Luckiest Girl Alive (Jessica Knoll) // This books is always compared to Gone Girl, which I think is a bit of a slight to Gone Girl. While Luckiest Girl Alive is definitely suspenseful and entertaining with some unexpected twists, it just doesn't stack up to Gone Girl's unexpected, nutso psychological crazy-town-ness. I mean, I enjoyed this book. It was fun and exciting and horrifying and sort of a love-to-hate-it type read, but as more time passes since I finished it, I find I'm thinking back on it with less and less fondness. And as a warning, lots of sexual content and violence.
Maybe Someday (Colleen Hoover) // If only I could get back the time I spent with this book. I'm not sure I've ever met two love interests I cared less about, or thought were more self-centered and less mature. No, that's not true. See: Twilight.
Life As We Knew It (Susan Beth Pfeffer) // Now, this was a neat one. This YA apocalyptic read is written as the journal of 16-year old Miranda before and after an asteroid hits the moon, knocking it closer to the earth and setting off a chain of horrible natural disasters. The journal style makes it a really interesting mix of disaster survival with coming-of-age story, and I found it so interesting and hard to put down. I didn't realize when I began reading that it was a series, and followed it up by listening to . . .
The Dead and the Gone and This World We Live In (Susan Beth Pfeffer) // The second and third books in the Life as We Knew It series. The audio narration was well done, so it made for interesting and easy listening, but sadly, I didn't think these two were nearly as good as the first. New characters I didn't love, no character development or progression, lack of action, and no real plot movement. There's one final book in the series that I haven't listened to, but I won't be checking it out--lots of terrible goodreads reviews, and since books 2 and 3 were lackluster, I can't imagine 4 being better.
Wonder (R.J. Palacio) // I've read this book before, but reread it this month for my book club. Such a sweet story about 10-year old Auggie who is normal in every way . . . except for his incredible facial abnormalities. He's attending public school for the first time this year, but will he be accepted by his new classmates? This book is aimed at middle graders, and is so sweet and lovable, and a powerful lesson on kindness. I loved that different narrators took over, so we get to read from Auggie's perspective as well as from the perspective of others who cross his path. This is one book I definitely look forward to reading with my kids when they're a bit older.
Kindred (Octavia E. Butler) // Here's a novel I won't be forgetting anytime soon. Kindred is the story of Dana, a modern black woman who finds herself inexplicably transported back in time to a plantation in the antebellum South (where, of course, she has no choice but to live as a slave). I've read many books set in this time period, but never one that portrayed slavery through the lens of how a modern-day black woman would see and experience it. It was unsettling and disturbing and thought-provoking, all in the very best ways. I'm so glad I read it (especially in light of recent race-related events). I didn't always love the writing style, but it's a very moving novel. I'd definitely recommend it.
What did you read this month? Any recommendations for me?
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