May Books

One of my goals for 2017 was to read 17 books. Well, had I known my reading speed (or the fact that the library would quickly become one of my new best friends) I probably would have adjusted that number slightly ;)

In case you missed the recent posts, I blogged about the books I read in January HERE, February HERE, March HERE and April HERE. There were FOURTY-ONE in the first four months, so when I add May's FOUR that brings the total to FOURTY-FIVE! In case you're interested in what I read or my take on them, feel free to check out my little write-ups (and how I'd rate them)!

• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - I am not sure what caused me to pick up this book, but I am so glad I did. I had never read it before, although I knew the story well - or at least I knew the gist of the story (that they lived in hiding until they were found, arrested and sent to concentration camps). It is so interesting to see the deep thoughts of a 13-15 year old (even if she did go back through later in their stay to edit some of her previous entries - she was still at most fifteen years old). The maturity, the turmoil, the life lived - and taken way too early. I appreciate that there are entries about "young love" and tiffs with her parents, while at the same time thoughts on politics and war. Every few pages I had to remind myself of the "ending"... that she wasn't lucky enough to survive, that she would never see the fruition of her work, that she would die at the hands of the Nazis and never get to follow her dreams or grow up. When Anne wrote her diary, she had no idea she would inspire generations of people. Though her story has a heartbreaking ending, her courage through it all is incredibly uplifting. I would give this one a 9 out of 10.

• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - A friend of mine had mailed me a few of the recent books she had finished (yay for sweet friends and cheap Media Mail postage). Apparently this book has been turned into a Netflix series (although I'm not sure that I'll watch it), so I was excited to give this a read. The hubby asked what it was about when I was a couple chapters in and I gave him a quick synopsis. He chuckled and said that it sounded like Pretty Little Liars (okay, sure, I may not be a teen any longer, but I have a few guilty pleasures ;)). I actually really enjoyed this book (seeing as I had a hard time putting it down and sped through it in less than a day). It definitely touches on some very serious subjects (suicide being one of them), but I appreciate that it is giving people a dialog to discuss some of these things. It really reminds you that all actions have consequences, whether you see them or not. I would give this one a 9 out of 10.

• The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards - A friend of mine had offered to let me borrow a few of her favorite books. I knew nothing about this novel, but was excited to get into it. The story is set back in the 60s (well, that's when it starts, it then follows the plot along for another 25+ years). A quick rundown: A couple has twins, the second child born (a daughter) has Down's Syndrome, so while the mother is under anesthesia, the father (also the doctor who delivered the babies) asked the nurse to take the baby to an institution and tells his wife the baby died. As the story unfolds you see how this one decision effects the lives of so many people. I really enjoyed how each chapter was written from another person's perspective. At times it felt a bit long, but definitely kept me interested and engaged. I would give this one an 8 out of 10.

• Animal Farm by George Orwell - This book has been in our closet for years, but I thought it was time to bust out another classic. I would say that I'm 75% sure I read this in school, but there is a large possibility that I might have only read the Cliffs Notes... and, if I'm being 100% honest, I didn't remember a single thing about it, so hopefully this time it sticks ;) I really enjoyed this one and can see why it's a classic. It's a great reminder of the slippery slope and how things in society can change if no one says anything or takes a stand. It's crazy that this book is over 70 years old and yet it is as relevant today as it was in 1945! I would give this one a 9 out of 10.

And with that, May is complete. This month my reading almost slowed to a halt, but I've had a lot of other projects that have come up (and require my attention) so the recreational reading took a back seat. Hopefully June will ramp back up (especially with our week and a half camping trip that we have scheduled). PS If you have any suggestions on books to grab, let me know! I'm always down to throw them in the queue!

What are you currently reading?