What I Read in July
Whew, it took me a while to put this post together because July might have been my biggest reading month ever. I read some really amazing ones, but also had my first did-not-finish in a while. Maybe this shutdown has given me more perspective; no time for books I don’t love. So read on for my most recent reviews! I’m also continuing to link to black-owned bookstores if you want to buy.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
4/5 Stars
A young girl, who lives alone in a North Carolina swamp, is accused of murdering a young man from town.
This is one of those rare books that come along every once in a while and is such a delight and devastation at the same time. It's been a while since I cared so much about a character. The relationships were so heart-aching, and I was 100% invested in them. The author so perfectly captures the emotions of loneliness and abandonment, but they are balanced by the sheer joy and wonder of the natural world. Seriously, what a treat it was to read Owen's lyrical descriptions of the marsh. I loved the connection between animal and human behavior. And the twist at the end was fantastic.
The joy of this book is also potentially its pitfall; some events were handled a little too preciously to be believable, but I don't think that this book is entirely interested in being realistic. It is meant to be magical, not gritty. But there were a few moments I thought to myself, "eh, the world isn't really like that."
And then there were some minor craft things that were enough to notice but not hinder my enjoyment of this novel. There were a lot of sentence fragments that didn't seem to have a stylistic purpose, and a bit of mind-hopping that I personally have a pet peeve for. But overall, WOW. This is a special book indeed and fully deserving of the praise.
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
1/5 Stars
Twelve-year-old Edward is the lone survivor of a plane crash, launching him into the public eye and a new life without his family. The story also explores the lives of his fellow passengers on the final flight. I stopped reading this book about two thirds in. I gave it a chance, but in all honesty, nothing really seemed to happen. Edward’s life after the crash felt stagnant and mundane to me, and not in an artistic or romantic way. The events (if you can even call them that) did not seem to build on each other, so I didn’t feel any momentum in the plot. The passengers on the plane felt like two-dimensional stereotypes: the old man set in his womanizing ways, the young woman unlucky in love… it just felt like a bad romcom, which is even more weird when combined with Edward’s more serious and sad storyline.
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
4.5/5 Stars
A young woman, Lillian, gets contacted out of the blue by an old friend, asking her to help care for her stepchildren that spontaneously burst into flame. This is such an entertaining read. The premise is so funny and it works. The voice is witty and engaging, and I zipped through this story so fast. I almost wish it were longer though; I would have liked to know a little more about Lillian and Madison's history. There is heart to the story as well, but it just didn't quite hit me the way I think it was meant to, and I think it would have if the author had spent just a bit more time exploring Lillian's background. But overall, one of my favorite reads of 2020!
Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow
5/5 Stars
Investigative reporter Farrow exposes Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and the industry that turned a blind eye to their numerous instances of sexual assault.
A fantastic piece of investigative reporting. An addictive (albeit nauseous) narrative. As frustrating as it is to read about how long rape and sexual harassment were allowed to be swept under the rug in Hollywood, it is encouraging to read just how determined Farrow, and more importantly, the brave women who stepped forward, were to get this story out. Ultimately an uplifting moment in history that is required reading for the #MeToo movement.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
4/5 Stars
A painter with a seemingly perfect life shoots her husband and doesn’t speak another word. A criminal psychotherapist with a turbulent past signs on at her psych facility in order to investigate her.
** spoiler alert ** This was soooo good. I loved the gothic atmosphere, and I'm reminded of Alias Grace. Such a complex plot with a great twist that I didn't see coming.
It's clear early on that we have an unreliable narrator, and I could guess that somehow the two main characters were connected, but I still didn't see the twist coming. I think the author really laid the groundwork of developing his characters so that the big actions at the end are believable and align with their personalities. So often in thrillers, big plot points seem unbelievable and haphazardly arrived at, but that is not the case with The Silent Patient. There's a solid build-up to the end.
