Saturday’s Something Good: 2nd Quarter Reading

Hope you all enjoyed Red, White, and Blue Week! Now that it’s come to an end, I decided to round up my 2nd quarter reading list (see the 1st quarter here!).

This quarter was hands down better than 1st Quarter, reading wise. I read 42 books and there were only few duds! Also, there are a lot of good beach reads in here, if that’s all you have on your mind right now.

PS I decided to include what format I read/listened to the book also, in case you were curious (and since it made a huge difference for me for certain books).

See what I read after the break!

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Kindle)
I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get into this book when I first started reading. It was odd and a little confusing. However, I decided to keep going and by 20% in, I was hooked. I actually ended up reading most of this book in one day because I was so intrigued about what would happen.

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty (Kindle)
I’m a little late to the Liane Moriaty train, but I read this almost immediately after finishing What Alice Forgot and I think I may have liked it more. I’m a big fan of intertwining stories and the “what if” epilogue sealed my love of this book.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (Kindle)
As I said earlier, I feel like I was the last person to pick up this book, but I really enjoyed it once I did.

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley (Paperback)
I kept hearing about this novella and ordered it for my kindle. And then I realized I already had it sitting around from my Book Riot box a few months ago. In honor of that, I decided to pick up the paperback and make it my “at home” book (don’t ask) and I loved it. It’s an adorable novella that tells a story of a traveling book salesman. I would highly recommend it for anyone.

Visible City by Tova Mirvis (Kindle)
I had meh feelings about this book. I had moments where I was really enjoying it and then as I got more into it, I started to enjoy it less and less. I could see others enjoying this much more than I did.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella (Audiobook)
This may actually be the Sophia Kinsella book that I’ve enjoyed the most. I have a weird love/hate relationship with her books where I can’t ever stand the main character, but I can’t stop reading the book. This started out that way, but the more I got into it, I really liked the main character and I really enjoyed the plot of this book.

The One & Only by Emily Giffin (Hardcover)
This book made me really uncomfortable, which was actually a little disappointing since I was really looking forward to it. That being said, it is very well written and a very good story. I’ve heard from most other people that they’ve really enjoyed it, so I wouldn’t discourage others from reading it and giving it a chance.

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue (Kindle)
I still have mixed feelings from reading her last novel, The Room, so I was hesistant about reading this one. However, I got over that and plunged into the book. I enjoyed this story much more, though there were a few parts when it dragged for me.

Pointe by Brandy Colbert (Hardcover)
I kept going back and forth on wanting to read this book, but when I saw it sitting on the library shelf, I figured that was a sign that it was time to read it. I actually ended up reading this entire book in almost one sitting while I was waiting for my plane to take off at the airport (apparently they don’t agree with Miranda Pierestly that major storms are nothing to worry about). This was a very intriguing YA novel that I would recommend for YA fans.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (Audiobook)
There was a lot of talk around this book so I figured I should probably read it (wooo peer pressure). I was just not as into this book as everyone else though. The big twist at the end wasn’t that surprising and I couldn’t really get into the book.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed (Audiobook)
Once I heard this was being turned into a movie, I knew I had to read it. I ended up loving this book and the author’s story. Hearing it, as opposed to reading it made me feel like Cheryl was sitting across from me, telling me her story. I can’t wait to see Reese Witherspoon play Cheryl in the movie adaptation!

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (Kindle)
I enjoyed this book up until the end. (No spoilers) The author tried to wrap up the novel movie style with short vinettes that just did not work for me.

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (Hardcover)
Helen’s book Mr. Fox was a little too abstract for me, so I liked that Boy, Snow, Bird took a step back from that. While frustrating at times, I did enjoy reading this book.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman (Hardcover)
I don’t really know what my feelings were on this book, actually. As the follow up to “If I Stay” I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it, but I did read it in one sitting (I think), so that says something.

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman (Kindle)
I thought I would enjoy this a lot more than I did. I felt a little like I was forcing myself to finish up the book.

The One by Kiera Cass (Kindle)
The finale book in “The Selection” trilogy, this book ended exactly how you thought/hoped it would. I also read this in one sitting and it did a decent job of tying up all of the loose ends.

The Painter by Peter Heller (Hardcover)
Well written, but it just wasn’t for me.

Son by Lois Lowry (Audiobook)
The final book in The Giver series, this one brings you back to Jonas’s original town and then ties up all of the loose ends that were floating around in the first three books. I’ll be honest though, it took a while to get there and I kind of wished that it would have done it faster.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (Kindle)
Yes. Yes. If you love books, go read this book. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true.

