Woah, buddy, I read a lot of books in June. For those interested, my goal for the year was to read 50 books, and I’ve read 34 so far. Not too shabby for only being half-way through the year! I have so many more books I want to read this year…. Hope I get through them all 🙂

Letters To A Young Mormon by Adam S. Miller

Synopsis: This book is composed as a series of letters. The letters are meant for a young Mormon who is familiar with Mormon life but green in their faith….Here, my work is personal. I mean only to address the real beauty and real costs of trying to live a Mormon life. And I hope only to Show something of what it means to live in a way that refuses to abandon either life or Mormonism.

This is a must-read for all of my Mormon friends! I don’t know how to adequately explain this book, but definitely pick it up, read it, and savor it. I’ll definitely be re-reading this again and again.

5 stars.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Synopsis: For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty– they’ve grown so close it seems they have always been a part of each other’s lives. Parents and children alike have been best friends, so it’s no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily’s friendship blossoms into something more. They’ve been soul mates since they were born. So when midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There’s a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father’s cabinet– a bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself. But a local detective has doubts about the suicide pact that Chris has described.

This is the first Jodi Picoult book I read, back in college, and it’s still tied in first place with my second Picoult novel, Nineteen Minutes. I think the reason I love both of these books so much is because it deals with the emotions and logic of teenagers, something I studied in high school and find fascinating and heartbreaking. Picoult writes real, raw, teenage emotions, and I love it. Are there flaws in her novels? Of course. But she understands the teenage mind well, and writes beautifully, as well.

5 stars.

*Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky

Synopsis: Mackenzie Cooper took her eyes off the road for just a moment but the resulting collision was enough to rob her not only of her beloved daughter but ultimately of her marriage, family, and friends―and thanks to the nonstop media coverage, even her privacy. Now she lives in Vermont under the name Maggie Reid, in a small house with her cats and dog. She’s thankful for the new friends she’s made―though she can’t risk telling them too much. And she takes satisfaction in working as a makeup artist at the luxurious local spa, helping clients hide the visible outward signs of their weariness, illnesses, and injuries. Covering up scars is a skill she has mastered. Her only goal is to stay under the radar and make it through her remaining probation. But she isn’t the only one in this peaceful town with secrets. When a friend’s teenage son is thrust into the national spotlight, accused of hacking a powerful man’s Twitter account, Maggie is torn between pulling away and protecting herself―or stepping into the glare to be at their side. As the stunning truth behind their case is slowly revealed, Maggie’s own carefully constructed story begins to unravel as well. She knows all too well that what we need from each other in this difficult world is comfort. But to provide it, sometimes we need to travel far outside our comfort zones.

I loved this book. It was very character driven, but had just the amount of plot to keep it interesting and relevant. I really enjoyed all the characters, especially Maggie, and could 100% empathize with her the whole time. If you’re looking for a character driven, but interesting general fiction novel, give this a try. I think you’ll enjoy it.

4 stars.

*Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton

Synopsis: Betsy and Ty Franklin, owners of Franklin Dairy Farm in southern Alabama, have decided to put life’s disappointments behind them. At least in theory. Ty manages their herd of dairy cows, while Betsy busies herself with the farm’s day-to-day operations and tries to forget the longing for motherhood set deep in her heart. But when Betsy’s free-spirited younger sister Jenna drops her young daughters off at the farm to attend a two-week art retreat in Florida, Betsy’s carefully constructed wall of self-protection begins to crumble. As those two weeks stretch much farther into the hot Alabama summer, Betsy and Ty learn to navigate the new additions in their world and revel in a home that’s suddenly filled with the sound of laughter and life. Meanwhile, record heat promises to usher in the most active hurricane season in decades. Four hundred miles away, Jenna is fighting her own battles. She’d once been free to travel and pursue a career in photography, but all that changed with the appearance of two pink lines on a plastic stick and a boyfriend who hit the road. At Halcyon art retreat, she finally has the time and energy to focus on her photography. As the summer continues, she wonders how her rediscovered passion can fit in with the life she’s made back home with her two children. When Hurricane Ingrid aims her steady eye at the Alabama coast, Jenna must make a decision that could affect both her and her children’s futures, and Betsy and Ty find themselves protecting their beloved farm as well as their own hearts.

This was also a character driven novel, but a boring one. I skimmed through the majority of it, didn’t connect with any of the characters, and the ending left me feeling “eh”. The writing, however, was beautiful.

2 stars.

*Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

Synopsis: This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who’s been searching for the truth all these years . . . When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school. But fourteen years later, Angela Wong’s remains are discovered in the woods near Geo’s childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women. To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he’s something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo’s first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed. For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela’s death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison. While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.

This was probably a 2.5 star book, but I’m rounding up to 3 because I did enjoy it for the most part. The premise was interesting and right up my alley, however the execution was a bit more gritty than I signed up for (which is strange because I love me some gritty novels). For whatever reason, this one didn’t quite sit well with me, but read it if you’d like – it did have an interesting twist at the end and ended well.

3 stars.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Synopsis: Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list). With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international best seller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home – and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for years, you’ve at least heard of this book. I love organizing and decluttering (although I could be better) and finally got around to tracking down a copy of this book. While I did enjoy the main concepts, I felt like the book was a little too self-promoting, and some of her ideas and “rules” are definitely not going to work for me, no matter what she says 🙂 She’s a bit quirky and over the top, but over all, it has good content.

3 stars.

The Magician’s Lie by Greer Macallister

Synopsis: The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden’s husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear. But when Virgil happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless—and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding. Over the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn Arden in or set her free… and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors. 

I love books and movies about magic, magicians, and illusionists, so I was so excited to read this book. I loved about the first 95% off it, and was sure I would give it 4 or 5 stars, but the very ending fell so flat to me. Perhaps it was because I was expecting a big reveal, or had a specific way I wanted/expected it to go, but when it did not go that way, I felt cheated and disappointed. However, I’d still recommend it if it sounds like something you’d like. Maybe you’ll feel differently about the ending.

3 stars.

*Our House by Louise Candlish

Synopsis: When Fiona Lawson comes home to find strangers moving into her house, she’s sure there’s been a mistake. She and her estranged husband, Bram, have a modern co-parenting arrangement: bird’s nest custody, where each parent spends a few nights a week with their two sons at the prized family home to maintain stability for their children. But the system built to protect their family ends up putting them in terrible jeopardy. In a domino effect of crimes and misdemeanors, the nest comes tumbling down. Now Bram has disappeared and so have Fiona’s children. As events spiral well beyond her control, Fiona will discover just how many lies her husband was weaving and how little they truly knew each other. But Bram’s not the only one with things to hide, and some secrets are best kept to oneself, safe as houses.

This book was too long and too boring. It starts of a little slow, but interesting enough, but around the halfway point I was so bored and not connected to any of the characters. It’s a fairly long book too, over 400 pages, so I skimmed a bit, and read the ending. It seems like it all came together well enough, but getting there was sure painful and ludicrous.

2 stars.

Currently Reading: Turtles All The Way Down by John Green.

On My Bookshelf: Intuitive Eating, The God Who Weeps, and Still Alice.

*I received free product from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.