Last month, I shared some of the top books I've read this year. I had been in a pretty bad reading rut and, while those books were my favorite reads of the year, there really weren't many others I've read but lately, I can't stop reading. The Pilot keeps commenting that he's never seen me go through books so fast. This definitely isn't a bad thing. Once I finally put my bookshelves together, I started going through them, reading books that I've had for months or even years without ever picking up. I've made a pretty good dent in that pile but I'm starting to get antsy for another library trip. I don't know what it is about the library but I love browsing the shelves and coming home with a stack of books!
Here's a look at what I've read this month:
"Us Against You" by Fredrik Backman - I've said this every time I've finished a Backman book - if you haven't started reading Fredrik Backman, RUN to your nearest bookstore and pick up everything he's written. You will not be disappointed. This sequel to "Beartown" surprised me in the sense that I didn't really feel like "Beartown" needed a sequel but I'm so glad we got one. I liked this "Us Against You" even more than "Beartown" and I really like how Backman gave some of the characters more of a story and shared what happened in the aftermath of what shook up the town. I don't think this book can stand alone so definitely read "Beartown" first.
"A Moveable Feast" by Ernest Hemingway - I feel like every time I tried to read a classic book or author, I'm disappointed. In some ways, I liked that this book felt like I was having coffee in Paris listening to Hemingway's musings about his friends - Picasso, Gloria Steinham, Scott Fitzgerald - and in other ways, I felt like this was just the musings of someone talking about their day and was bored through most of the book.
"My Not So Perfect Life" by Sophie Kinsella - This is definitely not the type of book I would normally ever read but my sister gave it to me and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of being 20 and broke and living in London, trying to make the most of a job that was both exciting and would make my head spin. In "My Not So Perfect Life," Katie Brenner is trying to do all of those things until she loses her job and ends up moving back home to help her parents run the glamping site they've started when her old boss shows up as a guest. A comedy of errors and a very light, easy read, this one was cute.
"The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls" by Anton DiSclafani - I had had this book on my reading list for years and finally cracked it open...only to be really disappointed. You know from the book's description that 15-year-old Thea Atwell has been sent away in the midst of a family tragedy that may or may not have been caused by her. 300 pages dragged on constantly referring to the "mistake" or the "secret" before you finally find out what it was and, well, it was pretty anti-climactic. This was a huge disappointment.
Somehow, even in the middle of reading all of the baby books, I'm finally making a dent in my reading challenge! Even though I'm still 9 books behind schedule, I'm determined to hit my goal this year!
What have you been reading lately? Are you a Fredrik Backman fan? Have you started reading his books yet? If not, I highly recommend starting with "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry." I loved that story and definitely want to read it again while I'm on maternity leave!
As always, happy reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment