june: 27, 28 & 29

my mom reminded me that we're at the halfway point of the year - 26 weeks in, and i've read 29 books this year.  this puts me on track to have a great year of reading - 58 books if the pace continues.  who knows what the second half of the year will bring, honestly, so we'll see!

the happiness hypothesis, by jonathan haidt (i went to a conference where this author spoke, and i was drawn to this book of his on what makes people happy.  i definitely folded down several pages as i was reading, and the philosophy of happiness is pretty interesting stuff.  if the topic sounds interesting to you, this book is worth a read!)

'round midnight, by laura mcbride (man, sometimes the second book you read by an author isn't as good as you wanted it to be - and this book falls into that category.  i think that's a theme of my reading this year!  i loved we are called to rise, and this book was good and kept me interested, but i won't be rushing out to recommend it to everyone.  it's the story of four women and how their stories intersect (you know i love that in a book! but perhaps because i love that in a book i'm critical of books that don't do it as well as some others do).  i also discovered that they changed the title of this book when it was published in paperback - in the midnight room is the other title.  honestly, neither title is great.  the midnight room isn't crucial to the plot.  anyway: this book was fine and will keep you entertained if you pick it up.)

how to be an antiracist, by ibram x. kendi (like all good white liberals, i picked up this book in june - i listened to the audiobook over the past few weeks.  the author reads it (which i always like), and this did a lot to further me on my journey.  i have the physical book coming in the mail, but it's backordered, and i do expect to read it again when it arrives - probably more carefully, with annotations.  the audiobook got me through the important concepts, but a lot of what he says requires some more thought.  i'll also say: if someone had told me in advance that this is part memoir, i would have read it sooner.  i love a memoir, and i found kendi's story very powerful.  if you read this, the interview he does on brene brown's podcast is also worth a listen.  definitely recommend!)

may: 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 & 26

in may i read:

the glass hotel, by emily st. john mandel (i loved this author's previous book (station eleven) and had been eagerly anticipating this book.  it didn't hit me with quite the same force as the previous one BUT i did enjoy reading it and the world that was created was vivid in my imagination as i was reading.  a solid read, and i'd recommend it, but it didn't blow my mind.)

revolver, by marcus sedgwick (this is a YA book by an author i really enjoy, and this book - set in alaska during the gold rush - kept me on edge and eager to find out what was going to happen next.  it would be perfect to read on a snowy weekend in the winter, and you could read it in a weekend - it's not long.  i definitely like this author and would recommend him!)

southern lady code, by helen ellis (this book disappointed.  i'd had it on my list for a long time but didn't remember what it was about, and this non-fiction set of essays by a southern woman living in NYC and attempting to be both hilarious and sweet just didn't do it for me.  pass on this one.)

wow, no thank you, by samantha irby (i listened to the audiobook of this and was very entertained.  good if you like irreverent female comedy.)

long way down, by jason reynolds (this is a YA book by an author i'm hearing a lot about right now.  this book is written almost as a series of poems.  it's powerful and relevant (the protagonist sets out to kill the kid who just killed his brother), and a little magical realism-esque, which isn't always my jam but i liked this a lot.  would definitely recommend it to people who like YA)

disappearing earth, by julia phillips (hoo boy, this book was good.  highly recommend!  go read this book!  a set of interconnecting stories of women in kamchatka.  i learned a ton about life in kamchatka, got a snippet of native-white russian relations, got some love stories, got some SAD stories, didn't always know where a story was going (but it always got there), and LOVED the ending.  this book has gotten a ton of great press and several national awards, all of it justified.)