I could not focus on reading this month, try as I might— AND I DID TRY. We haven’t been in any kind of steady routine all month, and this has taken its toll on my habits and my general sense of well being.I also drank a lot— wine with Ben almost every night he was home— and this is SO unlike me and makes me not want to read myself to sleep. We watched The Office for the millionth time instead.
I even missed a bunch of popular holds (the new Katherine Center, Sandwich, and the new EMily Giffin) because I just forgot to go get them)
On the plus side, I stopped reading 2 books I didn’t like— but I stalled first. Baby steps.
ANYWAY. Here’s the list from best to worst.
9. Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams: This is an author I usually like a lot, but this one was just OK for me. A nice twist, but it was hard to get into. **Audio
8. No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall: Meh. Sort of got good, but this was a bit of a slog for me. **Audio **2024
7. House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen: I wanted to really like this one. It was a BOTM, though, and I love making a dent in my pile. **2024
6. The Women by Kristin Hannah: Listen, this was schlock. If you want to read about Vietnam War nurses, you gotta read the play A Piece of my Heart by Shirley Lauro — waaaaaay better. But! This book was another BOTM to check off the list.**2024
5. Drop Dead by Lily Chu: I like this author, and this romance was touching and cute. **Audio**2024
4. The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson: Stephany recommended this as a palate cleanser, and it was really really cute and sweet. **Audio
3. Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe: Funny and touching and smart- liked to a bunch. Another BOTM, which means I only have 2 more on my stack!! Woo-hoo! **2024
2. Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner: HILARIOUS and wonderful and you must read it! **2024
1. The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan: I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. One of the best of the year. **2024 **Audio
This month: 9 books
Audio books: 5
Real books: 4
2024 books: 8
This year: 110
Audio: 54
With my eyes: 57
Books published in 2024: 60
Our tastes really diverged this month! I DNF’d Long Island at 25%! I couldn’t stand Beamer and the explicit sex scenes were just too much for me. And then I DNF’d The Cliffs when a ghost story element was introduced. I wasn’t super excited to read that book for some reason but wanted to give it a chance. But when the boys was taking to a ghost I was like - NOPE.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got some fun reading reading in!
ReplyDeleteOh I cannot wait for you to read Sandwich!!!
ReplyDeleteI have Long Island on hold but I'm pretty far down the queue, same with Margo. True confession: I really, really do not like Kristin Hannah's writing. I know she's incredibly popular but anything I've read by her I feel like...really? No thank you. But I'm in the minority here.
My husband hated The Women, so I stayed away from it! I also struggled reading this month and thank heavens for audiobooks or I would have read NOTHING!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you still got some good reading in this month! Based on what everyone is saying here, I'm going to skip Kristin Hannah. I haven't read any of her books, but I keep feeling like I should because everyone loves them so much. But I trust you, Nicole, and Engie. There are too many other books out there that I want to read.
ReplyDeleteI thought about going to bed early last night before I was struggling to keep my eyes open, but alas . . . I stayed up to get other things done and then struggled to be awake long enough to read more than a few pages. I appreciate the recommendations. Hope to check out the top books on your list.
ReplyDeleteOh no - The Women is going to be one of my favorites of the year! I loved it, but I also really haven't read much about the Vietnam war and felt like it introduced me to an era of history that felt new to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed Last Chance Library! Sweet and simple. Sometimes that's what we need!