Here are my mid-May to mid-June read books and my thoughts on them.
I liked this YA as a light weekend read. Of course there are some things that didn't sit well with me, and my two main concerns were all the physical touching moments when the characters hadn't even discussed if they were a couple (!) & the way the male main character reacted towards the female lead character while claiming he loved her. Nope! That sounds a lot like immaturity to me. However, overall, it was just what I had needed that weekend.
I liked the personal anecdotes throughout the book. It was to the point and easy to understand, although it read a bit disjointed to me because of the way it was coming back to the same points repeatedly. The tone is gentle, yet firm, full of quotable observations. Smart cliches, you could call them. If you liked Bob Goff's previous books, this might appeal, too.
I read this because I needed something summery and I kept seeing it everywhere. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised, especially since my expectations from romance novels are very low. This one managed to create likable characters, a female main character who is fat and an up-and-coming influencer, perspectives friendship through the school and early adulthood years, and... shockingly, a mystery! I knew Anne Bogel had added it to her Summer Reading Guide for this year, but somehow I had forgotten what category she added it to. By the half point of the novel, I remembered and I completely understood why! I did not see that coming and that middle of the novel chapter woke me right up at 11PM as I was getting ready to sleep, ha!
Although I appreciate the themes, the one flaw I found with it was the commercial direction it took towards the end. I didn't care much for the main character who suddenly became a sleuth. The bad guy vs the main character feud was cheesy, forced, and unbelievable. Overall it is smart, witty, and fun, light and unexpectedly deep. A good summer read!
Jennifer Weiner was a guest on Anne Bogel's podcast a while ago. I have liked this article by Weiner of fatness representation in novels.
The fifth novel in the Harry Potter series was very good! I liked it a lot and I spent a whole week in this world. So much going on! It was engrossing, I liked more than #4, but I will take a break before moving on to the next one. The kids, Harry, Ron, Hermione and their peers are older, more mature, interested in relationships, their futures and their careers, all the while fighting the forces of evil. It's good to know that good is stronger than evil.
A romance novel that has quirky characters, silly situations, witt, and also cliches. If you're looking for a summer read, set in a small town, with romance and chemistry galore, this might be for you. I know it gave me a feel good and warm, fuzzy feelings. I read this as an eARC from Net Galley; here's my full review.
My experience with audiobooks is not stellar. By that I mean I don’t like listening to them. {Can you hear a “however” coming with that introduction? Because I have one.} However, now I just nod along with those claiming you have to find the right audiobook: story, voice, narrator.
I loved this audiobook! I am sure I would have liked it anyway, but having listened to it made the story personal because it was narrated by Michelle Obama. The tone is friendly and keeps you listening. It’s more than a look at someone’s life, it’s an encouragement for the listener/ reader to persevere and to do their best.
No audiobook experience can go smoothly for me, of course. This time I accidentally skipped 2-3 parts and I had to go back. Some parts I listened to twice, but that’s OK because it’s the sort of memoir you don’t want to end. I highly recommend this book, especially on audio, if possible.
I loved this audiobook! I am sure I would have liked it anyway, but having listened to it made the story personal because it was narrated by Michelle Obama. The tone is friendly and keeps you listening. It’s more than a look at someone’s life, it’s an encouragement for the listener/ reader to persevere and to do their best.
No audiobook experience can go smoothly for me, of course. This time I accidentally skipped 2-3 parts and I had to go back. Some parts I listened to twice, but that’s OK because it’s the sort of memoir you don’t want to end. I highly recommend this book, especially on audio, if possible.
This one is from the library, and it's in Romanian. The novel is middle grade, but I had higher expectations, especially since it won a publishing house award. It's about a boy whose nickname is Danger (Pericol, in Romanian), hence the title of the book. He does all sorts of naughty things that create mayhem. There are a few funny scenes and the language is natural making it appealing.
This is another Romanian novel, borrowed from the library. It's written as the narrator's "task" given by a psychiatrist, to write everything about the last summer he spent with his mother. Through stories from the past interwoven with present day happenings we learn the history of a son who has a mental illness, a mother who didn't know how else to love her son, and a family shattered by the absence of a vital member. It started with a totally different tone than the one used towards the end of the novel. The language was downright crude at first, and if it weren't for the short lenght (120 pages) and all the praises I saw on GoodReads, I might have abandoned it. It's shocking in language, in attitude, and in the course it takes. I wouldn't mind rereading this again, most definitely in the summer.
***
That's it. Eight book is not too shabby! I am currently listening to Born a Crime, narrated by Trevor Noah, which is my favourite way to listen to a memoir.
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