Penny's Passion: What I Read in June

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

What I Read in June

It's hard to believe that today is the last day of June!  So today for Thinking Out Loud Thursday I'm thinking about the books I read this month.  After I do my recap, you're invited to link up and share what you're thinking out loud about today.

June was a great reading month.  I'm a very slow reader and I managed to finish three good books this month!  Let's take look at them ~

I belong to a book club at our local library and this month's selection was The Survivors by Jane Harper.  I loved The Dry by the same author and was looking forward to digging into this book of hers.  

My rating:  3.5 out of 5
Honestly, The Survivors disappointed me a bit.  It wasn't as good as The Dry.  Not that this book was bad, it just didn't keep my interest as intensely as The Dry had and I was hoping it would.  Here's the summary from Amazon ~
Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.

Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...

Next up was Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.  I actually listened to this one and found every time I had an extra minute I was anxious to listen to more. There is a huge twist that literally made me gasp out loud when it happened.  Netflix already has the rights to make this book into a movie.
 
My rating:  4 out of 5

Amazon summary ~
Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

In the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.

The third book I read this month was the freebie from Amazon First Reads.  I choose The Brighter the Light.  I was excited to turn the pages and see what was happening next.  It was mildly predictable but still had some surprises.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Amazon summary ~
When a shipwreck surfaces, old secrets are sure to follow.

Or so goes the lore in Ivy Neale’s hometown of Nags Head, North Carolina. When Ivy inherits her family’s beachfront cottage upon her grandmother’s death, she knows returning to Nags Head means facing the best friend and the boyfriend who betrayed her years ago.

But then a winter gale uncovers the shipwreck of local legend—and Ivy soon begins to stumble across more skeletons in the closet than just her own. Amid the cottage’s clutter are clues from her grandmother’s past at the enchanting seaside resort her family once owned. One fateful summer in 1950, the arrival of a dazzling singer shook the staff and guests alike—and not everyone made it to fall.

As Ivy contends with broken relationships and a burgeoning romance in the present, the past threatens to sweep her away. But as she uncovers the strength of her grandmother and the women who came before her, she realizes she is like the legendary shipwreck: the sands may shift around her, but she has found her home here by the sea.

Have you read anything good lately?  I'd love to hear what your favorite reads have been.

Now it's your turn - what are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

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2 comments:

  1. Looks like you have busy reading. Very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like you read some good books this month!

    ReplyDelete