June 2019 Overview

     Happy 4th of July! June was a pretty good month! I also noticed that I mostly was reading books that came out either this year or last year which is different than past months. I chose some shorter ones on the audiobook front, so my total this month was much higher than other months. But even better than that, the quality of these books was so much better than it has been. I had two 5 star book and several 4 star books! They all have longer reviews on Goodreads, so the blurbs in this blog post are going to be a little shorter than usual, with links to the longer reviews on my Goodreads account.

Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets by Patricia Clark Smith
     Released: 8/27/01
     Read from: June 1, 2019- June 2, 2019
     Format: Print (library)
     Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

     I flew through this book. I really loved it. The author did a fantastic job spinning an exciting story, while I also teaching us about a very important, and little known woman in early American history. It's written for a middle grade/early teen audience, so it's good for them, but good for adults who want to learn something without feeling like they're reading something too heavy. Highly recommend this book. Check out my full review here.

Becoming by Michelle Obama
     Released 11/13/18
     Read from: May 26, 2019- June 5, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

     June started out strong when following a 5 star read, I started this one and instantly loved it. I wish I had known this much about the Obamas while they were in the White House, and was more aware of the things that Michelle was doing with her time there, things that I had noticed happening, but didn't realize they had been because of her. It made me like them so much, and I wish they were still in the White House to be honest, when I was mildly indifferent a few years ago. I loved learning about how they got to where they are, and how smart and driven they are as people, and as heads of a family. Everyone should read this book. Not only is it amazing, but it's about the family of our president for 8yrs. Self explanatory in my mind! Check out my full review here.

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper
     Released: 5/28/19
     Read from: June 3, 2019- June 6, 2019
     Format: Print (BOTM)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     This was a fun book. The main character, Andrew, has a crappy job though. Literally has to go into the houses of people who died by themselves, without anyone else noticing for weeks usually, and finding a next of kin to contact. Usually these people end up having funerals that no one attends. The fun part, but also the sad part comes in when Andrew is about to get caught in a lie that he's been telling the people he works with for years. They all think he's happily married with two kids in an expensive townhouse. But the introduction of a new co-worker, Peggy, complicates things. The book made me laugh out loud and smile. It was heartwarming and fun, and also had a little back story that you'll be intrigued in without the main story being forgotten about. Great book. Check out my full review here. Also, get a free book when you sign up for Book of the Month with my link here. :)

I Walk in Dread: The Diary of Deliverance Trembley, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials by Lisa Rowe Fraustino
     Released: 9/1/11
     Read from: June 7, 2019- June 9, 2019
     Format: Print (library)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     Our main character, Liv, is a girl who opposes the Salem witch trials, which are taking place in her own hometown while she is a young teenager, living alone with her older sister because her uncle is MIA. She is disgusted by the girls who started it and appalled that it has gone so far as sentencing innocent people to death. I think the author does a really good job making this into a story about a child, instead of a dry history rehashing. The historical note at the end does a great time tying it all together and giving us the facts, again, without being too dry. There were also some subplots too regarding Liv and her sister's personal lives that helped us feel like we were reading a story without distracting from it. Check out my Goodreads review here.

 Educated by Tara Westover
     Released: 2/20/18
     Read from: June 5, 2019- June 11, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

     This book is about a doomsday prepping family living in the mountains of Idaho. The kids don't go to school, no one has a birth certificate, and no one goes to the doctor for anything. Everything from sore throats to 3rd degree burns from an explosion are "treated" at home. It's sort of insane. They're basically brain washed, and not all of them are able to leave that life and make something of themselves. But Tara does, and this is her story. 

        I was excited for the book because people love it. And I thought I was going to as well based on the beginning, but the second half took away from that. I felt that it was too long too, and had too mant details that took away from the feelings that I had about the rest of the story. My review on Goodreads can be found here.

Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, & Baking Biscuits by Reese Witherspoon
     Released: 9/18/18
     Read from: June 11, 2019- June 12, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     Reese Witherspoon shares with us her ideas on everything from entertaining to cooking, etiquette, beauty and much more, based on her family members and how she was raised. It was short, narrated by her and cute. I learned things in a very light hearted and fun way without feeling taught. It was fun to learn a little bit about her as well. I think the hard copy would add to it, because you can see pictures and get the recipes, but you don't get Reese's voice narrating it all to you. The audiobook also provides a PDF so you don't miss out on everything the book provides. Mini review on Goodreads can be found here.

