August 11, 2020

July Books



In Five Years by Rebecca Serle 4 stars

I waited for months upon months for this from the library. Everyone loved it, which made me nervous because that's a lot of pressure (see: Dear Edward). 
I must say, it didn't disappoint. I thought it was thoughtful and true-to-life in many ways. I said on Instagram that I was ALL IN until about 80% and then it started to lose me. It took a couple of twists and I think I just wanted the ending to be different. No spoilers here. 

I did like the writing, though, and the way the book was put together. 



This was a DNF for me. I didn't mind it at first, but then In Five Years came in from the library and since I'd been waiting for close to 6 months for In Five Years, I read that first.
By the time I got back to Oona, I was deeply disappointed that it wasn't great...I liked the premise, but it just..meh. There was a time-travel element that was kind of fun but I wasn't nearly as invested as I had been in In Five Years. They were kind of similar in a weird way. 



This was fine. Definitely not my favorite of his. I don't really care about classic mysteries. Not even a little bit. So the themes didn't speak to me. Also, had vibes of You. 




I thought this was a fast-moving thriller in many ways. I also disliked the main character. In my opinion, this was better than An Anonymous Girl and not as good as The Wife in Between. It was solid and kept me reading. I like their writing style. But I also was districted by the absolute haplessness of the main character.




I liked this. It was a thriller and kept me guessing.  Like I said on Instagram, I just like Peter Swanson's writing. This wasn't my favorite of his (I think All the Beautiful Lies is my favorite), but this was much better than Eight Perfect Murders.




This was a disappointment. I didn't expect to love it because it seemed like everyone loved it and...my M.O. is to not love the most popular books. It was just so sad and the narrative seemed to skim the surface a lot of the time. 
This is a "me" issue but I hate air travel because I get airsick, so just being in a narrative that takes place on a plane gave me a headache. So it wasn't super enjoyable. 
I finished it mostly because I kept waiting for something to happen. Nope. 

Currently reading:


Part of my 2020 reading goal was to read a non-fiction book each month. That hasn't been happening, which is kind of a disappointment? But also, I have non-fiction books sitting on my shelf and mean to get to them but I don't. I do intend to read all of them by the end of the year so maybe it'll even out to 12 books by then. I do have a few requested from the library, so I will likely read those as they come in. 

But, other than that, my reading goal for the year was only 48 (I can usually do between 50-75 a year, depending), so this was low expectations for me. You can follow my books in real time HERE

Right now, I'm 31 books in, and only 2 have been non-fiction. I'll see what I can do with those numbers. 
I am reading the entire Bible this year so, if I finish it, that'll add an extra "book" (LOL, right?) and add onto my non-fiction total. 

I generally don't get hung up on the numbers until November, so I figured I'd start keeping track to be better prepared. 

Something different I'm doing this year is that I'm doing absolutely no audiobooks...not because I think they're not books but because I just don't like them anymore?

Do you notice a change in your reading habits in 2020? 


Linking up with Jana and Steph!

11 comments:

  1. Five Years is on my TBR. You Are Not Alone sounds interesting. I liked The Wife in Between, and I have Anonymous Girl but haven't gotten to it yet. I hate when I am one of the last to read a super hyped book. I tend to hold of a long time on them because they usually disappoint me in some way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So many of these are on my tbr. I really want to read the Oona one so I'm disappointed that you were disappointed!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've passed up In Five years TWICE from the library... I wont pass it up again!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am reading slower. My brain reaches capacity faster and a lot of times I'm out of it by the end of the work day.

    I have The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes on my list!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I read In Five Years last month too and enjoyed it. I finished Oona but wasn't a fan. You are Not Alone is on my to read list.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We discussed You Are Not Alone via the gram, but I agree, The Wife Between is probably their best. I debated picking The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes but felt it was too copycat of Daisy Jones (which I LOVED).

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm excited for oona but just like you I get disappointed if its not a winner like everyone says.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I do want to read Eight Perfect Murders. I think I'd enjoy it. In general, I need to read something by that author!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
  9. Enjoyed your honest reviews. I read Her Every Fear last summer and really enjoy it! Gave it a 4/5.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I liked Eight Perfect Murders a lot. It's the only one of his I've read and I don't have much to compare it to.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for sharing! I tried to read a non-fiction last month (Invisible Women) but it made me too mad to keep reading. I guess that means I already learned a lot ;)

    ReplyDelete

Comments make my day!