Quick Lit, Reading, Reviews

Summer Reading 2021 Wrap Up

It’s September, so I guess that means summer reading is officially over? As a grown up out of the school timeframe, maybe the seasons don’t change our reading habits much. Now I’m curious! Do you reach for a different kind of book based on seasons? I don’t think I consciously reach for different books based on the time of year other, but publishers’ timing affects what I read in the new release category. Anyway, here’s the recap of the fiction I read this summer!

New Books

At the end of my last post I mentioned I was really excited about three new books releasing in July. These were books by authors I’ve read before and really enjoyed. So how did I like the new books?

The Light Through the Leaves – While I still think that Glendy Vanderah is an amazing writer in style and compelling storytelling, I just couldn’t like this book. The content was both disturbing and bizarre. Beginning with a mother accidentally leaving an infant in a parking lot and moving on to more sadnesses, with an attempt at some closure that still left me firmly in the “this is too strange and tragic” camp, this was certainly not the book for me and not one I’d recommend. Though my main complaint is the content and story elements, it doesn’t help that the world views expressed differ very widely from my own. 2 stars.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars – I was unintentionally two for two in July in the Books About Babies Being Kidnapped category. Believe me when I say I would never have picked up books on this topic intentionally. Happily, I liked this one much better than The Light Through the Leaves. It took some time for me to get really pulled into the story…partly because the main characters are a little off-putting at first…but the plot picks up a few chapters in and the history this book is based on is intensely interesting. I found some of the relationship details highly unlikely based on the characters backgrounds, so that took my review down a notch. However, Hammel based some of her story on true events in Poland during WWII. The research is astounding. If you read it, be sure to read the author’s note at the end! 3 stars.

Radar Girls – I’m still waiting for this one to come up in my holds at the library!

Yours Cheerfully – I was excited to get this book from the library so quickly after its release! I’m halfway through, and it is pleasant, though a little bit….dare I say…boring at this point. I don’t really want anything bad to happen to the delightful characters, though, so maybe I should be glad it’s not more riveting? I’ll let you know my full review when I’m finished!

New Girl in Little Cove – The characters and setting were charming and I missed them when the book was over. I enjoyed the book, though it was fairly predictable. Predictable often translates into “pleasant” and that’s what a person needs in a book sometimes in this crazy world. More importantly, every character felt real to me. And I loved the dialect introduced in the book! My one big caveat is the treatment of religion in the book. The setting is in a Catholic school in the midst of a wholly Catholic community. The perspective throughout the book on Catholicism and its beliefs was fairly negative. I wonder if the people of the town the book was set in, if it were a real town (which it isn’t though it is based off of real places), would have felt that it was treated with enough weight or respect in this book. I am not Catholic, but the tone the main character took towards the village’s beliefs did not sit well with me. Other than that, I really liked this book and want to go back to Little Cove. 4 stars. Thanks to Memories from Books for recommending this one!

Old Books

Rainbow Cottage – A comforting, old-fashioned read published in 1939 by the prolific Grace Livingston Hill. 3.5 stars.

The Shellseekers – I’m halfway through this thick hardback my mother-in-law pulled out of a free book bin. I am way late to Rosamund Pilcher’s books, but I know so many love them! So far, I love the setting. I find myself really wishing I could see the fictional art that inspired the title to this book. And I’m also dreaming myself straight into the cozy cottage ( where one of the main characters live.

Sugar Candy Cottage – Not my fave Elizabeth Cadell book. 2 stars.

Books on My Kindle I Haven’t Started

Malibu Rising – This one has gotten a lot of buzz on “bookstagram” this summer, so I approach it with high expectations and much trepidation. I meant to read this and the following book below at the beach last week, but couldn’t bring myself to it, haha. {Update – Didn’t get further than the first ten pages – Way too much “adult content” for my liking}

People We Meet on Vacation – Buzzy summer book #2 on the list {Update – Also a no-go for me – officially burned by too many buzzy books – going back to obscure books now! Not really, I love a good best seller – if it really is a good best seller, and this one had some good elements, but too many that I didn’t like that tipped the balance to “meh, not going to read this.”}

Red Sky Over Hawaii – I did not realize I had missed a release from Sara Ackerman in the last few years, so while waiting for Radar Girls, I’m going to check this one out.

So that was summer, but now it’s time to dive into Fall reading, whatever that looks like for you! Let me know what books you’re looking forward to? Thanks and happy reading!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have you Subscribed via RSS yet? Don't miss a post!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.