July, 2020
July 4th, 2020, 2:16 p.m. - It took me longer than I'd like to admit to get the Kansas/under the rainbow thing
26. Under the Rainbow (Celia Laskey)
Up next: They Did Bad Things (Lauren A. Forry)
July 10th, 2020, 5:12 p.m. - An unsolvable mystery
27. They Did Bad Things (Lauren A. Forry)
Up next: Unfollow (Megan Phelps-Roper)
July 17th, 2020, 5:04 p.m. - The dangers of indoctrination
28. Unfollow (Megan Phelps-Roper)
Up next: The Age of Miracles (Karen Thompson Walker)
July 22nd, 2020, 6:29 p.m. - Turn off the dark
29. The Age of Miracles (Karen Thompson Walker)
Up next: Darling Rose Gold (Stephanie Wrobel)
July 26th, 2020, 3:24 p.m. - How many books will I read in July? Let's find out!
30. Darling Rose Gold (Stephanie Wrobel)
But I did learn from reading this that having likable characters in a book isn't as important to me as it used to be. Because trust me, there isn't one likable character in this book.
Up next: Pretty as a Picture (Elizabeth Little)
I expected something different from this, but what I got was actually better. This is more like a series of linked short stories or character profiles than a novel. I just wish we'd gotten more development of the more interesting characters.
I was really excited for this when I first heard about it, but it didn't live up to what I was hoping for. Don't give me a mystery no one can solve!
I remember reading years ago that Phelps-Roper had left Westboro Baptist Church, but I never knew why. Here, she details the harmful beliefs she was raised with and held until she was into her mid-20s, then what made her want to leave (in a nutshell, she started to think for herself). Instead of being angry at the church for being so hateful, I finished this book feeling sorry for them. They've been controlled for so long – by their beliefs and their church's rules – that they don't get how hypocritical they are. Like Phelps-Roper, I hope someone will reach out to them the way someone did with her, and they'll eventually leave.
I figured Walker's The Dreamers, which I read last year, would be her most fitting book for a pandemic, but this one works, too. In a nutshell: If Earth's rotation ever slows, we're screwed.
I'm not sure why people are calling this a thriller, since it isn't, really. Or if it's supposed to be a thriller, it didn't do much thrilling. Parts of it were pretty predictable. I'm not sure it deserves all the raves it's been getting.