5/1: On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah (library, 2004) - Mindless, predictable romance. I think Hannah wanted to deal with serious issues like grief and PTSD, but it was pretty superficial. 3/5 stars
5/6: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka (library, 2005) - This just didn't resonate with me the way I wanted it to. 3/5 stars
5/9: The Curse of Chalion (World of Five Gods #1) by Lois McMaster Bujold (library, 2001) - I read this years ago and wrote it was "brilliant" here, but never followed up with the rest of the series. I reread it again to get started with the series, I still think it's really smartly done, and I'm going to order the next book in the series from the library ASAP. 5/5 stars
5/12: Cold-Hearted Rake (The Ravanels #1) by Lisa Kleypas (library ebook, 2015) - Great side characters, lackluster main couple. 2.5/5 stars
5/13: Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman (library ebook, 2019) - Non-fiction book looking at human history with a sympathetic lens towards human beings. 3.5/5 stars
5/15: The Art of Losing by Alice Zeniter, translated by Frank Wynne (library, 2021) - Book club book I probably would never have finished if it weren't for book club. 2/5 stars
5/15: One of Us is Lying (One of Us is Lying #1) by Karen M. McManus (library, 2017) - Interesting mystery, but problematic depictions of mental illness and the dating violence was sort of just swept under the rug. 3/5 stars
5/16: Delilah Green Doesn't Care (Bright Falls #1) by Ashley Herring Black (library, 2022) - Wonderful sapphic romance novel. Great fun. 5/5 stars
5/21: Paladin of Souls (World of Five Gods #2) by Lois McMaster Bujold (library, 2003) - Even better than the first book in the series. I really loved it. 5/5 stars
5/23: A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk and Robot #1) by Becky Chambers (library ebook, 2021) - Easily my least favorite of any Chambers book I've read. 3/5 stars
5/25: The Library Book by Susan Orlean (library, 2018) - Great non-fiction book about the Los Angeles Public Library. I recommend this one. 4.5/5 stars
5/25: Book Lovers by Emily Henry (library, 2022) - Great dialogue in an otherwise just okay book. 4/5 stars
5/27: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (library, 2020) - I just really love the way this author weaves together a story connecting one character to another. 4/5 stars
5/27: The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes (The Lillys #1) by Xio Axelrod (library ebook, 2021) - Perfectly fine romance novel. 3.5/5 stars
5/28: Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich (library ebook, 1997) - Powerful personal narratives from people who were directly effected by the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. Hard to read, but very important. 5/5 stars
5/29: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (library ebook, 2021) - This just felt like so much grief and misery for the purpose of grief and misery. 3/5 stars, but I think that's a kindness.
Average star rating: 3.7/5 stars
Did Not Finish:
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (library ebook, 2022) - I read Salt to the Sea by Sepetys last year and really liked it, but I was really struggling with this one and DNFed at 18%.
My MIL gave me her copy of The Four Winds. I have heard such mixed reviews of it, though, so haven't felt drawn to it. Misery for the sake of misery - good summary and makes me think I should continue to hold off or just give it back!
ReplyDeleteA book podcaster I listen to mentioned how Kristin Hannah just seems to actively loathe her characters, and I have to agree. While I liked The Four Winds for its history and teaching me about a part of history I didn't know much about (the Dust Bowl era), it was just so damn depressing and I HATED the ending. UGH. It still makes me mad to think about!
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