July Book Review - The Glorious Mundane

No, that is not a typo! I am really going all the way back to July and recapping the books that I read then

At the beginning of summer, I found SO MANY summer reading lists and I loved reading as many as I could get my hands on! I did not even come remotely close to finishing any of the books on any of these lists, but I love having someone else tell me what to read.

In July, I read 13 books. 5 of these books were nonfiction, and 8 were fiction. Two books were on audio, one was a read aloud, and the rest (10) were read in print. I read some GREAT books this month, and a couple that just weren’t my favorite.

Drowning

Synopsis: Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside. More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives. Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent—Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife—who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff. There’s not much time. There’s even less air. With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family’s desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them—against impossible odds.

My Review: Now THIS is a thriller that I loved! I don’t love dark and creepy stories, but I do love edge-of-your-seat ones, and this one fit that bill perfectly! Theo and I listened to this one on audio and he said it was one of the best books he’s read in a long time. I also enjoyed it! I loved the deeper meanings woven throughout the story of family and what is really important in life, and how tragedy sometimes strikes our hearts and minds deeply and with serious repercussions.

Rating: 5 stars! I recommend this one if you need a page turning book to read. Just maybe don’t read it while flying. 😉

Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals

Synopsis: Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie’s dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues―horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs―when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother’s dream her own. In 2001, she established the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie’s mission to save abused and neglected animals.

My Review: New favorite genre…homesteading memoir! This one popped up in that category in one of my searches, and I checked it out. I really enjoyed the memoir part of this story. Laurie grew up in a very unstable home with an abusive father and a mother who broke away from him to raise three kids (and a whole farm of animals) on her own. I found that I approach animal care with a bit of a different take than Laurie, but I still enjoyed hearing her perspective and reading the stories of the sweet animals in her care.

Rating: 4 stars. Certainly not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it!

Killers of a Certain Age

Synopsis: Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills. When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they’ve been marked for death. Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They’re about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman—and a killer—of a certain age.

My Review: Ok, this plot was cute in theory! Obviously, we have to suspend belief to read it, but I’m perfectly capable of that! What I struggled with the whole time was the fact that these ladies were written as OLD ladies…but throughout the plot were referred to as in their 60s. WHAT? I know that age is older than the typical main character in a book…but I have parents, friends, coworkers who are all in their 60s and NONE OF THEM ARE AS DECREPIT as this book made that age out to be. I just couldn’t get over that. I also found it corny, especially being married to a police officer I just couldn’t get past how they went about being such good assassins #sounrealistic.

Rating: 3 stars. Not for me, but may be for you!

By Any Other Name

Synopsis: Noa Calloway is THE bestselling author of sweeping love stories. Love stories that careful editor Lanie has shaped her life around. Noa’s writing makes her feel seen and understood like nothing else. So she’s more than a little shocked to find out that her beloved, reclusive, author is actually Noah Ross – a distractingly handsome man – and not at all the glamorous middle-aged woman she’d imagined. Even worse – Noah has writer’s block. With her job on the line, Lanie has to work with him to spark the crucial inspiration Noah needs to write his next heart-stopping romance. Yet as they show each other all their favourite spots in New York City – Lanie can’t help but wonder if the man by her side, and the author that stole her heart, might actually not be so different after all . . .

My Review: What a delight! A sweet, closed door rom-com that was just what I needed in the middle of the summer! No, this book wasn’t life changing and to be honest, I had almost completely forgotten all about it. But as soon as I read the synopsis I remember how much I loved reading it and just closed that book with a completely content and happy sigh.

Rating: 4 solid stars. Easily forgettable, but so fun to read!

Brown Girl Dreaming

Synopsis: Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

My Review: I am always so amazed and blown away by stories in verse. I can’t write poetry and I can’t write fiction novels, so someone who can write both at once? AMAZING! This was also a quick read and although I didn’t love it as much as other stories in verse that I have read before, it was enjoyable none the less!

Rating: 4 stars. While it’s not a feel good story, it is one of those books that I think everyone should read.

Maame

Synopsis: It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting. So when her mum returns from her latest trip, Maddie seizes the chance to move out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But when tragedy strikes, Maddie is forced to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils―and rewards―of putting her heart on the line.

My Review: This book was full of heavy and dark themes- broken family, irresponsibility, making hard life choices, friendships, etc. And yet despite all the dark themes, Maame really shone through with her personality and character. I enjoyed reading this book and even though it felt like I was sometimes on a bit of a roller coaster, it was a well written and very thought provoking read. I recommend to those who like reading deep and sometimes sad books.

Rating: 4 stars

Portrait of a Thief

Synopsis: History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now. Will Chen plans to steal them back. A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son who has always been his parents’ American Dream. But when a mysterious Chinese benefactor reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago. His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine—or at least, the closest he can get. A con artist: Irene Chen, a public policy major at Duke who can talk her way out of anything. A thief: Daniel Liang, a premed student with steady hands just as capable of lockpicking as suturing. A getaway driver: Lily Wu, an engineering major who races cars in her free time. A hacker: Alex Huang, an MIT dropout turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of his crew has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they’ve cultivated as Chinese Americans, but when Will asks, none of them can turn him down. Because if they succeed? They earn fifty million dollars—and a chance to make history. But if they fail, it will mean not just the loss of everything they’ve dreamed for themselves but yet another thwarted attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen.

