Hey hi!

Long time no chat… June was a pretty boring reading month for me – everything was pretty mediocre so I was not as excited to share what I read. But! July was better and overall and I don’t want the list to get too long so here we are. I hope everyone in Seattle is staying cool!!

AFTERPARTIES by Anthony Veasna So

A short story collection surrounding the lives of immigrant Cambodian-Americans. I wanted to love this one but was overall pretty underwhelmed. I feel that the themes could have been more impactful and thought-provoking. Nevertheless, an important perspective to read from.

Rating: 3 out of 5

CRAZY STUPID BROMANCE by Lyssa Kay Adams

The third installment in the Bromance Book Club series. Honestly the first two were fun but this one felt suuuper similar and didn’t bring anything new to the table. After this one I don’t think I’ll continue the series. This one also had the savior complex so it just felt a bit weird and uncomfy to read.

Rating: 3 out of 5

SUMMER OF ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand

The historical events of summer 1969 turn a family’s lives upside down. This one was fine – it didn’t feel like there was a cohesive plot, just casually following the lives of a family and their drama. I didn’t connect to the characters as much as I did in Hilderbrand’s 28 Summers.

Rating: 3 out of 5

COUNTERFEIT by Kirstin Chen

A woman gets entangled in the counterfeit purse business after reconnecting with an old college friend. I was not 100% hooked to this story as much as I’d hoped to be – the structure of the storytelling was unique but not quite executed right. I felt like there was a lot more telling rather than showing the reader what was happening.

Rating: 3 out of 5

SHUGGIE BAIN by Douglas Stewart

A young boy learns how to live and cope with an alcoholic mother. Expectations were sooo high for this one – I was honestly expecting it to hit hard like the way A Little Life does, but instead Shuggie Bain felt like it dragged on for so (too?) long. The first half of the story was really intended to set up the character histories… and a lot of it felt unnecessary or didn’t add to the story. The second half was more intense, but overall I feel a little let down considering it won the 2020 Booker Prize.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

GOLDEN GIRL by Elin Hilderbrand

A woman passes away and gets the opportunity to look over her family in the afterlife. I can respect Hilderbrand’s foray into a bit of paranormal/magical realism in this one! It’s kind of a who-dunnit but in a lighter way. I was skeptical about the perspective from heaven at first, but I think Hilderbrand made it work!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

SHARKS IN THE TIME OF SAVIORS by Kawai Strong Washburn

A Hawaiian boy is saved by a shark and the event forever changes his and his family’s lives. The writing and atmosphere in this one was gorg! I was expecting a little more magical realism but overall it provided intriguing insight on Hawaiian culture and I enjoyed the unique plot.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

THE READING LIST by Sarah Nisha Adams

A widower finds connection with his late wife through her reading list and later with the librarians in his community. I loved the plot for this one – it was so sweet! I could feel through the storytelling how much this author loves books and the community it can create.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

UNDERCOVER BROMANCE by Lissa Kay Adams

The second installment in The Bromance Bookclub. This one followed nicely after the first book and it was pretty fun. I really do love this audiobook narrator. Kind of felt like the seriousness of the crime at hand was downplayed/it felt weird to be rooting for the romance at times though.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

BLACK BUCK by Mateo Askaripour

A man joins a tech startup in NYC after only having worked as a Starbucks barista and gets sucked into the startup culture and scandal. This was so readable and entertaining – I couldn’t put it down. Loved!

Rating: 4 out of 5

GREAT CIRCLE by Maggie Shipstead

A female pilot in the early 1900’s aspires to be the first woman to circumnavigate the world, while a present-day actress playing the pilot in a film uncovers secrets about the woman’s past. This one was really fascinating – long but worth the read. Great historic storytelling, dynamic characters.. my biggest problem was with the characters in modern day. I didn’t feel like they were 100% necessary to complete the circle of the story and they could’ve had much more impact.

Rating: 4 out of 5

PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir

A man wakes up from a coma on a spaceship only to discover he was sent on a mission to save Earth. I LOVED Weir’s The Martian, but I didn’t find this one to be as gripping/thrilling. This story was still so creative yet realistic (as much as my non-STEM brain could understand).

Rating: 4 out of 5

AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR by Morgan Matson

Amy needs to roadtrip across the country and ends up roadtripping with a family friend’s son. I first read this book in 2011 (!) and it was one of my favorite YA books of all time, and I have since read every Morgan Matson book. I wanted to reread to see if the vibes were the same and they SO were. So summer-y, light, and fun. A comfort read for sure.

Rating: 4 out of 5

A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING by Ruth Ozeki

A woman finds a diary washed up on shore from Japan and becomes absorbed in the writer, a teenage girl’s, life. This was darker than I thought it would be, but poignant and interesting nevertheless. I attended Ozeki’s book talk promoting her latest, The Book of Form and Happiness, and she mentioned how its book-pair is A Tale for the Time Being, so I’m definitely intrigued to read Ozeki’s latest to see how it all ties together.

Rating: 4 out of 5

TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin

A young boy and girl meet at a hospital and grow to become game creators over their lifetime. This one has been getting so much buzz, and I can totally see for good reason. Thoughtful, fascinating, and playful (no pun intended). The pacing & character development were so strong the first half, but the last 25% had me scratching my head a bit – why did we zoom so far ahead? Nevertheless, it was a gorgeous story and I highly recommend.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

WHAT KIND OF WOMAN by Kate Baer

A poetry collection focusing on motherhood and being a woman. This was fab. I overall loved the female energy throughout! I first found Kate Baer from Cup of Jo so it’s cool to have read her published work.

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I AM, I AM, I AM by Maggie O’Farrell

A memoir told in vignettes – brushes with death. I really enjoyed this unique structure – it’s absolutely wild that O’Farrell’s life experiences amounted to that many brushes with death. A few stories were pushing the limit, but all the same they were interesting windows in her life. Excited to hear her speak live!

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What have you been reading lately?!

Check in again soon,

Jen x