The Tangled Woods

 

Title: The Tangled Woods

Author: Emily Raboteau

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

 
ISBN: n/a

 

Thoughts: Yes, this story is unsettling, but it lacked the intensity and the atmosphere of the previous stories in the Dark Corners collection.

Rating: 2/5

Ladyparts

 

Title: Ladyparts

Author: Deborah Copaken

Publisher: Random House Audio

 
ISBN: 9780593412091

 

Thoughts: There are some parts of this that are not for the feint of heart, but it is an excellent memoir for detailing the inequities in the American health care system from a female journalist that has felt the effects.

Rating: 4/5

Stacking the Shelves: 6/4-6/24

Won:

 

The Other Mistress by Shanora Williams

Joie

 

Title: Joie: A Parisian's Guide to Celebrating the Good Life

Author: Ajiri Aki

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

 
ISBN: 9780062982421

 

Thoughts: This mix of memoir, travelogue, and self-help book was a breath of fresh air that taught me a lot about France.

Rating: 4/5

Never Lie

 

Title: Never Lie

Author: Freida McFadden

Publisher: Hollywood Upstairs Press

 
ISBN: n/s

 

Thoughts: This started off with great gothic vibes, but turned into a somewhat predictable psychological thriller with no likeable characters.

Rating: 2/5

The Intitial Insult

 

Title: The Initial Insult

Author: Mindy McGinnis

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

 
ISBN: 9780062982421

 

Thoughts: McGinnis throws too many Poe allusions into this twisted and convoluted tale of revenge that also includes random poetry from a panther.

Rating: 2/5

Stash

 

Title: Stash: My Life in Hiding

Author: Laura Cathcart Robbins

Publisher: Atria Books

 
ISBN: 9781668005330

 

Thoughts: Yes, this book is about Robbins's addiction and subsequent sobriety, but moreover, it is about a mother who wants what's best for her children amidst a possibly contentious divorce.

Rating: 4/5

Intimacies

 

Title: Intimacies

Author: Katie Kitamura

Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio

 
ISBN: n/a

 

Thoughts: Very character-driven, but also rather dry and detached.

Rating: 2/5

Maame

 

Title: Maame

Author: Jessica George

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

 
ISBN: 9780385549677

 

Thoughts: A very contemporary, slightly older coming-of-age story with a likeable main character, but nothing to really set it apart from others.

Rating: 3/5

American Mermaid

 

Title: American Mermaid

Author: Julia Langbein

Publisher: Doubleday

 
ISBN: 9780385549677

 

Thoughts: Kinda slow and kinda confusing, but there were some really great parts as well.

Rating: 3/5

Stacking the Shelves: 5/7-6/3

Got in an Owl Post Grab Bag:

By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar

 

Super Adjacent by Crystal Cestari

Blood Countess by Lana Popovic

 

Unraveling by Karen Lord

Prize from library Summer Reading Club:

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

 

Title: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Publisher: Candlewick Press

 
ISBN: 9780763643676

 

Thoughts: Wonderful but heart-wrenching story of a lost, loved china bunny, much in the vein of Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, but for a modern audience.

Rating: 5/5

Count the Ways

 

Title: Count the Ways

Author: Joyce Maynard

Publisher: HarperAudio

 
ISBN: n/a

 

Thoughts: While some events in this novel are extreme, it is very realistic and full of feelings.

Rating: 3/5