Recently Read - Vol. 19 (May '17)

It's the second Tuesday of the month and if you're a regular reader, you know what that means - it's the Show Us Your Books link up day with Jana and Steph.

May was the same as April in terms of quantity of books that read.  (I did attempt four, but only finished three).  Here's what I read last month:

The City by Dean Koontz

Format: Audiobook | My Rating: DNF

Goodreads describes The City as a "riveting, soul-stirring coming of age story of a young man with exceptional gifts." Within the description, words such as extra-ordinary, heart racing, and unforgettable saga are also used.  I'm not sure what book they are talking about, but it's not the one I attempted and finally abandoned.

For me, The City was slow out of the gate, but I persisted and gave it a chance. It continued to be slow moving, so much so that I couldn't listen to it during my morning commute because it was literally putting me to sleep.  Four hours into the book, the plot was no more clear to me than it was when I first started the book.  I had no idea of where the book was going nor did I have any idea of what the point of the story was and, honestly, this frustrated the dickens out of me.  During the two weeks that I attempted to listen to this audiobook, I managed to finish two other audiobooks in their entirety.  At that point, I said screw it and I threw in the towel.  Life is much too short to suffer through books that you don't enjoy.

*As I did not finish this book, I can't recommend it.  A friend of mine suffered (his words, not mine) through it and he said he wouldn't recommend it, despite being a Koontz fan.

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

Read May 6-10 | Format: Audiobook | My Rating: 4/5

Think - How Stella Got Her Groove Back meets Castaway

Thirty year old Anna is hired to tutor sixteen year old TJ with his family one summer while on vacation in the Maldives.  En route, their seaplane goes down.  They survive and wash up on an abandoned island where they must adapt and learn to survive.  Not the best writing that I've ever read and it was heavy on the dialogue, but overall it was a very enjoyable reading experience for me.

*I recommend this book.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Read May 12-15 | Format: Audiobook | My Rating: 4/5

Think - Modern Classic Worth the Time

If you've seen the classic movie staring the heartthrobs Matt Damon Dillion*, Rob Lowe, and the late Patrick Swayze in their youth, then you know the story.  The movie closely resembles the classic novel, but, as in most cases, the book provides more details.  It was a very quick "listen" and I'm sorry that I didn't read/listen to it sooner.

*I highly recommend this book.

Somebody I Used to Know by David Bell

May 16 - June 1 | Format:  Audiobook | My rating: 3.5/5

Think - Murder Mystery Meets Lifetime Movie

This book started out with a bang, I mean, like a horse out of the gate.  It captured my attention quickly.  The premise was very interesting - a man goes to a grocery story and sees a woman who looks just like his dead girlfriend of twenty years.  The next day, the woman is found murdered and she has the name of the man on a piece of paper in her pocket.  

But, as the story unfolded, it started to lose momentum.  By the time I reached the last hour to hour and a half, I increased the narrator speed from 1.0 to 1.25 just to get it over with.  I'm not sure where the book's energy started to fizzle, but it did, at least for me.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.  

*As far as recommendations, I am neutral.  My advice - proceed with caution.

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So, have you read anything lately worth recommending?  If so, please share.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Linking up with:

*Thanks Jana...