What I read: July AND August

You guys!  I read a TON of books in July (17 books) and then went on vacation and forgot to blog any of them. And then!  I really sucked at reading in August (6 measly books), so I feel very balanced now.

23.  Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell
Oh this book.  It was probably not any worse than the next 2 on the face of it, but it just made me so made because it should have been better.  But really guys.  It's bad.
22.  Cancer Is a Bitch by Gail Konop Baker
This one is written by a local author, and it is terrible.  I grabbed it off a library display shelf and really shouldn't have.
21. Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan
SO BAD YOU GUYS.  Might have been made funnier by use of the f word, but probably not.
20.  In the Country by Mia Alvar
Some of these stories were wonderful, but most of them did not keep my attention on the elliptical.  BUT I have recently started working out 60+ minutes a day, so maybe this isn;t a good standard.
19. Summer Secrets by Jane Green
So entertaining, but such schlock.
18.  Leaving Before the Rains Come by Alexandra Fuller
This woman, raised in South Africa,  is fascinating, and I can't wait to read the rest of her memoirs.
17. The Sweetheart Deal by Polly Dugan
Schlock but pleasant to read by the pool.
16. Preparation for the Next Life by Atticus Lish
I feel like this is an IMPORTANT BOOK and it is written with that kind of spare tone.  But it almost wasn't entertaining because it was so horribly sad.  Still, I read it early in July, and it has stuck with me this whole time.
15.  A Fine Romance by Candice Bergen
This book needed a good edit, but it was still a charmer.  It inspired me to re-watch all of Murphy Brown, and she she spills some good dirt.
14. The Daughters by Adrienne Celt
Creepy and sad-- a slow read but probably wroth it.
13. Primates of Park Avenue by Wednesday Martin
I HATED this book like no other.  This woman!  Is NOT an anthropologist, so don't believe the hook.  Her PhD is in lit, and she barely skims the surface of anthropology.  It was a gimmick that did not need to stretch 100s of pages.  And!  She tells us NOTHING new about motherhood or female friendships.  I learned some fascinating stuff about the super rich, but the same things apply to my midwest middle class mommy ring.  Ugh.  A hate read for sure.
12.  I Regret Nothing by Jen Lancaster
Her books are hilarious, and this one is no exception.
11.  Bennington Girls Are Easy by Charlotte Silver
Like Girls in book form-- you should read it.
10. How to Be a Grown Up by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
This made the elliptical machine SPEED by.
9.  I Take You by Eliza Kennedy
I loved this!  Total breezy chick lit, but the heroine has a wonderful voice.  I really hope she shows up in a few sequals.
8.  Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough
Oh, you should read this.  My mom and I read it when I was in grade school, and I remembered laughing until we cried.  I thought I would try it again to see if the story of two rich young women traveling abroad at the turn of the last century was still funny.  AND IT IS.  Read this!
7.  The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
I am late to the party on this one, but glad to be there, anyway.
6.  Finders Keepers by Stephen King
I;m a sucker for King, and damn is he good here.
5.  Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg
This book is lovely!  Beautiful!  Funny!  Sad!  And with a legendary heroine.
4.  A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
I really like the Jane Smiley trilogy that I have been reading out of order (see my review for the first book below and for the second one that I accidentally read first in June).  But in some ways, Tyler puts Smiley to shame with this family multi-generational saga.  She says is a few spare sentences what Smiley needs books and books to do.  This is lovely.
3.  Some Luck by Jane Smiley
I only ranked this higher than Tyler because I really have come to love these characters.
2.  Armada by Earnest Cline
Holy shit.  Not my usual style, but this futuristic video game thriller is awesome.
1.  Ready Player One by Earnest Cline
Oh, please read this!  Dystopian YA fiction at its pop culture best.