Monday, July 31, 2017

July Books And Mid Year Reading Check In

I am just as stunned as you are that this month is over. It just went too fast. I always have high hopes that July will be the month for everything. And then, every year, it flies by and I only did half of what I hoped for. Does this happen to you?

Reading was a lot like that in July. I planned to read my way through the month with a tall stack of books. In reality, I read two books and I spent more time doing other things. Most of my time was spent on a summer course I need to prepare for a grad program. It isn't nearly as much fun but necessary. Maybe, August will be my month for reading *fingers crossed*


I have been working my way through my Summer Reading List I created in May. I've surprised myself by sticking to the list. The Nightingale, Behind Her Eyes, and The Lightning Thief were my 3 books left to read. I started with The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah which lived up to all the good things readers shared with me. Wow, what a well written story! I have never read a WW2 book set in occupied France, so that was eye opening. 

The story follows two sisters living in occupied France. One is forced to live alongside the enemy while the other fights against them. Years and years pass, things get worse, and you wonder how did these people make it through such hardship. 


#2 Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. What a peculiar book. I was all kinds of upside down reading this book. I just kept wondering "Why?", "Why are the doors important?", "Why is this a problem?" I guess much of the plot didn't make sense. Behind Your Eyes is a typical unreliable narrator story that unravels very slowly. I don't want to give away too much because I think these books are better read without knowing anything. Overall, I just did not care for where this book went and how long it took to get there. It just was not for me!




Since this post is so very short this month, I thought I would do a little mid year reading checkin. As of July 31, I have read 26 books. I have slowed down considerable since the beginning of the year and way slower than 2016. I haven't been too excited over the books I've read this year. My books have been pretty average. Only a couple books have stood out as favorites. 





Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng was a favorite. That book really got down deep to my soul and touched some real life feels for me. It is not a book that I will recommend for others because I think it's very personal to the reader. If you love that book, I get it. If you don't love the book, I think I kind of get that too :) My second favorite of the year was The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn. When I started reading this book, I felt like a horrible person. I really considered putting it down because the premise of the book goes against one of my strongest beliefs. Here is this author basing an entire plot line on open marriage and I'm all "Maybe I shouldn't"??? But I did because I'm an adult and I can be a big girl despite difference of opinions. The Arrangement was so unexpected and I had some really great take aways for my closed relationship :) I do recommend this book, especially to those who have been married awhile, because it's important to be reminded to not go on autopilot with your spouse. 

My biggest reading commitment this year was my Summer To Be Read pile. At the beginning of summer, I created this stack of must read books. I stuck to it and read every book, except The Lightning Thief. I read two chapters and knew it wasn't for me. I really enjoyed Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. The Dry by Jane Harper and Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough were my least favorites.

Looking ahead, I hope to read a few more 2017 releases. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Tara Jenkins Reid is high on my list. It has a lot of great reviews and yet, my small town library doesn't have one copy. So sad! The second book on my list is Since We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate which my library doesn't have either. This might be a good time for a little reading break.  I'm feeling a little burnt out lately over books. I just want something light and happy... and funny would be nice. If you have any suggestions, please send them my way :) Until them, I'm taking a little break.

Linking up with Jana, Steph, and Narci for all the book recommendations your heart desires :)


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17 comments:

  1. I read It Ends With Us this weekend and don't know how I feel about it. I think the synopsis was very vague, and I was not prepared for the book to be completely centered on abusive relationships. Hoping Lauren Graham's book is a more lighthearted read! Good luck with your course and your reading!

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  2. Awe, I liked Behind Her Eyes. I also loved Everything I Never Told You though.
    Did not love The Nightingale. Didn't finish The Dry.
    My reading is also off this year and I actually stopped reading for a few weeks in order to reset myself.

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  3. I really have no idea where this year has gone. It really has flown by.

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  4. I feel like I'm a little behind on reading as well because there were some slow months this year for me as well. I'm glad that you ended up loving The Nightingale though! It's one of my favorite books ever!

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  5. I am always shocked when my library doesn't have something.

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  6. I love reading so much but just haven't been able to read as much as I want to lately, so I totally feel you on that one. I read The Nightingale for my book club here in Hawaii and although I wasn't too interested in reading it at first, I ended up loving it! It's one of those books that I think will stick with me for a long time. I gave out a few copies as gifts for Christmas because I thought it was just that amazing.

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  7. I'm reading both Behind her Eyes (on audiobook) and The Dry right now and loving both! I too loved the Nightingale!

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  8. Loved the NIghtengale too! Have you read All the Light We Cannot See? It is even better!

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  9. the nightingale was one of my favourites the year i read it. so good. behind her eyes is on my list but i've heard mixed things. Everything I Never Told You is also on my list and I keep hearing about The Arrangement!

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  10. I loved Everything I Never Told You! The Arrangement sounds interesting...

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  11. I adored Everything I Never Told You. Such a great book.

    I'm one of the only people I know who has not read The Nightingale and has no plans to. I don't like WWII fiction so I know before I even open it that it's not for me.

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  12. I loved Behind Her Eyes but it's definitely not for everyone. And it's hard to warn those who it will likely not appeal to because you give too much away. The Nightingale was terrific. Broke my heart a bit. It shocks me when my library doesn't have a book I want. It doesn't happen often but when it does ... Grrrr!!!

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  13. I loved The Nightingale, though it's much different from Hannah's other books. I enjoyed Behind Her Eyes.

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  14. Sorry to hear about the bummer with books so far this year. A few more light-hearted books that I always recommend are Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center and One Plus One by JoJo Moyes :) It's always good to take a little break too though!! If you liked the Nightingale, I also really liked Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys which is YA about WWII. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah was also a good one for me.

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  15. See if your library participates in an Interlibrary Loan program. That is where they will ask to borrow books from other libraries and have them available at your library to pick up. =)

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  16. I need to read The Dry! I won a copy earlier this year... and have not read it yet! : / I've had a few slow reading months, hoping to pull out of the drought! Sounds like you have been reading some good ones though. I have so many WWII fiction I need to finally pick up including The Nightingale! Here from SUYB! XO - Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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  17. For a fun, lighthearted read I'll be reading This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare by Gabourey Sidibe

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