June reads

I had trouble getting into anything this month and I hated the endings on most of the books, so take my reviews this month with a grain of salt!!

Lament, The Faerie Queen’s Deception by Maggie Stiefvater 3* YA Deidre is a gifted harpist who draws the attention of fairies. She begins to discover talents of being able to see fairies and telekenisis. Fairies aren’t playful sprites in this book, they bear ill will towards humans like Deidre.

Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright 4* set in the 1930’s it revolves around Clara, a small town teacher. Starts off a little slow, but then you realize even small town teachers have hidden secrets. Set in Canada and NY where Clara’s sister Nora is a famous radio personality.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick 4* a rich man advertises for a “reliable wife” in the early 1900’s. The woman who responds and eventually arrives is not what he expected.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri 4* interwoven stories from different Indian families in America. I normally don’t like short stories, but these all fit together and it was a great read.

The World Below by Sue Miller 4* the parallel lives of Georgia and her granddaughter Catherine decades apart, while it seems they don’t have much in common, Catherine later finds they do. The novel tells of Georgia’s youth and her time in a sanitarium due to TB in her teens. Catherine is a twice divorced mother of 3 trying to decide whether to move to her grandmother’s old house or continue on as she is, when she comes across Georgia’s old journals.

The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar 3* A couple’s son dies at the age of 7 unexpectedly and takes a toll on their marriage as the husband blames the wife. They move to India hoping to get away from all the memories of their son. Once there the husband finds a surrogate son in their housekeeper’s child causing tension between both families.

Life Without Summer by Lynne Griffin 3* a woman is devastated when her 4yr old daughter is killed in a hit-and-run accident. She starts seeing a therapist who or may not be connected in some way.

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee 3.5* parallel stories set in Hong Kong in the 1940’s at the start of the war and then 10 years later after the war.

A Short History of Women by Kate Walbert ARC 3* An interesting look into several generations of women within one family. It starts with the first woman in the 1920’s who starves herself for women’s suffrage leaving behind 2 children in the process. It goes on to tell each generation’s story. I just didn’t feel much connection with any of the characters because she skipped from generation to generation. Overall it was an interesting look at each generation’s issues, but the characters themselves didn’t have enough depth.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See 3.5* 2 sisters try to make it out of Shanghai right as the Japanese are attacking to meet their husbands in America. They have been forced into arranged marriages by their father. They finally arrive in America and it’s not at all what they thought. Would have be 4* but I hated the ending!!