I started my online courses with ASU this month and I’ve read a few interesting short stories that I wanted to include in this month’s Reading Lately linkup. And in January I bought this rechargeable LED reading light. The battery lasted until last week, when I realized I lost the charger. I don’t think I could buy just the charger and it’s on sale for $18 so I just bought a second one.
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Reading Lately
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Not what I was expecting. The ending was really sad for me because it hit home being so descriptive about watching someone slowly lose the fight with cancer. The book was about a man, Tom, who takes a job as a light keeper on a remote island. It is just him and his wife Isabelle on the island, and the sad memories of the babies she’s lost. He is a war veteran so he enjoys the solitude of the island. But Isabelle yearns for her family as she grieves. Then a boat washes up on the island with a crying baby and her dead father. Isabelle feels that their prayers have been answered. Tom struggles with the decision to keep the baby, but ultimately decides to do so for the sake of his wife. As time goes on, one of the two struggles with the decision and makes a life changing decision.
The book was definitely a page turner, there were times I had to have some serious self discipline and not read ahead to find out what happened. Sometimes it was because parts were a little slow, but usually because I was curious to know what was going to happen. The descriptions of the island were beautiful, you felt like you were really there. But there still felt like there was something that didn’t quite wow me about the book.
Stone Animals by Kelly Link
This is one of the short stories I had to read for school. I have very mixed feelings on this. I was left feeling very confused and asking a lot of questions. The ending comes very abruptly and seems to happen right as the story reaches its climax. This story is about a family moving from New York City to a house in the country upstate. Henry and his very pregnant wife, Catherine, and their two kids, Tilly and Carleton. It starts off normal enough with them buying the house, but it quickly becomes a story of magical realism and horror. The story depicts the struggles of marriage, dealing with separation/isolation, and loss of control as their new house and all their belongings become haunted.
Sea Oak by George Saunders
This was another short story I had to read for school that was also very interesting. The main character/narrator is a male stripper at a restaurant and comes from a dysfunctional family. He lives with his aunt, sister, and female cousin in a very poor neighborhood. This is especially portrayed by how uneducated his sister and cousin are. A lot of their speech is incorrect which frustrated me, but the story was interesting. With a death in the family, they have to find a way to cover funeral costs and cope with moving forward. Some definite unexpected events occur, but it shows how they find motivation to move forward and out of their poor neighborhood.
Currently Reading
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Reading Next
Pretty Little Liars Book 1 by Sara Shepard
I actually got an email from Goodreads because this was on my To Read list that the kindle version is on sale for $1.99! Yes please! And don’t say I’m too old or too late to the PLL party, I’ve definitely watched it all. But I wanted to read it too.
A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
I actually bought this book because an ad came up on my Facebook saying that it was the new favorite of Harry Potter fans. How could I resist after that statement? It was only $0.99 (free if you have Kindle Unlimited) so I figured why not?! I’m excited, but I don’t think anything could come close to my love for Harry Potter.
On June 1st, Erin of TexErin-in-Sydneyland will be announcing the categories for her Book Challenge 5.0! I’m so impatiently waiting for this list so I can find the books I want to read, buy them all, and have them sit next to my bed until I can start the challenge. I really enjoyed participating in the challenge that ran from January to the end of April. It was a great way to encourage more reading as well as discover new books to read and see people’s opinions. There’s a great Facebook group you can join if you want to participate.
We’re also hosting a Reading Lately GIVEAWAY! Enter below to win a $25 gift card to Amazon! You can use it to buy books, or not. Enjoy 🙂
Related Posts:
Reading Lately April
Reading Lately March
Reading Lately February
Reading Lately January
Book Challenge
Oh my god Jurrasic Park the book is so much better than the movie and I’m going to pick up The Light Between The Oceans looks like a good read
I’m obsessed with the movies and I’m LOVING the book so far!! Definitely check it out and let me know what you think 🙂
So…I know my link if from a couple of weeks ago, but I told you that would happen. I’ve been using the #readinglately hashtag on Instagram 🙂 Thanks for the shout-out for the book challenge.
I love your book challenge! So much fun and I love finding seeing everyones reviews and finding new books to read 🙂 And I love seeing your pictures on Instagram! Had a few too many things to post this time so no favorites unfortunately. But regardless, thank you for linking up with us! Loved reading your book reviews.
The Light Between Oceans sounds interesting and I’ve seen it floating around before. I’ll have to request it from the library at some point.
It was a great book! Not quite what I expected, but very interesting. I’d love to see what you think of it!
I read Jurassic Park as a kid due to the movie but probably need to give it another go.
The Light Between Oceans is on my list to read this summer. I think I’m going to save it for the challenge as my blue book.
Haha I totally thought that would be perfect after seeing the challenge categories! I’m loving Jurassic Park so far 🙂