Audio: 7
Physical: 4
Mix: 2
DNF: 4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nGenre: Middle Grade Sci-Fi\/Fantasy Genre: Historical Fiction\/Mystery Genre: Fiction Genre: Non-fiction Genre: Children’s (?) Fiction Genre: Children’s Adventure Genre: Regency Romance (2 brief Pearl-clutching Scenes) Genre: General Fiction, Holiday The main character explained in great detail to a nine-year old the steps on how to make a snow angel, and I almost passed out from boredom. But, if you like descriptions of food, wine, and New England, cozy on up with this never-ending tale where you will say, “Eh, it was fine.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Genre: Thriller Genre: Non-Fiction Genre: Non-fiction Genre: YA Fantasy Genre: Speculative Romance (1 very explicit page in an otherwise very chill book) The Quit List<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12% (Heidi ducks) Sometimes you have to quit books solely on mood and timing. There was nothing necessarily wrong with this one, but it is not one to read to get out of a slump. It was a little snoozy to start. Maybe later. NEXT!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 14% The red flags were flying and the flirting made me throw up in my mouth. NEXT!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 24% An explosion killed 54 pigs and an unidentified person. A vet tries to figure it out. Exciting, right? Then, why oh why, was this not more interesting!? I found myself turning into Scuttle from The Little Mermaid. NEXT!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6% Barely gave this one a chance, but it was not a match for me. While it looked cute and cozy, the start was so slow I couldn’t take it anymore. If you are going to pun this hard, I have great expectations. NEXT!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buckle up, as I’m starting July with a 640-page Science Fiction\/Fantasy book recommended by the husband. So far, so good. I’m sure you’ll be in serious suspense. Anticipate at least two cheesy romances to rebound from it. Happy Summer Reading, Friends!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’m back, baby!! A gardening project needed some audio books, and I started getting in the summer reading groove. The quality is debatable, but the quantity is back to full speed. Total Books: 13Audio: 7Physical: 4Mix: 2DNF: 4 Genre: Middle … Continue reading
Format: Physical\/Audio Mix
Rating: 2.25\/5
Summary: Kids discover a portal to another world.
The premise was interesting, and the suspense was fine. However, this book was frustrating, packed with abandonment issues and unreliable adults. For better or worse, almost every scene ended on a cliffhanger. The book was incredibly long and only served as a setup to the sequel (which I will not be reading).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.5\/5
Summary: A spinster buries her half-brother and then poses as him while trying to to solve another murder.
The first half of this book was so fun (Mrs. Doubtfire meets Bridgerton??), but the second half was very annoying. I almost quit. The “romance” (totally innocent) was very sudden and out of place. The murder mystery could have been interesting, but the author pummeled me over the head with 21st century values of classism and racism in a book set in the 1780s. It’s fine if you want your character to be on the right side of history, but please don’t stop the entire plot in order to preach and condescend (including an author’s note about the issues). We get it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Audio
Rating: 4\/5
Summary: A band reunites for a final concert, and the lead singer throws in a heist for funsies!
This was a completely random pick and a nice surprise. It was a quick, engaging listen. Nothing spectacular about it, but it was a solid “get the band back together and rob a theme park” story to pick up the reading momentum for the month!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.75\/5
Summary: A history of the series, Parks and Recreation!
This was an excellent and organized compilation of the Parks and Rec series. From the creation of the show, casting, behind the scenes stories, and how it related to the culture of the times, this book covered all the important information without too much fluff. (There was a little fluff.) I had fun recalling episodes and learning all the fun facts. It was a fantastic gift to fans of the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Audio
Rating: 4\/5
Summary: The characters become better characters by the power of friendship and plants and birds.
Here’s another classic I somehow missed. And it’s hilarious. The author makes a bold choice by starting with “neglectful parents die of cholera and leave behind an ugly jerkface kid who also gets neglected by a jerkface uncle and finds a cousin who is the WORST jerkface”. However, if you can stick it out, this book will grow on you like the delphinium in the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Physical
Rating: 5\/5*
*Ratings are arbitrary and silly. But I dare you to find a better reading experience than having this book explained to you by some serious Minecraft enthusiasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summary: A rogue adventurer comes into the lives of a seasoned adventurer and an up-and-coming adventurer to go adventuring.
