I met my reading goal for the year of 50 books! Now I’m done reading for the year!

Ha ha ha, just kidding. I updated my goal to 75.

A few other book thoughts before my recent reads:

• Oh my gosh, apparently people are microwaving their library books to “sanitize” them?! They were talking about it on the radio this week, telling people not to – lots of library books have metal in the spines. Errr. Derp.
• Work book club was supposed to be this week but only one person read the book – me. Sigh. I told people to let me know if they read it, so we can meet.
• When a book you are reading includes bits of poetry or song lyrics, do you read them? I try to, but they never have any meaning to me! Blah, poetry.

Images from Goodreads

[48] Most Likely by Sarah Watson
Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, saw on @alltheradreads Instagram story & @anniebjones05 Instagram post

Synopsis: Ava, CJ, Jordan, and Martha have been best friends most of their life, and are in their senior year of high school, grappling with growing up and potentially growing apart. One of them will become the president of the United States – but which one of them?

Review: It was a blast trying to figure out who would be president (there’s a clue I found that gave it away!) and the ending was sneakily clever. I struggled with remembering which character was which though, which I shouldn’t have – they were quite distinct! Having to constantly remind myself who was who took away some of the enjoyment of the story. I also found it hard to believe that a group of four gals could be friends for so long and be so mature about their issues with one another, but only because that was not my experience growing up.

Recommend? For adults no, for actual YA, yes

[49] Running for My Life: One Lost Boy’s Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games by Lopez Lomong with Mark Tabb
Biography & Autobiography / Sports, heard about on the I’ll Have Another podcast

Synopsis: When Lopez Lomong was six-years-old, he and the rest of the children in his Sudanese village were abducted to become child rebel soldiers. Lomong escaped and ended up in a refugee camp in Kenya for many years, until a family in the United States sponsored to foster him. Once in America, he had to learn English, how to adapt to American “comforts,” and how to be comfortable being away from his refugee family… all while worrying it was a “mistake” that he was there and it could be taken away at any moment.

Review: This book! It draws you in right from the start. Even though we know Lomong ends up as an Olympian running for the United States, he tells his story in a way that makes you sit on the edge of your seat. His story of hope, positivity, faith, and resilience with all he’s gone through is incredibly inspiring. His transformation from having nearly nothing in Sudan and Kenya, to going to a home in the United States with abundant food and clothes, and indoor plumbing and other luxuries was eye-opening, and a good reminder to be grateful for physical comforts. Actually, this book is a good reminder to be grateful for many things in life – physical comforts, your health, family, connectivity, peace, etc. This book was so enlightening for me.

Recommend? Yes yes yes! Read this book!

[50] Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Fiction / Literary, heard about on Sarah’s Bookshelves Live podcast (many times)

Synopsis: Mickey is a cop who patrols a Philadelphia neighborhood where her sister Kacey, a drug user and sex-worker, lives. Mickey and Kacey were close throughout all of childhood, but now Mickey’s interactions with her are limited to when she sees her in the streets, and she hasn’t for a long time. Several women are murdered in the neighborhood, and Mickey is worried the next person will be Kacey. She makes it her mission to find the murderer and her sister, before it’s too late.

Review: This story is told in alternating timelines between the now of searching for Kacey and solving the murder mystery, and the past of Mickey and Kacey’s adolescence. Their mom dies from opioid addiction when they’re very young, and they live with their maternal grandmother who is not kind or loving toward them, and that really (duh) affects them. I absolutely loved this book and how it all came together, and it was so clever – there were many plot twists I did not foresee. We all know I love family drama, and whoa, diving in to their upbringing was tough. It hurt my heart to see these two little girls trying to make it in a world with no family showing them love and support. I completely believed Mickey and Kacey to be who they were, because of how they were raised. I 100% recommend this book! Note: it does not use quotation marks for dialogue, which I thought would bother me, but didn’t.

Recommend: YES! Five stars!