After challenging myself to read 30 books in May, let’s say that I calmed down a bit.
I read 3 books in July and 2 in June and I’m not unhappy with that at all! I spent all of May prioritizing reading and that was great, but since then, I’ve been focusing on other things, reading only when I feel like it and am sucked into a book.
1. These Violent Delights by Rebecca Crunden
This is the latest book by Rebecca Crunden, the author of my favorite dystopian series The Outlands Pentalogy. This book, also dystopian, features a world where humans and creatures called Suriia are enemies. I loved reading this 600+ pages book. I rooted for all the characters. It’s a book where terrifying things happen and the characters’ lives are in shambles, but there is still romance and funny moments. I’d highly recommend it.
Check out my full review of it here.
Rating – 4/5 stars
2. Achieve Any Goal: 12 Steps to Realizing Your Dreams by Brian Tracy
This is a short audiobook that I listened to on Storytel. It was a motivating read but didn’t leave an impact on me. I think there are better books by Brian Tracy out there and I’d like to read them in the future.
Rating – 3/5 stars
3. Things I Learned in the Night : A collection of poetry about love, heartbreak, and healing by Emily Juniper
This is a poetry book I stumbled upon in Kindle Unlimited. Of the few modern poetry collections I have read, this was a better one and I would recommend it.
Rating – 4/5 stars
4. Happy Here and Now: Lasting Happiness You Can Count On by Matt Tracy
This is an easy-to-read, crisp, and engaging book on how to live a happier life. If you are new to reading self-help books, you can pick this up.
Check out my full review of it here.
Rating – 4/5 stars
5. The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
This might just be the best book I have read this year. The Friend is narrated by a woman whose life-long friend has just passed away and she ends up taking care of his dog. But this book is so much more than just that. This book also talks about writers, the literary scene, how a reader/writer’s relationship with books changes. It gave me a lot of things to think about. At times, it is not at all positive and if you’re a writer, English professor, or a part of the publishing industry, it will hit some nerves. This is a book that I need to re-read to fully take in and I need to talk to the narrator again in my mind. I’m so glad I got to read it.
Rating – 4/5 stars
I will continue reading at a slower pace for the rest of this year. I’m prioritising other things in my life right now so I’m okay with not reading as much.
Glad to hear that while you read lesser books, they were good books and you didn’t feel bad about it! Hope you have a great August ahead 🙂