Mom and dad took the kids for a week so I could get my classroom set up. I listened to audiobooks the whole time I worked until I got to things that took some mental effort to do. I made it through 2 audiobooks and most of the way through a third while they were gone. I was really on a roll in July and then I got the flu and was so sick, I didn't even feel good enough to read. I had almost a week where I didn't read much or listen to audiobooks, but I still got quite a few in this month.
Books:
- Molka by Monika Kim- This book was so strange and creepy. It was one that I kept finding myself wondering why I liked it so much. I couldn't put it down.
- Heartstopper: Volume 6 by Alice Oseman- Nick and Charlie always have my heart. I read this in one sitting and then immediately regretted it. I should have lingered with them longer. I can't believe this series is over.
- The Hours by Michael Cunningham- I never saw the movie based on this book and went into it only vaguely knowing it had something to do with Virginia Woolf. I loved it at the start and I liked each character and their story. I expected there to be more of a connection between the 3 storylines and for the story to be pulled together more at the end. The only connection I noticed was Clarissa's nickname was Mrs. Dalloway and Mrs. Brown was reading Virginia Woolf. It was an odd book.
- Wombat Waiting by Katherine Applegate- I saw this at the library and neither of the kids wanted to read it, so I decided to read it by myself. Applegate is my absolute favorite middle grade author and I always get excited to read new books she has out. This was a very sweet story. It was a little slower than her other books and I don't think it would engage my students as a read aloud like her other books do. It left me feeling uplifted at the end.
 |
| Me waiting for a cat to come to my lap, lol! |
- Honeyeater by Kathleen Jennings- This sounded like a book I would love: a dark fantasy with ghosts and a town reclaimed by nature, but I didn't. I really struggled to finish it, didn't like any of the characters, and would have DNF'd had I not bought the book. This was one I initially picked up because of the beautiful cover, but actually read the book jacket and got really excited about.
- Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In by Phuc Tran- I impulsively grabbed this off a library display and was pleasantly surprised when I opened it and started reading. It was really well written and interesting. I was disappointed it ended with his high school graduation. I feel like that's the start of the best part of most people's lives and I wanted to read about his!
- Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden- I kept seeing this book on recommended reading lists so when I came across it on a used books shelf, I picked it up. I wasn't sure how much I would connect with the story, but I was immediately sucked in. Her writing was beautiful and her story was written with such love and pain. "Once a woman is painted as a hysteric, the rest of the story is washed away... To them, a woman writing about a man leaving is, somehow, worse than the man leaving." This was a story that needed to be told and one I am so thankful to have read. The bravery to put this tory out there and serve her heart up to be broken once again, my word!
eBooks:
- How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson- Combining a rom-com and a slasher? Yes, please! This book had me on the edge of my seat. I always love a bad ass final girl and Jamie was exactly that. I really liked the misquoted rom-com quotes that started each chapter. This was really well done!
- Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma by Anne Camlin- I read about 10% of Boy, Snow, Bird which was a Snow White retelling and gave up on it. I was proud of myself for quitting a book I wasn't enjoying, even though I picked it up to fulfill the "read a retelling" box on my Summer Reading Program Bingo Card. I decided to find a different retelling and remembered I'd seen this at some point and wanted to read it. Jane Austen retellings are always a favorite and this graphic novel retelling of Emma was lovely. It felt like Heartstopper and Emma mashed together and I loved it! This was the best reminder possible that I should quit books I don't like.
- The Divorce Party by Laura Dave- This was an interesting story. It kept me invested the whole time, but never quite went where I expected.
- Writers & Lovers by Lily King- I really liked this book. There was something about Casey's character that really drew me in. The writing was beautiful and I loved all the talk about books.
Audiobooks:
- This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman- The addition of Jamal was the highlight of this book for me. I'm never a fan of war stories so I didn't enjoy this floor as much as the others.
- Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin- This book was lovely. The characters were all so endearing. I finished it feeling happy.
- Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto- This book really hit for me. It may have been partially because I wasn't enjoying my book or ebook at the time I was listening to this as an audiobook, making it seem even better. I love found family stories and the audiobook version of this was so good! There was mystery and humor and the book left me feeling good every time I listened to it.
- Kin by Tayari Jones- This book was the absolutely beautiful story of two friends growing up without moms and forging a bond through their motherlessness. It broke my heart and left me speechless.
- Funny Story by Emily Henry- I didn't like Happy Place very much so I was hesitant to read this book. It took being given the book by 2 different people to finally read it and I really enjoyed it! I may read her newest book now. I wasn't planning on it.
- The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay- This book was boring and the plot sucked. I got bamboozled into reading it by the Jane Austen link, but it was not worth it!
