Books I Read Last Month

Now if you aren’t a book lover then feel free to skip over this post. I read some interesting books in the last month and thought it would be interesting to share my opinion.

 

 

1. “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed 

I ran out and bought this book after I found out they were making a movie about the story to be released this year. If you’re like me then you need to read the book before the movie or else the movie takes the imagination out of reading the book.The book is a memoir about a Cheryl’s trek of more than a thousand miles along the Pacific Crest Trail. This book is so much more than a typical adventure tale as Cheryl shares what it was like to lose her mother suddenly and have her family torn apart by grief. I read this book in one sitting as it was so easy to be lost in the thoughts of Cheryl as she battles against the physical hurt of the hike and the deeper emotional hurt of her loss. Also, when you get to the part with the horse, you will cry/weep.

2. “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn 

I picked this one up from a tiny beach side book exchange in Koh Tao as I was in the mood for something gripping and a little scary. Gone Girl fufilled the criteria perfectly and I was hooked from the first chapter. A normal married couple’s lives are torn apart when the wife goes missing on their wedding anniversary. As the events unfold, the story takes a dark turn and becomes utterly unputdownable. Without giving to much away, Gone Girl has one of the most unexpected plot twists of any book I have read.

3. “The Casual Vacancy” by J.K Rowling

This book was also found at aforementioned beach side book exchange. As a book lover I had heard a lot about this offering from J.K Rowling so I was quite keen to give it a crack. At first read, you might be thinking the story sounds a little boring. The small town of Pagford is left in shock when a member of the parish council drops dead. This leaves a much coveted seat on the council board. The story follows a number of town residents as they grapple with the death of the councilman, vie for the seat on the council and war with each other as only members of a small town can. Upon reading the blurb I thought this one could be a little boring but I was wrong. J.K Rowling really knows how to tell a story and tell a story she does! I think the characters are so unique and interesting and this is what keeps you turning pages.

4. Is everyone hanging out without me? (and other concerns)” by Mindy Kahling 

Let me just say that I love Mindy Kahling. She is a refreshing face in hollywood and her writing for The Office is super funny. I think she is gorgeous and talented.. but I didn’t like this book. I just kept thinking that her first book should have been so much better. Basically the book was a collection of essays and memories from her coming of age. There seemed to be no reason or rhyme to the layout of the book. It just felt disjointed and a little bit rushed. It did only take me a couple of hours to read so if you are looking for an easy beach read then give this one a go.

5. “Where did you go Bernadette?” by Maria Semple 

I read the bulk of this book on the plane from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu. The book tells the story of Bernadette Fox, an eccentric architect who is raising her daughter in Seattle with her husband, a Microsoft genius. The true action starts when Bernadette suddenly goes missing. Unlike any book I have read, the bulk of the story unfolds through a collection of correspondences, letters, emails and phone calls. In all honesty it took me ages to get into this book but around half way through I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. Although a little unbelievable at the end, I found this a unique and interesting read.

6. “Tell no one” by Harlan Coben 

This book was a spontaneous purchase after reading Gone Girl because it had a very similar plot. The protagonist Alexandre Beck lost his high school sweetheart and wife eight years ago on their anniversary (similar much?). The case is reopened with him as the prime suspect and after a string of suspicious emails, Beck begins to think his wife might still be alive and someone is setting him up. The story unfolds with a number of surprising plot twists but just lacks the originality of Gone Girl. Tell No One is a rather generic thriller that makes an easy read but is nothing special. Let me just say that the plot twist on the last page is totally unnecessary and seems to be a final grasp at some originality but comes across as a bit desperate.

7. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins 

As a huge fan of the first two Hunger Games books I was super excited to get my hands on this one. The story is quite epic and revolves around the war between District 13 and The Capitol. I was a little disappointed in this one as it just wasn’t as addictive as the first two. There was no Hunger Games in this book and all the fighting did lose my interest for awhile. I am team Peeta (Gale is just so bleurgh) and he just wasn’t in the book very much and when he was he was a bit crazy. Although I was a little disappointed it was probably because of my super high expectations and I will definitely be first in line when the movie comes out.

Did you read any good books this last month? Share them with me because I am always on the lookout for good books! (Although I have seven on my bedside table at the moment..) Leave us a comment or send us an email at dirtypawsblog@gmail.com. 

 

 

 

 

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