July TBR

Although I didn't stick to my TBR hardly at all last month, I still think it helped me focus on reading. I'm setting another TBR that hopefully will be more successful.

Recursion by Blake Crouch
The Missing of Clairedelune by Christelle Dabos
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
Almost Love by Louise O'Neil
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams


and two ARCS:
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

June Wrap up #1

Not to sound like a broken record, but the slump continues. Here's what I've read so far in June.

The first book I finished was Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. This is about the company Theranos which claimed to be able to run multiple blood tests on just a prick of the finger. This was not possible and they scammed wealthy people and companies alike. This was a compelling narrative non fiction which is enjoyed. I gave it 3.5 stars.

Then I picked up All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman. I'd heard that this was quite funny but I didn't find it to be so. The premise is that the main character is a regular and he is married to a superhero (the perfectionist). However, the perfectionist's ex hypnotizes her at the wedding to not be able to see her new husband. He spends the rest of the book trying to undo the damage and along the way, we are introduced to other "superheroes." (They are quite odd powers). Ultimately, I found it too thin and found the ending very unrealistic. I gave it 2 stars.

In the evenings, when I didn't feel like picking up a new book, I'd listen to a few chapters of my Harry Potter audiobook. Those added up so that I finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I gave it 5 stars. I always do even though I recognize there are some flaws.

The next book I picked up was Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham. This is the second book in the Veronica Mars series. I read this in anticipation to the reboot that is coming to Hulu in July. This one wasn't nearly as good as the first book. I felt while the mystery was realistic, Veronica did some things that were out-of-character. I gave the book 3 stars.

Realizing I hadn't picked up anything for Pride Month, I decided to check out My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi. This was a manga memoir about a young woman who deals with mental illness and how that affects her relationships. At age 28 she still has yet to be kissed, so she hires a professional to teach her the ropes. I enjoyed reading this and gave it 3 stars.

I'm currently working through 2 more books that I think I'll finish before the month is up.

June TBR (Kind-of)

I'm still diligently working on my two year-long challenges so I had to pick a few books to definitely read. June is Pride Month so I wanted to work in some books that focused on LGBT+ characters or authors but because of my slump, I've selected many for me to choose from.

Challenge Reads:

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera  
All my Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman

Pride Selections:

Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden

The Absolutist by John Boyne

The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

A Little Life by Hanya Yanigihara

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rivka Brunt

Middlesex by Jefferey Eugenides

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

.

I definitely won't get to all of these but I want to aim high.

End of May Wrap Up

Well, the slump continues. I only read 2 more books in the rest of May.

I picked up Normal People by Sally Rooney after hearing such high praise about it. I had previously tried Rooney's debut novel Conversations with Friends which resulted in a DNF so my hopes weren't too high. The book is a slice-of-life story about two people named Connell and Marianne in high school and college. The story was fine, but I didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Most of the conflict was derived from misunderstandings or not speaking their mind. I gave it 3 stars.

Then I picked up Dune by Frank Herbert. I've recently been enjoying science fiction more and decided to pick up this classic because my husband wanted to watch the movie. (I almost always read the book before watching the movie if I can help it.) It has a lot going on. There are warring houses, an inhospitable planet, deadly sandworms, and a precious resource called melange spice. There are prophecies, an order of superhuman women, and a boy savior. I did feel some of the writing was dense (my copy was nearly 800 pages) but I loved the world-building and found the story quite immersive. I gave it 3.5 stars. Then my husband and I watched the 1980's adaptation and found it quite lacking. I'm hoping the 2020 version will be much better.

I knew my slump was coming on so I didn't create a TBR. But now I wonder if I would've read more if I had created one.