July 2019 Books!

     I wrote this ENTIRE thing, for ALL these books daysssss ago, and just finished it up today. THEN everything got deleted. Definitely not typing it all up again. SO, this month, I will provide the information about the books as usual, as well as a picture and a review, but I'm not going to type more than a sentence of two for each one's blurb. I had a nice little introduction for this post too, and now I remember nothing about what was in it :/
    July was a mixed month. It started out strong, but then wasn't so great. Too many sub par ratings to think much of my reading success for July.

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
     Released: June 26, 2018
     Read from: July 1, 2019- July 4, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)

     Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

     Relationships, families, and futures are threatened to be torn up and ripped away when an indecent photo of a high school girl is sent around the town. How will everyone stick together while they try to navigate justice and the truth? Find my full Goodreads review here. 

Lot by Bryan Washington
     Released: March 19, 2019
     Read from: June 30, 2019- July 6, 2019
     Format: Print (Library- BOTM March 2019)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

     A difficult read for a few reasons. Told from a few different point of views, of people navigating life in poverty in Houston, circa 1990's. Navigating homosexuality, sex, drugs, prostitution, violence and much more. The author grew up in Houston during that time. Find my Goodreads review here.

Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot by J. Randy Taraborrelli
     Released: April 3, 2012
     Read from: July 5, 2019- July 8, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)

     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     A very well written history book about the wives of the three most prominent Kennedy men. Definitely does NOT read like a dry textbook. I loved this. Made me really interested in the Kennedy family. Find my Goodreads review here.

Waiting For Stardust by Joana Campbell
     Released: February 1, 1999
     Read from: July 6, 2019- July 9, 2019
     Format: Print (Library)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     Book three in the Ashleigh series. Can't say much about it without giving away the previous books. But I enjoyed this book. If you've read the first two, check out my short Goodreads review here.

After Camelot: A Personal History of the Kennedy Family--1968 to the Present by J. Randy Taraborrelli
     Released: April 24, 2012
     Read from: July 8, 2019- July 17, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     I dug into this book after reading Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot," because that book made me very interested to learn more about the Kennedy family. This one focused on men as well as women, and it's awesome because you'll learn about some of the less prominent family members too. There are so many of them! And they're all very interesting in their own way. My full Goodreads review can be found here.

The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship Between a Boy and a Baseball Legend by Sharon Robinson
     Released: January 26, 2016
     Read from: July 17, 2019- July 19, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     Written by the daughter of Jackie Robinson, and based on a true story, about how Jackie befriended his new neighbor's son, Stephen, a huge fan of his. It was heartwarming and adorable and even more awesome that basically everything about it was true. Sharon, the author, wasn't alive when these events happened, but it turns out that Stephen grew up to be an excellent storyteller, making her as familiar with his childhood adventures as if she was there to experience them.  Find my full Goodreads review here.

Final Girls by Riley Sager
     Released: July 11, 2017
     Read from: July 15, 2019- July 19, 2019
     Format: Print (Library)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     This was a creepy book, and just like the last Riley Sager I read, it did not end the way I expected. Every time I thought I figured it out, I was wrong. "Final Girls" refers to the sole female survivors of gruesome massacres. But all of a sudden now, they're in danger again. And the survivor of the most recent massacre, Quincy, can't remember anything about what happened the night of her tragedy because her mind blocked it out. Too bad she has no idea that her remembering is what will save their lives. Find my full Goodreads review here.

A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord
     Released: May 26, 2015
     Read from: July 19, 2019- July 20, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     Written for middle graders, this book teaches lessons in belonging and friendship. And it's also interesting because it's about a girl, Lily, who lives on a blueberry farm in Maine, and her unexpected friend, Salma, a migrant worker from Florida. This book takes place in a world I knew nothing about. Check out my Goodreads review here.

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee
     Released: May 24, 2016
     Read from: July 20, 2019- July 25, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars'

     This is a historical fiction. It takes place in San Francisco, CA in 1906. Our main character is Mercy Wong. She is from a poor family in Chinatown, and she uses her intelligence and creativity to get herself into a prestigious girls school, in hopes of being able to bring a better life to her family. While she is there, a deadly earthquake strikes, and she is forced to find a way to survive alongside some girls who weren't particularly nice to her when times are good. Will she ever see her family again? My Goodreads review can be found here.

Leyla: The Black Tulip by Alev Lytle Croutier
     Released: September 1, 2003
     Read from: July 22, 2019- July 28, 2019
     Format: Print (Library)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

     Laleena comes from a poor family in the Ottoman empire, circa 1720. Desperate to get them money to survive, she accidentally sells herself into slavery. Fortunately for her, she ends up in the Topkapi Palace, working as a gardener in the harem. However, she has a few secrets. And she is having trouble adjusting to her new culture. But she knows that her family is probably better off now that they have the money she left them, and is still filled with hope that they'll one day be reunited. The author lives in Turkey, and the book seems to be well researched. Find my Goodreads review here.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
     Released: 2/20/18
     Read from: July 26, 2019- July 31, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

     Another historical fiction. This one takes place in Australia after WWI. Our main characters, Tom and Isabel, live on an island, where Tom is the lighthouse keeper. Isabel suffers multiple miscarriages, and all she wants is a child of her own. When a baby, a dead man, and a woman's cardigan wash up on shore, Isabel decides to keep the baby to raise as her own. The dead man must be the baby's father right? And the cardigan also means that the mother is dead in her mind. Little does she know, the mother is still alive, and she hasn't given up on finding her baby. This book was made into a movie in 2016. I will definitely be checking that out. Find my Goodreads review here.