2022 READING CHALLENGE | WHAT I'VE READ IN JULY

July has been a really good month for reading. I've read five books which are a great mix of genres from thrillers to a light hearted romance. 



One by one by Ruth Ware
Snow is falling in the exclusive alpine ski resort of Saint Antoine, as the shareholders and directors of Snoop, the hottest new music app, gather for a make or break corporate retreat to decide the future of the company. At stake is a billion-dollar dot com buyout that could make them all millionaires, or leave some of them out in the cold. The clock is ticking on the offer, and with the group irrevocably split, tensions are running high. When an avalanche cuts the chalet off from help, and one board member goes missing in the snow, the group is forced to ask - would someone resort to murder, to get what they want?


I'm usually a fan of Ware's books however this wasn't one of my favourites. I've given it 3 stars on goodreads as I felt some parts got a bit boring.




Wish you were here by Jodi Picoult
Diana O'Toole is perfectly on track. Her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos. But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It's all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. Assuring her she should still go alone, she reluctantly does. Almost immediately, Diana's dream vacation goes awry. The whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father's suspicion of outsiders.  

As a huge fan of Picoult I'm glad to say I really enjoyed Wish you were here. It's the first book I've read that mentions Covid and is well researched and written.It takes an unexpected turn which I think worked well.




How to kill your family by Bella Mackie
When Grace Bernard discovers her absentee millionaire father has rejected her dying mother’s pleas for help, she vows revenge, and sets about to kill every member of his family. Readers have a front row seat as Grace picks off the family one by one. I've heard so much about this book and it's a bestseller, however I was deeply disappointed. I found the murders to be too far fetched and there were moments where it got boring and I was close to giving up on it.



Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi lives in the House. Perhaps he always has. 
In his notebooks, day after day, he makes a clear and careful record of its wonders: the labyrinth of halls, the thousands upon thousands of statues, the tides that thunder up staircases, the clouds that move in slow procession through the upper halls. On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone.

Messages begin to appear, scratched out in chalk on the pavements. There is someone new in the House. But who are they and what do they want? Are they a friend or do they bring destruction and madness as the Other claims?Lost texts must be found; secrets must be uncovered. The world that Piranesi thought he knew is becoming strange and dangerous.

Definitely a strange and unqiue read that took me a fair while to get into. 



Book Lovers by Emily Henry 
Nora is a cut-throat literary agent at the top of her game. Her whole life is books.

Charlie is an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers. And he's Nora's work nemesis.

Nora has been through enough break-ups to know she's the one men date before finding their happy-ever-after. To prevent another dating dud, Nora's sister has persuaded her to swap her city desk for a month's holiday in Sunshine Falls. It's a small town straight out of a romance novel, but instead of meeting sexy lumberjacks, handsome doctors or cute bartenders, Nora keeps bumping into...Charlie.

Book Lovers is one of those easy romance reads that is perfect for the summer. 

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