On the bookshelf in May
The first book I read was All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers per the recommendation of my sister! I always save my scary books for the summer when it won’t matter if I’ve stayed up too late being scared lol! First of all, I’m a BIG crime junkie girl, so I knew I’d enjoy this book since Ashley Flowers (crime junkie podcast host) wrote it. & man, she did not dissapoint!!! Since my sister, Bethany, read this before me, I would call her every time something happened or to explain what my theories were. This book had me guessing all the way until the end! There was plot twist after plot twist & I stinkin’ loved it. It really wasn’t that “scary”, just more of a suspensful feeling. I gave this book five out of five stars!
The second book I read was Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas which is the first book in The Hate U Give series. I had no idea what to expect from this book, & I was honestly pretty impressed! It follows a young man named Maverick Carter & his experiences as a young black man in the slums of Garden Heights. Maverick ends up being the father to two babies (from two different baby mamas) before he’s seventeen. He also flunks out of high school & is involved in a gang called the King Bloods. Maverick is often conflicted between sinking into the life he was born into & wanting to get out & make a better life for himself & his family. The town I work in has an extremely high poverty rate, so it was pretty fascinating for me to read this book & often think of students who have similar backgrounds. I gave this book four out of five stars & was very eager to read the next book!
& then I read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This book was such a cool follow up because it follows Starr which is one of Maverick’s children! As a school counselor, I love watching people grow & change & it’s so cool to watch their life stories unfold, so I loved this book! This book ended up being quite a bit different than the first one. In this book, you get to follow a very intense storyline about one of Starr’s closest friends being killed by a police officer. Starr is a witness to this crime & just like many of the real-life stories similar to this one, she is in the media spotlight, but also has her own feelings to process about the incident & how this will impact her life moving forward. There were times that my stomach was in knots, I had tears in my eyes, & I was smiling — this book does it all! I also gave it four out of five stars.
The fourth book I read was The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth. This book follows two adult sisters, Tully & Rachel, as they explore their relationship with their father’s soon-to-be wife, Heather, who just so happens to be YOUNGER THAN THEM! As to be expected, there is quite a bit of tension & questions. Especially since Tully & Rachel’s mom is still married to their dad, Stephen!!! Their mom, Pam, is fairly young, but has early onset Alzheimers, so she doesn’t really know what’s going on at all. So complicated, I know! The book starts out with a wedding & a medical accident that is very concerning to all of the guests. There’s so much that happens & so much to figure out! I was going to give this book four stars, but the ending was so bland compared to how intense the rest of the book was, so I just couldn’t do it. I gave this book three out of five stars.
Since my sister recommended the last book to me, she asked me to bring her some of my favorite mysteries / thrillers / horror books. I had so much fun getting these ready for her! I loved them!!
The fifth book I read was One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle. I’m just going to be real for a second… this book was super depressing to me. It’s about a woman named Katy who is super close with her mom, Carol. Carol ends up getting sick & dies & Katy has to figure out how to keep living without her mom. Katy takes a two week trip to Italy that she was supposed to take with her mom. I 100% want to go to Italy after reading this book!! Like a lot of books, the story ends up wrapped in a nice little bow, however, it wasn’t the ending I was hoping for. I don’t want to say much more because I don’t want to give anything away, but I’m very curious to hear what others thought of this book / the ending. I gave this book two out of five stars.
Have you ever read the whole Bible? I’ve always wanted to & I’ve tried a few times but it’s hard. It’s just so hard to understand! I had heard several people talk about the Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading & Understanding the Entire Bible & wanted to give it a try. Tara-Leigh Cobble walks you through reading the Bible chronologically in one year & she has a podcast that goes along with it. While that all sounds great, I knew that truly reading it every single day was not attainable for me. Yes, I feel guilty saying that. After all, He has done for me, I should be able to spend that much time each day reading His word. However, I know myself & I know I wouldn’t & I also know that getting behind would stress me out & then I’d want to give up completely. Then she wrote a book & I knew this was the answer! I just read it when I can! I try to make it a priority but if it doesn’t happen that day, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. Her summary of what you read is absolutely amazing. I cannot believe how much I’ve learned already!! It’s designed to be read in a year, however if it takes me two, that’s okay! Because reading the entire Bible in two years is better than not at all. If I’m honest, I’ll probably start over once I finish because it’s that good & I’m sure I’ll learn something new each time, because He’s where the joy is!
Add me on the Goodreads app to follow along with my book choices in real time by clicking here. Don’t forget to go to the home page & sign up for emails so you never miss a post!! Also, you can click here to go to my book review page in case you’re interested in checking out some other great reads. If you’ve had a favorite read that you’d recommend, leave it below in the comments & I’ll be sure to check it out!
PS – this post contained affiliate links… thank you so much for reading & supporting our blog!
