This is the last group of books I read this year. I made it to 40! It's been a long time since I've read this many books in a year. Overall, I enjoyed it. I think that's one of my main "reactions" to the books I read - enjoyment. In school and even college, it was hard to find joy. We were reading books, cranking out essays, and poring over the smallest of details. Under that much work, I think anything enjoyable would lose its joy. Not being forced to read has made reading fun, and thus in turn, has made me read more.
31. The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood - I put this book on my to-read list just randomly after browsing a list of popular books to see what new reading I could find. Then, I was talking to one of my friends and she was telling me how she really likes this author's books because of her strong female characters in STEM. Her books are fun. I enjoy how she can write arguably cliché predictable novels with added twists of excitement woven throughout. If it makes me want to keep reading, I'd say she's done a great job from an entertainment perspective. I pulled a quote out of this book which stood out to me. In reference to grief: "You don't ever lose the sadness, but you learn to be a part of it."
32. Love Theoretically - Ali Hazelwood - Another one of those fun reads. I like when she has surprise cameos from her other books and everyone's worlds kind of collide just a little bit.
33. A Novel Love Story - Ashley Poston - My thoughts after reading the entire book: It has a good idea behind it, but the execution fell very short in my opinion. The beginning of the book was all over the place. I didn't really get into the story/start enjoying it until the last 30% of the book. I normally don't read book synopses if I'm reading multiple books by the same author, so that may have added to some of my overall disjointed feeling. I don't think reading a synopsis needs to be a requirement before starting a book to understand what's going on. Sadly, this isn't a book I would recommend and although I remember parts of the book, it wasn't memorable.
34. Love on the Brain - Ali Hazelwood - This was fun. After reading a book which didn't captivate me, it was nice to have that again with another Hazelwood book. I like that her books are cliche and predictable with little tidbits of surprise thrown in. This one had a lot of random facts on the life of Marie Curie. I'd like to think the random bits of knowledge in my head can one day help me with my own slum dog millionaire story.
35. Georgie All Along - Kate Clayborn - This was fun, too. A random find while scrolling book lists of similar authors. Not sure I'll remember anything from this book a year from now, but sometimes reading is just a fun way to immerse your brain in a story just for a little while.
36. The Four Winds - Kristin Hannah - I found this book on a random book-search scroll through the library catalog. I've read one her novels before. I don't feel any special affinity to her as an author, but I decided to give this book a read. It's another historical fiction book. As I was reading it, I kept thinking the story line was going to go one way, and it never did. Not giving any spoilers, and not saying I actually wanted it to go that way. Some deep themes to grapple with in this book.
**
There were two books I tried reading in between. One was too
medically accurate for my liking and I just didn't want to continue
after reading about amputations and sutures in detail. The Winter Soldier - Daniel Mason. The other is a
good book which I hope to pick up again at a later time. But the
chapters were just too long for me to be motivated to continue. The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro.
**
37. The Wishing Game - Meg Shaffer - This was a fun, lighter read compared to the books I attempted in between. I wish the setting of this book actually existed. We had taken a vacation to the area so I was able to better understand some of the regional specifics of this book. Overall, this was a fast read with a well-executed story line. Enough thinking to feel engaged, but simple enough to be enjoyed for fun.
38. The Bodyguard - Katherine Center - Another fun, light read. This book gave me a different perspective on people who are bodyguards. I guess you really don't have to be a big, tall, macho-looking guy.
39. Felix Powell, Dog Boy - Erin Estrada Kelly - I found this book as an audiobook while browsing the library catalog in the car on a road trip. I was hoping to find something the kids could listen to (like a short 5-10 minute book) but those don't exist as audiobooks...probably because kids want to look at the pictures. So I came across this book. We ended up not listening to it until after we returned. I started it while waiting in the car with my son and then both kids finished listening to it in the car on the way back across a few school days. It was fun and cute. I liked the book and went on a rabbit hole to find other audiobooks by her.
40. You Go First - Erin Estrada Kelly - This was another audiobook I found originally for my kids to listen to. I listened to it first myself to see what the reading level/content was like. It turns out this book was written for a few levels higher than Felix Powell was. I finished the book myself and enjoyed it. It's a great book that delves into the lives of what it's like to be a teenager in middle school. As an adult, these same themes still apply, just in a more mature sense. You still navigate friendships, life changes, and dealing with your emotions. I can't let my kids listen to this book yet, but it may get shelved for later as they grow older.
There were two books I didn't get a chance to finish yet before the end of this year so they won't be a part of this list. But chances are, they will be on next year's list. 😀
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