Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

I finished Mother of Death & Dawn by Carissa Broadbent which is the third book of the trilogy. Honestly, it was a little bit of a let down. It was still pretty good, but it just wasn't nearly as good as the others. Plus, I listened to it, and the narrators sucks - particularly the women. She was awful. Ugh.

Finished Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, and ....... meh. It was okay, and I'm glad I read it, but it really wasn't that good. It was okay.

I finished The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. I guessed the mystery which was kind of fun. The lack of a satisfying resolution was the reason I didn't give it five stars.

Not really a book, but The Abolitionists by Kellie Carter Jackson is really good, and I recommend it. It is an Audible Original. She is very thorough, and while it is very scholarly, it still flows really well. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. It was kind of scary to see how history repeats itself - if not with the same exact reasons - definitely many of the same actions.

JUNE ROUNDUP
AUTHOR GENDER
Female = 12
Male = 1

RATING
2 - 3 Star
7 - 4 Star
4 - 5 Star

AUTHOR ETHNICITY
White = 10
Black = 3

COUNTRIES: 2 (+USA)
UK = 2
Ukraine = 1

STATES: 3
Illinois
California
Maryland

New to Me Authors: 8
Erin Litteken
Dorothy Koomson
Kellie Carter Jackson
Gregory Maguire
Anne Tyler
Dani Francis
Susan Beaumont
Kate Zeigler

I just finished Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler, and I was disappointed. The book won a Pullitzer, but I really don't see how. I've seen it described as "humor," but I found it to just be cringy.

I finished House Corrino by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. I really enjoyed it. It is the second Dune prequel that I've read, and they're very good. They're still a little misogynistic which is likely while I will never thoroughly enjoy them, but I'm still glad I read it.

I finished the first book in the Dragon Shifter's Mates series by Eva Chasethis morning. They are books my kiddo got on Audible from the Included catalog. They are disappearing on the 22nd, so I thought I would give them a try. I am really enjoying them. The first one is Dragon's Guard. I immediately started book 2. The story is interesting. The characters are enjoyable. The writing flows. Overall - a solid four stars.

I had a surprising amount of time to listen to a book today since I took my son downtown on the train, and then felt like crap when I got back. I guess there is an upside to feeling icky. I finished book two of the Dragon Shifter's mates series. Dragon's Tears by Eva Chase is book 2, and I enjoyed it as much as the first. I really didn't have much hope for this series, but I am glad to be proven wrong. On to book 3.....

I finished off the Dragon Shifter's Mates series by Eva Chase, and I am surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The last two books: Dragon's Desire and Dragon's Fate were both really good. Solid four stars reads for me - all four of them.

I read Awakening by Brandon Sanderson. It was pretty interesting. I enjoy his writing, and I will likely read the rest of the series. I think only the first two are written so far.

I listened to The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher today, and I loved it. I loved hearing her voice. It was fun and a little creepy to hear about her affair with Harrison Ford: Carrison. It was great.

Last night I took a break from Bellefleur (which I am really not enjoying) and read the novella Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I am in another group which is doing an author focus of TJR, and that is where I heard about the story. It was really good, and I am glad that I read it. I keep thinking I am going to DNR Bellefleur, but I keep slogging through it.

I cannot beliee that I actually finished this ridiculously stupid book. Hours of my life I will never get back. Bellefleur by Joyce Carol Oates - she's so well-know, that I am overly disappointed.

I've been really looking forward to reading City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim, and honestly, I was a little disappointed. As a performing artist myself, maybe it just didn't live up to expectations with the artistic part of the book, but I also didn't enjoy the interpersonal relationships of it either. The characters were very one dimensional. The whole book was just disappointing.

I just finished The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt by Eleanor Roosevelt, and it was fascinating. She most definitely is looking through rose-colored glasses from time to time, but it was still refreshing to read opinions from somebody who genuinely wanted the world to be a better place. Some of her ideas were outdated and even a little prejudiced, but for her time, she was very progressive. She witnessed some major world events. It was really fascinating to hear her speak about watching the funeral procession of Queen Victoria or the Spanish Flu epidemic or "infantile paralysis" (polio). One of the most surreal moments was her talking about one of FDR's older relatives talking about the war of 1812 with first hand knowledge! I'm really glad I read this book.

I read a short book today by Eleanor Roosevelt called The Moral Basis of Democracy. She was quite an idealist, and while there are issues with what she says, it is refreshing to realize that she really was a good and decent person.