 The White Darkness by David Grann
     Released: 10/30/18
     Read from: June 12, 2019- June 13, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

     This book is a true story about Henry Worsley. A family man and decorated British special forces officer, who spent his life idolizing Ernest Shackleton, an 18th century Antarctic explorer who attempted to be the first person to make it to the South Pole. Worsley was also a descendent of one of Shackleton's crew members. In 2008, he sets out with two other descendants of Shackleton's crew, to accomplish what he never could. Then, in 2015, Worsley sets out to trek across Antarctica on foot, and alone. This is his story. I have a short Goodreads review here.

 Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters
     Released: 5/7/03
     Read from: June 13, 2019- June 15, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     This book is one I originally saw on display in my middle school library and had always intended to read but never did. Well, the day has finally come and gone. I think the book would have been very valuable to someone of my age, when I first saw it at 12 or 13. On the outside, it's a book about two polar opposite girls who are forced to spend time with each other at peer counseling sessions at school. One girl comes off as preppy and smart, and the other as a troublemaking punk. The story turned out to be much more than just two different people getting along. We learn that there is a lot more to people than what they show you on the outside. I liked it now, but girls of the targeted age group definitely need to learn the lessons in this book. Check out my Goodreads review here.

 Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak
     Released: 5/21/19
     Read from: June 10, 2019- June 16, 2019
     Format: Print (library/May BOTM choice)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     The synopsis of this book says that it explores "the dangerous fault lines of female friendships...plumbs the limits of ambition, loyalty and love." "One of them has it all. One of them wants it all. But they can't both win." This book starts out with Stella (rich, pretty, flies by the seat of her pants) and Violet (smart, works hard for what she has, motivated) navigating their lives after college. But when someone starts threatening your success and your goals, you may do things you never would have expected. Even to your own friends. This story illustrates that scenario, in a pretty extreme way. My Goodreads review can be read here.

 A Horse for Christmas by Joanna Campbell
     Released: 12/1/98
     Read from: June 17, 2019- June 18, 2019
     Format: Print (library)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

     This book picks up where the first book in the Ashleigh series ended. I felt like this one needed something to beef it up a bit more. I didn't dislike it, but it fell a little short compared to the first book in this series. My Goodreads review can be read here.

Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle
     Released: 10/21/14
     Read from: June 15, 2019- June 19, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

     This book had a bit of a strange concept. Paige, a "young unknown" gets cast in a hit movie with two very popular teen male actors. One is like the "teen heart throb" of the country, while the other is labeled as "troubled." In the movie, they have a love triangle, and in real life? Chaos. This is the first book of a trilogy. It intrigued me enough to want to check out the rest. My Goodreads review can be read here.

We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It: A Memoir of My Irish Boyhood by Tom Phelan
     Released 3/5/19
     Read from: June 18, 2019- June 23, 2019
     Format: ARC (ebook)
     Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

     This book follows different parts of Tom's childhood growing up in Ireland around the 1950's. It got a little confusing to me at some points because the stories/different chapters weren't necessarily all in chronological order. Check out my full review here.

 Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson
     Released: 4/29/14
     Read from: June 19, 2019- June 26, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

     Carter Moon gets chosen by the agent for an extremely popular but supposedly troubled movie star to pretend to be is girlfriend while he is staying in her town for a few weeks. He is filming a Christmas movie, and they chose a wholesome seeming girl to pose as his girlfriend to help revamp is image that had gone down the wrong road. They do not get along right off the bat, but over time, as Carter gets to know him, she finds out that his story right now is based off of a lot of lies, and that, predictably, there is a lot more to him than meets the eye. Check out my full review here.

 Nevertheless by Alec Baldwin
     Released: 4/4/17
     Read from: June 26, 2019- July 1, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

     This book was borderline for me. Alec Baldwin is a sort of disliked public figure these days, but I never really knew much about why, or much about him, so with this being free on Overdrive, I gave it a shot. Check out my Goodreads review here.