It's been a hot summer, which has meant a lot of time for me by the pool reading! We also intentionally took a break from any traveling in July. Our June was super busy and we have more travel planned for August, so we wanted to spend some time at home in July. So, I had the chance to read quite a bit this past month.
In July, the NY Times released their list of "The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century". Well, when I see a list of books people think are amazing, I have to make it my mission to read as many as possible! So, I started at the top of the list and I plan to slowly make my way through it. I'll note in my reviews any books that come from that list so you can determine which ones you might want to read as well. You can find the whole list here.
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Now, let's get to what I read in the month of July!
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Misfit Mogul: An Outsider's Transformation From Invisible To Innovator by Hisham Ahmad
I struggled a bit with this one. His story is fascinating, but the very casual writing style threw me off. I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a book of advice or just the story of how the author became a millionaire while still a teenager. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book from Amazon, click here.
I Make Envy On Your Disco by Eric Schnall
This book is all about the characters and the city of Berlin, and both are developed and described beautifully in this book. The story takes place shortly after the Berlin Wall falls, and it is about both the city and the main character, Samuel, finding themselves. Great novel! I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book from Amazon, click here.
Be Not Afraid by A.J. Saxsma
This book will not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it. The book is long and dense. The subject matter is deep. It follows the story of one family and how all three members "fall" for their own scams - a business "guru" who promises he can turn the father's business around, a church that promises it can help the mother "find her way" with a donation, and a therapist who promises he will "fix" the teenage son who is trying to deny to himself that he's gay. The writing style is a bit hard to get used to and I didn't feel like the ending gave any closure. But the story is compelling. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase the book from Amazon, click here.
Kissing Girls On Shabbat: A Memoir by Sara Glass
This is a very open and honest memoir from the author, who was raised in the Hasidic Jewish community. The book deals with very tough subjects, such as her mother and sister dealing with serious mental illnesses, and the family trying to hide it. As the author comes to grips with her sexuality and what that means within her religion, she takes you through her struggle to find happiness for her and her children. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book from Amazon, click here.
Failing Fast?: The Ten Secrets To Succeed Faster by Luv Tulsidas
For me, this was an average, at best, business book. Way too much detail and too hard to find the good nuggets of information that were valuable. It was hard to follow the advice at times, because it was just too detailed. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book from Amazon, click here.
Eddie Winston Is Looking For Love by Marianne Cronin
Absolutely loved this one. In fact, I read almost the whole thing in one sitting, and couldn't wait to be done with work today to finish the last little bit to see how it ends. I was a little skeptical about the story at first. A 90 year old (Eddie) and a 20 something (Bella) become friends as they are both dealing with the loss of the love of their life. Eddie's happened decades ago, and he has never experienced a kiss. Bella's happened recently when her boyfriend died. This book is so sweet and heartwarming. I absolutely fell in love with all the characters. It will make you laugh and cry, and warm your heart. Put it in your TBR list now! I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Five out of five stars!
This book will be released on December 31, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
Refugee On A Pendulum by Jemil Metti
I hate giving books bad reviews, but this one was a challenge for me to even finish. The story was so confused. I literally would be reading and just stop and say to myself "I'm so confused!" It felt like rather than having a clear outline of a story, the author was just writing almost stream of consciousness. The dialog was choppy and not written in a way that people speak. The story would suddenly jump ahead months or years with no explanation. The characters were not interesting and I couldn't tell who was a good person and who was a bad person. The concept had potential, but the book did not deliver. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Two out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
How To Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy As A Way Of Life In The Modern World by Donald J. Robertson
I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. I was expecting a dry and tough to read book about Socrates. However, the author did a great job of describing his life and his philosophies into something that was easy to read and relatable. And in a twist I wasn't expecting, he tied the teachings of Socrates to therapy treatments and mental health issues of today. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
This book will be released November 19, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
In The Dark Of A Dream by L.E. DeLano
This is a great sci fi thriller. A little touch of Hunger Games, with a very inventive and unique story. Well written with great characters that keeps you interested until the end. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Tree Of Smoke by Denis Johnson
This was a tough one. I had high hopes since it was such a well regarded book. But it was very hard to follow. Very hard to keep the characters straight and really no characters that I felt interested in. Multiple storylines going at the same time that never pulled together. Just not my thing. Three out of five stars.
This book is #100 on the New York Times list of the top 100 books of the 21st century. To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Volcano Ranch (The Hawkeye Ridge Series, #5) by G.D. Covert
This was a good story that kept you interested. But I wasn't a fan of the writing style. The dialog seemed too proper and not natural. The writing style made it tough for me to get excited about this one. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
How To Be Both by Ali Smith
I'm split right down the middle on this one. This novel is really two stories in one. One story is of a female painter in the 1460s, who has to try and hide her gender to work during that time period. The other story is of a modern day teenage girl who recently lost her mother. The stories intersect as the last trip the girl took with her mother was to go to Italy to see a recently discovered painting by the artist.
The first thing you have to get over in this book is the writing style. No consistent use of capitalization. No quotation marks around dialogue. The book was published in two different versions - each of which alternated which story went first. The version I had from the library had the artist's story first, which seems more logical to me.
I would have given the story of the artist a 2. Hard to follow and not a very engaging story. But, I would give the story of the teenager a 4. Much more engaging and interesting characters. So splitting the difference and rating the overall book a 3.
This book was #99 on the New York Times list of the best books of the 21st century. To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Polostan (Bomb Light, Volume One) by Neal Stephenson
This is the first book in a new series, so I am going to chalk up all of the extraneous narrative to the fact that the author feels like he has to eatablish the characters and the background. But a lot of it seemed excessive and not necessary to the story.
This was not as action packed as I had hoped, and was a little tough to force myself to stick with it. There is a clear set up for future books in the series, but I'm not sure that I will be anxious to read them.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
This book goes on sale October 15, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
Somewhere In Heaven: The Remarkable Love Story Of Dana And Christopher Reeve by Christopher Anderson
This is an excellent book about Christopher and Dana Reeve. I think we all know the story of Christopher's horse accident that paralyzed him, and his recovery and advocacy after. This book, however, really focuses on the relationship between him and Dana, and how their love story got them through all the challenges they faced.
Of course we all know the story does not have a happy ending, but it is well worth the read.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Nature Reset: A Practical Guide To Restore Your Nervous System, Reclaim Your Body, And Reawaken Your Spirit Wherever You Are by Kathleen McIntyre
When I first started reading the author's description of her anxiety and some of the feelings it leaves her with, I thought... that's me! So, I can definitely relate with the topic and the importance of trying to ground yourself and put yourself in a better mindset.
And while I personally have a hard time getting myself to buy into some of the techniques the author shares, for those that do, this is a well written and practical guide.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
That's the list of books I read in July of 2024. I hope you found some that peaked your interest!
What books do you recommend I read next? Let me know! Did you check out any of these books? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or e-mail me at tips2livebywriter@gmail.com.
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