I finished Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes last night, and I really enjoyed it. There are a lot of problematic things in it, but in the end, I still rated it five-stars. I liked the story. I liked the characters. It was a hard story in places, but I felt good at the end of the story.

I enjoyed the first two books I read by Mary Monroe, but the third? Oh lord. What a waste of time. The book was pretty awful. I really enjoyed the first two though, so I will likely give her another chance at some point. As for Every Woman's Dream? Don't waste your time.

I finished Death of a Baritone: A Music Lover's Mystery by Karen Sturges while camping, and I really enjoyed it. It was a murder mystery, and it got pretty twisty at the end. If I find her second book, I will likely read it.

I listened to Jacqueline Winspear's memoir: This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing: A Memoir, and it was fabulous. It was a hard read in spots because she's been through some stuff. I loved it though, and I loved it.

I finished The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips last night, and it is a good book. It is very, very violent and hard to read. It's also pretty frustrating in places. The main character's mother is a lot to swallow. I'm glad I read it though, and it is sad that she never finished the sequel.

JULY ROUNDUP
AUTHOR GENDER
Female = 16
Male = 3

RATING
2 - 2 Star
2 - 3 Star
10 - 4 Star
5 - 5 Star

AUTHOR ETHNICITY
White = 12
Asian = 1
Black = 1

COUNTRIES: 4 (+USA)
Russia = 1
Ireland = 1
France = 1
Canada = 1

STATES: 8
Maryland
Pennsylvania
California
New York
Wyoming
Colorado
Washington D. C.
Alabama

New to Me Authors: 6

I finished book 2 of the Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson: Words of Radiance. While it did get really slow and a little annoying in the middle for a while, it picked back up and finished strong. I really enjoyed it. My husband, daughter, and I are all slowly making our way through the series.

I read Carmen Maria Machado's Her Body and Other Parties: Stories. It is a collection of short stories. Some are really good, and some are just okay. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

I finished Fingersmith by Sarah Waters today. This book was not at all what I had expected. The book was a little all over the place sometimes, but overall, I enjoyed the book, and I am glad that I read it.

I read Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Pharr Davis, and I really enjoyed it. I have always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail, and this book made me want to even more. I don't think I would ever have a four month chunk of time to do it, but a girl can dream.

The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History by Joseph M. Marshall III is a thorough and fascinating story of Crazy Horse. It's ridiculous how little is know outside of Indigenous communities about people such as Crazy Horse. I enjoyed reading Marshall's account of Crazy Horse's life.

I read Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively, and my feelings are a little split. I gave it four stars because the writing is good, and I was drawn into the story. The story is also all over the place, doesn't really wrap up, and is kind of a mess.

I finished As You Look by Veronica Gutierrez. It was pretty good. I think it was her first novel, so there are things that I will let slide because I think she'll be better with her second novel. The story was good. The characters were interesting. The cultural references were colorful. Overall, it was a pretty solid four star read. I'd like to read book 2.

Blood & Steel by Helen Scheuerer: another poorly written, ridiculous excuse for a romantasy book. I ended up giving it three stars, but it was a round up for sure. I won't be reading anymore of her books.

I finished a brutally terrifying book: Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates. I am not sure I can coherently speak about it right now except to say that I wish all men would read it.

AUGUST ROUNDUP
AUTHOR GENDER
Female = 9
Male = 2

RATING
1 - 3 Star
8 - 4 Star
2 - 5 Star

AUTHOR ETHNICITY
White = 7
Latina = 2
Black = 1
Indigenous American = 1

COUNTRIES: 7 (+USA)
UK = 1
Egypt = 1

STATES: 4
New York
Georgia
Alabama
California
Wyoming

New to Me Authors: 8
Karen Sturges
Delores Phillips
Sarah Waters
Jennifer Pharr Davis
Joseph M. Marshall, III
Veronica Gutierrez
Penelope Lively
Helen Scheuerer

I finished Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran last night, and I was crying at the end. My biggest complaint about this book is that it is sometimes hard to follow because of the jumping around. The book is really good though. It is a hard read because of the violence, but it is worth it. I didn't know anything about the Sri Lankan civil war before I read this book. Chandran's writing is really good, and I will definitely read more of her work.

I finished The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, and it was weird. I usually like weird, but this really wasn't good-weird. It was just weird-weird. It was okay. Parts of it were pretty interesting, but overall it was pretty meh. I don't get the hype over it.

I just finished The Long Walk by Richard Bachman, and it is so good. It's hard to believe that "Bachman's" cover wouldn't have been blown pretty quickly after it was blown because there are so many Stephen King tells in it. I'm looking forward to the movie!