July 2023 Mid-Month Wrap Up
July 12 is close enough to the middle of the month. Let's talk about what I've read so far this month.
The Windsor Knot by S. J. Bennett - I accidentally put this in my June wrap-up, but I really finished it on July 2. I'm just trying to set the record straight.
Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate - I think I mentioned before how impressed I was by the high production quality of this book. The paper was smooth and fancy, each chapter heading had an illustration on the facing page, and it was clearly made to last. But even more than that, it was a good story. 50 years in the future, the Earth is heading for it's end. Yes, climate change has been disastrous, but the real menace is a meteor that will collide with the planet. Top scientist have created a spaceship that will support life for the hundreds of years it will take to get to a planet that may be inhabitable by humans. The children of those scientists and big political movers and shakers tour the model spaceship and learn how it all will work when the time comes. Then, the next morning, the time comes. Approximately 50 teenagers and one adult make it to the ship before it takes off. The adult doesn't make it through liftoff. So now these kids have to figure out how to survive when the ship wasn't fully loaded or supplied with what they need. These are smart kids, but they are still teens and it's written really realistically in that regard. Redgate doesn't shy away from killing off her characters. It is a good tale.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - This one. Here's the setup. Nora's life is ruined. Her cat died, she lost her job, she is grieving the loss of her boyfriend, her brother hates her. She goes home and takes a boatload of pills. Then she goes to the Midnight Library, peopled only by her grade school librarian, Mrs. Elm. On the shelves are millions of books. Each book contains a life she could have lived. She goes through her regrets and sees how her life would be right now if she had made a different decision. Wouldn't you know it, they weren't that great either. She bounces around through hundreds of other lives trying to find the right one. I'm gonna ruin the ending for you. All you need is love. The Beatles were right all along. I liked it, but I'm kind of disappointed in how heavy handed the message was.
Firebird by Sunmi - I got approved for a digital ARC of this YA graphic novel. It's about Caroline Kim who is a sophomore. Her dad lives in South Korea and she lives with her mom who works several jobs. To pad her college applications she starts tutoring Kim Park-Ocampo, a senior, in math on Tuesdays. Kim's dad has been gone for a long time. She lives with her mom and twin brother and sister. Once again, mom works a lot so Kim helps with her siblings. Kim has a reputation as a "wild girl". Also, she's openly gay. Kim and Caroline become friends over the year they are tutoring, and it works it's way into something more. The end was very abrupt. The girls admitted they had caught feelings and blam! it's over. It was very introspective which is difficult for a graphic novel and it was partially in Korean with English "subtitles". I like it, but I wish there was more.
Now, if you'll think back to my July TBR, you may be saying "Adrienne, literally none of these books are on your TBR." You would be correct. Alone Out Here was on my June TBR, it just bled over a little. I AM reading from my July TBR, but considering that the month is almost half over, I better pick up steam.