The Intern’s Handbook by Shane Kuhn (Hardcover)
I enjoyed the action packed nature of this book (something I’m always iffy about) and the twists and turns this book took. It gets a high recommendation from me.

Messenger by Lois Lowry (Kindle)
3rd in The Giver Series. I think that out of the 4, this fell flat the most for me. This was probably because I wanted more questions answered and this didn’t really do that.

The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham (Audiobook)
This kind of felt like a waste of my time, to be perfectly honest. I just could not get into this book.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman (Kindle)
Yes. If you loved the movie, go read this book.

Are You Experienced? by Jordan Sonnenblick (Hardcover)
Excellent read by the pool book. I got so into this book that I actually stayed at the pool an hour after my friends to finish it.

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares (Hardcover)
I had really high expectations for this book (being a big sisterhood of the traveling pants fan) and it just fell short for me.

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood (Kindle)
The third novel in the MaddAddam series, the characters from the first two novels all come together. It did not disappoint and now I’m very excited for the HBO version of the series.

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon (Kindle)
I felt like an idiot after I realized halfway through this book that the topic of this book was about a podcast that I had JUST listened to on Judge Joseph Crater and this book was technically historical fiction. Once I did realize that though, I became engrossed with the novel. Now that I’ve finished it, I want to go back and re-read it.

Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead (Audiobook)
I had mixed feelins about the first book I read by her, Seating Arrangements, but I absolutely loved Astonish Me. The audiobook was perfect for my bus ride up to NYC.

The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas (Audiobook)
The book was read by Kristen Bell. If you like Veronica Mars that should be enough of an incentive. This book was like another episode in the series and I loved it.

Paper Towns by John Green (Kindle I think??)
Enjoyable, good beach read.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (Kindle)
I went into this knowing it was the follow up to The Giver, but I had NO IDEA what to expect. As a standalone book, it was okay, but knowing that it lived into the Giver world and fit in to a much bigger picture kept me reading and intrigued enough to read the next book.

I Don’t Know What You Know Me From by Judy Greer (Audiobook)
Read by Judy Greer this audiobook was everything and so much more. If you don’t remember who Judy Greer is go watch any romantic comedy in the past 15 years or Arrested Development and you’ll instantly remember her. Listening to this audiobook made me want to be best friends with her.

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (Kindle)
I enjoyed this book (the 2nd in the MaddAddam series) much more than the first novel. It cleared up many questions that I had from the first and it was interesting to see how the two stories went together.

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff (Audiobook)
This was cute, I could see suggesting it to younger cousins or friends with children.

Crossed by Ally Condie (Audiobook)
If you want a dystopic novel that revolves around a female character, I don’t think I would suggested this series (begins with Matched). The fact that this main character’s concern seems to revolve around two boys was fairly frustrating when you compare it to other novels of this genre like the Hunger Games or Divergent. Honestly, even the main character The Selection (which was like the Hunger Games mixed with the Bachelortte) seemed to have more substance than this girl. Sadly, that being said, when the library gets the next book in this series on audio, I will probably listen because I am a little curious about where they’ll actually take this series.

Splendor by Anna Godbersen (Hardcover)
Another novel in the Gossip Girl meets 19th century genre. It’s the final book in the series and I felt like a lot of the characters in it finally got what they deserved.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (audiobook)
It took me three tries to start this book and get into it and it finally worked on audiobook. However, I didn’t actually get into it until about a 1/3 of the way through during one story when she finally got into her mid-20s and then it snapped and took us back to a point where one action would change her life again (don’t worry, that’s what this entire book is about, so that wasn’t a spoiler).

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (Kindle)
I almost put this book down about 5% of the way into it, but I’m glad I didn’t. I really enjoyed this book and I’m excited to see the movie (with the ridiculously awesome cast).

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (Audiobook)
The first section was interesting and then it kind of got old after that for me. I wish I could have gotten into it more, but it just got boring after a while.

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill (Book)
After getting some good reviews and a personal recommendation, I had high hopes for this book. However (if you didn’t see this coming), it took a while to get into the format it was written in and by the tiime that finally happened, I didn’t really enjoy the plot anymore. This book has been a hit with a lot of people though, so I would still suggest checking it out.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes (Kindle)
I got really angry at this book about 25% of the way in and almost stopped reading. Boy am I glad I didn’t. I feel like I have more to say about this book, but I can’t seem to put the words together right now. All I have to say is that this was a really interesting read and I would suggest looking into it.

Envy by Anna Godbersen (Hardcover)
Book #3 in this 19th Century Gossip Girl series. I was not as pleased with some of the events in this book, but I was intrigued enough to go and order the 4th book in the series.