July wasn't the best month, reading-wise. But it wasn't a total bust. I did start one last book that I only  read for the last 2 days of the month and obviously couldn't finish (as it was over 400 pages). But all in all, not bad.  5 books at 1,767 pages. So here we go!

Testimony by Anita Shreve (305 pages). Avery Academy, a private boarding/day school in Vermont, is rocked by a scandal one winter. A videotape is given to the headmaster that shows 3 male students engaging in sexual activities with a female student. A female student who is only 14. The attempt to keep it an internal affair backfires and the lives of several people (students, teachers, parents, even the townsfolk) are forever altered. I finished it in 3 days (weekend, holiday, yada yada).

City of Women by David R Gillham (426 pages). Berlin in 1943 truly is a city of women. Most of the men are at war. Sigrid is living with her mother-in-law while her husband serves in the army. She becomes involved with a resistance group who is attempting to save anyone who is considered an enemy of Germany. On the surface, she seems like a model German citizen. But her affair with a Jewish man forever changes how she feels towards her country and other people. It was a good book. I finished it in 7 days.

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon (340 pages). In 1968, widowed Martha opens the door on a rainy night to find white, developmental disabled Lynnie and black, deaf Homan. They have escaped from the Pennsylvania School for the Incurable and Feebleminded. And they have a newborn baby girl in their arms. When officials from the school show up to take them back, Homan escapes while Lynnie uses the few words she knows to ask Martha to take care of her daughter. The novel covers the 43 intervening years- of Lynnie learning to communicate, of Martha and the baby creating a life, and of Homan making his way in the world without Beautiful Girl (Lynnie) and Little One. I was in tears by the end, absolute tears. It was a beautiful story about the humanity and goodness of people. I finished it in 7 days.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (285 pages). Despite the fact that i have read Phenomenal Woman, I had never read any of Angelou's other works. So decided to start with her first. Which turned out to be autobiographical (I had no idea). Maya and her older brother Bailey grow up primarily in Stamps, Arkansas, with their grandmother. They do spend some time in St Louis with their mother. But while there, their mother's boyfriend rapes 8 year old Maya.  So they are sent back to the relative safety of Stamps for a few years. Eventually they go to California to live with their mother (and sometimes their father). Maya experiences a lot, including living as a homeless girl (by choice) and getting pregnant (and still finishing high school) at 16. I finished it in 6 days.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Stories by F Scott Fitzgerald (411 pages). I don't think I've read a collection of short stories in several years prior to picking this up. It was rather enjoyable. There were 20 short stories in the collection. Some of them were fun, others sad, some very quirky and only a few were just not enjoyable. Oddly, Benjamin Button was NOT the first story in the book (the title would suppose otherwise). I finished it in 6 days.