Me: I’m going to definitely start writing again!

Life: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Since we’ve last met, I’ve: started a full-time job, joined a 42 day fitness challenge, taken a trip to the ER with the child (she’s fine, but she is banned from using the toaster), saw Hootie and the Blowfish and BNL in concert, dealt with continual digestive issues from a very stubborn 15 year old dog, met a kangaroo and a sloth, took a couple of beach trips, and watched a shit ton of Netflix.

It’s been a month.

In between all of that stuff, I’ve managed to read a few books and stay on top of my Goodreads goal. So yay for me.

The Laughterhouse by Paul Cleave. I love his books, he can do no wrong, even ones that aren’t his best are still awesome and that’s exactly how I feel about this one. His books are pretty gruesome, though, so if you don’t have a strong stomach for that stuff, you might want to pass. Also, expect a few more on my list over the next couple of months. I’m on a mission.

The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood. THANK YOU NETGALLEY. I can’t tell you how happy it made me to get this book because I think she’s a fantastic writer who writes messy, ugly stories with messy, flawed people. This one is a little tricky, though, so if you want to read it, be warned that one of the characters speaks exclusively in Middle English (?) and it is tough to follow until you get used to it. But OMG, it’s so worth it.

The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion. Better than The Rosie Effect, not quite as good as The Rosie Project. This book focuses on Don and his son, as well as Don coming to some realizations about himself through his relationship with his own father. It’s a solid end to the series. At least for me. Like Louisa from the Me Before You books, I don’t need any more Don in my life.

Cleaning the Gold by Karin Slaughter and Lee Child. This book is actually more of a long short story/novella. It was a fine way to pass an hour. The story involved their two most popular characters–Will Trent and Jack Reacher–and was a fun little thriller-ish adventure. It needed to be a full-length book as this felt rushed and abrupt.

Following Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci. This is the sequel to a book I read with the child earlier in the summer. She didn’t like this one so she made me read it. It wasn’t great, kind of repetitive and annoying, but the ending had a great payoff. I’m not too angry.

The Substitution Order by Martin Clark. I only gave this three stars. Not sure why. Now that I’ve had some time to reflect on it, it’s actually quite good. It’s a legal thriller, which I don’t generally read, but it also addresses some social issues like health care. The plot was interesting and different, it’s well-written, and you can 100% tell this guy either was a lawyer or did some serious research. The main character did have a stroke, and it felt superfluous, which got on my nerves but that’s more for personal reasons than anything else.

Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America by Chris Arnade. The concept of this book was way better than the execution. The chapters felt very self-serving amidst the descriptions and commentaries of the towns he visits and the people he meets. His observations about McDonald’s as substitute community centers and meeting places are fascinating, though, and are reminiscent of some of the chapters in Eric Klinenberg’s Palaces for the People. And it’s printed on photo paper so the book weighed a ton.

TL;DR: Paul Cleave and Bryn Greenwood are awesome and you should read their books. The Substitution Order is also worth considering. Not so much the rest.

Currently reading: Cemetery Lake by Paul Cleave.

Now it’s your turn. Link up and show us your books! Don’t forget to visit my co-host, Steph, and some of the other bloggers joining us. And for those who like to plan ahead, the next one is on September 10.

Hey! Guess what! Another month has gone by and nary a word here except for Show Us Your Books. The more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess. But I do feel like I have a few additional things to say so look for those in the coming weeks.

I can FEEL your excitement.

Anyway, this was a weird reading month. Like, it’s been 5 weeks since our last meeting and I should have read WAY more books than I did but I just didn’t. I blame Netflix and Amazon for releasing shows I’ve been waiting for (Bosch, Sneaky Pete, the OA) and also one very boring, very tedious book that derailed my desire for books. I hate that that happens, too. One book, and a bad one at that, should not have that much influence. But it does. Sigh.

I don’t even know how many I read. 7? 9? Something like that. I’ll be surprised to find that out along with you at the end of this post. It’s like the monster at the end of this book but with less Grover and more violence.

That’s a weird thing to say.

Anyway.

Books.

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah. Having loved The Great Alone, I wanted to give Kristin Hannah another shot. I found her very Jodi Picoult like, but without as much of the hard-hittingness you find in a Picoult book. I liked that she took a not-so-clean topic and centered a great, fairly well-written story around it but there was something that was missing. Hard to explain what, though. And I probably will give one more book of hers a try. Not The Nightingale. I don’t do WWII books.

Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates. I loved Grist Mill Road so I thought I’d love this one, too. I didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it either. I liked the psychological games and stuff, but it felt a little redundant at times, and the ending felt like a cop out. I wanted…more. But still, not a bad read and not a waste of time.

Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison. This was probably my favorite book of the month. It struck a chord with me for some reason, and I liked the fact that the main character was poor but not a stereotype of being poor. That’s difficult to find in fiction. I don’t even know how to describe it in any real significant detail except it was a great read.

The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo. My friend Eric recommended this one to me years ago and I finally got around to reading it. I liked it. Didn’t love it. Didn’t find it life changing or anything, but I totally understand why people think it is. Lots of little life lessons in there. But overall? Meh.

Scarcity by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir. I don’t know that I learned anything new from this one but if you’re interested in how and why people develop a scarcity mindset, particularly as it pertains to poverty, and what it looks like when it’s in play, and if you really, really like descriptions of experiments, then go for it. If not, pass. There’s better books out there in this field.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. I think it was Heather who read this book last month and I was all over it because it sounded like a book I would enjoy. You know what? IT WAS. I liked this book a whole damn lot. Even if it was historical fiction (but also not really fiction because it’s based on an actual story which maybe helped a little in my enjoyment of it) and I couldn’t pronounce anyone’s name. It was just a good book. No frills, just good.

Verity by Colleen Hoover. This book needed to come with a trigger warning because there are some very graphic and horrible violent acts towards children described in it. I was not prepared for that. It was gross. I also did not think the graphic descriptions of sex were necessary. I don’t actually care that those scenes are there if they make sense. But they were gratuitous and therefore quite annoying. However, taking those things aside, it was very good psychological thriller with a fine ending.

Supermarket by Bobby Hall. Apparently this guy is a Grammy-nominated rapper named Logic. I have never heard of him and that’s fine. I am also fine with musicians writing books. There are some very fine ones. This is not in that category. This book was like a really bad Fight Club rip-off. It wasn’t even written that well. But I kept going because I needed to see where it went even though I kind of really knew. I don’t suggest you do the same.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean. NO. RUN FROM THIS TEDIOUS MONSTROSITY. This is probably the single most boring book I have ever read. It romanticizes library work, which is fine, but I can’t imagine it’s as glamorous as she paints it to be. Nothing is. Not to mention that she almost never discusses the fire or the criminal which, let’s be honest, is what I came for. Not a detailed agenda of one librarian’s daily schedule or any of the other mundane details she beats you over the head with. If you like that sort of thing, have at it. Otherwise, no. Do not read.

Currently reading Unclaimed Baggage by Jen Doll. It’s a YA book with a squirrel on the cover. So that’s fun.

TL;DR: Definitely read Lawn Boy and Burial Rites. Verity, Magic Hour, and Black Chalk are good, too. Make a personal choice on the rest. 

Now it’s your turn. Link up and share your recent reads. Don’t forget to visit my co-host, Steph, and some of the other bloggers on this list. And make sure to come back on June 11th to join us again.