I learned so much. I felt so much. It’s a tale of sisters, friends, PTSD, and rediscovering yourself. High praise. No notes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25\/5
Summary: A lady down on her luck gets tips on getting a husband from a gentleman who has a secret.
To pick up the pace of summer reading, sometimes you need a sure thing. This is my third Julia Quinn book of the year, and they all received the same rating. Some chuckles, some misunderstandings, some….ahem…..romance. Quick reads and escapism!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.75\/5
Summary: A big city gal comes home to a small town for the holidays.
This was a random pick, because why not!? Okay, I have a few reasons why not after reading it, but the point is to throw in a Christmas story in the summer for fun. This is a straight-forward-leave-the-work-aholic-boyfriend-for-the-hometown-sweetheart, but it needed to be 50% shorter. I would have quit, but the narrator was okay and I thought the romance would be enough to save it (it was not). This book was so descriptive that I found it hilarious. With Parks and Rec on my mind, this book sounded like Perd Hapley wrote it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Physical
Rating: 3\/5 with a side of “WHAT JUST HAPPENED”
Summary: A house-sitter is stalked by a madman after leaving a one-star review for his book.
I wanted to switch up my genres, but I was not prepared for whatever this was. I cannot recommend it, based on the sheer number of trigger warnings needed. At one point, I laughed, because I thought it was a parody like all of the Scream movies. But in the end, it took itself pretty seriously and very murder-y. It was WEIRD and all over the place, but it was also crazy enough that I needed to finish it in two days. I have absolutely no idea how to rate it, but I learned that it should be more than one star if I don’t want to fight for my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Physical\/Audio Mix
Rating: 3\/5
Summary: Get ready for second puberty, ladies!
Yes, I will rate this the same as the horror book above. Scary stuff. While I am wary of anything I find on Instagram, I deemed it worthwhile reading after last year’s annual physical went like every cliche tale told in this book:
Me: So, I hear perimenopause is coming at me…..soooooo…..do I just increase my protein and hope for the best?
Doctor: Yeah, sure!
While this book is filled with information, I can sum it up with “there aren’t enough studies….and you will experience 0-50000 symptoms…..but most of them overlap with other things…..but it’s definitely hormonal too…..and let me tell you about some studies that won’t impact daily medical norms for another decade…..yay!”
The best part of my experience with this book was having a husband that exclaimed, “PERRY THE MENOPAUSE??” every time I talked about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Audio
Rating: 4\/5
Summary: A sampler platter of lady history.
This book was better and more organized than the last lady-history book I read. Norah O’Donnell covers famous figures throughout different periods of American history as well as telling more obscure tales. It was a fantastic refresher and it inspired me to pick a few women for future biographical deep dives! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25\/5
Summary: A child is taken in by a magical society of bird-people and becomes an important part of the war with dragon-people. In modern day NYC – because, why not?
This book was a very solid YA Fantasy until it tried to explain itself. I was even able to look past a 200-year age gap based on the lore surrounding the twist. However, just trust me, when multiple characters are confused with the explanation of the plot’s last 10%, it asks a lot for the reader to fully comprehend the end of this book. It was super fun until it wasn’t, and I will not be continuing the trilogy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Format: Physical
Rating: 3.75\/5
Summary: A gardener finds a hot guy behind a magical door (yay!) while grieving the death of her best friend (trombone slide).
I will always love Ashley Poston, but this one was tough. NOWHERE in the blurb mentioning hot guys and magical doors did it even hint that this was going to be 65% about losing a best friend to cancer. OUCH. Big ‘ole bait-and-switch. It’s also not as good as her *other* hot-guy-behind-a-magical-door book, and the romance goes from 0-100000 mighty quickly. It was still worth the read if you’re a fan. However, newbies should go to The Seven-Year Slip or A Novel Love Story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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