My Review: Remember that movie The Italian Job? This book made me want to put the book down and go watch that movie. It was a heist book but I found it to be so very slow. I think that this was the beginning of my summer slump of reading and I just found myself skimming the back 100 pages of the book. Perhaps it was a case of wrong time for me to read this, but I just wasn’t very into it.

Rating: 3 stars

The Kalahari Typing School for Men

Synopsis: Mma Precious Ramotswe is content. Her business is well established with many satisfied customers, and in her mid-thirties (“the finest age to be”) she has a house, two adopted children, a fine fiancé. But, as always, there are troubles. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has not set the date for their marriage. Her able assistant, Mma Makutsi, wants a husband. And worse, a rival detective agency has opened in town—an agency that does not have the gentle approach to business that Mma Ramotswe’s does. But, of course, Precious will manage these things, as she always does, with her uncanny insight and her good heart.

My Review: I adore this series and just keep on reading the next one in line! This is my “feel good” fall back book and I read one about once a month just for a nice and predictable book-ish palette cleanser.

My Rating: 4 stars

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World

Synopsis: In August 1914, Ernest Shackleton and his crew sailed from England on the Endurance in an attempt to become the first team of explorers to cross Antarctica from one side to the other. Five months later and still 100 miles from land, their ship, Endurance, became trapped in ice. Defying the odds, the expedition survived another five months camping on ice floes, followed by a perilous journey through stormy seas to remote and unvisited Elephant Island. In a dramatic climax to this amazing survival story, Shackleton and five others navigated 800 miles of treacherous open ocean in a 20-foot boat to fetch a rescue ship.

My Review: This book was INCREDIBLE! We listened to it on audio as a family, and we were all completely into it. We even drove some extra miles just to keep listening :). This is an incredible story and I hadn’t ever heard it before. I love stories of inspirational people and this one fit the bit perfectly. I would recommend this for everyone- adults and kids aged 8+.

My Rating: 5 stars

Pineapple Street

Synopsis: Darley, the eldest daughter in the well-connected old money Stockton family, followed her heart, trading her job and her inheritance for motherhood but giving up far too much in the process; Sasha, a middle-class New England girl, has married into the Brooklyn Heights family, and finds herself cast as the arriviste outsider; and Georgiana, the baby of the family, has fallen in love with someone she can’t have, and must decide what kind of person she wants to be.

My Review: Rich people behaving badly can be really hit or miss for me. Sometimes it makes me feel disgusted and sometimes its laughably funny. This one was down to earth and I LOVED it. I think that because Darby is such a “normal” character, it really anchored the other wealthy and snobbish characters. I also liked how the story and the writing brought out the weaknesses in all the characters, and it wasn’t always just because they were rich. I loved this quick and thoughtful read!

My Rating: 4.5 stars

The Best We Could Do

Synopsis: This beautifully illustrated and emotional story is an evocative memoir about the search for a better future and a longing for the past. Exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and her family, Bui documents the story of her family’s daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s, and the difficulties they faced building new lives for themselves. At the heart of Bui’s story is a universal struggle: While adjusting to life as a first-time mother, she ultimately discovers what it means to be a parent—the endless sacrifices, the unnoticed gestures, and the depths of unspoken love. Despite how impossible it seems to take on the simultaneous roles of both parent and child, Bui pushes through. With haunting, poetic writing and breathtaking art, she examines the strength of family, the importance of identity, and the meaning of home.

My Review: Honestly, this graphic novel was kind of brutal to read. I wasn’t expecting that going in, as I find that most graphic novels are geared towards younger readers. This one was sad from beginning to almost the end. However, I did learn a lot about the historical context of Vietnam and how the war there affected the Vietnamese people. This is a powerful story, but one that needs to be read only if you are able to withstand some hard realities.

Rating: 3 stars

The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs

Synopsis: In The Life Council, Laura Tremaine–the writer and podcaster behind 10 Things to Tell You–tells us what we’ve been hoping was true all along: making, keeping, and even releasing friends doesn’t need to be as hard as we make it. This fun and practical guide gives you what you need to:

Create your own “life council” with the friends you already have
Understand the ten kinds of friends every woman needs–and how to find them
Learn how to evaluate your friendship circle for what’s working and what might need to change
Navigate tough conversations with friends
Get excited again about the possibility of new friendships

My Review: This book did not hit right with me. It made me feel incredibly bad about the state of my friendships. Before this book, I wouldn’t have though my friendship state was bad at all…but after this book it had me questioning why I don’t have certain types of friends. I don’t think that was the authors intent, and after a few months of thinking about it, I think that I have come to the conclusion that this book should be read by those who are middle age, with grown or nearly grown kids, who are able to do a little more looking back and reflecting on their life. I don’t think this book is a good fit for those who are in the trenches of young motherhood or young adult life.

My Rating: 2.5 stars. It was well written, and obviously will be encouraging to some people, but it was not the least bit encouraging to me. 🙁

The Horse and His Boy

Synopsis: The Horse and his Boy is a stirring and dramatic fantasy story that finds a young boy named Shasta on the run from his homeland with the talking horse, Bree. When the pair discover a deadly plot by the Calormen people to conquer the land of Narnia, the race is on to warn the inhabitants of the impending danger and to rescue them all from certain death.

My Review: While not my favorite of the Chronicles of Narnia series, its been so fun to read this series aloud to the kids! This one was hard to read out loud because of the horse voices haha.