Books of June 2022
Summer is officially upon us, even if the PNW weather has just barely begun to recognize that. June was a pretty busy month, but that is always easier to survive when the sun is out. Unfortunately, most of the month had to be survived with rain and grey skies, only to leave us scrambling in the heat the last few days of the month. But despite the weather variances, my reading has stayed rather consistent and I got through 15 books this month.
The Summer Place - 3 Stars. I have read Jennifer Weiner’s summer releases for each of the last few summers. The first was the best and last year’s a sad disappointment. So with that as the backdrop, I was unsure of what to expect from this one. I will say that the characters were well-written and truly compelling, despite all of them being uniquely annoying. I was also drawn into the story and very curious to see what was going to happen, but despite that, I didn’t actually like the story that much. Plus, I’m still hesitant to embrace any book premised on the pandemic. To me, it just isn’t that interesting to read about and maybe too recent to truly want to reflect upon. So, alas, this one falls somewhere in the middle between the others I’ve read, but I’m glad it managed to stay out of 2-star territory.
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole - 3 Stars. Although I enjoyed Susan Cain’s last book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, even as an introvert, it didn’t resonate that strongly with me. I’ve never really resisted that aspect of my nature, and although I appreciate the qualities extroverts have that I don’t, I believe both hold integral positions in the world. So, this was another book on a topic of only peripheral interest and I was unsure of what to expect. Again, I consider myself to be a person who appreciates and feels bittersweetness frequently, and when I finished the book, there were few things I felt like I truly had gained from the book. Susan Cain is a master of bringing a multiplicity of sources together into a cohesive whole, and that is done very well on this topic. But since the topic was one I wasn’t particularly keen on, and I suspect, because of our divergent spiritual beliefs about purpose and meaning, this book was a bit more bitter than sweet.
The Murder Rule - 3 Stars. This was another book where I felt compelled through the story without truly enjoying it. The plot, while interesting, had some uncomfortable foundations, and the character motivations seemed muddled and disagreeable. There was technically a twist in this book, but the way it was revealed occurred without little suspense and thus, lost a lot of its power. I appreciated the topics of wrongful convictions and true justice woven throughout, topics that aren’t always discussed in thrillers, but on the actual story level, the book fell a bit flat.
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience - 3 Stars. Brené Brown is an author I have long loved but have not returned to for quite some time. After reading all of her books in a short period of time, I noted a lot of overlap, which, quite clearly, has carried over into this book as well. And that is understandable since it is what decades of her research have centered around. I had heard from friends who read this book before me that the format was definitely different, and it certainly was, but I didn’t mind that quite as much as I was expecting. For reading the dictionary, in a sense, the book was definitely informative and had a lot of valuable information. However, maybe because I have read a lot of her books, or maybe because I have read a lot of other books, nothing in particular stood out, However, as a reference guide, this book would serve you well.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder - 4 Stars. I had heard about this book generally, but recognize that I am quite a bit late to finally getting around to reading it. Pretty quickly it was clear that Pip is the Nancy Drew of the next generation with similar dogged determination, family, friend, and police relationships, and penchant for making particularly dumb decisions. Despite that, however, and the fact that I actually didn’t enjoy Pip very much as a character (I guess I’m team Nancy Drew forever), the fact that this was definitely written for someone much younger than me, and the fact that I figured out just about every twist long before it occurred, I still enjoyed this book. Maybe it was the throwback to my youth, maybe the unique format, maybe the amazing Ravi character, or more likely, a combination of all of the above. Since I was on a roll, I decided I may as well read the rest of the series.
Good Girl, Bad Blood - 3 Stars. I liked this book a bit less than the first one, the story didn’t feel quite as compelling but was definitely more unpredictable (that I appreciated, at least). The Pip character reminded me less of Nancy Drew in this book, and it felt like a lot of great characters did not quite get the attention that they deserved. But I still liked the book enough to dive straight into the next one.
As Good As Dead - 4 Stars. This was definitely the most intense book of the trilogy, and actually had one of the most intense scenes I can ever remember reading. I also never felt like the name of the first book fit well and after finishing this one I can clearly see it should have been saved until now. This was an interesting book, with some very obvious major plot twists, and a few smaller surprising ones. There were also some elements of the story that I was morally uncomfortable with, but which the story seemed to acknowledge, at least at points. It can be hard to convey inner turmoil in writing, and this book definitely got it across, although not always well. By the end of the series, Pip still drove me crazy and I continued to prefer Ravi and other minor characters. When I finished the book, I had to look up whether others would be written since it left things a bit unresolved, but upon reflecting, it was an adequate ending to the series (which was good since it doesn’t look like any more will be forthcoming).
