July Books

Social Suicide by Gemma Halliday - Really, really, really predictable. Spoiler alert! Of course the math teacher did it. Math teachers are evil. *sigh*

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward -  I couldn't even finish this book. It was too dog-fighty.  Plus, the main character was kind of flat for me. I get that the flat affect was because she had been through so much and seen so much, but since we didn't get much of a glimpse into what it was that she had been through, it just seemed so easy.  Not a fan.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - I have yet to be disappointed by anything I've read by Allen.  These books are just romantic gems with a hint of whimsy and magic.  Love, love, love.

Some Girls Bite: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel  and Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill - Super smart and funny. I really, really enjoyed the main character here. These are the first two books in the series.  I'm not sure I'll continue with the series, but it's a fun kind of fluff.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio -  Consider me a sentimental slob, but I thought this book was most excellent.  Just fantastic.  I have some slight nitpicks with this novel, but overall I just loved it.

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver -No, no we don't need to talk about Kevin.  While I thought the words crafted on the page of this book were beautiful, the pacing was horrible.  Long and long and long with relatively little payoff for the many unnecessary pages.  But it is a thought provoking book.  Are some people just born assholes?  How much are we to blame when those around us go off the rails?  Do parents have a responsibility to their children forever and ever - should maternal and paternal love be unconditional? Is there a system in place to help those who seemingly don't want help?  I guess I'm not sold on this book, but I do think Shriver is amazing.

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough - I really like this book until about three-quarters of the way through when I lost the plot. Seriously, something happened and I got confused and I never managed my way out of the quagmire.  Argh.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - Maybe I would have liked this one more if I had been able to see the creepifyin' pictures, but it's hard to see images on the Kindle.  It was not bad. Not great, but not bad. Some of us need to be told repeatedly that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.