book club

Show Us Your Books Reading Recap — What I Read in June

July 14, 2020 by Megan 11 Comments

I hope everyone’s having a good summer so far. We had a few really hot days here in Michigan, but mostly it’s been more pleasant than usual — the humidity, thankfully, has stayed at bay. I’ve been able to spend quite a bit of time reading outdoors, which is always nice. I have also definitely gotten into more of a reading groove and am sort of quickly coming up on my 2020 reading goal, so I’m thinking I’ll need to reevaluate it. (If you have reading goals, do you adjust them throughout the year or just leave them alone?)

Also, some big news: I'll be celebrating 4 years of The Hungry Bookworm later this month. My site is getting an overhaul and I'm working on some other big changes that I'm really excited to share. Look out for that announcement in a couple of weeks!

Anyway, onto what I’ve read since Last Month’s Edition (and a reminder of How I Rate):

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Show Us Your Books Reading Recap — What I Read in May

June 9, 2020 by Megan 9 Comments

I had a great reading month in May! Recently, I considered myself lucky to finish just one book a month, so I read much more than expected — even if six of my reads were short novellas. I’m also really loving the book I’m in the middle of right now, so it seems like June may turn out great too. ☺️

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Golden State + California Hot Dogs

September 29, 2019 by Megan Leave a Comment

I remember when Golden State was offered up as a Book of the Month selection earlier this year. I didn’t choose it, since my friend Deanna did (and we like to share books), but then I sort of forgot about it again until I saw it on my library’s new releases shelf recently. I scooped it up and asked her if she wanted to do a buddy read. Of course, she immediately said yes. It was the first buddy read experience for both of us, and honestly, it couldn’t have gone better! It also helped that the story was pretty much a page-turner from beginning to end.

Ben H. Winters’s novel takes place in a dystopian future in a California that is now separated from the rest of the country, where residents retreated when lies overtook the world as they knew it. The Golden State is its own nation where truth is valued above all else and the primary functions of society revolve around maintaining the Objectively So. Unlike in the movie The Invention of Lying, lying is definitely possible — it’s just punishable.

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The Island of Sea Women + Candied Sweet Potatoes

July 28, 2019 by Megan Leave a Comment

I recently joined a group of women in my town who were interested in starting a book club. With my other local book club disbanded (due to most of the members moving away), I was excited to have the opportunity to join another, and to be one of the founding members! The woman who brought us all together, Alissa, chose our first book, The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See.

My Meetup-based book club really enjoyed Lisa See’s previous novel The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane when we read it last year, so I was looking forward to this one as well! Unfortunately, most of us didn’t finish it in time for the discussion (including me), but I made sure to finish it up afterward. I thought the story was very intriguing.

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Valencia and Valentine + Butterscotch Ice Cream

June 6, 2019 by Megan 4 Comments

Valencia and Valentine is a contemporary fiction debut from Suzy Krause that came out just a few days ago. The novel is described as quirky and charming and perfect for fans of Maria Semple, Graeme Simsion, Fredrik Backman and even Gail Honeyman — all of whom I’ve enjoyed. Naturally, with those comparisons, I was excited to have the opportunity to join the blog tour hosted by TLC Book Tours!

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Everything Here Is Beautiful + Chinese Almond Cookies

April 23, 2019 by Megan 3 Comments

Mira T. Lee’s debut novel, Everything Here Is Beautiful, is a tough book to discuss—though we attempted to do just that for my last book club meeting. It was suggested by one of our members last year, shortly after it was released, and when it finally got chosen as our monthly pick, I was looking forward to reading it. It’s a story about sisters, about immigrants, about mental illness. It’s a raw and powerful debut that I can’t recommend enough.

Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee

The novel follows two Chinese-American sisters, Miranda the oldest and Lucia the youngest, in the years after their mother dies from cancer. Lucia is adventurous and full of life, and when it’s determined that she has schizoaffective disorder, Miranda does everything in her power to keep Lucia grounded and get her the help she needs.

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