July is always the best month for reading books. Ah, vacation.
So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon RonsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I think this is my favorite of the three Jon Ronson books I've read. It was more entertaining than it probably ought to have been, but that is his way. Very timely book and it's already crying out for an additional chapter on Brian Williams.
View all my reviews
Red Queen by Victoria AveyardMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The most this book has going for it is its cover - possibly my favorite so far this year. Otherwise, meh. The premise is fantastic, if Hunger Games-adjacent, but the execution was poor. This is especially true regarding the three main male characters. The author wrote the women well, but the men were basically cardboard cutouts, except not as substantial. Disappointing.
View all my reviews
The Winner's Curse by Marie RutkoskiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the book that I wanted to cheat and read during church today (!!!!) but the Kindle app on my phone wouldn't download it and so I had to just sit there and daydream about the story so far in my head as best I could. You guys, I haven't flat-out read a book in church since I brought Misty of Chincoteague to Stake Conference in 1992.
That's how good this one is.
View all my reviews
The Martian by Andy WeirMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of my favorite books of the year, FO SHO. I loved how even if I couldn't always follow the minutiae of the science, I could always understand the general arc of what the author was trying to tell me. That takes talent. Sure, there were some cheesy parts but dang if that didn't make it easier to imagine in my head. I can't wait to see the movie.
View all my reviews
Lost At Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries by Jon RonsonMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Hmm, too uneven. Some of the essays captured my attention and interest, but others were very off-putting. In the end, it wasn't worth slogging through/skipping over the yucky stories just to hear the good ones. DNF.
View all my reviews
All Our Yesterdays by Cristin TerrillMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Surprisingly compelling, and yet also somehow silly? Or surprisingly silly, and yet also somehow compelling. 3.5 stars.
View all my reviews
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. MaasMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
If you like faerie books, this could easily be 5/5 for you. I'm a bit Fred Savage about faerie books, though - I mostly picked this up on the strength of the author's other series (Throne of Glass). My opinion: really good storytelling, some compelling female characters, but too many faeries (my fault, not the author's) and more sexiness than I'm used to in a book like this. Enough that I will probably warn my 14-year-old niece about it. Or rather, my 14-year-old niece's mom.
View all my reviews
