June Reading Recap & Book Reviews

Happy Thursday everyone! Can y'all believe that June is almost over? I really can't. It has flown by! Between working two jobs and taking a harder summer class, I still managed to take time to read seven good books. I loved reading a variety of diverse books this month and hope you find some great recommendations.

Educated: A Memoir by: Tara Westover

Oh my word, y'all this book hooked me from the very beginning. It is crazy to think people live this way. Tara Westover was born to a family of survivalist Mormons in the mountains of Idaho and didn't step foot into a school until she was 17. Her family didn't believe in hospitals, schools, or many modern amenities. She suffered different forms of physical and verbal abuse. This was gripping, inspiring, awfully sad, and beautifully written. I really recommend!

5 Stars

From Twinkle, with Love by: Sandhya Menon

I was super excited to buy this book when it came out because last month I really loved this authors book When Dimple Met Rishi. I love how light and fun her books are while educating readers on Indian families and cultures. This is a sweet story about a teenage girl who dream of being a film maker. Throw in a love triangle she is involved in the boy of her dreams and his dorky twin brother and I am SOLD. It was quick, cute, and I recommend.

4 Stars!

American Panda by: Gloria Chao

I expected this book to be a lot like the previous book I read. I thought it would be quick, light, and cute. This book surprised me however because the cheesy love story wasn't the main focus. I LOVED the emphasis on the culture and expectations of Chinese Americans. This book did such a great job on shedding light on the struggle of being born in America to parents from another country and the pressure that accompanies it. I really recommend this one also.

4 Stars!

The Sun Is Also a Star by: Nicola Yoon

I hate to say I wasn't a huge fan of this book. It too contained very diverse characters but I feel that the story didn't really do the cultures and characters justice. It fell short for me. I will say though that the audio book was great because they had two different people reading it. This helped me visualize the story even more. Overall, the audio book did a great job with a story that I really didn't care for. I don't recommend.

2 Stars

The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz by: Denis Avey

WOW this book is amazing. This is the true story of Denis Avey who was captured and placed in a POW camp right by Auschwitz. His story of the camps and trading places with two prisoners of Auschwitz are truly incredible and awful. It doesn't matter how many books I read on WWII and these terrible torture camps, it still always shocks me and rattles me a little to think about how inhumane their treatment was. I will say that the first half of this book was boring. There were over 50 pages describing a battle in the dessert and it was just dry (no pun intended). I am a total history and war junkie and find books solely on war interesting (nerd alert nerd alert) but it dragged on a little too long. Overall however, this book is great though and I would really recommend it.

4 Stars

Starry Eyes by: Jenn Bennett

This is another YA Fiction book that I picked up because I liked a previous title from this author. I gave Bennett's book Alex Approximately 3.5 stars and thought it was pretty cute but had some technical problems with it. What is weird is that I want to like her books SO much, but they always fall a TIINNY bit short. I was hooked, related to the main characters need to plan for everything, and found it a relatively quick read, but didn't like the love interest which kind of ruined the whole book for me. Anyways, it was cute but not my favorite.

3 stars

The Book Whisperer by: Donalyn Miller

I just finished reading this book and LOVED it. This book is written by a lady who has taught reading for years and has such a great outlook on inspiring life long readers. Her research and ideas are so inspiring and I can't wait to apply her methods to my own classroom. If you want to inspire your students to love reading, or struggle to teach reading, you NEED this one!

5 Stars!

Currently Reading:

The Wonder by: Emma Donoghue

I am reading this book right now and it is off to a great start. I picked it up mainly because I thought Emma Donoghue's book Room was phenomenal. I will update you how it is when I finish!

What are you reading? Have you read any good books this month? Let me know in the comments below!

Talk to you very soon!

xoxo