*Did not like it at all
**It was okay
***Liked it
****Really really
liked it
*****Absolutely loved
it
3-stars
***The Switch (Fiction, B. O’Leary)
Probably the most predictable book I’ve ever read, BUT I still really enjoyed it. A perfect read between ‘heavier’ books.
***The Real Michael Swann (Fiction, B. Reardon)
A ‘thriller’…more like a cast of (SPOILER ALERT) mistaken identity. I had this one figured out from the beginning, which is disappointing. But even though I had it figured out, it was still a page turner and a quick read. (Not pictured above, I gave it to my mother-in-law.)
***The Home Edit Life (Non-Fiction, C. Shearer)
Nothing earth-shattering organizing wise but it’s a really pretty book with great pictures.
4-stars
****Illuminae (Fiction, YA, A.
Kaufman and J. Kristoff)
Wow. It took me a while to get into this 600 page book. It's written completely in journal entries, letters, emails, interviews, illustrations, diagrams, 'Unipedia' pages, etc. When I got to page 150 or so, I decided to switch over to audio. And then I couldn't stop listening until I was finished.
If at all possible, listen AND follow along in the book at the same time. The audio is amazing. There are 12 narrators. Alarms. Explosions. Music. Ugh it's just so good!
****Gemina (Fiction, YA, A. Kaufman and J. Kristoff)
#2 in the Illuminae series. This one was not quite as good as the first, but it still gets 4-stars for the creativity and plot.
5-Stars
*****The Exiles (Fiction, C.
Baker Kline)
Wow. This is a beautiful, devastating novel. Whenever I read a book by C. Baker Kline, I always learn so much. I don't think I've ever read an author who can write historical fiction as well as she can. Amazing!
*****Anxious People (Fiction, F. Backman)
Here is the review I posted on Goodreads:
Yesterday we had a
freakish wind storm, knocking out our power for 7 hours. I have never been so
grateful for a power outage, because it allowed me to completely read this
book.
Only Fredrik Backman can write a book that makes
you laugh out loud on one page and then drop a passage like this on this next
page:
"You can get it into your head to do some
unbelievably stupid things when you run out of tears, when you can't silence
the voices no one can hear, when you've never been in a room where you felt
normal. In the end you get exhausted from always tensing the skin around your
ribs, never letting your shoulders sink, brushing along walls all your life
with white knuckles, always afraid that someone will notice you, because no
one's supposed to do that."
I don't think a book has ever been more
appropriately named. This book is about ANXIOUS PEOPLE all stuck in an
apartment held hostage by a bank robber that botched a bank robbery. Over the
course of the day, they learn more about each other and we learn more about
them, particularly their anxieties, their depression, and their suicidal
thoughts.
There's twists and turns and connections and now
I want to read it again immediately, knowing what I know about the characters
in this book. It's just SO good. Please read it. And also, please read this:
https://www.fredrikbackman.com/2018/0...
It's an essay he wrote about anxiety and it's
amazing.
Also, follow him on Instagram because he's
hilarious.
And READ THIS BOOK
DNF: The Bright Forever (one of the characters creeped me out and I didn’t like where it was going)
Total Books Read: 7 (6 Fiction,
1 Non-Fiction, 1 DNF)
