enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

june book report.

June 22, 2015

Here we go…sort of a mixed bag this month…

Girl Underwater by Claire Kells / I don't think anyone recommended this to me, I just picked it off the "new book" shelf at the library. It was fine and a cool plot idea but it was also Young Adult which is a genre that tends to bug me. With this book I finally figured out why … I am sick of YA novels where the main female character is awesome but she won't admit it and fights it and hides in herself until a guy pulls her out of it. I mean really. We need more Hermione Grangers. Where's that spin-off franchise?

Before I Go by Colleen Oakley / not the hugest fan of this one either. It was about a woman who's re-diagnosed with cancer and knows she won't get through it (that's not a spoiler, that's the book). The story is how she spends those last few months (and it drove me insane). Personally, I enjoyed PS I Love You (which I read YEARS ago) more than this one.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon / when I posted by stack of books on Instagram the majority of the comments were something along the lines of "OUTLANDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I felt very out of the loop as I didn't realize that this was a whole series that has been written for 25 years and that it has such a huge following. (Now I know.) I tore through this first book and really enjoyed it (though I didn't expect it to be quite so sex-scene heavy). I'm currently listening to the second book (as an audio book loan from the library) and I think I'll (slowly) work my way through the rest of the series.

What You Left Behind by Samantha Hayes / this was an odd sort of medium thriller. It was sort of young adult. Sort of murder mystery. Sort of strange. I was intrigued enough to finish but not blown-away.

…like I said, mixed bag. Please tell me you've got some good recommendations for me! I'm currently reading The History of Love by Nicole Krauss and I've got Girl on a Train up next.

ps…more book reports and when I read.

Posted in book report

74 responses to “june book report.”

Stephanie

June 22, 2015

The Weight of Blood and Americanah are excellent.

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sonrie

June 22, 2015

I came across Outlander a few months ago also just realizing it was sort of a big deal but somehow I had missed all that … I don’t think I will read the other ones because I just didn’t love all the back and forth …
One book I could recommend is They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple. Older book. There is an old movie but haven’t seen that yet. It was a wonderful book.

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Annette

June 22, 2015

Girl on the Train is great. I’m reading the Vacationers and enjoying it. Loved Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, although it is long. Where’d you go Bernadette is a really funny smart book perfect for the summer. Cutting for Stone was great. Love your book posts and reading through all the comments. PS I liked Outlander, but could not get through the 2nd book in the series.

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Amy

June 22, 2015

I don’t know if anyone else said this, but “Girl on a Train”(http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Train-J-Waines/dp/1508647941/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1435024940&sr=1-3&keywords=girl+on+a+train) and “The Girl on the Train” (which you linked) are different books. I found this out on vacation when a friend bought the former and I was reading the latter. We thought we had the same book, but when we tried to discuss it we found out we were reading entirely different stories. She LOVED “Girl on a Train” and I thought “The Girl on the Train” was just ok.
I’m currently reading (listening to) Missoula. It’s intense and hard to hear, but very good.

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Anneli

June 22, 2015

I just finished Station Eleven after your recommendation and LOVED it! Now almost finished All The Light We Cannot See (after seeing it recommended by others) and loving that too.
Have you read Falling Angels by Tracey Chevalier? I loved that one.

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Stacie

June 22, 2015

Liza Palmer(A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents
and Girl Before a Mirror are favorites)
Katerine Center (Bright Side of Disaster and The Lost Husband are favorites)
The Precious One by Marissa de los Santos.
Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil.

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Marian Griffin

June 22, 2015

I just started Bellweather Rhapsody, and it’s quirky interesting so far. There was a murder at the Bellweather hotel and now 15 years later, there is more mysterious stuff going on. The girl who saw it all go down is back to reconcile her life with her past and that trauma, there is a band/chorus festival going on, and several nefarious people and other characters. I’ve just gotten to the part where one of the students there for the musical weekend maybe hung herself, but then she disappeared and everyone’s super confused. It’s told in lots of perspectives and in past and present but you might like it. I heard it recommended on the podcast Book Riot, and then saw it at the library. Love your book reports!!

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Charlotte

June 23, 2015

Have you read ‘May We Be Forgiven’? I really liked it (and don’t worry, it slows down after those first twenty pages. You’ll understand), was amazed at how funny I found it.

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Sally

June 23, 2015

One of my all time faves!

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Kit

June 23, 2015

The Plainsong trilogy by Kent Haruf is one I rave about to everyone – I bought the first book for a lot of my friends for their birthdays this year.
Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro (short stories, beautiful)
The Little Visitor by Sarah Waters

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Allie

June 23, 2015

If you haven’t read “Attachments” by Rainbow Rowell, that’s excellent.
Also, I just finished “Fall of Marigolds” by Susan Meissner and it was excellent. Quick, intriguing read, with minimal romance. I loved it.

