What I read: The Mid-Summer 2021 Edition

Little Bun Reads:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid – He likes this series a lot but has since switched to…
• Nate the Great – He enjoys learning about how things are figured out (like me at his age!)

CURRENT YEAR TO DATE BOOK COUNT: 165

• January: 41
• February: 24
• March: 24
• April: 17
• May: 20
• June: 11
• July: 28

What I read

In her shoes

[ Fiction, Sisters, Family, Life ]

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. It is a very well written book about sisters, and true to form, the last chapter made me cry. It’s family, it’s relationships, it’s tricky emotional stuff. Very well done. Satisfying.

Family Happiness

[ Fiction, Family, Life, Finding Oneself, Middle-Aged Crisis ]

I did not like it… at first. But as I went through the book, I started to really appreciate the story she was weaving about this middle-aged woman who just wanted to be herself again and not just be someone who only lives to please others (something I can relate to).

Study in Charlotte (Book 1)

[ Sherlock Holmes, Twist, Fiction, Mystery ]

I am a sucker for anything remotely Sherlock Holmes adjacent. Twists on the plot from TV series, to books that show another perspective – I am all for this.

P.S. I really enjoyed  The Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas as well.

Of course, I read books two, three and four:

The Last of August (Book 2)

The Case for Jamie (Book 3)

A Question of Holmes (Book 4)

…and they were ALL GOOD. Gripping mysteries, excellent writing, the storyline is both interesting and not clichéd at all. Love love love.

The Worst Best Man

[ Chicklit, Latinx, Wedding Theme ]

It was okay. The plot left a lot to be desired in my opinion. I think we are running out of ideas in general in the chicklit world with interesting plots. It was definitely a lot heavier on the sex scenes than in other chicklit books I’ve read, and I disliked the heroine a tiny bit for her general meanness (?) that seemed excessively unwarranted. I like strong powerful characters, but she seemed really vindictive.

Eleanor & Park

[ Young Love, Family Abuse and Issues, Teenage, Retrospective ]

I can’t even call this a chicklit book… the most I can say it is about young love. Being in love, learning how to be in love, the overwhelming feeling of it all. It’s so wholesome, but also with a dark thread of domestic abuse, so please read with caution. I did not find the ending satisfying because I enjoy drawn out happy endings, but you can guess your own I suppose. It just felt unfinished to me, as I like stories with justice.

Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River

[ History, Indus River, Pakistan, India, Muslim, Hindi ]

5000 years of history, written in such a compelling manner, interwoven with anecdotes (heartbreaking) and told in such a brilliant manner. Truly an excellent book to read on the history of India, Pakistan, it’s like a travel back in time and history.

The Pearl Thief

[ Fiction, Mystery, History, “Tinker Folk” ]

I did not think I would like this book as much as I did. I wouldn’t scream: OH MY YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK, but it was a decent enough mystery with interesting historical tidbits, and a good view on the discrimination against the Scottish Gypsy and Border Romanichal Travellers.

Heartless

[ Fiction, House of Cards ]

THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD BOOK, wow, I really enjoyed this book, the twist on the characters in the 52 card deck was very interesting and fun to read, imagining these cards as characters. It follows the Queen of Hearts, as a young girl named Catherine. The whole Alice in Wonderland theme becomes twisted around with this perspective. It’s … beyond what I could have imagined it to be. I want to read all of Meyer’s books now.

Six Suspects

[ Mystery, India ]

This was a difficult book to read because it kept going back and forth between all of the stories. I am unable to follow this kind of writing, especially when my brain is already fatigued from work, life, pandemic. I read it, it was okay. I wouldn’t recommend it, just based on the writing style, but the story and premise was interesting.

The WEIRDest People in the World

[ Economy, Western, World, Religion, History ]

AN EXCELLENT book about Western countries and how they broke away from the pack. It’s truly a detailed look at the trajectory of these countries. I will caution you to read this all with a grain of salt because while a lot of it can be attributed to what he is saying, it doesn’t mean it was be-all and end-all.

The Lost and Found Bookshop

[ Fiction, History, Mystery ]

A really lovely read. It was recommended by some website, which is why I gave it a suspicious side eye, but it ended up being quite nice to read with a reasonably happy ending. I appreciated the story, the history, the way it didn’t focus on finding love as the focus, but more of life, family and relationships.

