Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Monthly wrap-up


September has arrived - time for back-to-school, the end of the farmer's market (sob!), and a look back at what I've been reading over the past month.

Written in Blood by Sheila Lowe
- fun mystery about a handwriting analyst called to solve a mystery involving a private school headmistress. Very entertaining. Rated 8/10. (My review of Written in Blood)

American Eve by Paula Uruburu
- true story about Evelyn Nesbit, the first young girl to capture the imagination of America, and the crime that brought her worldwide attention. Fascinating, tragic story. Rated 7/10. (My thoughts about American Eve)

The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal by Sean Dixon
- weird but completely engrossing story about a young woman's book club who brings to life the books it reads. Review book for Bookloons.com, this is one of the strangest books I've read in a long time, but I couldn't put it down. Rated 8/10. (My review of The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal)

The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall - Christian fiction about a refreshingly NOT perfect group of believers, and the troubled woman who enters their midst, looking for a fresh start for herself and her daughter. I will be looking for more by this author. Rated 8/10. (My review of The Hope of Refuge)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows -
this novel about a writer in post-WWII London and the literary society she befriends is SO GOOD!!! I loved it. Rated 9/10. (My review of The Guernsey Literary...)

Liars and Saints by Maile Meloy - I was really not at all engaged by this family saga that was a choice for the Take a Change challenge. Rated 5/10. (My review of Liars and Saints)

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White - I thought I would enjoy this memoir of a man's year in a prison that was also a leper colony, but found myself much more interested in the people around him than in White himself. Rated 6/10 (review forthcoming)

The Summer Before the Dark by Doris Lessing - dense, internal novel about a woman's journey of self-reflection and discovery over the course of one summer. Interesting, but not a light read. Rated 7/10. (My review of The Summer Before the Dark)

Top O' the Mournin' by Maddy Hunter - fun mystery involving a midwestern girl acting as tour escort for her grandma's senior citizens tour group. In this installment, murder and mayhem in Ireland. Rated 7/10.

6 comments:

Anna said...

You read a lot of good books last month! I'm happy to see you liked American Eve and The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal, as they are both on my desk waiting to be read.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Zibilee said...

I really enjoyed your reviews of American Eve and thought they were very interesting. I also just did a search of my bookshelves and was a little nonplussed to find that I have Liars and Saints waiting for me. It's too bad it's such a crappy book :(

Beth F said...

Interesting reading month. I love to see a lot of variety.

Hazra said...

Your reading list is so wide and varied; you always introduce me to new titles and authors.

Becca said...

You had a great month in August! Mine is kind of pathetic.

Elizabeth (Need More Shelves) said...

Anna - I can't wait to hear what you think of Lacuna Cabal. It was SO unique!

Zibilee - well, you might like it. It just really didn't work for me.

Beth - I like variety. If I read too many of the same type of book, they all start to blend together.

Hazra - I'm glad! That's the danger of book blogging - there's always a new author to discover. =)

Rebecca - well, it seems like a slow month for me. Vacation and BBAW really killed my reading time.