Show Us Your Books: What I Read in May

(linking up with Steph and Jana)

Missing, Presumed – Susie Steiner // A missing persons mystery – I was soooo hooked into this book that I seriously finished it in a day and a half.  And then, no spoilers, but the ending pissed me off.  I was so engrossed in wondering what happened, and then I feel like the ending was a cop-out.  Ugh, I stayed up until  11pm finishing this thing too, and then I was all worked up about how mad I was about how it ended.

The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas // I can’t even put into words how much I loved this book.  It was recommended by Carly on the last Show Us Your Books.  I love a good book that is relevant to what is going on in the world, and the author gives you an in-depth look at the emotions that accompany experiencing such a tragic event.  The book delves into the Black Lives Matter movement and all that comes along with it.  I highly, highly, recommend this one.

Leaving Time – Jodi Picoult // My second Picoult book, and I loved it as much as the first.  I saw where some people said they hated all the elephant facts, but I truly loved learning about something I had no idea about before.  The book is told from four people relevant to the event in question, and she does it so well.  You get so invested in these people, and I honestly didn’t see the ending coming at all.  Such a great read!

The Couple Next Door – Shari Lapena / I read this in less than 24 hours.  I kid you not.  I had to know what happened.  My palms were sweaty most of the time, and I did check my kid in the monitor about five times reading this, but WOW.  I was completely blown away by the ending, and didn’t feel like it was a complete cop out ending which pisses me off.  Ugh, so good.

The Kept Woman – Karin Slaughter / I was on the wait list for this book forever.  And then I finally got it, and I was a little disappointed in the first 100 pages, but then, THEN, it started to pick up, and I couldn’t put it down.  I loved the characters in this book, and I loved that I couldn’t guess what was coming next.  Again, this was another one that didn’t have a cop out ending, and it made me really happy.

Mr. Maybe – Jane Green / I needed something light and fluffy after all of those serious murdery books – so I went to the ahole bros, and asked for some recs.  I got Jane Green, and then saw this book had a half naked man on front, so I was sold.  Nothing can be too serious with a half naked man on the front.  It was exactly what I needed — a nice easy read (although sometimes hard to read, because it was incredibly stream of consciousness) and fun.  I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re in the mood for a good book, but if you need to break up murder mysteries, then yes, definitely pick it up.

Mean Streak – Sandra Brown / I LOVED this book.  It was a another ahole bros recommendation, and it was soooo good!  I am having a great book month.  I loved how the book made you think one thing the whole time, and then at the end, it was something totally different the whole time.  I stayed up until 1130 finishing this thing – and that says a lot, because normally this old lady is peace out at 9 or earlier.  I will definitely be picking up more of her books.

The Paris Wife – Paula McLain / Fun fact:  While I was in Vegas, one of the girls that came with and I had an hour long talk about books.  And I got so many recommendations, and this was one of them. I love love loved this book.  It’s a historical fiction book about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife.  Back in the day, I had a mild obsession with reading all of his books, so this one stood out as a must read.  It was so so good, though.  Get on it.

this is where it ends – Marieke Nijka / Holy shit on this book, you guys.  It says it’s a YA book (and it’s super short), but I was having a hard time reading this book.  Not hard in a bad way, but hard because of what I was reading.  It’s about a school shooting in a fictional Alabama city, and the people that are stuck inside during it.  My hands felt clammy, and I honestly felt scared for those people in the book.  I guess that’s a mark of a good writer, though, right?  I’ve read two books this month that put things into perspective for me (other one: the Hate U Give), and it’s crazy to me that people have actually had to endure the topics of both of these books.

 

DID NOT FINISH:

Fluke: The Math and Myth of Coincidence – Joseph Mazur / I started out really into this book, and then it got super mathy.  I am horrible at math, and even more horrible at just trying to read it and figure it out.  I was honestly just not smart enough for this book, but if you’re really good at math and understanding it, this book is definitely for you.