Share Your Shelf #28-- What I Read In July

It's the first Thursday of the month and time for Share Your Shelf with Dara and I. I hope you all look forward to this monthly link up as much as I do. I just love getting new ideas for books to read or listen to.  

Though I didn't read as much as last month, I still had a great reading month. I've been spending much more time on my blog, the house, painting, with the family. etc. that reading has fallen a bit lower on my priority list. 

1. The Castaways by Lucy Clarke-- Oh this was such a gripping story! It's been 2 years of grief and guilt and disbelief for Erin after her sister's plane went down and missing in Fuiji. A plane that Erin was supposed to be on. Everyone believes that Lori died in the crash but Erin can not let go, especially when the missing pilot suddenly reappears. Told in between Now/Erin and Then/Lori we not only learn of all that Erin is doing in the present 2 years later to find her sister but we learn all the details of the past from Lori's point of view. 

2. The Sandycove Knitting Circle by Sian O'Gorman-- I really enjoyed this ARC from NetGalley so much. This was such a sweet, feel-good story. Kerry-Ann has been grieving the loss of her best friend when she's encouraged to take a trip. She ends up in the town of Sandycove, Ireland and immediately seems to fall into place in the town. Drawn into life in the town Kerry- Ann learns to sail, braves the cold water for refreshing dips in the sea that remind her of her own childhood, and starts to talk about the friend she lost. She tries to help reinstate the Sandycove Knitting Circle when asked and makes all sorts of wonderful new friends. She slowly feels herself falling in love, not just with the place, but with all the people she finds. I just loved it. 

 3. The Lying Game by Sara Shepard-- I enjoyed this audiobook so much but was so bummed to find that it ended without a real ending (since it's part of a series!). Luckily book 2 was available to start listening right away. In book 1 Emma, a foster girl, discovers that she has an identical twin sister Sutton but the night she plans to meet up with her she finds that Sutton is nowhere to be found and everyone just assumes that Emma IS Sutton. Emma starts digging into Sutton's disappearance and soon learns that Sutton is dead and is threatened that she'll be next. Told from ghost Sutton's point of view (yeah, that threw me at first too but it really works in this case) it was a fun mystery... and still has not been solved.  

 4. Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard (Lying Game book #2)-- Eeek! Book 2 STILL doesn't solve this mystery but I didn't mind because it was a really great listen. In book 2 Emma keeps thinking she's figured out who killed Sutton but each time she finds that she's wrong. I was bummed to find that the rest of the books in the series aren't available on Libby through our library but I will be requesting book 3 to read. 

5. The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn-- I loved this adorable story. Layla is on her way to Paris to attend her ex-husband's sister's wedding and thinking this might have been one of the biggest mistakes of her life so far. But she loves the bride Emily and has always thought of her like a sister, she just wishes she didn't have to face her ex and his new girlfriend. Then she meets the broody, moody best man, Griff. When he accuses her of sabotaging the wedding when Emily gets cold feet he reluctantly agrees to work with her to help the bride and groom to be make it to the aisle. Griff and Layla end up spending lots of time together in Paris and can't help but fall for one another but emotions are running high with nearly everyone in and around the wedding party and nothing is ever easy when it comes to these two.  

 

 

6. Wombat Waiting by Katherine Applegate-- I adored this middle grade fiction novel. Told in verse it was a quick and easy read but such a sweet, sweet story. Wombat is a homeless dog that suddenly feels prompted to head toward a neighborhood fire one night as all the other animals flee in the opposite direction. Compelled to help and follow the inner voice in her head she's sure she's going to find her human. 

 7. The View From Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani-- I enjoyed this auidobook read my Marissa Tomei.  Jess lives with her parents in Lake Como, New Jersey and works for her uncle in the family business. When things start to go really sideways with pretty much everything in her life she decides it's finally time to put herself first and heads to Italy. In Italy she learns more about herself, her family, and slowly works to discover herself and her place. 

