July Reads

July was one of the best months so far for reading. I finished 13 books, due in part to my taking part in BooktubeAThon, which motivated me to read 6 books in 7 days. I was going for 7 (the challenge goal) or 8 books (the goal I set for myself) but I am pretty pleased with how I did with that challenge. In August, I will be participating in another weeklong reading event, this time called the 7-in-7 Readathonand I plan to try again. More on that later. For now, let’s just celebrate the 13 books I did read in July.

The Physics of Everyday Things – a walk through a normal day of a person living in a modern city with advanced technology and show the different principles of physics that were at work in each machine. (Reviewed here)
Rubbing Stones – a US family and a family from Botswana, both have teenaged boys in trouble and when they meet on an African safari trip, their problems intensify. (Reviewed here)
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves – a young woman making peace with her family for her uncharacteristically difficult childhood.
The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Nighttime – a teenaged savant investigates the murder of the neighbor’s dog and writes a journal about what he is learning about his family during the process.
The Dip is about figuring out what to do when you’re in a project that isn’t working out – whether to quit or to dig in your heels and give it your all.
Girl In Snow – a popular teen girl has been murdered and several of the suspects reveal clues that might either help solve or complicate the investigation. (Reviewed here)
In Man Tiger, a murder has been committed but through a series of flashbacks and remembrances, detailing family histories, the role of victim and aggressor are challenged.
Here And Gone – a young mother is arrested after a traffic stop in Arizona and loses track of her children’s whereabouts. (Reviewed here)
A Tale For The Time Being (2013 Man Booker Prize finalist) is part novel, part non-fiction where the middle aged author(and main character) finds the diary of a teenaged Japanese girl and their lives intersect as she reads it.
New York 1, Tel Aviv 0 is a collection of short stories comparing life in the two cities, and the sacrifices and compromises one makes to experience one or the other.
Annie John is a series of reflections of a young girl growing up in Antigua and trying to understand her mother both within the context of home and as compared to the other people she interacts with.
The Song of Hannah is a biblical historical fiction surrounding Hannah, mother of Samuel in the Old Testament.
The Sellout (2014 Man Booker Prize winner) – an African American man trying to resolve his childhood issues now that his father has passed away, and exploring race, history and family in both a scholarly and comical way.