The Naked Millionaire

[ Money, Psychology, Women ]

To be frank, I find all money books really boring these days. I read it, it was okay. It’s like all the other money books about getting over the fear of money and success, allowing yourself to be open to the prospect of it, and not hamstringing your own wealth, especially as a woman.

Where the Light Falls

[ French Revolution, Historical Fiction ]

A good book on the French Revolution. Not much else to say, it wasn’t as gripping to be honest, as far as historical fiction goes, but it was decent.

Breakup Boot Camp

[ Chick-Lit, Fiction ]

I liked the book, it was interesting, and of course predictable. It was a good fluff read if you want something you don’t want to use your brain for, but do not want to scream at the characters and lose it on them while reading. That is to say, an acceptable chick-lit book, not a must-read in my opinion.

Think Like a Chef

[ Food, Recipes, Chef ]

This is not the best cooking book I have ever read, but it is decent. I can see his premise – teach the home cook how to think like a chef, but I really just read it for the anecdotes and life stories.

Love you S’more

[ Chick-Lit, Fiction ]

I FINALLY GOT TO FINISH READING THE THIRD BOOK. That’s all I can say, and the ending was pretty satisfying. I liked the whole book, sort of rolled my eyes at the heroine being a little wishy-washy but it was a decent read that ended the trilogy I started.

The Divide

[ American Crisis, Wealth Gap, Crime, Investigative ]

If you haven’t been under a rock and have been paying even an ounce of attention to what has conspired in the past few years, being unearthed for all to read and see, this book will not shock you. It will sadden you, it will confirm what you already know, but it won’t make you gasp and say: ARE YOU SERIOUS!?

You simply have to read it. If you even care an ounce about justice and understanding why it isn’t so black and white as some (obstinate) people might paint it.

Wife Drought

[ Women, Men, Working Parents, Career ]

BEST. BOOK. OF. THE. YEAR. Okay, at least one of them. If anyone wants to ever say a peep about how it’s a woman’s problem to deal with why they don’t make enough money or get ahead, I will redirect them to reading this book. Until they do, we cannot have an intelligent discussion.

Mindful Millionaire

[ Money, Mindset, Stories, Mental Blocks ]

If you are someone who struggles with the mindset surrounding wealth and money, this is the book for you to overcome that. If you are looking for technical help like how to figure out what to invest in, and why, this book will not do that.

This book is more about treating your mental roadblocks to getting rich, like imposter syndrome and so on, and how you may feel like you don’t deserve to be rich, or once you are rich enough you have issues spending that money.

Year One

[ Sci-Fi Fantasy, Doomsday, Thriller ]

I read this book and found it hard because.. well, pandemic. It hit a little too close to home, and has a lot of graphic, all-too-real indicators that make me feel like this is exactly what is going on today, but hidden and not quite as pronounced. I got a bit of hope near the end so I’ll move on to Book Two and Three.

Of Blood and Bone (Book Two)

[ Sci-Fi Fantasy, Doomsday, Thriller ]

Book two. Much better than Book one, at least for reading while living through a pandemic.

The Rise of Magicks (Book Three)

[ Sci-Fi Fantasy, Doomsday, Thriller ]

Such a SATISFYING series once you get past book one. Honestly, I enjoyed it but wished the ending was a bit more dramatic.

The Right Swipe

[ Chicklit, Women of colour, Entrepreneur ]

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t focused on her chasing him, and she was a strong female character which I rarely see in such books to be honest. I wasn’t sold on the ending, it felt a bit unfinished with the companies, but that’s a minor point.

When Dimple met Rishi

[ American-Indian, Culture, Young Adult, Chicklit ]

LOVED THSI BOOK. I put “American-Indian”, to refer to the topics touched upon this book as an immigrant child with parental expectations, cultural nuances, etc. It was so refreshing to read something so relatable, to be honest with you. It was also a fun read. A lot more fun than I expected.

Imposter Syndrome

[ Silicon Valley, Mystery, Espionage ]

I have loved her books since I read Family Trust, and this one is even better. I love the mystery and the ending. I will not give it away, but it is VERY well done and gripping.