I am super-duper late in posting my speed round reviews for July!
The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
A couple of years ago, Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up became a phenomenon. The book not only promised a decluttering of your home, but of your life. I had always been curious, but not enough to sit down and read it. When this graphic novel was released, I thought it would be the perfect way to learn about the KonMari process without feeling like I was being overloaded with info. I found myself genuinely intrigued with the process, going so far as to declutter and rid myself of two big garbage bags full of clothes. I'm hoping to continue the process, because I really like Marie Kondo's message: get rid of the things that don't spark joy to have a joyful life. As for the manga aspect, the story was pretty cheesy but it also was a fun way to show how a person doing this sort of thing would feel during the process.
This was my Book of the Month pick for July. It's a quick read in a diary-like format about a 30 year old woman who moves in with her parents after a broken engagement and the reveal that her father has dementia. At first, I wasn't much of a fan of the writing, which was haughty and felt a bit stilted at times. But as I got into the rhythm, I really enjoyed it and thought that the format and writing style were actually pretty perfect for the story. It's a heartbreaking story, but there's humor in it, too (like life!). It's also a super quick read at 200 pages. (P.S. If you're interested in BOTM, I have a referral link! Let me know so I can send it to you.)
This was my disappointing read of the month. To be fair, there has been a ton of hype about this book and I had high hopes. It's YA contemporary (my go-to) with a fat MC who doesn't fret about losing weight or being someone she isn't. A great message. That said, and I know a lot of people agree with me, I was surprised at how judgmental Willowdean was of the people around her. I think that's how teens are, so I'm mostly letting it slide (we judge others mostly because we are feeling insecure about ourselves, and this is something Willowdean faces in a variety of ways, not necessarily because of her body). The truth is that....this book was boring. I really wish that more time had been spent on the pageant and her friendship instead of her boy woes, but mostly it just dragged. I put Ramona Blue, Murphy's recent release, to the side recently because I couldn't get into it. Maybe that's just Julie Murphy's style, but if that's the case then it isn't really for me.
This book snuck up on me. I spotted it at work, read the first couple of paragraphs, and knew it had to come home with me. Eleanor Oliphant is a 30 year old woman who sticks to a life of routine and anti-social behavior until she develops a crush on a local musician. She starts to step outside of the box and learns a lot about herself along the way. This book is funny, truly, but it is also pretty darn dark. Eleanor has had a rough life and Honeyman doesn't stray away from exploring this. It's important to me that these things be explored honestly and even with a bit of humor, and I think she did a great job. A surprise winner that I'd definitely recommend to others!
People are loving this book. The storyline is very "now" and I like that. Tash Zelinka and her friends have been working on a web series of a modern-day adaptation of Anna Karenina (because Tash hearts Tolstoy!). They find success overnight and a lot of things start to change, as they tend to do in these intense situations. At the heart of the story, though, is Tash's confusing feelings for one of her best friends and the budding flirtation between her and a fellow vlogger. Add the fact that Tash is romantic asexual and unsure of how to explain it to others and you have a bunch of conflict! I'll admit that I didn't know much about asexuality before, and I love that Ormsbee had us learn along with Tash as well as see how she handles the way that her friends understand (or not).
People all over the bookish world have been loving this book and I was so excited to read it. The language is beautiful and I absolutely love that a lot of it took place in a secondhand bookshop and focused a lot on the way books affect our lives. If I had my druthers, though, the romance would've been more of a focal point. Perhaps it's because we get both Rachel and Henry's perspectives (and Henry is very confused about his feelings), but I felt like more angsty longing would've really set this book over the top for me. That said, I really enjoyed it and highlighted the heck out of it on my Kindle.
A contemporary YA romance set in Italy in the summer? I mean, talk about tickin' all the boxes. I was excited to read this because the overall Goodreads consensus is CUTE and that's exactly what I needed. It's not just cute, though. Lina's mother has died from a short and brutal battle with pancreatic cancer and, as a promise to her mother, is sent to live in Italy with the father she knew nothing about. Lina is not thrilled. She's grieving, she's surrounded by strangers, and her mother has left behind a journal that discusses a mystery love affair that Lina is desperate to figure out. The story takes place over less than a week, so the romance feels a little fast. I will definitely be checking out Welch's next book, though. It was also fun to see that her father is Richard Paul Evans, the prolific writer who I got into this past Christmas season with his Mistletoe collection!
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