Remember how last month I said that my reading was at a glacial pace? Well, it still is. Having cheer competitions every weekend interferes with reading and during the week, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. That’s a lie. I do know. It’s called Netflix. I keep finding shows I binge watch instead of read books. I’m totally fine with it and although I know my Goodreads goal is arbitrary bullshit, I find myself getting sad and frustrated that I’m behind (technically I’m “on track” but really, I’m behind).
I genuinely don’t know why I put so much pressure on myself to read more because it accomplishes nothing. I guess when you get used to one thing and it dwindles, it feels unnatural.
That said, I finished 6 books this month. Not great but it could be worse.
The Breakdown by B.A. Paris. I get why people are in love with this book. I do. But for me it was meh. I think because I figured out the twist early on, it wasn’t a surprise when she revealed it. Getting there was frustrating and I mostly kept reading to see if I was right. She does write well and the plot is twisty although there were a couple of plot points that felt unnecessary and out of place. Not a bad book but not my favorite. Solid mass market thriller.
You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero. I picked up this book mainly out of curiosity from all the rave reviews. I completely understand why so many have bought into it (no pun intended). She’s empowering and funny and relatable and makes this seem like something accessible that everyone and anyone can do. But manifesting and NLP don’t do it for me as an exclusive method for achieving goals and, as such, a lot of the content was hard for me to buy into. The end of chapter exercises seem helpful to get you focused and organized.
13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough. A solid crime story that didn’t read like the description. I’m not disappointed into the disparity because had it actually been that, the book would have sucked. I don’t even know what made me read this in the first place. It was full of twists and turns, some predictable and some not, and was told through narrative, interviews, and diary entries so that was fun to read. It’s a YA book and had all the hallmarks of that but nothing to the point of distraction. It took time to find its groove but worth getting there in the end.
Force of Nature by Jane Harper. While I like Aaron Falk as a character, and can’t wait to read more books about him (if there are more), this book was underwhelming especially as a follow up to The Dry. It felt like she tried to cram too much into this story, some of which needed to be removed or lessened in detail, and it felt disjointed at times. It became stronger towards the end, like the plot and storytelling finally found its rhythm. Like The Breakdown, it’s a solid mass market mystery.
Educated by Tara Westover. I have no idea what to say about this book. I’m struggling with reviewing it, honestly. I’m fascinated, disgusted, horrified, incredulous, skeptical, enraged…all the feels. She is an incredibly intelligent woman who grew up under awful circumstances that were not entirely awful at times. Part of the story feels like it’s missing but since it’s written as a memoir, that’s to be expected since memory isn’t perfect. At it’s core, this is a story about family, survival, faith, mental illness, control, and education beyond books. It’s about what you can accomplish despite your circumstances AND because of them. This book has been compared to The Glass Castle, which is fair, but it’s also entirely its own things.
House Arrest by K.A. Holt. A middle grade book that punches you in your adult gut. I’m not generally a fan of free verse poetry but it works here. This is a quick, powerful, thoughtful book that sends a hell of a message about morality and right v wrong. The ending is hard and sad and couldn’t have been any other way. It’s definitely a MG book despite being labeled YA and it is written as such. So if that bothers you, pass on it. But my daughter is reading it now and she is enjoying it if that helps.
Currently reading: Providence by Caroline Kepnes. On deck: Crimes in Southern in Indiana and some NetGalley book I’ll choose at random.
TL;DR: All the books are just fine. Educated is probably the best one I read all month and House Arrest is a close second.
Now it’s your turn! Link up and show us your books! Don’t forget to visit my cohost Steph and some of the other awesome book nerds joining us.
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