12/26 where we’ll all get together and talk about our favorite reads of the year.

Here’s what I read:

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. This was the DNF. It’s not that it’s a bad book with a bad plot. It’s just that stylistically, this book is a humongous pain in the ass to read and I didn’t care enough to keep trying. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever read a more annoying book except for maybe A Prayer for Owen Meany. And I quit that one, too. (No link because fuck this book)

X by Chuck Klosterman. Of his 10 books, I’ve read 8. I quit on one and skipped another for some reason so needless to say, I’m a fan of Chuck Klosterman (we also share the same birthday so that’s fun for me). He’s smart and so good at pop culture commentary and making connections where you might not see them with just the right bit of sarcasm and wit. This book, which is really just a collection of essays he’s written elsewhere, reminded me of why I like him so much but it also wasn’t my favorite. Fortunately none of the essays built on each other so it was easy to skip around.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus So this book is like The Breakfast Club gone wrong meets 13 Reasons Why with a mystery/thriller twist that’s actually pretty easy to figure out even if you might question yourself at times (don’t. Once you’ve figured it out, that’s what it is). It’s fast paced and engaging enough that I read it in a day (I tend to read YA books quickly) and knowing the “whodunit” part didn’t ruin it and you wind up caring about and rooting for the kids. The ending was rushed and a little too neatly tied up for me but overall, it was a solid read and a good way to spend a day.

Ghettoside by Jill Leovy A painful, important in-depth look at homicide among black men in LA, centered around one case while not neglecting others, this book will make you angry and make you think. From the lack of resources for detectives, an environment that offers little protection, and a hugely systematic problem on all fronts, she covers the complex issue from all sides in a sensitive yet matter of fact manner. She also works to dispel some stereotypes of the detectives, neighborhoods, perpetrators, and victims and given the world we live in, it was an important highlight.

Dark of the Moon by John Sandford. This was a very fine, standard, nothing outrageously special mass market mystery. Virgil Flowers is a fun character and Sandford is a good writer but I am in no rush to read any more in this series but I would stock up on a few before a vacation or long plane ride.

Joe Victim by Paul Cleave. I love his books, I love how fucked up they are, I love his writing, I love everything about the way he tells a story and I’m also now terrified to go to New Zealand  but that’s fine if it means he keeps writing books. I don’t like this Joe quite as much as Joe Goldberg but I would like to see them in a cage match. This was the sequel to The Cleaner and I really, really hope there’s a third in this series.

Currently reading My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent.

TL;DR: Joe Victim and Ghettoside FTW this month! Everything else is based on your own taste except I do not recommend Lincoln in the Bardo because people who tell you it’s good are liars. 

Now it’s your turn!