I read a lot in Q3. It was summer, and hot, and I didn’t want to go outside, so this is the result I guess. Enjoy!
July
The Hunger Games Series
Suzanne Collins
Dystopian
10/10
Quick Review: Yes, I read all five Hunger Games books in 1 month, and I’d do it again!
Will I continue reading from this author? Yes.
Is this a reread? Yes. This was my second time rereading all the books, and I will do that again in the future.
August
Queenie
Candice Carty-Williams
Contemporary Fiction
7/10
Quick Review: I read this story when it was first released, not remembering how I felt about it. Queenie, a 25-year-old black Jamaican-British woman, is dealing with a lot of trauma in this story, but she continuously makes poor decisions that frustrated me. I enjoyed the writing because the dialogue felt very natural, but I couldn’t help smacking my forehead and saying, “Girl!” every few chapters. Overall, the story is emotional with themes like racism, issues with interracial dating, being a black woman in white spaces, and cultural stigma around therapy.
Will I continue reading from this author? Yes.
Is this a reread? Maybe. Yes.
Queenie is Working on It
Candice Carty-Williams
Contemporary Fiction
8/10
Quick Review: I enjoyed this book more than the first. Queenie has grown in age and emotional maturity. Although she is still struggling with the same mental health issues, the story isn’t filled with her digging a deeper hole for herself. It’s hard for me to read or watch anything with characters making too many poor decisions, and this story is not that. Overall, the plot spoke to me way more than the first book did, but it still carried similar themes.
Will I continue reading from this author? Yes.
Is this a reread? Yes.
Passing
Nella Larsen
Literary Classic
9/10
Quick Review: I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for years, and I finally decided to read it. I thought I might not enjoy it as much as I did. Two light-skinned women in 1920s New York City live completely different lives: Irene lives in Harlem surrounded by Black excellence, while the other, Clare, chooses to “pass” as a white woman. Clare finds herself yearning for Irene’s “blackness”. I won’t say more because it’s a pretty short read. This story was thought-provoking, with themes of racial identity and the segregated society of 1920s America. I definitely recommend this story.
Will I continue reading from this author? Yes.
Is this a reread? Yes
Verity
Colleen Hoover
Thriller
8/10
Quick Review: I wanted to read this because I’m interested in the movie, but probably won’t be able to see it in the theatre. This story was pretty wild throughout; I enjoyed it. I was hooked from the first page. There were two things I didn’t care for: 1. Mehhhhh, I skipped over a lot of sex. It’s even thrown in that a lot of sex is written about in Verity’s manuscript, and I think with the layers of this story, it could have been cut down a bit, but this is from someone who doesn’t like reading sex scenes, though. 2. I didn’t care for the ending. It had a twist I didn’t expect, but it felt boring to me.
Will I continue reading from this author? Yes.
Is this a reread? Probably not. Not because it was bad; I just don’t think I need to read this one again.
September
1984
George Orwell
Dystopian / Literary
NA
Quick Review: This doesn’t feel like a book you give a rating. You read it for the discomfort of Orwell’s totalitarian future. You read it, become unnerved by comparisons to today’s society, and then overthink it. Enjoy.
Will I continue reading from this author? Yes.
Is this a reread? Maybe.
Honey
Imani Thompson
Thriller
8/10
Quick Review: I had mixed feelings about this story. At first, I was so interested and hated putting the book down, but as I got deeper in, I started to get some anxiety. The protagonist, Yrsa, is a killer, and you start to wonder what her limit is. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for the end, but it could be to allow space for a second book, which I guess I’d read if I want the added anxiety.
Will I continue reading from this author? Yes.
Is this a reread? Maybe
What are you reading?
.always.
Dani
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