I spent 4 days at the beach this month, and I don't know what it is about the beach, but I absolutely devour books while there. Maybe it's the air. Or perhaps it's the fact that I rarely, if ever, read a so-called intelligent book while on the beach (no judging for my book choices this month!). Either way, I'm still ahead on my goal of reading 50 books! I actually probably would have read more, had the Olympics not taken over my life!
Currently Reading: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (book club read) (and The Flamethrowers. still. I can't finish it).
Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson - I ready 2312 by Robinson last year and really liked it's glimpse into a possible (and somewhat realistic, at least to me) future of humanity in space. This book goes the totally opposite direction and goes back in time to a place where humans and Neanderthals coexisted. I was intrigued because, as an archeology major, this was my bread and butter for four years of college. The book was good, though a bit too long. And his use of archaeological and historical knowledge of early humans and Neanderthals was not wrong, per se, but I'm not sure how right it was, either. Still, it was interesting.
Her Sky Cowboy and His Clockwork Canary by Beth Ciotta - Books 1 and 2 of a steampunk trilogy. This was my first foray into steampunk. It's...weird? It actually wasn't bad, and I was amused by the "historical" background of these stores. It was creative, at least (a man from the 19th century goes forward in time to the 1960s, and in return, individuals come from the 1960s back to the 19th century to "change history"). Other than that, they were your run-of-the-mill cheesy romances, which are something of a favorite, so I'll probably read the third book when it's released!
Cress by Marissa Meyer - Book three in Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles, a series of science-fiction takes on classic fairly tales (read Cinder and Scarlet first). I love these books. They're entertaining, the characters are fun and interesting, and they're both funny and poignant. I can't wait for the next book in the series!
The Fault in our Stars by John Green - This book. I can't. I still can't really think of it without crying, and I watched the movie trailer the other day and bawled like a baby. It was so. good. Yes, it's a cancer book - unabashedly so. But in being a cancer book, it transcends that part of the story so much. These kids are living their lives to the best of their abilities. It's poignant, funny, heartbreaking, and SO SAD. I absolutely loved it.
