What are you reading for July?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone in the "upbeat books" thread recommended "Mary Jane" and I just finished that. Loved it! A great summer story.

This was so good!

I loved Mary Jane too!

I downloaded this book today based on you all's recommendations.

I am the person who downloaded Mary Jane 5 days ago. Just finished it. It was fun.
I never did figure out why Mrs. Cone was such a clueless mess, but that was not really the main point of the book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I listened to the book, "The Four Winds" by Kristen Hannah.

It was good but it felt interminable.

It was basically a retelling of the Grapes of Wrath, but with a woman as the main protagonist.
The audiobook was 15 hours long.

I also listened to this book about a year or so ago. I was underwhelmed. It was overwhelming and just .. too much. You said it much better.

[Anonymous]

Just finished Time Shelter and starting Splendid City. Next up us Miriam Toews's Fight Night -- lived All My Puny Sorrows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just started The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi because I adore Shannon (S.A) Chakraborty. So far so good!

To the poster who didn’t enjoy The Nine Taylor’s I was the culprit recommending it. For something much closer to Christie, read “Strong Poison” if you’re willing to give Sayers another try.

I really enjoyed this book - love the middle-aged mom pirate perspective.

Just finished this, it was so amazing!

[Anonymous]

Just finished The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby. Finally started Cloud Cuckoo Land, which has been on my shelf forever.

[Anonymous]

I read When We Believed in Mermaids and The People We Meet on Vacation - while on vacation. I liked both and give each a 3.5 on Goodreads.

[Anonymous]

Finished Best of Friends, by Kamila Shamsie. Don't know what to think about this one. I loved the first half of the book, which is set in 1980's Pakistan; two girls from different social classes make their way through the teenage years against the backdrop of Benazir Bhutto's election. This part was so well written and engaging.

The second half of the book shifts to London - both girls have grown up and are wildly successful, career-wise. The second half went off the rails, unfortunately. The characters that I loved from the first half became irritating and preachy in the second half. The climax of the book, which forces the two women to confront some long-held resentment and a key event in their past, is pretty farfetched.

Overall a 3/5. This book reminded me of Pachinko, which started out so beautifully but then couldn't keep its momentum going.

[Anonymous]

Darn seems like lots of mediocre books to close out July. Same with me, I finally read The Cloisters and it was a 3.5.

[Anonymous]

I just finished Susan Wiggs' Welcome To Beachtown. It was a little slow going in parts.

I'm not into anything requiring thought right now. This genre is good right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Finished Best of Friends, by Kamila Shamsie. Don't know what to think about this one. I loved the first half of the book, which is set in 1980's Pakistan; two girls from different social classes make their way through the teenage years against the backdrop of Benazir Bhutto's election. This part was so well written and engaging.

The second half of the book shifts to London - both girls have grown up and are wildly successful, career-wise. The second half went off the rails, unfortunately. The characters that I loved from the first half became irritating and preachy in the second half. The climax of the book, which forces the two women to confront some long-held resentment and a key event in their past, is pretty farfetched.

Overall a 3/5. This book reminded me of Pachinko, which started out so beautifully but then couldn't keep its momentum going.

I haven't read this book but I just wanted to say I loved your summation of what the book was about and what you thought about it.

[Anonymous]

I listened to "The Confession Club" by Elizabeth Berg.

It was fun, light reading.

It was about a bunch of women, mostly in their 50's, 60's and 70's who get together weekly for dinner and confession. One person is the designated confessor of the week who confesses something she has done at some point in her life. It was book three of a three book series. I had read the other two a few years back.
I think I liked the first book in the series the best. Book one in the series is called, "The story of Arthur Truluv", which was about a newly widowed old man who visits his wife's grave daily. Eventually he makes friends with a teenage girl who visits her mom's grave regularly. Then the teenage girl gets pregnant, her boyfriend dumps her, her dad kicks her out and Arthur Truluv takes her in.

[Anonymous]

Killing Moon, by Jo Nesbo. I think I hated it? In general I love Jo Nesbo's writing, and I've faithfully followed the Harry Hole series, but this was seriously over the top. Gross, homophobic, lazy.