That being said, there were some thinly veiled red herrings that didn't feel as thought-out to me. As in, they were not very effective red herrings. Also, I was not entirely convinced of Alicia's psychological abuse from her father when she overhears him say, "I wish Alicia had died" and she then says, "he just killed me." What? That's some major creative license with that phrase. I get that that would have an extreme effect on Alicia's mental state, but saying "he just killed me" after just hearing those words does not compute and felt overdramatic.
Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
4/5 Stars
At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, 19-year-old Oona begins a new life out of order, leaping to a new age at random with each passing year.
Loved this plot concept. I typically dislike time travel books because there's just so much unexplained, and while that's still the case for this book, it didn't really bother me. The plot is not interested in figuring out the why, but instead asks big life questions that still apply to regular linear lifetimes. Like, would you change things from your past if you could? How would you live better in the moment if you knew your loved ones would be gone someday?
There were some minor annoyances, like why does Oona so easily go along with the not knowing? Her past/future/other versions intentionally keep things from the present her, and the other characters are constantly telling her, "I can't to tell you." While I get the benefit of that, I can't be the only one who would want to know and be like, "tell me, tell me, tell me!"
And lastly, I didn't feel the emotional weight of her and Dale's relationship. Did I miss something, or was there a scene missing? Dale is built up as her one true love, and I feel like there wasn't any solid evidence of that. To some extent your first love will always stick with you, but other than that, Dale didn't seem that special; I actually disliked him in the last scene where he's reluctant to let Oona play guitar in the band rather than piano. His character was just not as wonderful as Oona made him out to be, in my opinion.
The Book of V. by Anna Solomon
3/5 Stars
This novel intertwines the lives of a Brooklyn mother in 2016, a senator’s wife in 1970s Washington, D.C., and the Bible’s Queen Esther, whose stories of sex, power and desire overlap and ultimately converge.
The writing was gorgeous, but ultimately I struggled to connect with the three storylines. I loved the concept, but not the execution. At the end of the book, I thought, "oh, it's over?" which is not a great sign. I felt like the plot was definitely missing a climax; it all just felt one-note to me.
It’s Not All Downhill From Here by Terry McMillan
3/5 Stars
On the eve of Loretha’s 68th birthday, her life changes forever. In the coming year, she learns to lean on her friends and family and patch up old wounds.
I found this story just ok. My biggest issue with this book is that the dialogue was so blah. Literally every conversation starts with the small talk: "Hi! How are you?" "Good! How are you?" "I'm good, thanks." Every. Time. Mundane details like that can only be tolerated for so long. Definitely was skimming at the end.
The book does touch on some deeper themes of aging, addiction, self acceptance, and family ties, but the events didn't seem to build on each other. Instead, it was just problem... problem... problem... ok, now it's time for it to be resolved, not because we've been moving toward a solution, but because a character decided it was time.
Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore
3/5 Stars
This debut novel explores the lingering effects of a brutal crime on the women of one small Texas oil town in the 1970s.
The language was breathtaking in this novel; some sentences were crafted so wonderfully, emotions rendered so achingly. However, I do believe this novel was overly ambitious when it came to the characters. Mary Rose and Corrine were the only characters that I felt I truly got to know. But for the other characters, we are only given a taste. Because of this, I often found myself wondering "who is that again?" and lost the thread of the story. But what does come through clearly is the emotion of injustice in a harsh landscape.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
4/5 Stars
Lowen, a struggling writer, is tapped to finish the last three books in a successful series written by Verity Crawford, an author who has just had a debilitating accident and lost two children. When Lowen digs through Verity’s office for notes and details that will help her write, she discovers Verity’s autobiography full of dark secrets.
This book felt like a 3-star read until the twist at the end! For the majority of the book, the characters' behaviors just were not that believable, but the ending shed some light on it all. Still, the romance in this book is based purely on physical attraction, and to me that just isn't enough of a motivation for the big actions that eventually happen. But this was a fantastic thriller overall.
