June: What I Read

I read a TON this month-- good books, lots of mind-numbing time home with the kids where I didn't have enough mental space to do work but needed to do something besides stare at my phone.  I am having a hard time with my own book, so I have been procrasti-reading quite a bit.

16.  My Mrs. Brown by William Norwich:  This book is well reviewed and on a lot of summer lists, but I really didn't like it.  Super preachy and over-written.  Maybe going to an old-time novel vibe, but it just came across as stuffy and the writing was at odds with the plot and not in the cool, quirky way I think the author intended.

15.  Born a Crime by Trevor Noah:  I was not a a huge fan of this book, maybe because it was overly hyped.  Some funny anecdotes, though.

14.  A Separation by Katie Kitamura:  This book has an interesting plot and is set in a beautifully described Greece, but I couldn't connect.

13.  Chaos by Patricia Cornwell:  I always like a good Scarpetta book, but I didn't check this one out at the library when I saw it like 10 times in the new release area because I thought I had already read it, based on the flap description.  Then it arrived on my holds shelf, and I realized that it was in fact a new book.  But it didn't feel new.

12.  The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell:  Serviceable thriller/mystery.  It's got memorable characters, but it's not "The next Girl on the Train" as promised by the blurb.

11.  The Young Widower's Handbook by Tom McAllister:  I feel like the title explains a lot.  I liked this one.

10.  It's Always the Husband by Michelle Campbell:  I loved that this one started in college with a group of dysfunctional friends, and I was guessing the whole way through.  A good thriller.

9.  In This Moment by Karma Brown:  This is a good, quick read about female friendship and parenting and marriage.

8.  The Reminders by Val Emmich:  Liked this sad little story about a 10-year-old with a photographic memory and a widower who write a song.

7.  Relativity by Antonia Hayes: A compelling story of an unhappy family in Australia.  The little boy character was really realistic, and I liked both of his terrible parents.

6.  Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki: This book has interesting characters and an original plot-- you should definitely read it.

5.  The Idiot by Elif Bautman:  What a terrific coming-of-age story-- worth a read for sure.

4.  Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan:  Loved it.  Totally funny and a joy to read-- excellent send-up of modern mom culture-- she totally gets it.

3.  Harmless Like You by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan:  This is beautiful and haunting and riveting.  Read it-- you won't be sorry.

2.  All Grown Up by Jami Attenburg:  This book is wonderful.  I loved the way she zoomed in and out across time, and the main character was an asshole but I loved the book anyway-- always a tough line to toe.  It's a great book.

1.  Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes:  THIS IS GREAT.  I could not look away.  Read it.  The last 2 paragraphs make the other 400 pages TOTALLY WORTH IT.  So sad.