Sunday, September 4, 2011

Monthly Reading Round Up - July 2011

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner - Finished July 4th, 2011
3 out of 5 stars
The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell - Finished July 7th, 2011
4 out of 5 stars
The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg - Finished July 9th, 2011
4 out of 5 stars
Shine by Lauren Myracle - Finished July 14th, 2011
5 out of 5 stars
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness - Finished July 18th, 2011
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway - Finished July 20th, 2011
3 out of 5 stars
Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown - Finished July 22nd, 2011
3 out of 5 stars
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness - Finished July 22nd, 2011
3 out of 5 stars
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness - Finished July 26th, 2011
2 out of 5 stars
The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart - Finished July 27th, 2011
Jane by April Lindner - Finished July 28th, 2011
3 out of 5 stars
The Boy Book by E. Lockhart - Finished July 28th, 2011
4 out of 5 stars
Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart - Finished July 29th, 2011
Real Live Boyfriends - E. Lockhart - Finished July 31st, 2011
5 out of 5 stars

Books Finished: 14

2011 book total: 61

Favorite This Month: I absolutely loved the Ruby Oliver series by E. Lockhart (The Boyfriend List, The Boy Book, Treasure Map of Boys and Real Live Boyfriends).  A lot of the young adult books I have read recently have been focused on romance almost singularly for the plot, and while Ruby is a bit boy crazy, these books have so much more going for them.  I was fascinated by Ruby's complex relationship with her parents and was horrified for her when her relationship with her best friend Kim started going south.  Ruby is funny, and smart as a whip and I really enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes. 

Shine was also an excellent book.  It's not something that you would expect from a young adult book, but it was a really beautiful and moving book.

Least Favorite This Month: I loved the first book in the Chaos Walking series (The Knife of Never Letting Go) but I really couldn't stand Monsters of Men.  Todd's relationship with the mayor and the fact that everyone was willing to forgive him for just about anything he did really irked me. 

I loved the idea of a modern day retelling of Jane Eyre, and while I think the author did a pretty good job of giving the characters a modern twist, I didn't find this book nearly as good as the original.

Other:  I was able to read at an insane pace in July because I got hurt at work and haven't been able to go back (more on that another day).

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