When I set the goal of reading 50 books in 2015 I had full intentions of doing a recap of the books I had read at the end of each month. Somehow though I have let almost 6 months go by without one recap of the books I have read. Oops. Better late than never though right?
I have read 22 books, a recap of all of them is just not happening, sorry. You can follow me on Goodreads to see the full list of what I have been reading. But I do want to share some of my favorite books that I have read so far in case your looking for some new reads.
Wreckage by Emily Bleeker - ★★★ - Two plane crash survivors spend almost two years on an island before they are rescued. What happened on the island continues to haunt them when they are brought back to their old lives and waiting families. This book totally sucked me in! One of those books that drops hints along the way and you spend the entire time trying to put the puzzle together to solve the mystery! My favorite kind of book.
Three Daughters - by Consuelo Saah Baehr - ★★★★★ - I loved this book! The storyline held my attention the entire time and I could not book the book down! From Goodreads, “Three Daughters is a historical saga that chronicles the lives, loves, and secrets of three generations of Palestinian Christian women.” Following the story and seeing how with each generation the way of life changed was so interesting to me, I am trying to get H to read the book so I can have someone to talk about it with. So if you read this, let me know!
Wild - by Cheryl Strayed - ★★★ - This was one of the first books I read this year and the main reason I picked it up was because I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. It took me a really long time to get into the story, but once I did I enjoyed following along and reading about how Cheryl Strayed changed on her journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. Bonus, I loved reading about the parts when she was hiking through Oregon!
The Nightingale - by Kristin Hannah - ★★★★★ - I just finished this book last week and it more than earns its 4.5 stars out of 23,000 reviews on Goodreads! The story follows two French sisters in the 1940s as they do whatever they have to do to survive WWII. From Goodreads, “a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women.” That is the perfect way to explain this book. I highly recommend it!
Big Little Lies - by Liane Moriarty - ★★★★ - If you haven’t read this book yet add this to your summer reading list, it is the perfect beach day book! The story of three moms and their children, schoolyard drama and scandal, it is ridiculously entertaining!
The Girl on the Train - by Paula Hawkins - ★★★★★ - Rachel takes the same train everyday and passes the time by creating lives for the families homes she passes, like the home of “Jess and Jason,” the happy couple who has the life she wanted. Jess and Jason’s life seems more than perfect, until one day when Rachel sees something that changes everything. I read this book in like two days, so ya, I kinda loved it. If you were a fan of Gone Girl this book is a must read!
Station Eleven - by Emily St. John Mandel - ★★★ - When a virus causes civilization as we know it to collapse the lives of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors intertwine into a story of loss, friendship and the beauty of the world as we know it. This book had a bit of a confusing storyline for me, but the main concept really makes you stop and think about your surroundings. An interesting read, but one that may not be for everyone. I am still trying to decide which side I am on, love it or hate it.
Yeah, Maybe - by Joey Hodges - ★★★★ - This book perfectly captures what it felt like to be in high school and the confusion of it all. Written by a fellow blogger I finished this book in one day! Thanks to Kristen from See You In A Porridge for recommending this book, it is one of my favorites I have read this year.
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The books above are all ones that I have enjoyed these past 6 months, but not every book I have read has been a gem. Here is just a quick recap of my not so favorite books.
Defending Jacob - by William Landay - ★★★ - This book still gets three stars because I did really like the story. The ending is what ruined it for me. It isn’t a bad ending, it just wasn’t what I wanted the ending to be. It sort of felt like a cope out ending to me. But I know the purpose was more to make the reader think and come to there own conclusions. Anyone else read this yet? What did you think of the ending?
My Sister’s Grave - by Robert Dugoni - ★- I love a good mystery but this book was just way to predictable. At times I thought maybe there would be a twist, but then nope, the ending was exactly what I guessed it would be in the first few chapters.
Maude - by by Donna Mabry - ★★★ - Based off a true story, this book had me feeling both happy to be a women in today’s society and incredible inspired by the strength of women in the early 1900s. This is not a story with a happy ending though and at times I got a bit frustrated and felt like it just couldn’t be possible to have so many bad things happen to one person. Still a great story, I just wish there could of been a dash of a happy ending.
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Next on my reading list, 1984, Bossypants and The Weight of Silence. If you have some recommendations I would love to hear them!
Question of the Day?
What books have you read lately?
