June 14, 2016

May Books


May was an awful month for books. I listened to two. I had 3 on my Kindle app and I just kind of plugged away at them every once in awhile. It was just too much work to read at the end of the day. 




All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
(courtesy of NetGalley)
I don't know what this says about the book itself, but I've been trying to finish this book since mid-April and I just haven't.
I can't grade it because I haven't finished it and I don't hate it enough to not finish it.
I'll let you know next month I suppose.

The Girl With a Clock for a Heart by Peter Swanson D+
This was kind of boring. It was a good idea for a murder mystery and I enjoyed the way it kept jumping back and forth between past and present. That, to be honest, was the only thing that kept me interested. Each chapter left off with a cliffhanger of sorts.
But the end was awful. The first half of the book held promise and the ending did not live up to that.

Pines by Blake Crouch B
This is the first in the Wayward Pines series and I enjoyed it. It bobbled back and forth between time periods and there were some more confusing sections (it gets kinda sci-fi-ish and I had Maze Runner flashbacks), but it all came together at the end. I'll probably read the rest of them.
I started watching the show as I was finishing the book, so I could compare the happenings.

Thirty-Six and a Half Motives by Denise Grover Swank A
The latest in the Rose Gardner series. I pre-ordered it for Kindle and while I desperately missed my narrator, books don't come out on Audible for quite awhile after they're released in print. Waiting was not something I could do.
The first half drug on a bit here and there but the second half did not disappoint. I'm officially #TEAMSKEETER because he's the most dependable/useful in the bunch.
I hate Mason. He's like a wet blanket or mop or something. Worthless.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown B+
I downloaded this in a two-for-one deal and assumed it'd be pretty self-helpy but I had heard of Brown's work through The Balanced Life, so I decided to give it a try.
What I like about it is that Brown actually has a story. She's not telling you what to do without trying it herself first. I appreciate that.
Since it was an audiobook, I couldn't highlight/take notes, but here's a few things that stuck out to me:
Authenticity is a practice, not a thing. It's something you focus on, not something you are.
Not everyone is meant to hear our story. We don't need to tell our story to everyone because it's a privilege to know other peoples' stories.
Perfectionism. She has some really good thoughts on this and how we can stop letting it rule us.
If you ARE looking for a self-help book, I do recommend this one.

------------------------------------------------------------

I started Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson. It failed to pull me in by 10% and I decided it wasn't worth the hype. The library snatched it back. Oh well.

-------------------------------------------

In an effort to motivate myself, I've set a goal of 10 books in June.

Linking up with Jana and Steph!

10 comments:

  1. Oh no! I had high hopes for The Girl with the Clock Heart because I enjoyed the author's other book (The Kind Worth Killing) so much.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was a fan of Clock Heart. Not as much as HS other book but I still liked it.

    I think it was this time last year that I ripped through the Pines series. Ah, memories.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been in a bad slump with books lately too-- reading a lot, but just not coming across anything I really love. I read The Gifts of Imperfection a couple of years ago and liked it, but would love to read it again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. i hope i can knock out the rest of the rose books on my cruise. we'll see. i only have the next one on my kindle, and i am not supposed to be buying any more books right now so maybe not.
    the pines series though, i keep hearing about them and they are all on my kindle.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've been wanting to read the Pines series because I'm really enjoying the show on Hulu, but I'm trying to put it off until at least after this 2nd season is over. I'm in this weird spot where I don't want to spoil the show with the books...kinda bass-ackwards.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I enjoyed the Pines series. I watched bits of the TV series and there are lots of differences. Overall, though, the book series is very good. I have the first book in the Rose Gardner series on my kindle (thanks to your recommendation) that I need to read! I loved Rising Strong by Brene Brown and The Gifts of Imperfection is on my list too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 10 books!!! Impressive - hope you make it!
    Thats bad when you can't even make yourself read a book - not every book is for everyone - that's for sure :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really liked Pines! It gets so much scarier in the next two books, like kept me awake at night. But I read them while I was staying in a hotel, so it was probably much creepier.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have the first three books on my “To Read” list already. It’s not a great sign that you started All the Missing Girls in mid-April and still haven’t felt like finishing it, but at least you don’t hate it enough to completely quit it.

    I had high hopes for the Peter Swanson book, and who knows? Maybe I’ll like it.

    10 books in June is a great goal! I’d ideally like to get through 8-9 this month, but my current book (Forsaken by Andrew Van Wey) isn’t sucking me in the way I’d hoped.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ugh!! I hate when a great concept is wasted on an either poorly written or poorly executed book!

    ReplyDelete

Comments make my day!