// The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand - I'm usually a big of Hilderbrand but this book didn't give me as many happies as some of her other books. I did love how well researched restaurant life was so this book received 3 stars from me.
// Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng - This book just made me mad, I almost stopped reading several times but finally made it to the end. I still don't understand why if life was so bad in Ohio you didn't move your family away. MOVE THEM!! A book about parents who ruin the lives of their children gets a frustrated 3 stars.
// The Summer Wind by Mary Alice Monroe - When I read The Summer Girls I didn't realize it was going to be a series, yayyyy for book surprises. This book of course followed sister two's story and it did not disappoint, one book and one sister left. A great beach read for summer, I give this book 4 stars.
// Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Not about books but about things that look like books but are actually clues to some kind of riddle. After 82 pages of trying to get involved with the story or the characters I gave up. This book gets 1 star.
// Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - After reading Gone Girl and Sharp Objects I was hesitant to read, although I liked both books they left me feeling uncomfortable and in need of lots of book fluff. This book though is my favorite Flynn book by far, a twisted mystery that will have you guessing until the end. I give this book 4 stars.
// The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand - A sad messy story that reminds you people and life are not perfect by any means. Not something you would usually expect from Hilderbrand but still a good beach read. I gave this book 4 stars.
// Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - My favorite book of the month, a story about kindergarten moms, small town gossip, and murder. Fun from page one this book gets 5 stars.
// Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky - I'd almost given up on Goodreads recommendations but this book has me checking my recommendation lists again. An easy beach read with a little bit of drama and a lot of romance. Nicole is a blogger and I do love books with blogger characters. This book gets 4 stars.
// Cutting teeth by Julia Fierro - Goodreads says if I liked Big Little Lies I would like Cutting Teeth, Goodreads tells big little lies. By page 84 I still didn't know what this book was about and put it down. It's a 1 star read.
// Wild by Cheryl Strayed - I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, I'm not a hiker after all. I ended up loving this book, the series of events that led Strayed to hike the PCT were told with grit and honesty. The trail stories were equally as fascinating, if I wasn't such a lazy ass I'd take myself hiking. An inspirational 5 star read.
What did you read last month that you loved? Did you stop reading a book before you got to the end?
Kelli
The Summer Wind sounds really good. Dark places is on my list to read. Wild was so gritty but so inspirational!
ReplyDeleteSo sad you didn't like Mr Penumbra's Bookstore. I loved that book! I enjoy stories that have some sort of clue/mystery solving, kind of like The Da Vinci Code, but not.
ReplyDeleteI loved Everything I Never Told You. I mean, I loved how it highlighted how much your experience can affect how you treat others, and how that treatment is perceived. I totally think that some more communication in that family would have been good, but I love how it hinged on how seemingly small, or even changeable, like you said, decisions, can affect our lives and those around us. I also really liked Dark Places! Big Little Lies has been on my library hold list since January so maybe by the end of 2015, I'll get a turn with it!
ReplyDeleteI didn't hate Cutting Teeth as much as you did but it wasn't my favorite. She tried but the book feel flat at times. I did love Dark Places, probably my favorite of her 3 and I also really enjoyed Everything I Never Told You. Big Little Lies is on my to-read list and I'm looking forward to getting to it.
ReplyDeleteLOLOL @ Goodreads tells big little lies.
ReplyDeleteI added the Monroe books to my list - I'm close enough to vacation to be assembling my vacation reads. Hurrah!!!
hahaha at goodreads recommendations telling lies. i place very little stock in what goodreads recommends, i trust people ;) i have been burned before!
ReplyDeleteso sad you didn't like the bookstore book, that's been on my list for awhile. so has the everything i never told you, that sucks!! added a i don't think i've ever read anything by Elin Hilderbrand, adding all of those to my list :) the Monroe books look good as well!
Big Little Lies is on my floor at home waiting to be read.
ReplyDeleteI gotta admit, Wild annoyed me...because Cheryl annoyed me. I didn't want her to annoy me. I felt that she and I had a lot in common, flaws and all, but there was something about her that didn't click with me. I sound like a Mean Girl. :(
I didn't like Wild either. I don't know how many times I just wanted to chuck the book across the room saying, "really?" So don't feel bad!
DeleteI wanna read Wild and I'm sad you didn't like Everything I Never Told You. I was also angry at the parents for not communicating with one another - it could have solved so many problems! Nevertheless, I related to the book so I liked it on that level.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Cutting Teeth. It took forever to go anywhere and I hated just about everyone in the book. Ha! I really loved Big Little Lies and can't wait for the TV series! Everything I Never Told You is on my list. I've read such conflicting reviews, I have to check it out for myself.
ReplyDeleteI understand your frustration with Everything I Never Told You. I just wanted to shake the characters and tell them to COMMUNICATE, much like I want to shake people in real life and scream the same thing. People keep insisting that my in progress books are good but I'm so very tempted to just stop midway because I'm so over trying to read them. I want simple reads, hook and grab reads. I don't want to have to do much thinking unless I choose to. It's very similar to my choosing to do the easy only sudoku puzzles. Yes, I could do the hard ones, but the easy ones make my brain happy.
ReplyDeleteI will have to put a hold on Wild. I just got Everything I Never Told You but have not started it yet. I liked Flynn's other two books over Dark Places, but all are a good read and kept me racing through them.
ReplyDeletei have big little lies on hold and in 11th place so that means i probably won't be reading it until 6 months from now #rage.
ReplyDeletei'm reluctant to start any of Flynn's books because i hated gone girl. yes, i'm the odd one out who didn't swoon over it. that said, i'll give it a go!
I'm going to add The Matchmaker to my list. Loved Big Little Lies too.
ReplyDelete