Books of July

Wow, what a short list. It wouldn't be so bad if I could actually remember what else I've been doing this past month. Sadly, I'm not done with revisions and I don't see any big projects around the house that got done. So I ask: What happened to July???

My reads this month:

53. No and Me by Delphine de Vigan** Ah, this one was so good. It's about a gifted teenager who befriends a homeless girl and the friendship that develops between them. It's sad and inspiring and realistic all in one. The prose is also simply wonderful.

54. Grounding Quinn by Stephanie Campbell Review on TYAC here In short, a well written story about making mistakes and finding forgiveness. However I didn't connect with the character.

55. Hallowed by Cynthia Hand* The sequel to Unearthly felt very much like the first book to me. Beautiful prose and in-depth character development, but I wish that the plot had moved along a bit faster. It didn't feel like there was any urgency to what was going on and a real conflict didn't seem to develop until about midway through. I thought the twist near the end was a bit hokey myself. I read one review that said the MC's voice is refreshing because it has just the right amount of snark without becoming overwhelming. I do agree with this.

56. The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan* Finally finished the last book! Lots more gore in this one and visual scenes, like the swarm of the unconsecrated in the city - reminded me of watching a swarm of ants. Carrie Ryan definitely knows how to build tension... and give you goosebumps. I do wish that the villains had been a bit more realistic and 3D, but then again, this is horror. I suppose I shouldn't expect too much.

57. The Tiger Waiting by Kate DiCamillo* MG A quick read that surprisingly brought a tear to my eye by the end. I love DiCamillo's simple plots and wish I could write with as much simplistic elegance.

58. Blood Red Road by Moira Young* I'm torn about what to say with this one. I liked the beginning sooo much. Saba was a gritty character who really hooked me at first. I was expecting a dark and exciting journey with her. Then somewhere around the middle of the book things changed. It was still exciting, though not so dark and it seemed like Saba's character should have grown. Instead, we got more of the same condescending tone toward her sister and then some very ridiculous "I really like him but I don't want him to know that because I don't need anyone" back and forth play that was about100 pages too long. It didn't work for me. While the setting was wonderful, I thought the world building itself needed some work because it didn't make too much sense. Also again, the villains in this one were very black and white.  Overall, I wanted to like it much more than I did.

59. The Maze Runner by James Dashner** this fits under the "I wish I had read this sooner" category. I LOVED the premise of this story, and the characters were so well developed. Some who you think are incredibly brave turn out to be wimps and those who are wimpy turn out to be brave. The 'brotherly' relationship that develops between Thomas and Chuck was especially memorable, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel to find out what happens next.