I’ve been reading for an hour or so before bed almost every night. I typically don’t read Friday or Saturday nights though, but five days a week? Not too bad. I had to start forcing myself to do it because I could feel my habits slipping a bit. Some nights I actually set a timer and tell myself, “just twenty minutes” and I usually read well past that because I’m into the book. And other nights, I put my bookmark ahead a few chapters as my “goal” for the night.
Okay, so I finished a few amazing books this month:
The Hate U Give: 5/5 Stars
This is an incredible book. I feel like it should be required summer reading for high schoolers. (But that isn’t to say that only high schoolers would like it.) It’s about a black high schooler who goes to a fancy private school but lives in Garden Heights– a poorer neighborhood. Angie Thomas captures so many issues (gangs, interracial relationships, police brutality, friendship issues, racism, and more) in the text, all from the perspective and the voice of a young teen. I have been wanting to see the movie that the book is based on but wanted to read it first. It’s going to be my next download.
Angie Thomas’ second book On the Come Up just came out and I’ll be adding that to my “to read” list as well.
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry: 4/5 Stars
I have mixed emotions about this one. I liked it a lot in the end, but found it tedious to get into. (When I put it on my Instagram story, other people echoed the same sentiment so I was relieved that it wasn’t just me.) It’s by the same author as A Man Called Ove and it has a similar vibe to that book. It’s told almost like a real-life fairy tale with the main character, a precocious seven-year-old, finishing out a mission her late grandmother left her. It unfolds in the apartment building that she lives in with a quirky cast of characters.
Again, ultimately, I really enjoyed it– especially as the story started to become clearer and came together more.
The Proposal: 3/5 Stars
This was Reese Witherspoon’s book club selection and, while I was excited to read it, it kind of fell flat for me. I’d say this is more of a light beach read. If you want something cute and easy, then this could be a good option. The plot felt predictable and ends exactly how you’d expect it to end after reading just one chapter. I will say though, some of the scenes had me smiling from ear to ear as the cute romance unfolded.
Coming Clean: 4/5 Stars
I downloaded this after seeing it recommended on one of my favorite book blogs. I thought it was a really great memoir about growing up with parents with hoarding disorders. But more than that, I thought it was an excellent account of forgiveness, friendship, and family. It was hard to read at times, similar to how watching a show about hoarding might be, but I found myself silenting rooting for the author as she paved her own path in life.
Becoming: 5/5 Stars
I. Loved. This. Book. Honestly, I hadn’t planned on reading it because I thought everything you could possibly want to know about Michelle Obama was in the news already. Kicking myself for thinking that and not picking up the book sooner. The whole thing was incredible and I can’t choose a favorite part. It’s divided into three sections (“Becoming Me,” “Becoming Us,” and “Becoming More”) detailing her upbringing, the start of their relationship, and then their life in the White House. My biggest takeaway was just how “normal” it all seemed. It’s not like they just woke up one day in the White House with the POTUS and FLOTUS status. I thought the way she grew up, how every choice they each made led to winning the election was so interesting, and how she tried to find normalcy in a very abnormal life was fascinating. It was interesting to get a glimpse into the more private parts about the whole process– from campaigning to functioning as a family in the spotlight.
I’ve also never had so many people stop me about a book. I had it in my tote one day in NYC and literally four women stopped me asking me how much I was loving it and then we’d strike up a short conversation about it. I haven’t experienced anything like that since that one year when everyone (EVERYONE) on the subway was reading Gone Girl.
