July Book Reviews!

Today I am going to talk about all the books I read in July.  This month I didn't read as many books as I have in past months but I read and listened to a good amount and variety of books in a month.  Don't worry there will be no spoilers!  

 (I read more than three but all the others were audiobooks so they are not in the picture!)

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Finished June 29  Rating: 4/5

I decided to include this book even though I read it just before July.  This is the first Agatha Christie book I read and I really liked it.  Here is a quote from the description on Goodreads: "Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer."  Detective, Hercule Poirot must identify the murder.  Agatha Christie is brilliant with this book, and I would be very impressed to know if anyone guessed who the murderer was- I did not.  I read some reviews on Goodreads that said Hercule Poirot relied too much on hunches to solve the murder.  I have now read the book and watched the movie and I think the way Poirot was portrayed in the movie fixed that problem more than the book.  Dan Stevens reads the audiobook version of this book and he is a very good narrator.  I do think that listening to the audio version of this book added to my enjoyment.  

Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
Finished July 2  Rating: 4/5

This book is the second in a series of three: Rayme Nightingale, Louisiana's Way Home, and Beverly, Right Here.  My family and I started listening to this book on a trip a while ago.  I am not sure why we didn't finish it but for some reason, we forgot about it and just finished it at the beginning of July.   "When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn’t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return."  My favorite part of this book was the characters.  Each character was so unique and different, they each had their own quirks and it made this story so beautiful. 

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
Finished July 18  Rating: 5/5

I read this book for the second time in just two days!  The first time I read this book I actually listened to it on audio but this time I read it.  I'm not sure why but when I listened to the audio version I had a hard time focusing - I didn't even remember how it ended but I remember I liked it!  "Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was."  While this excerpt I picked to explain the plot of the book doesn't say much, this book has so much depth and many different historical events are involved.  There are two different timelines in the book as a diviner in Manifest tells Abeline Tucker stories from 1918.  This story talks about WWI, Prohibition, The Dust Bowl, The Great Depression, and Spanish Influenza.  I love this book, I love both of the timelines, I love all the characters, and I love how it all comes together in the end.  

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Finished July 23  Rating 5/5

I am starting to see a pattern in the books that I read in July because I listened to this book on audio along with the first two books on my list.  I haven't read much high fantasy like this book and I really liked it.  "Where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. Criminal mastermind Kelsier teaches Allomancy, the magic of metals, to another Mistborn, urchin Vin 16. The unlikely heroine is distracted by rich Venture heir Elend. Can Kelsier's thieving crew take on the tyrant Lord Ruler and bring back color to their world?" I really enjoyed this book! It is very different from what I normally read and it was a pleasant surprise.  

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Finished July 24  Rating 3/5

My mom read this book to my sister and me for the second time with the plan of finishing it long ago  We wanted to watch the movie last December.  However, it took us much longer to finish it than we planned.  I know I have a bit of an unpopular opinion about this book.  I think it was a little slow at parts and I got tired of feeling like at the end of every chapter there was a forced moral.  Don't get me wrong, this book was very sweet, but in general, it wasn't a five star for me.  It also frustrates me how I hear people saying this is one of those books everyone should read in their life.  Why?  I don't think there are any books like that unless one is forced to read a book for school.  I don't think we need to feel pressured to read a book we don't enjoy.  People are so vastly different that there is no one who should "read any one book in their lifetime."  Finally, before we move, I am about to give my one SPOILER.  If you haven't read this book scroll on now and don't read!  I feel as though I cannot discuss Little Women without talking about... Jo and Laurie.  Should they have ended up together or not?  Everyone has an opinion and mine is absolutely not!  It wouldn't have been right and true to younger Jo's feelings.  I am not sure if I agree with Marmee when she says they wouldn't have worked well together because they are too alike.  Love is a choice and Laurie was choosing to love Jo.  What do you think about Laurie and Jo?  Are you on Marmee's side?  I think, overall, the reason I didn't like this book as much as others do is that it just wasn't for me.  However, I do know that opinions can change and I may like this book more when I am older.  

And Then There Were None By Agatha Christie
Finished July 25  Rating 4.5/5

I finished this book in one week, the size didn't look like it would be that quick but it was a large font and there were lots of margins.  This book is a bit startling and surprising and it is so good!  I love mysteries and this one is interesting in the way that there is no detective or person that "solves the murder," all of the murders and such happen and then everything is summed up in an epilogue.  

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald 
I finished this one around a week into August but I still decided to include it because I read it all July.  
Rating 3/5

This book took me way too long to finish.  It was a bit long, uninteresting, and confusing at times, but hear me out.  F. Scott Fitzgerald is such a beautiful writer!  This entire book is not filled with stunning passages but they are there and I love them.  However, if you are wanting to read a book by F. Scott Fitzgerald, don't start with this one.  Start with The Great Gatsby!  The Great Gatsby is much shorter and easier to get through, and it is a much better place to start with to see if you enjoy his writing.  

There you go, those are all the books I have read in July.  I am pretty liberal with my ratings but I really love books!  Here is my to be read list and the books I am currently in the middle of:  

• The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2) by Brandon Sanderson,  I am currently in the middle of listening to this one! 
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, my sister and I are in the middle of reading this book aloud.
• The Street by Ann Petry
• The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
• Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Thank you for reading, what are some of your favorite books? What are your thoughts on the books I read in July or am planning on reading?

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