Summer reading progress

It's been a couple months since I've blabbed about my recent reads, so why not today? I'm currently sitting in a coffee shop while my now-weekly babysitter takes care of the girls (ALL THE HEART EMOJIS) and taking a quick break from work to write this post. Last time I blabbed about my books was back in February - which you can check here - and I'd only read 8 books at that point. I'm at 25 now!

For me, there's nothing quite as motivating as hot weather to pull out more and more books and speed through them voraciously. I have vivid memories as a child of my parents telling me I had to do something other than read during the summer break days. I was a rebel and read most of the time anyway (when I wasn't practicing piano or toting my siblings back and forth to the pool).

All that to say, I've been on a kick lately! I found a few Agatha Christie novels I hadn't read, as well as some mysteries, etc...I'll just get to the list instead of trying to detail it out beforehand.

All the links to the books below are Amazon affiliate links. I usually check books out from the library, though -- but it's easier to link specifically to a book on Amazon! :) 

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte : 2 stars

This is one of the books in my "classics I hadn't read" category for the year. I've read something of each of the other Brontes, and Wuthering Heights remains one of my favorite books of all time. This one was...disappointing. I mean, I liked it -- but the ending was a big letdown, and it dragged on so much longer than it needed to. I now understand why it's not as popular as the other sisters' works.

American War by Omar El Akkad : 4.5 stars

I'm still thinking about this book on and off, months after I've read it, if that gives you any indication of my review. With the amount I read, that doesn't happen very often and when it does, I know I've read something special. This apocalyptic novel was unlike any I've read before, and so detailed and yet broad at the same time, it was kind of hard to believe. Not without its depressing conclusions, of course, but still fascinating. While I was reading it, I heard that Canada picked it for its national book this year, and I understand why (not only because the author is Canadian).

Nemesis Games and Babylon's Ashes by James S. A. Corey : 5 stars

Okay, more talk about this sci-fi series. I know, I know! I never shut up about it! But it's because it's so flippin good. These are books 5 and 6 in the series, I think, and 5 was medium good but 6 was the best one BY FAR, even compared to the first one. Gosh. The amount of world-building in these novels alone impress me every time I think about them -- and then pile on top of that near-perfect character study and fast-paced, scientifically driven plots about space colonization? GUYS. They wrote these books for me.

Artemis by Andy Weir : 1 star

Don't waste your time reading this. I fell in love with Weir's first novel, The Martian, that they based that Matt Damon movie on. I was super excited for this to come out and wow. It was an insanely horrible follow-up. The female protagonist was written extremely sexist and one-dimensional, the plot wasn't that good, and the science slogged everything down (at least for me). Thumbs all the way down.

The Brutal Telling, Bury Your Dead, and A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny : 5 stars

I told myself I wasn't going to read very many series this year, and then I got the next Louise Pennys and I couldn't help myself! I used to think Christie was the master of mystery but wowza, Penny is giving her a run for her money. I keep thinking each one can't possibly be as good as the last, but I am continually proven wrong and I love the HECK out of being proven wrong like that.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz : 3.5 stars

I rented this one from the library because Steven King tweeted about how it was one of the most original mysteries he's read in the last decade. (Yeah, I'm easily swayed by celebrity. Why do you ask?) Also it was available to rent on my Kindle while I waited for the next Penny so I figured no harm, no foul. It was pretty good! I don't think King's recommendation necessarily is true after reading the Penny novels, but it was a unique format and kept it going for me.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers : 4.5 stars

Another one of the classics I hadn't read and felt like I should have. This novel is...gosh, I have a hard time describing how it made me feel. It's a novel about some outsiders in a small Southern town who all in turns become friends with a deaf-mute man, and how he affects all of their lives in small and big ways. That only really scratches the surface of all it explores, but it's the best I can do. If you're looking for something intellectual without going hard for James Joyce, this is right up your alley. (Also, I am qualified to drop a James Joyce reference, if you're curious. My senior thesis class for my English degree was on Ulysses. *pats self on back*)

The Moving Finger, They Do It With Mirrors, and Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie : 5 stars

There's nothing quite as comforting as an Agatha Christie novel, especially one you haven't read. I'd read Sleeping Murder before but the other two were new to me, and I loved them all. They hardly need explanation so I'll leave it at that.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh : 4 stars

In the same vein of Gone Girl/The Girl on the Train/Big Little Lies/etc., this was one of those psychological suspense novels that hook you in and don't let go until you've finished it way, way too late at night for a person with small children. Ahem, me. This one was very, very well done. A super great twist right in the middle of the book, followed by another couple twists at the end (none of which I predicted!!), and one of those really well-done crime novels where they follow both the police and the people involved (which is hard to do, or at least hard to do well). Definitely recommend if you like these!

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Ahhh, after another 5k words on my reading, I'm finally finished. It only took me three days to write, so progress! I really wish I could do this for a living but that dream job is reserved for the lucky few. Wouldn't that be the life? Being paid to read books and review them??? Sigh.

What have you been reading lately? A lovely friend gifted me I'll Be Gone in the Dark for my birthday (YAY, don't have to wait weeks and weeks for it from the library!!!) so that's coming soon.