June’s Reads

It’s July already?! Seriously, the days and months are just flying by. I hit my 50 mark on GoodReads! So it’s been upped to 75 books. Let’s take a look at the books I read in June.

You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney

I found this book a fascinating mix of popular science, psychology and humour rolled into one, it's interesting to read common misconceptions you may have and also turn the info on it's head and use that info to better your thinking and your life! The chapters are pretty short though and I wasn’t a huge fan of that, I found that you barely had time immerse yourself in the topic of each chapter, it did seem to bounce all over the place. But I say some people will like the shortness of the chapters, as it does make them easier to read and take in.

 

 

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Having watched the film and thoroughly enjoyed it, I decided I'd read the novel too, as I had heard very good things about it.  It’s rare though that I would watch a film and then read the book, I usually read the book first. I found it very slow to get into if I'm honest but once at Manderley, I found the book became gripping and was a page turner. I don’t want to give much away in case you are unaware of the plot. Very interesting and definitely worth the read. I took fully advantage of the sun being out and read the bulk of this outside soaking up some rays!

 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Set in a dystopian future where 16 year olds decide which of 5 factions to be part of based on their underlying virtue (honesty, intelligence, selflessness, peace and bravery), Beatrice must decide whether to stick with what she has known all her life (Abnegation, the faction of the selfless) or follow her heart and join another faction.
It goes along the same vibe as The Hunger Games series and Uglies series, both of which I have read and enjoyed. It's an interesting concept and recently I've been enjoying Young Adult dystopian novels and this one did not disappoint. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the 2nd book (as well as the 3rd once it is released!)

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Tessa Grey, an orphan, arrives in England after her brother has sent her a ticket and immediately gets delved into the world of warlocks, vampires and angels when she is kidnapped by the Dark Sisters. They train her up with this power she never knew she had, in the hopes of marrying her off to 'The Magister'. Tessa is rescued by the Shadowhunters (warriors with angel blood), who fight demons and other supernatural 'Downworlders' to keep peace between Downworlders and ordinary humans (mundanes). Tessa vows to keep looking for her missing brother, all while falling for a Shadowhunter and trying to get to grips with their world and how she fits in. Set in Victorian London, this has a certain 'steampunk' kind of vibe to it and I found it fascinating. I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to read the next 2 books.

No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog by Margaret Mason

There was some interesting ideas in the book, I don't think I'd end up using them all myself but sometimes it's good to try and get some motivation and ideas when you have writer's block. Divided into sections depending on how much time you want to spend on writing each post, it’s a book you could dip in and out of for ideas or simply read in it’s entirety if looking for a quick read.

 

 

 

Mammy Walsh’s A-Z of the Walsh Family by Marian Keyes

Short e-book, in the form of an A-Z, written by Mammy Walsh, of the Walsh family series of books by Marian Keyes. Some funny things and it also helps as an update to what the family members are all up to right now. I laughed out loud at certain parts, Marian is a very humorous writer. Though it really should go without saying, this is only a book that would interest people who have read the entire 5 other Walsh novels, as it might contain spoilers to the books.

 

 

Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

I really enjoyed this book! But then again, I have a thing for epistolary novels. Bernadette is many things, an opinionated wife, an award winning architect turned recluse, the one mother who doesn't want to get involved with school business, her daughter's best friend, big time Seattle hater. She also appears to be sliding down into a mental breakdown. When her daughter Bee chooses to go on a cruise around Antarctica as her reward for all As in her report card, Bernadette's behaviour seems to get more manic. But before the family can go on this trip, Bernadette disappears. This story follows when Bee decides to gather up all emails, letters and other correspondence and put it together into a book, with the hope of finding her mother.
I thought it was funny in places and there were bits and pieces that left me guessing but were finally solved. Enjoyable read, but then again, coming from a former writer for Arrested Development, you’d expect nothing less.

Get Your Sh!t Together by Ruth Field

Ruth Field’s second book about motivating people, this time instead of running it’s about getting your life in order. It does have some very useful tips in there, some of which I have already put to use. Definitely a book to read if you feel like you need more organization in your life.

 

 

 

 

Moranthology by Caitlin Moran

This is the second book I’ve read by Caitlin Moran and I loved it. It’s a collection of some of her articles from The Times. It’s very funny and has some interesting celebrity articles, with Keith Richards, Paul McCartney and Lady Gaga being a few of them. I totally laughed out loud during this book and unashamedly so too! I’d love to read a second book like this if it ever comes out (though I suppose I could always get The Times and read it, but you don’t really see The Times here in rural Ireland!)

 

 

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

I didn’t really want to read a 3rd non-fiction book in a row, but the book was lying next to be on the couch and I picked it up to read the first few pages while waiting for something to do something (honestly, I can’t remember what I was waiting on, possibly my nails to dry!). The mystery in the first chapter intrigued me so much that I felt compelled to finish the book! Very interesting look into psychopaths and not as heavy as I thought it would be. It’s more interviews with some science explainations here and there rather than heavy with the science behind it all, which is what I expected it to be. I’m looking forward to reading his other books.

 

June’s Stats

Number of books read- 10

Ratio fiction to non-fiction- 5:5

Number of eBooks- 2 (Mammy Walsh’s A-Z of the Walsh Family, No One Cares What You Had For Lunch)

Number of books borrowed from library- 7 (only physical book I owned was You Are Not So Smart)

Number of books from Reading Resolutions- 1 (Rebecca)

Phew! And that’s June completed! Not doing too bad, I’ve completed only 5 of the Reading Resolutions, I should really have 6 seeing as I picked 12 so I could do one a month, so I need to catch up with that. Otherwise I’m happy with my progress. What have you been reading lately? Let me know!

January’s Reads

February’s Reads

March Reads

April’s Reads

May’s Reads