July in Review

(well almost)

I can't believe we really are half way through the summer.  The weather has been wonderful here in New England, not that many humid days, in fact today it is 82, sunny and super low humidity as I relax on the deck.

A few weeks ago we celebrated my youngest granddaughter's 3rd birthday. I Can't believe how fast time has passed and, what a joy it's been to see these cousins grow up.

This past week we got away and visited, Newburyport, a seaside town in Massachusetts that we hadn't been to before. Gorgeous weather, lunch harbor side, long walks, quaint shops and a swim in the hotel pool made this our favorite getaway of the summer thus far.  Hope to get in a few more road trips in August.

My reading is definitely down this summer but, I did manage to finish (7) books (64 YTD).

My favorite books read in July were:

1. The Leavers; Lisa Ko - 4/5 (library) July-2017
2. The Lying Game; Ruth Ware - 4/5 - (eGalley) - July-2017
3. Eleanor Elephant is Completely Fine; Gail Honeyman - 5/5 (audio) - July-2017
4. The Best of Us: a memoir; Joyce Maynard - (eGalley) - 5/5 - July/2017
5. Sea Change; Robert Parker - (audio) 2/5 - July/2017
6. The Summer That Made Us; Robyn Carr - (eGalley) - 4/5 - July/2017
7. I'll Take You There; Wally Lamb (arc) - 2/5 - July/2017

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Mid-year Favorite Books - 2017

I hope everyone is having a nice summer.  I've been enjoying my time away from the blog and loving the no pressure joy of just reading and going places.  It's hard to believe that my youngest granddaughter just turned 3 (party next weekend) and that my oldest granddaughter will be in all-day kindergarten this fall. This weekend is rather quiet for us but looking forward to seeing the movie Beguiled today.  Weird thing is that the movie has been advertised so much around here yet we need to travel to a small independent theater to see it. Have you seen the previews? It's looks awesome and a tad scary. Have safe and happy 4th of July to everyone here in the US.

I have been busy reading and posting short reviews on GoodReads and Amazon and/or/ Edelweiss and NetGalley as well as acquiring new books - thanks to the wonderful publishers out there - new acquisitions:

Here's a LIST and breakdown of my January through June reading:

57 Books - YTD

Fiction - 40
Non Fiction - 12
Kids Books - 5
Audio Books - 15

and, in no particular order, I chose (4) non fiction and (4) fiction that I've enjoyed the most thus far.

Diane's bookshelf: mid-year-favorites-2017

The Leisure Seeker

by Michael Zadoorian

John and Ella are a sweet senior couple who have been married 60 years and have enjoyed traveling in their RV "The Leisure Seeker" much of their married lives. Both Ella and John have health issues and against their children's wishes the...

On Turpentine Lane

by Elinor Lipman

I've enjoyed many of Elinor Lipman's earlier novels, The Inn at Lake Devine, was an all time favorite, but, I must say, On Turpentine Lane, runs a close second -- such a fun read. Our protagonist, Faith Frankel has a so-so job in the Dev...

What I Know for Sure

by Oprah Winfrey

This audio book was just what I needed this week. The book is read by Oprah herself and she does a marvelous job. It's very heartfelt and inspirational. Told as a short series of essays on a variety of topics, organized by theme: joy, re...

Books for Living: Some Thoughts on Reading, Reflecting, and Embracing Life

by Will Schwalbe

This is another audio book that was amazing. My first experience with this author was his audio version of, The End of Your Life Book Club, a non fiction offering, which I loved, where Schwalbe and his mother, who was dying of pancreatic...

The Inner Life of Cats: The Science and Secrets of Our Mysterious Feline Companions

by Thomas McNamee

Being a cat lover all of my life, I really enjoyed the insight that this book provided. This book is well written and I liked that much of it was a love letter to the author's cat, Augusta, who arrived as a kitten one cold day in winter ...

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

by Trevor Noah

As a huge fan of his comedy show, since he replaced Jon Stewart on the Daily Show at Comedy Central in 2015, I couldn't wait to read Trevor Noah's memoir. This book is read by the author and is pitch perfect. Noah who is 32 years old, te...

White Fur

by Jardine Libaire

This is an addictive debut novel: a love story that is raw, gritty and sexually explicit. Jamey Hyde and Elise Perez were neighbors in New Haven, CT. They meet and fall in lust love but, their backgrounds couldn't be more different. It's...

The Stars Are Fire

by Anita Shreve

As I read this book I was reminded of the author's earliest novels and anxiously turned each page. Set in 1947 Maine, Grace Holland is expecting her third child. Her husband Gene is a good provider but, not a loving partner. As the nove...

Here's a list of all my 2017 reads thus far, in case you are curious.

