June Book Reviews

June Book Reviews

The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson 4/5 Stars
I’ve never before read a dark Southern magical realism book but that’s what this is and I like it. It takes place within a small area in a bayou which gives it a Gothic feel as well. The synopsis didn’t completely appeal to me but the plot is just a means to explore human nature in a handful of very different, messed-up-in-their-own-way people. This is one of the more unique books I’ve read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Devolution by Max Brooks 4/5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn’t have to get too far into the book before I was hooked and flew through the rest of it.
This is a fictional compilation of the journal of Katie, one of the residents of a green community near Mount Rainier when it erupts, and a few other interviews. The eruption has caused a group of Bigfoot to hunt prey near their community and, eventually, the people themselves. The fact that I was heading south from Seattle, passing Mount Rainier, and on my way to another national park at the time of reading this probably heightened the amount that I was spooked by this book, but it is most likely the book that has scared me the most in my adult reading. The author does a great job of making the fears and the drive of survival of the characters feel real. Highly recommended.

Lemongrass Hope by Amy Impellizzeri 4/5 Stars
This book was a delightful surprise. I got it while it was free almost two years ago on Amazon and it’s been sitting on my kindle ever since. This is the second free kindle book that has seriously impressed me. It is set in Kate’s past and present and explores the relationships she has with her husband and the man she had a whirlwind six-week romance with just before dating him. I don’t want to give any of the magic of this story away, but know that I finished it in about 24 hours.

I did read a few other books this month: many of them were the Harry Potter audio books and I don’t usually like to review books past the first in a series; and two of them I only gave two stars and don’t like to write reviews for those unless they really get me riled up. If you’d like to see what I’m reading now you can follow me on Goodreads.