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Claire

June 23, 2015

Just heard two book recs for readers who loved The Night Circus…Church of Marvels and The Book of Speculation.

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BrOOKeWORM

June 23, 2015

Reccomendations? Why yes, I do have a few…..
“New York” by Edward Rutherfurd
Follows several families and their descendants through over three centuries of history in New York. It’s a big read (860 pages) but very enthralling.
“Galway Bay” by Mary Pat Kelly
The story of Michael and Honora Kelly and their family in Ireland through the Great Starvation, as well as an eventual emmigration to America. It’s based on the author’s own Irish-American family. It also has a sequel book, “Of Irish Blood.” I have yet to read the sequel, but am very eager to!
“Hill Country”
Janice Woods Windle
Historical fiction based on the author’s own ancestors. It follows her grandmother and others through historical events in Texas hill country.
[ Catching a theme here? 😉 lol! ]
“The Opportunist” and “Dirty Red”
Tarryn Fisher
Angsty story of a love triangle, each book (there’s also a third, “Thief” I need to still read) is told from the viewpoint of a single character. (Mind you, these are not the same story retold by each character, but different stories in each book.) Olivia’s voice tells the story in “The
Opportunist,” while her rival Leah voices “Dirty Red.” (Which of course, leaves “Theif” voiced by their love interest, Caleb.) These books are categorized as YA, however are very well written and definitely page turners.
“Life on the Refrigerator Door”
Alice Kuipers
A pretty quick, but interesting read about the life of a mother and her daughter as told by (you guessed it) notes on the refrigerator door.
A book reviewer I am not, so these “reviews” may not be so exciting. But the books themselves were great. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to Amazon to order those two books I haven’t yet read. 🙂 [It felt like forever waiting for them to be published and now I’ve gone and forgotten about them.]

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BrOOKeWORK

June 23, 2015

^ ps: sorry so long! :O

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Meghan Andrews

June 23, 2015

Its not fiction– that book is non-fiction, entirely, and took years of research. I read it as well and loved it. Also heard Henrietta Lacks’ great nephew give a talk about the book. Historically accurate because its factual. I too think Elise would enjoy it, as would anyone who wants to see how medical phenomenon is based on exploration of human bodies. Also about the lack of rights of African Americans so highly relevant.

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Stephanie Howell

June 23, 2015

I’m sorry- I can’t remember what you have and haven’t read, but here are some of my thoughts:
All the Light We Cannot See
The Lover’s Dictionary
Whiskey & Charlie
Inside the O’Briens
Calling Me Home
Tell the Wolves I’m Home
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry
Orphan Train
Wonder
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Crossing Oceans
The Mountains Between Us
Saving Ceecee Honeycutt
Still Missing
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Home Safe
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
anything Jen Lancaster, David Sedaris, or Laurie Notaro
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
anything Kate Atkinson
anything Matthew Quick

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Briel

June 23, 2015

Love your book reports! Thank you for sharing. Here is one that isn’t on many lists, and I absolutely loved. It’s funny, smart and about different sorts of characters: A Man Called Ove. I hope you read and enjoy!

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Kellie

June 24, 2015

Girl on a Train is amazing!!! I hope you enjoy it. Honestly, I hated the female characters, but somehow I still loved the book. Great plot and writing.
PS Love these posts. They’ve inspired me to do something of the same on my blog.

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Carly

June 25, 2015

Hi Elise! I love you and your book recommendations. Check out The Queen of the Tearling. It’s my newest favorite!

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Laura Hager

June 26, 2015

I love this post! Thanks for sharing good books to read! But I love the posts for all the recommendations in the comments too!
Laura
http://www.laurahager.blogspot.com

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erin

June 26, 2015

i really, really wish you’d make a section in your “archives by subject” for your book reports!
i’m often at the library, searching for your book recs, and it’d be a lot easier to access them that way, rather than scrolling, looking for your most recent book report and the link at the bottom.
just my two cents.
LOVE your blog and your work and your book recs…as ALWAYS! xo

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Amy@MomAdvice

June 27, 2015

I think you will really love The Girl on the Train, Elise! One really good summer thriller I enjoyed (maybe more!) was The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly. It was one that I was rapidly flipping through and I loved her twists.

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Kristin

July 4, 2015

In the middle of The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon and loving it!!!

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Ellie

July 13, 2015

I felt the same way about Outlander and have been hesitant to pick up #2. Is it as sex-scene heavy?? I really enjoyed The Orphans of Race Point and Calling Me Home.

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