Gaston Library discussion

It’s time for another Monthly Reading Wrap Up! Don’t forget the library is now open for Curbside Service. Call your local branch and make an appointment today!

This month I read…

Love Without Borders: How Bold Faith Opens the Door to Embracing the Unexpected by Angela Braniff- I’ve been following Angela and her family on Youtube for a few years now so I was excited to dive deeper into her story with this memoir. She tells her story well and it’s an inspiring one for sure. I would recommend it even if you don’t know anything about her story yet. Even better, She’s also a local author located in Charlotte!

The Bullet by Mary Lousie Kelly- This one has been on my TBR for a while and I finally got around to it. I haven’t read a mystery that gripped me like this one in a while, so I really enjoyed that page turner feeling while reading this. It has an interesting premise as well.

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume- I listened to this one on audiobook. I was interested mainly in the premise of this one without even knowing that it was based on true events. I was roped in by this and it kept me listening, but overall I felt this book was just kinda meh. I didn’t really love the ending either.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson- At first when I started reading this I wasn’t sure I was going to like it, but wow did it make an impact. The writing was beautiful and the characters were so well fleshed out you can truly connect to them and they develop so beautifully through the book. Highly recommend this one.


What did you read this month? Be sure to share down below!

Happy Reading!

Oh, boy. May. Kindle Unlimited offered a 2-month free taster. I have over 40 items in goodreads from that time frame, but most are short stories - which I normally wouldn't read since 99 cents add up quickly. The below are ones with five star reviews.

One Upon a Kiss: 17 Romantic Faerie Tales had a curious mix of stories (some YA and some NOT). As with most anthologies, the writing is varies - ranging from 2 stars to 5.

These Marvelous Beasts (Natania Barron) - a collection of novellas. I read each novella individually, but the full book is out in this eBook package (but also in paperback and hardback!) and I HIGHLY recommend it. The author is also an artist and she paints with words. The central theme is what is a monster and can a monster be redeemed? (North Carolina writer)

All the Pomp of Earthly Majesty (Michael G. Williams) came out. He is one of my favorite authors and these series of novellas about Emperor Norton the First has a bright and brittle humor, gorgeous descriptions of San Francisco, and an action-packed storyline of a couple of witches fighting a greed demon's real estate scheme to save the queer soul of the city. (Lives in Durham NC)

American Starlet (Lucy Blue) - My review says "Abusive and loving, entertaining and maddening, enjoyable and heartrending. Every relationship between people from Hollywood - and every relationship between a reader and her authors. ... If you want a master class on how to show how broken people are instead of telling us, this book is it. The character crafting is amazing. I'm not usually a character-driven story person, but ... wow." This is NOT my normal type of book but I loved it. (Author from South Carolina)

Wow, I guess I was on a Carolina kick in May. We got some amazing authors here.

Erin wrote: "Oh, boy. May. Kindle Unlimited offered a 2-month free taster. I have over 40 items in goodreads from that time frame, but most are short stories - which I normally wouldn't read since 99 cents add ..."

We really do have some amazing local authors in the Carolinas! Thank you for sharing Erin!