I MAY have gotten some good reading in this month....

I feel like I'm finally picking up steam again with my reading.  6 books, 2254 pages.  Finally, some good reading in!  Hooray for pool time and traveling.  So let's get to it.

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult (421 pages).  I decided to go back to an old favorite.  I feel like Picoult's books used to be very predictable.  But she's definitely changed it up a little.  In this one, Luke is a divorced father of two.  And a preeminent wolf researcher (like he lived with them in the wild for two years).  When he and his daughter are in a car accident, his estranged wife and estranged son are notified.  And a family that had found itself completely torn apart finds itself healing.  By the horrific trauma that Luke himself experiences.  What I love most about Picoult is that she does massive amounts of research for her books- I feel like I could totally live amongst a wolf pack and be just fine!  I started the book at the very end of April.  And finished it in 5 days (only 3 days of actual reading time).

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (323 pages).  This was my book club book.  It was fantastic!  Rachel is a drunk divorcee who takes the train into London every day.  And every day she looks at the houses on the street where she used to live.  And imagines the lives of the one couple in particular.  One day, she very briefly sees something that makes her wonder about this imaginarily perfect couple.  And then learns that the wife has gone missing.  Slowly, memories of that night come flooding back to her.  And Rachel finds herself deeply involved in the lives of the people on her old street, including her ex-husband and his new wife.  The story definitely didn't go where I thought it was.  Which was great!  I finished it in 4 days (only 2 days of actual reading time and I read over half the book in one day!)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (352 pages).  Jacob Portman grew up with a fantastical grandfather.  Abraham was sent to a small island off the coast of Wales in order to survive the Nazi attacks on Poland.  He lived at an orphanage with other special children.  Abraham told Jacob amazing tales of growing up with these peculiar children- they could fly or had bees living inside them or were really strong.  Eventually, Jacob quit believing his grandfather.  Until a family tragedy sent him running to Cairnholm in search of the truth about his grandfather and the children he grew up with.  Turns out, they weren't just refugees from the Nazis.  And they didn't die in  a German attack on the village.  What Jacob learns is astonishing.  I can't even go into more detail without giving the whole book away.  But suffice it to say, the supernatural was in full effect. One of my favorite parts was the cool old photos that the author included.  He has been collecting them for years and they inspired characters in the book.  I read over half the book in just one day.  I finished it in 5 days (3 days of actual reading time). 

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult (506 pages).  Yes, two Picoults in one month.  Don't judge.  This was atypical Picoult, in that it was all in third person narrative and actual numbered chapters.  Normally, her chapters are by character name and told from that character's perspective.  In this one, Ross Wakeman is a ghost hunter for one reason- to reconnect with his lost fiancée.  His sister Shelby and nephew Ethan live a half-existence in a small town in Vermont due to Ethan's medical condition.  This small town is being rocked by paranormal activities as a developer makes plans to basically poltergeist an old Indian burial ground.  Ross is asked to help, but finds more than he bargained for when he meets Lia, a woman who sparks something in him that he hasn't felt since he lost his fiancée.  The story becomes even more fascinating when it turns out that Lia's father was instrumental in the passing of a law in Vermont called the Act for Human Betterment by Voluntary Sterilization (aka- sterilize the "bad seeds" so they don't pass along their genetic make-up).  A law that was passed in 1931.  Has Ross found the ghost he didn't realize he was actually looking for?  I read most of this while traveling, so managed to finish it in 8 days (3 days of actual reading time).

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright (346 pages).  I saw this movie when it came out and honestly didn't remember much about it, other than it was very dark.  In the town of Daggerhorn, the villagers sacrifice an animal to the Wolf every month in order to protect their village.  Until one month, a blood moon appears.  And the town bell tolls four times- the Wolf has killed a human.  Valerie has never truly fit in.  And now she is torn- should she marry the blacksmith (who offers stability), run away with the woodcutter (the love of her life) or give in to the requests of the Wolf (how does she understand him)?  She doesn't know who to trust or what to do.  When a werewolf hunter comes to town and tells them that the Wolf is one of their own, all hell breaks loose.  Quite literally.  And Valerie learns the truth about the Wolf.  It was a super easy read.  I finished it in 4 days (2 days of actual reading time).

Sun-Kissed by Melissa de la Cruz (306 pages).  The third book in the YA series The Au Pairs.  Mindless poolside reading.  Jacqui, Mara and Eliza first met when they au paired for the Perry family.  They've seen each other through a lot.  And are looking forward to their last summer together in the Hamptons, now that they are all heading off to college.  But plans always seem to change in the Hamptons.  At least the girls have each other!  I literally finished the book in one day sitting by my pool.

April was a lost month

For those of you who don't know how I keep track of what I've read, I have a note on my iPad and write down everything about the books I'm reading as I finish them.  Well, last month, my iPad decided that it had had enough of life and completely bit the dust.  Wouldn't turn on.  Wouldn't charge.  Of course, I think it was nearly 4 years old.  So it had a good long life (as far as iProducts are concerned).  The bigger problem was that it hadn't backed up to iCloud recently.  So everything I'd typed up for the first 5 books I'd read was gone.  I can't remember the first three books I read (I know, that's really sad, but I'm not sure I could remember my name some days).  I am not going to do re-write-ups of the other two.  I read Captivated by You by Sylvia Day at 356 pages (the most recent in the Crossfire series and a genre that I am completely over- it's like 50 Shades with an actual storyline) and Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan at 329 pages (a continuation of the Canadian West series and a wonderful Christian fiction book that immediately cleansed my palate after the Crossfire).  The only book that I finished post-iPad disaster actually got a write-up.  So here it is.

The Giver by Lois Lowry (225 pages).  I am never opposed to YA novels- some of them are very good and quite thought provoking.  This was one of those.  At age twelve, children are assigned their job in life.  Jonas isn't assigned- he is selected to be the Receiver of Memories.  In the sameness of his world, his mentor, the Giver, shows Jonas that there is so much more to life than sameness.  I finished the book in one day, without even being poolside!  And I 100% understand why the book won a Newberry medal- it was beautifully written!

So there you go, possibly 6 books (definitely 3) and probably 2000+ pages (but definitely 910).  I promised, I'll do a better job of backing up my iCloud in the future!