The Homewreckers - 4 Stars. I have mixed feelings about Mary Kay Andrews’ books, most of which are not very well written and tend to have a sickly sweet Hallmark quality to them. Almost none of the characters are realistic, and those that are, unfortunately, occupy peripheral positions. I recommended this book to a few people, however, because of its HGTV meets Hallmark meets light mystery quality, which was a unique and interesting blend. It was an enjoyable summer read and I adore the title and how it is woven into the story - although you do have to look away from some of the more “wrecked” elements of the story itself.
Rock Paper Scissors - 3 Stars. Okay, this book had a seriously major twist that I did not see coming. I can’t say that it was a particularly strong twist, but that one, and all the others, were only a few degrees away from what I expected. The setting of this book was another that reminded me strongly of The Hunting Party, but which still remains unique. I didn’t care for any of the characters, although I liked the use of letters to convey information more than I generally do. The premise of the book is unique, centering on a relationship as it evolves between each anniversary and the appropriate gifts to be given on each - but the characters themselves felt much less special.
Black Mass: The Irish Mob, The FBI and A Devil's Deal - 3 Stars. After reading quite a bit of fiction this month (which I tend to naturally do over the summer), I knew I needed to get some nonfiction back into my list. This was one that had caught my attention and did manage to hold it throughout, although there were a few slow parts in the book (as in real life). There were also plenty of people mentioned, which I sometimes had difficulty keeping straight, but on the whole, I managed to do so. I was glad to read how these issues were resolved although I was continually shocked about how recently most of the events depicted occurred.
The Wife Upstairs - 4 Stars. Alas, another thriller with an unlikeable main character - this one, more than most. I am determined to one day find a female lead in a thriller that I actually find realistic and relatable, but I am still on the hunt. The story of this one, however, kept me intrigued and I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style. I will admit that the title felt itself felt like a big spoiler, and one that sort of detracted and distracted from the story from the beginning. The book as a whole centers on questions of truth, deception, and whether you can ever really know another person. I definitely was intrigued by the story and even enjoyed the largely unsettled feeling I was left with at the end.
Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose, Rediscover Your Joy - 3 Stars. I’ve read all of Bob Goff’s books I think, and this was another one that demonstrated his remarkable gift of storytelling as he shared more snippets of a life well-lived. He is hilarious and shares meaningful insights from the craziest stories, but not all of them seem to connect to each other, much less the theme of living “undistracted". I took a lot away from this book, but very little of it was on that topic, and the stories are the things most likely to remain in my mind.
Everyone Worth Knowing - 3 Stars. I tend to enjoy Lauren Weisberger’s books, but this one felt distinctly like The Devil Wears Prada, just 10 steps to the left. Don’t get me wrong, I love that book (and its sequel), but this one seemed to rehash a similar plot, utilize the same stock characters, and even land the heroine in a remarkably similar place. I enjoyed the story, characters, and ending, but they all felt a bit less unique than in Lauren Weisberger’s other work and this book felt a bit more trashy (and not just because of the frequent mentions of romance books of a similar trashy nature). I don’t remember the setting being quite as noticeable in her other works, but I did appreciate the homage of this book to the early 2000s, corded phones and all.
One by One - 3 Stars. I had read The Woman in Cabin 10 last summer and wasn’t particularly impressed, for some reason. However, this book ended up on my reading list before I realized it was by the same author. I decided to read it anyway and it was decent. However, I had seen it compared to And Then There Were None, which both compelled me to read it, but then distracted me the entire time. The plot is loosely similar, but with very different outcomes. The book is well-written and there are some really intense scenes. I didn’t connect much with most of the characters and was unsurprised by the one major twist. I did appreciate the overall setting, but once again, it reminded me a lot of The Hunting Party - it is just a very popular setting right now, I guess.
All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes - 3 Stars. I have read several books this year on topics similar to this one and found this to be one of the ones I liked less. Sue Black does have an interesting story and perspective, however, and it was interesting to see how this book overlapped with some of the others. I was particularly fascinated with the idea of micromorts, something I hadn’t heard about before and since have spent a great deal of time thinking about. Maybe it’s just the pull towards fiction in these hot summer months, but I was less enthralled by this book than I expected.
I shouldn’t be surprised by my proclivity for fiction this month - it often tends to hit in the summer and sure enough, that was just about all I wanted to read. I did fit a few practical books in, but I’m already thinking about whether I can allow myself an entire month of pure fiction later this summer. I have yet to decide, but the idea excites me.
Whether or not I do a whole month of fiction, however, here’s hoping for more sun and more fantastic novels in the coming months.
Until next time,