May 2023 Book Review

It's book discussion day, yay! Cannot believe it's June 1, summer vacation has started...it's a great day. {grin}

I read 10 books this month. 3 audiobooks, 2 physical books, 5 e-books. 3 by authors of color. 2 books from my 'oldest 10 TBR'. This brings my total for the year to 58, 17 books ahead of my goal to read 100 books.

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby [audiobook] - I don't remember why I put this on my TBR, but I listened to this and thought it was awesome. It was a dark story of a criminal turned family man who decides to do 'just 1 more job' when everything goes wrong. The story was so fast-paced, the writing was sharp, the narrator was awesome. Definitely want to read more by this author!

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes [audiobook] - I finished up this YA trilogy suggested by my friend Kathryn. It was fun, and I was mostly happy with the way it wrapped up.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi - We read this for my work book club, and it was a modern-day telling of Pride & Prejudice with characters of color set in Brooklyn. It was really fun, I liked comparing how the author changed the story or kept it the same to put this plot in present-day. I really liked the main character and thought the writing was great!

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - This was one of the 'oldest 10' on my TBR, and we read it for Blog Friend Book Club...and it was a very controversial book/discussion amongst us. It follows 4 daughters whose father moves them to Congo in 1959 to be missionaries and what happens to them while there and in the decades to follow. I thought the writing was excellent, I loved how the author gave each daughter a voice and personality that was distinctly theirs, I enjoyed watching their growth {or in one sister's case...their lack of growth}. It was just ridiculously LONG. I want to read other books by this author, but I can't decide if I would recommend this one or not, ha.

These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder - Drew and I are keeping on with this series. I think this has been our favorite? She LOVED listening to Almanzo and Laura fall in love!

Outdoor Kids in an Indoor World by Steven Rinella - I'm always looking for inspiration to get the kids outside. I like being inside but recognize how important nature is for kids. I thought that was what this book would be about...and while it was, it also wasn't. The author and I were on such different planets about time in nature, I almost quit this one several times. The book itself was entertaining, the author had great stories that kept me engaged...but it was not at all what I expected, and I can't say I enjoyed it, but this was my fault and not the author's. Womp, womp.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - Another of my 'top 10' oldest books! I remember my sister reading this a million years ago, but it didn't sound interesting to me - the story of Dinah, Jacob's only daughter in the Old Testament. I read another book by Anita Diamant probably 5 years ago and decided to give this one a try and really enjoyed it! It's a beautiful story...although very slow-moving.

The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett [audiobook] - My in-person book club read The Mothers years ago, and I didn't love it {more so the topic than the book itself}, so I was curious to give this one a listen. It follows Black twins who are white passing and what happens when one starts living as if she is white and separates herself from her family. It was a fascinating character-driven story, and I cared very deeply for a lot of the characters! I was really invested and loved it...and then it just sort of ended? It could have been a 5-star read for me, but I just didn't think the ending did the rest of the book justice and fell flat.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan - So many people raved about this book, that I gave it a try...even though I'm not sure if I'm a Jodi Picoult fan or not. This ended up being my favorite book of the month, but I'm still not sure I'm a fan of hers or not? I don't want to say a lot about this book because I don't want to spoil it, but it follows 2 characters as one {the mother of a boy accused of murdering his girlfriend} moves the story forward and one moves it backwards {the girl who was murdered}. Within 1 chapter, I was hooked and thought it was incredibly well-written and engaging. It got a smidge tedious about 2/3 of the way through and then the ending felt rushed. Overall, though, an excellent read!