Show Us Your Books

Yay for Show Us Your Books Day! I changed things up and put these in the order I liked them this time. I'm currently struggling through White Houses by Amy Bloom for Erin's Challenge category "Book with House/Home in the title," but once I finish it I'll only have my freebie book left so I'm really looking forward to your recommendations! Here's what I read this month. 

And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer- Fredrik Bachman: 5 Stars
library hardback

This novella is beautiful. I was a little confused when I started it because the scenery kept changing, but once I understood what was happening and where they were, it all made sense and I was able to truly enjoy it. I can't say much else without giving it away because it's super short (96 pages), but it's one of those books that I want to own and re-read, and I haven't said that about any book in a really long time, especially since I don't buy books anymore and have never re-read anything. 

Piper- Jay Asher: 4 Stars
library paperback

This was the first first graphic novel I've actually finished. It's a retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, but since I barely remember that fairy-tale, I wouldn't be able to tell you what details were added or subtracted. I would say that this was much darker than I remember; people died were murdered, there was a lot of deception with the governing townspeople, and even a bit of romance, and the visuals seriously helped with that, especially since one of the main characters was deaf. People who remember the original  may not like it as much as I did, but I thought this was a great entry book into graphic novels because it was a short, easy-to-follow read.


The Mothers- Brit Bennett: 3 Stars
library e-book

I feel like I missed something because all I've seen were rave reviews about this one. The plot was predictable (particularly the love triangle) but I persevered because I was waiting for some big twist or "click" that never came. I liked the first half and thought that it seemed realistic, but it was all downhill when Nadia came back from college. I didn't understand any of the decisions she, Luke or Aubrey made in the second half. I didn't like the Mothers sections at all either; I feel like they were a bunch of condescending, gossipy, churchy old people who looked down on the struggles of others in their community. And I really didn't like the ending. What starts out as beautifully written turns completely creepy and uncomfortable, or maybe I just didn't "get" it. 

"We see the span of her life unspooling in colorful threads and we chase it, wrapping it around our hands as more tumbles out. She's her mother's age now. Double her age. Our age. You're our mother. We're climbing inside of you." 

Here Comes the Sun- Nicole Dennis-Benn: 3 Stars
library e-book

Where? Where the hell is the sun? This story was so depressing! Everyone was just so awful and messed up; even the characters you think you're rooting for turn out to be terrible, ugly, and greedy. The story held my attention but it was really tough to stomach some of the hard truths revealed throughout it, especially since it was set in 1994 which isn't really that long ago. And though I understood the need for dialect and it did make it more realistic, I found it distracting because I had to keep re-reading those bits. 

"So she t'ink she is big shot now, eh, working in di hotel. Look pon har, nuh. Thirty years old an' no man, no children. Har pumpum mussi dry up." 

Tiny Beautiful Things: Love and Life Advice from Dear Sugar- Cheryl Strayed: DNF
library e-book

This may have been a DNF due to timing and/or format. I just wasn't feeling it last month, and the advice started becoming mundane and repetitive. I also think I would have finished it if I read it in physical book form, and little by little over time. If I had read a few columns, put it down and digested, and went back to it another day for more. I tried that method in e-book format, even renewing it for added time, but it just wasn't working for me. There were a lot of gems in it though, like the quote above, and I appreciated her brutal honesty in the advice she was giving. 

What are you reading lately?