Show Us Your Books Link-Up: July 2017

Hello, booklovers! It's the best day of the month- time for the Show Us Your Books Link-Up.

This past month has actually been a pretty good one, books wise- I more than doubled last month's number of books, anyway. Also, I'm 93% of the way to my goal number for the year. Not too shabby for only July. Anyway, let's get to why we're all really here: the books!

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Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Well, this book wrecked me. Like, sobbing at 10 pm on a weeknight wrecked me. Thank God I did not read this at work, let me just say. It's about a family who loses a teenage daughter, and the family dynamics both before and after her death. And while you would expect the death to be the sad part, that wasn't even what really upset me. The upsetting part was the relationships between everyone in the family and the undeniable fact that no matter how much you love someone and think you know them...you're probably dead fucking wrong. Also, humans are inherently self-centered. And life is confusing and sad. It ended with hope, but it was just such a beautiful portrayal of an absolute mess of a family. I loved it.  

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Texts from Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg 

This was a super fast and completely adorable read. Basically it's different stories- mostly classics but also some contemporary- that are told through text messages between characters. You don't have to have read all of these stories to enjoy it, in fact it could even be looked at as a very short Cliff Notes kind of situation. Pretty hilarious (the Harry Potter one is between Hermione & Ron, and he thinks credit cards are a form magic...).

Birthmothers by Merry Bloch Jones

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 This book caught my eye at the library while I was looking for something else already on my TBR. As someone who has felt drawn to adoption, I thought it would be interesting to hear from the side of birth mothers since you don't typically hear much about them. This book was originally printed around the 1990s, and the women involved relinquished children from around the 1950s-1980s, give or take a decade each way (don't remember exactly) so it isn't exactly current. However, still worth exploring. It was truly sad to read some parts- one woman states that she was not given any pain medicine during birth as a "punishment" for getting pregnant out of wedlock. Many women were sent away from their families, or scorned by their communities. I appreciate that it did not necessarily paint these women as saints or sinners, but acknowledged many different factors of the adoption situation. That being said, the author is not a traditional writer and many things could have been presented more clearly and concisely. Not a regret, but there are probably better books out there on the subject. Still, overall interesting.

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 

 This one had been on my TBR forever, and was one of those books you hear a lot about and think "Man, I should read that." Honestly...it was a little lackluster for me. It reminded me a LOT of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Vern, which I read last year. Maybe because I listened to them both as audiobooks? Or because they both sound slightly Norweign? Either way...it was fine, but a little difficult to keep up with. Maybe the movie would have held my attention better? I know, blasphemy. I think this type of sci-fi just isn't my thing. I appreciate it for what it is, but won't be continuing with this series or more of its type.

What have you been reading this month? 

Link up & let us know!

What have you been reading lately? Link-up & let us know!