2017 Books Read

1. Chocky; John Wyndham - 4/5 (my shelves) - Jan/2017
2. The Seventh Day; Yu Hua; 3.5/5 (eGalley) - Jan/2017
3. On Turpentine Lane; Elinor Lipman (eGalley) - 4.5/5 - Jan/2017
4. The Leisure Seeker; Michael Zadoorian (my shelves) - 5/5 - Jan/2017
5. The Marriage of Opposites; Alice Hoffman (eGalley-BookGroup pick) - 4/5 -Jan/2017
6. Second Hand; Michael Zadoorian - (my shelves) 3.5/5 - Jan/2017
7. Hospital Hill; Katherine Anderson - (library) - 3.5/5 - Jan/2017
8. The Beautiful Dead; Belinda Bauer - (eGalley) - 3.5/5 - Jan/2017
9. The Fifth Floor; Julie Oleszek - (library) - 4.5/5 - Feb/2017
10. Excellent Women; Barbara Pym - (audio & my shelf) - 4/5 -Feb/2017
11. The Impossible Fortress; Jason Rekuluk - (eGalley) 4/5 - Feb/2017
12. Is This Tomorrow; Caroline Leavitt - (audio) - 4/5 Feb/2017
13. Setting Free the Kites; Alex George - (arc) - 4/5 Feb/2017
14. Being Mortal; Atul Gawande (book group) NF - 4.5/5 - Feb/2017
15. Hillbilly Elegy; J.D. Vance - NF (audio) - 4/5 - Feb/2017
16. How To Be a Bigger Bunny; Florence & Wendell Minor (print) - Feb/2017
17. Behind Closed Doors; B.A. Paris (audio & eGalley) - 4/5 - 2/2017
18. Everything Happens Today; Jess Browner - (arc) - 4.5/5 - 2/2017
19. Agnes; Peter Stamm - (arc) - 4/5 - 2/2017
20. Among the Lesser Gods; Margo Catts - (arc) - 4.5/5 - March/2017
21. First Women; Kate Anderson Brower - (audio) - 3.5/5 - March/2017
22. The Residence; Kate Anderson Brower (audio) - 4/5 - March/2017
23. What I Know For Sure; Oprah Winfrey (NF) (Audio) - 5/5 - March/2017
24. Books for Living; Will Schwalbe (NF) (audio) - 5/5 - March/2017
25. Every Living Thing; Cynthia Ryland - (my shelves) - 4.5/5 - March/2017
26. Ill Will; Dan Chaon (eGalley) - 4/5 - March/2017
27. All the Stars in the Heavens; A. Trigiani (library) - 2/5 - March/2017
28. The Widowmaker; Paul Dorion (audio) - 4/5 March/2017
29. The Futures; Anna Pitoniak (arc) - 4/5 March/2017
30. Green Pants; Kenneth Kraegel (my shelves) 5/5 March/2017
31. Rain; Sam Usher (my shelves) 5/5 March/2017
32. How To Be Human; Paula Cocozaza - 3.5/5 - April/2017
33. The Inner Life of Cats; Thomas Macnamee - 4.5/5 - April/2017
34. Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty; Ramona Ausubel - April/2017
35. Born A Crime; Trevor Noah (NF) - (audio) 5/5 - April/2017
36. White Fur; Jardine Libaire - (ARC) - 5/5 - April/2017
37. Strays: A Lost Cat, a Homeless Man, and Their Journey Across America; Britt Collins - 4.5/5 - April/2017
38. Everything I Never Told You; Celeste Ng - (audio) (book group) - 4.5/5 - April/2017
39. Dark Flood Rises; Margaret Drabble - library - 4.5/5 - April/2017
40. The Hideaway; Lauren Denton - (arc) - 4/5 April/2017
41. The Fall of Lisa Bellow; Susan Perabow (audio) 3.5/5 - May/2017
42. Anything is Possible; Elizabeth Strout (eGalley) - 4.5/5 - May/2017
43. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit; Michael Finkle - (audio) - 4/5 May/2017
44. Her Every Fear; Peter Swanson (audio) - 3.5/5 - May/2017
45. My Very Own Space; Pippa Goodhart - 3/5 - May/2017
46. The Ocean at the End of the Lane; Neil Gaiman (book group/library) - 4/5 - May/2017
47. The Book of Polly; Kathy Hepinstall (library) - 4/5 - May/2017
48. Woman No. 17; Edan Lepucki - (arc) 4/5 - May/2017
49. Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions ; C. Adichie - (library) - 5/5 - May/2017
50. Miss Rumphius; Barbara Cooney - 5/5 (library) - June/2017
51. The Stars are Fire; Anita Shreve - 4.5/5 (eGalley) - June/2017
52. The Breakdown; B.A. Paris - 4.5/5 (arc) - June/2017
53. We Should All Be Feminists; C. Adichie (NF) - 4.5/5 (library) June/2017
54. Dead Wake; Erik Larson (NF) - 4/5 (book group) June/2017
55. The Yellow Wallpaper; Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 4.5/5 (eBook) June/2017
56. Everybody's Son; Thrity Umrigar - 4.5/5 - June/2017
57. Beautiful Animals; Lawrence Osborne - 4/5 (arc) June-2017

DNF - 

• Every Fifteen Minutes; Lisa Scottoline (audio) (Feb)
• Swing Time; Zadie Smith (audio) (March)
• Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk; Kathleen Rooney (audio and print)(March)

Happy Summer!