June Reading Recap

These past couple months have been a blur. Moving, traveling, nonstop furniture shopping (when will it end?!), attempting to cook healthier meals at home, and looking for and finally finding a job (and not just any job, but basically my dream job thankyouverymuch) have pretty much dominated my waking hours. So, it's no surprise that I only managed to read 3 books in June. See, I'm not a stress-reader. In fact, I'm the opposite. When I'm super busy and slightly stressed, I stop reading altogether. It's a sad, sad tale. But I'm better now. Anyhow, onward to the reading material!

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford (Hyperion, 2009) --- I heard about this book a few months ago because it was being challenged at an Oklahoma middle school (in the end, it was not removed from the library). What's better to draw a crowd than a potential book banning, I say? But, it pains me to admit - I completely understand why the mother wanted this book off the shelves. My goodness! Crawford truly lets us into the inner workings of the teenage male mind, no holds barred. Carter is just starting high school, and there is basically one thing on his mind - he needs to lose his virginity already. Mind you, it's hilarious (sad for Carter, I'm sure) and totally relatable, but I was taken aback by how matter-of-fact and blatantly sexist some parts were. From watching broken porno tapes permanently on fast forward to learning which base corresponds with which sexual encounter to trying out for every sport at school in the hopes of gaining popularity, Carter really just is trying to figure it out. And as you can tell by the title of the book...

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (HarperTeen, 2012) --- How many times have I told myself not to start reading a series unless it has been published in its entirety? I think it's time authors started realizing the agony they put us through. I loved Divergent, but I read it half a year ago, so my connection to the series just wasn't there anymore. Chicago! Dystopia! Things that excite me, to be sure. But I don't remember why all the factions are fighting each other. And I don't know why Tris is running for her life just about all the time. I read the book quickly, as I generally do with these dystopia-types. Sure, I liked it. But I can't say much more than that. I'm sure you can find rave reviews elsewhere.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (MTV Books, 1999) --- I read this book in high school when it was first published, and I've been reading it every couple years since then. I don't do this with any other book, so I guess that makes it my favorite. I love Charlie. I love love love him. The entire book is told through letters that Charlie writes to a mysterious, unnamed "friend." He writes about his first year of high school (set in the 90s), the upperclassmen friends he makes, and life as he sees it. He's naive and definitely a wallflower - he watches others and wonders why they do what they do. He's not the most socially adjusted, but that's just part of his charm. The movie comes out in September, and it looks nothing like what I imagine the book to be. Of course, I'm going to see it anyway.

Hello July, what books will you bring me this month?