Summer is my favorite season for reading. By the pool, on the beach, on my roof top deck, in the hammock. Getting horizontal with a book just feels hella good, am I right?

But I also enjoy audio books, usually while walking or doing chore around the house. Learning and growing, developing new skills or laughing out loud and being entertained, I love what books bring to my life. Even when a book feels like a dud, it’s interesting to consider what I like (and don’t like) and what words are medicine in a particular moment.

What books are you enjoying (or not!) this month?

**"The Lifestyle" by Taylor Hahn**

*3 stars*

An easy (albeit cheesy) beach read. I generally dislike books that start with, "The main character had a perfect life until <<insert calamity>>” because honestly, who has a perfect life? And this idea of a "perfect life' was being an overworked perfectionist lawyer in New York City without any hobbies or interests which doesn't sound like my perfect life at alllll. An interesting concept about dealing with infidelity with consensual non-monogamy (a topic that feels to be getting a lot of press and headlines right now) but I just found it elementary and not well developed. Some of the dialogue was weird and sounded inauthentic and I found the main character annoying. For a book about swingers and alternative marriage / sex arrangements there wasn't all that much sex. I finished it but there are plenty of other easy and sexy reads out there.

**"The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store" by James McBride**

*2 stars*

What a let down! I was really expecting this book to be good but it felt like one long run-on sentence. I only liked the last few chapters. I couldn't even call it a slow burn so much as slow and just hard to get into. A friend was reading it at the same time and also couldn't get into it...she didn't finish and moved onto another read. There were a ton of characters but it was challenging to consider who was primary or secondary and who wouldn't be seen again. Pass.

**"The Tools" by Phil Shutz and Barry Michels**

*4 stars*

Back to personal development. I love learning new tools for mindfulness and this book shared a lot of practical applications. Having studied various Eastern forms of mindfulness as well as Western psychology, this felt like a nice combination of the two. A little antiquated in language (sounds like two white guys wrote it..which they did) but overall some good nuggets for how to approach the world with a growth mindset

**"Recursion" by Blake Crouch**

*5 stars*

Dystopian and sci-fi in the weirdest and most interesting way possible. I devoured this book! So creative with fascinating characters. I think about memories at lot because:

1) I have very few memories from 1996 - 2001 which was a particularly difficult time in my life

2) I frequently have dejavu...sometimes to the point where I have to shake my head to clear the thought because it feels so real.

and 3) I teach chair yoga to folks in a memory care unit. I frequently wonder what they were like "before".

All these questions / interests made a book about memories and history for the individual and collective consciousness really neat.

**"The Wager" by David Grann**

*4 stars*

I'm so glad I didn't live in the 1700s. I'm so glad I didn't live on a ship. I’m so grateful for modern medicine, GPS and agriculture. I got some good perspective from this book about how truly wonderful it is to be alive in America right now (and yes it feels like everything is falling apart!) The life of sailor sounds impossibly challenging. A good story to remind me just how easy I have it.

**“Ramona Blue” by Julie Murphy**

*5 stars*

I love YA fiction and picking this book up at a Free Little Library just before my trip to OBX was great timing. This was a beautiful and creative exploration of the intersections of race, class and sexual orientation. We’re all so complicated, so unique. And understanding how our backgrounds impact our present reality and the reality we look to create for our future is something I think about frequently. The characters were well developed and realistic. Really a sweet read, for young adult readers (or anyone)

I love the essay / short story format. At points I literally LOL'ed about the authors observations, mishaps and life drama. Using humor as a means to deal with sorrow and a challenging upbringing is something that really resonates with me. Laugher is such good medicine. I finished this book in less than 36, it was just perfect for the beach. I’m looking forward to reading her other books

Monthly book total: 7

Annual book total: 28

Book Review: June 2024

Same team: working with (and not against) my body

A letter to myself: in the Ho’oponopono tradition