I feel like I’ve had a slow reading month so far, but I think that’s just how I’m FEELING, and not necessarily a reality. I’m almost finished with two additional books, but they’ll have to wait for the end of the month to be showcased.
We Should All Be Feminists, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2014)
Uuuhhhh SO GOOD. I first watched the TED Talks video here, and then just had to run out and read the text version to highlight/underline all the brilliance like a crazy woman. I’d been wanting to get to this for awhile, but the ladies at The Socratic Salon pushed me over, with announcing it would be up soon for discussion. This is something EVERYONE should read. [5/5 stars]
The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins (2015)
I kind of feel like this whole unlikable-unreliable-female-protagonist-thriller-mystery thing is getting a wee bit overdone. Don’t get me wrong, this was good enough, and held my interest overall, but I don’t exactly get all the crazy, record-breaking hype this has gotten. I was expecting something bigger, and was left feeling a wee bit deflated. [3.5/5 stars]
The Children’s Crusade, by Ann Packer (2015)
Family saga, taking place over several generations, tipping off in 1950’s California. I posted a full review earlier this week, which you can find here. Overall, I really enjoyed this story, and loved the characters. [4/5 stars]
The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater (2012)
Yeah, so I really like Maggie Stiefvater. I’ve heard great things about this series, even from people who don’t routinely read a lot of YA literature. I concur – it’s good. This is the first book in the Raven Cycle series, of which the fourth and final installment is due out later this year. I went into this not really knowing anything of the synopsis, so I won’t say too much because it’s better that way. So there’s this girl, named Blue, who lives with a bunch of psychics, although she’s not gifted with clairvoyance herself. She meets this group of boys, who attend a prestigious boarding school in her home town, who are on the hunt for something of the occult brand. As soon as I finished this, I immediately started listening to the second book, if that tells you anything. [4/5 stars]
So that’s it for now folks! What’s the best book you’ve read so far this month? As an aside, my #CloudAtlasAlong week 3 post is going to go up a bit late this week due to some stuff… Like Friday or Saturday probably!
Bookish Tendencies 
I loved We Should All Be Feminists. I wish I’d had it for my Women’s Studies classes. I found The Girl On the Train really interesting. I went into it without any expectations (pre-hype) and knew very little about it. I think that’s what afforded me so much enjoyment – that I didn’t know anything at all. I feel like any hype would have ruined it for me, so I get where you’re coming from. I didn’t think it was perfect – far from it – but I did think overall it was good, and I’m glad I started off 2015’s reading with it. I enjoyed The Raven Boys, but also found I had some issues with the plot development, and I haven’t picked up the next book in the series. Maybe I’ll go back to it when the whole series is out. We’ll see.
Of course my most heartbreaking and amazing book this week is A Little Life, so looking forward to talking with you about it when you have time (and emotional stamina) for it!
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I can totally see liking The Girl on the Train more if it wouldn’t have been for all the hype. I just had high expectations, and was let down ultimately. Like I said, it definitely wasn’t bad, and I breezed through it really quickly… just not as good as I would have liked. I’m loving the Raven Cycle for some reason… I think part of it is the audiobook experience. I can COMPLETELY see what you mean about the plot, but for some reason I just don’t care, because I really love the characters. I think A Little Life is in my near future, and I’m sure I’m going to need to phone a friend for emotional support 🙂 I’m so jealous of all your Anne reads lately… maybe that can be one of my summer projects when I’m burnt out on all these heavy/depressing reads I’ve been drawn to lately.
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I’m thinking of reading We Should All Be Feminists for the readathon that’s coming up. Is it very long? I’ve heard so much about the Raven Cycle series, I’m thinking about giving it a try. I heard the characters are very well developed.
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We Should All Be Feminists would be perfect for a readathon – definitely a one sitting read. I’m loving the Raven Cycle series so much! There are definitely some gaping holes with the plot line, but to honest, I don’t really care. I LOVE all the characters, and definitely have no idea where this is all going to go, so that’s also a plus. If you’re a fan of audiobooks, I’m definitely digging it. Happy reading, and SO WISH I could partake in the readathon next weekend!
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