Somehow it is the last day of July and therefore it is time for me to share about all the wonderful books I read over the past thirty-one days. As the boys had their two week winter break at the beginning of the month, there were well more independent reads than read alouds this month. This was a fiction heavy month as well. Here are a few thoughts about these wonderful books.
"The Invention of Wings" and "The Secret Life of Bees", both by Sue Monk Kidd, were exceptional books that truly surprised me. They exceeded my expectations and received five stars and four stars respectively. I have now added other titles of hers to my to be read list as I want to experience more of her magical writing ability.
"Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul" and "Farewell to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul", both by Deborah Rodriguez, were the second and third books in her trilogy based on her time living and working in Afghanistan. Though fiction, they were so beautifully written that you felt the characters were real. I am looking forward to reading other titles by this author as well and I awarded these books four stars each.
"The Opera House" by Peter FitzSimons was my one buddy read with my mom this month. We absolutely loved the book, his writing is fabulous, and we really enjoyed learning about the construction of one of Australia's most iconic buildings. A five star read for sure.
"9 Months That Count Forever", written by Jessie Inchauspe, was an excellent book about a mother's eating habits during pregnancy. Just as we should be mindful of our sugar and grain based carbohydrate intake throughout life, and the consequent glucose and insulin spikes our choices incur, we should be extra aware of our glucose and insulin spikes during pregnancy as they directly affect the baby. I have enjoyed Inchauspe's previous books and found myself wishing this book was available when I was pregnant with my boys. I gave it four stars.
I enjoyed two Agatha Christie novels this month. "The Secret Adversary" and "The Moving Finger". I awarded them four and five stars respectively and read "The Moving Finger" in one day. It has been a couple of years since I have read a book start to finish in just one day.
"Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston was my biggest disappointment this month. It has been on my to be read list for years. I gave it 3.5 stars and wished that I could have enjoyed it more. It wasn't a horrible book, just not what I was expecting, and therefore not a fabulous read.
"James" by Percival Everett was a simultaneous independent read whilst I also read aloud "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain to the boys as part of their literature. It was interesting to read the story from Jim's perspective, and I gave the book four stars, but the ending threw me a little bit.
Finally, I finish with two five star reads which are featured in the middle of my collage. "One Hundred Days" by Alice Pung and "Poems & Prayers" by Matthew McConaughey. The Alice Pung book was excellently written and did a fabulous job of describing the cultural clashes that can occur in family life. Matthew McConaughey's book was another quick read and I loved experiencing the creativity in his poems and prayers that he has committed to paper throughout his life. I will be looking to acquire my own copy of this book as I believe it deserves a place on my forever bookshelf. Right alongside his memoir "Greenlights".
July was a wonderful reading month and I'm looking forward to more amazing books in August and throughout the rest of this year.
I always enjoy the monthly wrap-up graphics that Storygraph creates for me at the end of a month. It is interesting to see the visual representation of all my reading.
Last but not least, the two books I read aloud to the boys this month. They have already featured in my Weekly Review posts but I always include the monthly collage here as a reminder.
No comments:
Post a Comment