Shannon's books:
I had big plans to read a bunch of books this month; however, it didn't quite work out. I am happy I was able to read few books that have been sitting on my shelf for a while. Next month I will strive to read more.
1. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Synopsis: Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, Susannah, and most importantly, Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer—they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.
2. It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis: It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come. But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again.
3. I am, I am, I am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis: I Am, I Am, I Am is Maggie O'Farrell's astonishing memoir of the near-death experiences that have punctuated and defined her life. The childhood illness that left her bedridden for a year, which she was not expected to survive. A teenage yearning to escape that nearly ended in disaster. An encounter with a disturbed man on a remote path. And, most terrifying of all, an ongoing, daily struggle to protect her daughter--for whom this book was written--from a condition that leaves her unimaginably vulnerable to life's myriad dangers.
4. Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
Rating: 5/5 books
Synopsis: Morgan and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike. Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body. With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.
5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Rating: 3/5 stars
Synopsis: In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.
6. Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It's inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love . . . with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college's acting requirement in the smallest role possible.
Sarah's books:
I wasn't sure what to expect this month. At the beginning of the month I was recovering from a pretty wicked reading slump, and planned to take it slow. However, I got really bogged down with ARC's and ended up reading five of them. I was still able to slip some other reads that were on my TBR though, and I am really happy with how the month turned out.
1. Watership Down by Richard Adams
Rating: 5/5 stars
Synopsis: When Fiver senses a great danger that will threaten his home, him and his brother, along with a few loyal friends embark on a journey to find safety. Life is not easy for a rabbit out in the open, and this strange gang of bunnies will face many trials and dangers in the search for the promise land.
2. Come When I Call You by Shayna Krisnasamy
Rating: 2/5 stars
Synopsis: Years ago Anna and her younger cousin Lucia saw a ghost. Now, Lucia has showed up at Anna's boarding school during winter break in fear. With death and ghosts surrounding the girls, what will they do to be rid of them?
3. A Thousand Salt Kisses by Josie Demuth
Rating: 2/5 stars
Synopsis: Crystal is living on Starfish Island with her parents, and island involved in folklore. Her dad is an environmental activist, while her mom takes a job at an energy company plaguing the ocean. When Crystal meets Llyr they have an instant connection. With tensions high at home, and the energy company threatening her love life, Crystal must figure out what to do in order to protect her family, and her relationship.
4. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Rating: 5/5 stars
Synopsis: Ender was born with the sole purpose to help defeat the aliens that the world has been fighting against for years. Ender is taken to a school to train for the battle of a lifetime.
5. The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg
Rating: 5/5 stars
Synopsis: After a diving accident, Ingrid is faced with a concussion, insomnia, and a lapse in her memory. When she discovers the boy across the street, Van, can't sleep either they team up to figure out the secrets of their neighborhood.
6. Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie
Rating: 5/5 stars
Synopsis: When Gwenda and Giles move into their new home in Dillsmouth, England, strange things begin to happen to Gwenda. She remembers the house as it was 20 years ago, and even remembers a woman being murdered there. In comes Miss Marple to figure out what is going on, in this small seaside town.
7. Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis: When Caroline's best friend Madison goes missing, she is determined to find her. However both of the girls had secrets, and those secrets are about to make things a lot messier.
8. Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis: The year is 490 AD. Fiery 16-year-old Elaine of Ascolat, the daughter of one of King Arthur's supporters, lives with her father on Arthur's base camp, the sole girl in a militaristic world of men.
9. The Book of Hidden Wonders by Polly Crosby
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis: Romilly Kemp's father writes her into his books, and they quickly skyrocket to fame. As the stories gain popularity, Romilly's father begins to lose himself, and the line between quirkiness and madness is toed.
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