 8. If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle--  I absolutely adored this ARC from NetGalley. The premise was unlike any other book I've read and yet it gave me that same high energy high-jinx vibe as Finlay Donovan or Stephanie Plum.  Roxie makes a random wish one night to be the heroine in her favorite author's next book. Roxie has always loved Anna Matthews superbly written rom-coms... so when she wakes up to find that her wish has been granted she's momentarily stunned but decides it would be fun. Little does she know that this time around Anna is writing a crime thriller novel that mashes up a few different genres and Roxie is quickly thrown from love interest to possible mortal peril. It is a fun and compelling read. 

 9. When You Read This by Mary Adkins-- This was a sad and sweet story. I liked the format as the whole book is written as snippets of emails, texts, and blog posts. Iris wrote a blog post about her cancer diagnosis while she was at the end stages of her life and her former boss Smith and her sister Jade disagree on what should be done with Iris' blog. She left a copy and letter asking Smith to turn it into a book but Jade is against that. Along with Smith's new intern Carl the three somehow muddle through the various obstacles thrown their way at a time when Smith and Jade are far too deep in their grief to handle much of anything. 

10. No Matter What by Cara Bastone-- I had no idea that this book was part of a series until I went to link it up here. But I really enjoyed it. Roz and her husband Vin have been living together but having separate lives for nearly a year now since they suffered a major accident together that left Roz, Vin, and Raffi (Vin's brother and Roz's best friend) with a myriad of scars and problems. When Roz sees that Vin has signed a new lease she's devastated and rather accidentally or inadvertently signs up for a figure drawing class. Eventually Vin offers to sit for Roz so she can practice her drawing skills and it's so sweet to read about their interactions. The reader immediately sees how much these two still love each other but through their grief and PTSD have built a wall around themselves that makes it hard for them to communicate with one another. It was sad and sweet and oh so hopeful. It made me cry a time or two and I loved reading about the healing Roz's drawing brought to her. 

 11. The Right Move by Liz Tomforde-- the 2nd book in the series picks up with the main character's brother and best friend from the 1st story. Indy has no place to live since she moved out of her old place and she's desperate to find anything she can afford. So her best friend Stevie suggests that Indy move in with Ryan who has a huge apartment. The only problem is that Indy has never made a good impression on Ryan and Ryan has just been promoted to team captain of the NBA team he plays for so he's worried having a roommate with interfere with his work and focus. But the two end up striking up a fake dating deal since Ryan is accused of having no real life outside of work and the chemistry with these two is off the charts. Indy gets Ryan to loosen up and Ryan helps Indy heal from a really bad previous relationship. I loved it just as much as the first. Definitely rated R though! 

 

 12. We're a Bad Idea, Right? by K. L. Walther-- Audrey and Henry are best friends who decide to fake date in order to make his ex jealous. Together they run her glass blowing company but they're about to graduate and go off to college and aren't quite sure what that means for the future. Audrey really wants to ditch college and take a glass blowing fellowship she's been offered. So when she decides to rent out her parents guest house and house while they are away in order to pay for it, Henry reluctantly agrees. Of course nothing quite goes according to plan and when Audrey starts to realize she has real feelings for Henry and it looks like she'll never make enough money in time. It was really cute, even if I did think these teenagers were a bit crazy. 

13. Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee-- I thought this was a pretty gripping listen. Miranda and Lucia are sisters and Miranda has felt responsible for Lucia her whole life since Miranda was the big sister. But after their mother dies and Lucia is diagnosed with schizophrenia taking care of Lucia becomes much more difficult. Told from multiple points of view-- including Lucia it's quite a fascinating look at mental illness. 

14. A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle--  I enjoyed this historical fiction murder mystery that I got an Advance Reader Copy for from NetGalley. Set on an ocean liner in November of 1924 while crossing from England to New York a man is found dead and when James Temple, an inspector demands to look into the suspicious death Birch is assigned to work with him and keep Temple from overly upsetting the guests. As Temple and Birch dig deeper all sorts of connections begin cropping up from all over the ship and in various ranks. With only 4 days until the ship docks and all are free to leave, Temple and Birch don't have much time to uncover the truth. It was a really fun murder mystery that had me guessing until the end.  

I actually didn't read any books that fit my 3 remaining 52 Book Challenge prompts so this month's grid looks the same as last month's.

 

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