It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? Vacation Edition! (7/6/15)

I was on vacation all last week, which meant lots of sun, swimming, family, seafood eating…and, reading! And, not a lot of blogging. I had a vacation mentality toward my reading last week: low tolerance for blah books, lots of mood reading, and much ignoring of the review schedule. I was quick to drop something that didn’t fully hit the spot and it felt fantastic! I might adopt this mentality for the rest of the year…

I finished reading…

Summerlong, Pretty Is, Beautiful Bureaucrat


Summerlong
 by Dean Bakopoulos (June 15, 2015)
This one was a surprise hit for me! It’s darker and edgier than the cover leads you to believe. Full review coming later this week.
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Pretty Is by Maggie Mitchell (July 7, 2015)
I posted a Mini Review for this one last week.

The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips (August 18, 2015)
Total WTF book (like WTF is going on here)…I was on the edge of my seat! Review coming closer to pub date.
Affiliate Link: Pre-Order from Amazon

I tried, but wasn’t feeling…

The Hopeful, Among the Ten Thousand Things


The Hopeful
 by Tracy O’Neill (June 16, 2015)
Liberty Hardy mentioned this debut novel about a star teenage figure skater who suffers a disastrous fall and I’m a sucker for sports books, but it wasn’t hitting the spot for me. I might go back to it since I really only gave it the briefest of shots.

Among the Ten Thousand Things by Julia Pierpont (July 7, 2015)
This debut started off with a bang and an interesting premise, but quickly started to drag…I got bored about 40% in.

I’m currently reading…

Dare Me, Megan  Abbott


Dare Me
 by Megan Abbott (July 31, 2012)
After loving The Fever last summer, I wanted to read another Megan Abbott and Amy at Read A Latte raved about this one recently. So far, I’m only 20% in and am curious when the sh&t’s going to hit the fan.

Next up, are…

Circling the Sun, Girl at War


Circling the Sun
 by Paula McClain (July 28, 2015)
The author of The Paris Wife is back with another historical fiction starring a real person, trailblazing aviator Beryl Markham. British born Markham was raised in Kenya and this book focuses on the 1920’s there and her affairs with a safari hunter and the female author of Out of Africa.

Girl at War by Sara Novic (May 12, 2015)
This story about a young girl growing up in Croatia during the Civil War with Yugoslavia (and her later life in NYC) has gotten such raves from fellow bloggers that it’s on my “must try before the end of the year” list.


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18 Comments

  1. Sounds like a great vacation week! I added Summerlong to my wish list after you mentioned it…can’t wait for the review.

    Posted 7.6.15 Reply
  2. I’m sad to hear Among the Ten Thousand Things didn’t work for you! It sounded so promising.

    Posted 7.6.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      I might go back to it at some point this month, but I picked it up right after Beautiful Bureaucrat and it just seemed so blah in comparison!

      Posted 7.6.15 Reply
  3. Ayeeeeee! I want to read The Beautiful Bureaucrat so badly but don’t want to request it because I just can’t afford the time for it right now. I guess I’ll just order it and wait to hug my mailman when it arrives. I’m eager to see what you think of Circling the Sun. It looks so good and is really anticipated, but something is holding me back on it.

    Posted 7.6.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Well, BB is under 200 pages if that tips your scales at all! I read it in just over a day. I ended up starting Girl at War instead…will do Circling the Sun after that. I know someone really liked it…possible Jennifer at Relentless Reader (but, I could be wrong about that).

      Posted 7.6.15 Reply
  4. Diane wrote:

    Summmerlong –dark and edgy? sign me up.

    Posted 7.6.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Well, not super dark and edgy, but definitely more so than the cover would lead you to believe!

      Posted 7.6.15 Reply
  5. I think I’m going to skip Pretty Is for now, got a ways in and just wasn’t feeling it, as it seems you were with a few of these. Summerlong has peaked my interest, so I can’t wait to read your review. GIRL AT WAR! One of the best books I’ve read this year 🙂 Hope you had a fun vacation!

    Posted 7.6.15 Reply
  6. Carmen wrote:

    I’m glad you are back and you liked some of the books you read. I too have Circling the Sun to read this July. I’ll be posting my review on or after the release and I’ll be sure to check yours. I’m excited about that one; I hope it doesn’t disappoint me (I haven’t read that many books this year and most have been blah).

    Posted 7.6.15 Reply
  7. Sarah, I’m so glad you enjoyed Summerlong; such an unexpectedly great read, don’t you think? I’m going to try out Among the Ten Thousand Things; it’s on ALL of these so-called “books you must read this summer” lists and I received an ARC but if I’m not feeling it, I can promise you it won’t last – ha! No time for that! I’m almost finished with The Truth and Other Lies and…oh! What a page-turning fiasco! I love it! Hope you had a great vacation and I can’t wait to hear about your training, too.

    Posted 7.6.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      I might give 10,000 Things another try – I’ve got a light review schedule for the rest of the summer. But, you can totally get started on it and let me know if it’s worth going back to!!
      And – cheers to Summerlong…I so needed a book just like that one!

      Posted 7.6.15 Reply
  8. Susan wrote:

    Yeah both Circling the Sun and Girl at War look very good and I’ll be getting my hands on those soon. Rereading Harper Lee’s TKAMB right now!

    Posted 7.6.15 Reply
  9. I’m definitely feeling the mood reading lately, too, and it’s been great. I have an early hold on Ten Thousand Things at the library (along with several others), so it’s one I’ll probably take a peek at. Hope you find something that works for you!

    Posted 7.6.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      I’ve got a fairly light review schedule for the rest of the summer, so I foresee some more mood reading! And – I started Among the Ten Thousand Things right after The Beautiful Bureaucrat, so that may have something to do with the fact that it seemed a bit drab. Might pick it up for one more shot…or maybe not 🙂

      Posted 7.6.15 Reply
  10. Oh no! Too bad to hear that you didn’t enjoy The Hopeful. I figure skated as a kid (and totally dreamed about going to the Olympics) so when I saw the cover I was immediately drawn to it. Was there a specific reason why it wasn’t hitting the spot?

    Posted 7.6.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      You know, not really. I honestly didn’t get too far into it. I might pick it up again, as I’ve got a light review schedule for the rest of the summer, so I’ll let you know if I do! I love sports stories, so I’m definitely willing to give it another shot. And – so cool that you were a skater growing up! I always loved watching skating in the Olympics…and I loved the movie, The Cutting Edge!

      Posted 7.6.15 Reply
  11. I NEED to get to The Beautiful Bureaucrat. I have it, I want to read it, and I don’t know what the hold up is.

    Hooray for Girl at War! Well, hooray isn’t exactly the right word as it’s not the happiest read in the world. But I’m glad you’re going to read it and I think you’ll enjoy it 😀

    Posted 7.7.15 Reply

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