June Reads

 

I know, I know… it’s been awhile. Life gets crazy and I get behind. Especially since I’m working on another book right now and summer just started and the kids are all in scouts now. I decided to do a small post for you all on my favorite reads from June. I didn’t read much in May because my health was terrible and the month was slightly crazy but here are the ones from June I did and liked.

Camp Lanier by Sylvester Barzey 4 stars

 Lake Lanier has a lot of history behind it and it’s not a good one which is where all the haunting stories come from. The author knows about the history behind the city under the water and managed to write an intriguing thriller taking place in that area. I found myself engaged the whole time and the characters were believable. Some parts were slightly slow, but overall the story was good. Camp Lanier is about a girl who ends up going to work out some service hours at a camp. She finds herself in the middle of something bigger than she could imagine, when she tries to figure out why kids have been going missing for 52 years. 

A lite too Bright by Samuel Miller 4 stars

Though I gave this story four stars it was beautiful and emotional. I would say it is worth reading at least once. A young man having a rough time in life after taking time from school and being accused of anger issues from his partner goes to live with his relatives for awhile. He decides to follow a trail he believes his grandfather left for them to find. He also believes his grandfather isn’t actually deceased. What unravels is a generational story about life and the choices we make about what we stand for and what we decide to tell ourselves and the people we love. I was taken with the story as a whole, there were a few parts that I believe felt a bit clunky but it was a beautiful novel. 

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones 5 stars

There are very few stories I wish I could read for the first time again and this is one of them. The author does not treat readers like they’re dumb which I have been longing for in the current publishing atmosphere where everything feels way too easy of a read. For the first time since I was in highschool, I found myself having to pull out my dictionary to look up the definition of a word. The gothic and western atmosphere along with cultural aspects of both white people and native Americans is gripping. I love a good revenge story, especially at the expense of people who think they own something they do not. Initially I was worried going in because I had read I was a Teenage Slasher by this same author and felt that it was only okay. However, this novel was truly wonderful in its historical and fictional aspects. You won’t be disappointed, I’m even planning to get the audiobook so my partner will listen to it. 

Revenge by Yoko Ogawa translated by Stephen Snyder 4 stars

This collection of eleven short stories was interesting. The first few seemingly had nothing to do with one another and towards the end you find that everything has a piece tied into each story someway. One or two were not as spooky as I had hoped but most were and I quite enjoyed the way they started out unassuming and then spiraled. 

Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi 5 stars

I haven’t heard many people speak about this one but I do think it is worth reading. It is a possession story and does involve children so if that is not for you then definitely avoid this. A boys orphanage run by priests takes in a criminal that has been hurt in a ritual from a local cult. The suspect is related to the police chief and things run amuck from there. The story is beautiful in how it portrays the emotions of the boys who have lost their families and what that entails and does go the distance in the possession department. It is one I would read again.  

A Hymn to Life by Gisele Pelicot 5 stars

I wanted to read this one from the moment I heard about its release. I had heard about the case way before and as a woman from birth, and who has a daughter I felt for her in the depths of my soul. Being here by someone you loved deeply is such a betrayal that no one should go through. Not only that, but the depravity of the betrayal was so bad. I think it’s amazing what she was able to accomplish in her trials and getting all the justice for everything, and everyone involved. However, it is sad that she even had to do so in the first place. I would recommend this to everyone. It is so upsetting that these things are happening everywhere in this day and age and that women are still being held at such a lower pole than men. I won’t get on a soapbox but. This book is incredibly important and so sad and Im just hoping she lives a life of peace and joy and sunshine for the rest of her days. And that every man involved get his and I mean that with my whole chest.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 5 stars

I read this with my friend and I absolutely loved it! There’s just something about unlikeable characters with good character that I love. Something about people who are different from everyone else that dont follow the status quo that I relate to so heavily. I know I am late to the party, but I don’t tend to read the popular things when they come out. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t and this is one I didn’t read right away. Now I can finally watch the show.