Guys, I have to brag for a second. I’m five, count ’em FIVE books ahead of schedule.
*Happy dance.*
In the past month, I’ve made it through 10 books. My prolific book reading is directly related to my ridiculously long commute. I swear by audiobooks for this reason.
This is an occasional series that chronicles my quest to read 80 books in 2015. This is the second roundup. You can read the first here. Let’s see how it went, shall we?
(Do you follow me on Goodreads? You should!)
Book Reviews 2015: 21/80
The Accident / Chris Pavone
File under: Suspense, conspiracy, literary drama
Plot: An agent is in the for the run of her life after a dangerous manuscript lands on her lap.
Review: This was a thoroughly entertaining and twisty ride down to the very last sentence.
Amazon Goodreads
Cartwheel / Jennifer duBois
File under: Literary fiction, crime, whodunit, mystery
Plot: Exchange student goes on trial for the murder of a fellow exchange student. Did she do it?
Review: More than your typical whodunit, this book delves deep into the human psyche. A masterpiece.
Amazon Goodreads
Autocorrect Stays / Holly C. Flanagan
File under: Romance, chick lit, quirky
Plot: Boy and girl meet, boy and girl text, boy and girl go through various phases of love.
Review: A passable, albeit slightly undercooked, rom-com.
Amazon Goodreads
I Capture the Castle / Dodie Smith
File under: Y.A., coming of age
Plot: Poor teen girls who inexplicably live in a castle bend over backward to hitch a husband when two eligible bachelors show up.
Review: This was predictable. The voice is still fresh, though, which is an accomplishment considering the book was written in 1948.
Amazon Goodreads
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone / Laini Taylor
File under: Fantasy, star-crossed lovers
Plot: Karou, a girl raised by magical creatures, gets caught up in an otherworldly battle.
Review: This is not my usual genre, but oh my did I love it. Impatiently awaiting library holds on the next installment.
Amazon Goodreads
The Girl on the Train / Paula Hawkins
File under: Suspense, bleak as *%^&, NOT Hitchcockian in the slightest
Plot: The most depressing woman in the world witnesses a crime from a train.
Review: I did not finish this. The prose was manipulatively bleak (not in a poetic way). Not for me.
Amazon Goodreads
Never Let Me Go / Kazuo Ishiguro
File under: Dystopian, coming of age, literary fiction
Plot: Students reminisce about their time at a very unusual school.
Review: I’m being vague so I don’t give anything away, but this book gutted me. So beautiful, so sad.
Amazon Goodreads
The Dinner / Herman Koch
File under: Suspense, Terrible people doing terrible things
Plot: A man, his politician brother and their wives come to grips with a crime committed by their sons and the crime’s aftermath.
Review: Very well-written. I was on the edge of my seat to see how the entire sordid deal would play out.
Amazon Goodreads
Murder at the Brightwell / Ashley Weaver
File under: 1930s, British murder mystery, Agatha Christie, whodunit
Plot: Amory Ames is caught between a rock and a hard place (aka her husband and her ex-fiance) when a murder goes down on holiday, and she’s determined to uncover the killer.
Review: I adored this so much. So cheeky, enchanting and thoroughly delightful.
Amazon Goodreads
The Circle / Dave Eggers
File under: Dystopian, conspiracy theory, cult, technology is evil
Plot: Vapid woman works for giant social media company and watches as it moves forward with its plans for worldwide domination and the criminalization of privacy.
Review: What this book lacks in character development it makes up for in raising important questions in our digital age.
Amazon Goodreads
In a Nutshell
Three to read: Murder at the Brightwell, Cartwheel, Never Let Me Go (+ The Accident, Daughter of Smoke & Bone, The Circle — so many good ones this time around!)
One to pass: Girl on the Train
So there you have it. 21 down! 59 to go!
What have you been reading lately? I’m always on the lookout for a good book … do share recommendations in the comments. Have you read any of these books? Do you agree/disagree with my assessment? Let’s discuss in the comments below.
Linking up with modernmrsdarcy.com, a great place to find good reads. Check it out.
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