What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

My reading slowed down the past few weeks when I was sick, but I still got through a decent number of books in the last month. Here's what I've been reading:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith: This was cute YA fluff, which is great if that's what you're looking for. I had nitpicks about some different parts, but I was still rooting for everything to work out in the end.

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor: I very much enjoyed this story of a family of five girls set in New York in the early 1900s, and it would be great to read with children for the many discussion topics it provides (e.g., Judaism, getting a new baby sibling, how adults and children sometimes see things differently).

The Book of Chameleons by José Eduardo Agualusa: I didn't particularly enjoy this read, but I liked the ideas the book explores about truth, memory, and family. It's a tribute to Jorge Luis Borges, so you may be better off just reading Borges' work on these topics.

A Letter to My Congregation: An evangelical pastor's path to embracing people who are gay, lesbian and transgender in the company of Jesus by Ken Wilson: His ideas are very similar to those in Generous Spaciousness, but I preferred that book. I found Wilson's focus to be too much on himself ("You don't understand how hard it is to be a pastor!") and wish the book had been more heavily edited before it was published for a wider audience than his own congregation. Also, people need to stop lumping in transgender individuals when talking about sexual orientation if they're not going to address gender identity at all.

The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson: An upswing in the Shades of London series after the disappointment of the second book, The Madness Underneath. It reminded me what I liked about the first book, and I'm looking forward to the next installment!

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: This was a reread, but I appreciate Walls' memoir-writing skills so much more now that I've read a lot of memoirs. Her childhood stories are engaging, shocking, and thought-provoking, and she doesn't get in their way with too much commentary or emotion.

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick: I have no idea how this would stand up for someone who'd never seen The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, but as a huge fan of the web series I loved what they did with this book. It's a great demonstration that each medium has its own strengths and weaknesses for telling a particular story.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: This was sweet and well written. I didn't fall in love with it the way a lot of people have (I was too hung up on the whole "boy I like has a girlfriend and I'm going to steal him away from her" notion), but I liked it a lot and would recommend it if you're looking for a good YA romance.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: I really liked this retelling of Cinderella with awesome feminist themes about consent and rebelling against those who try to control you. I thought it would be uncomfortable to read about Ella being forced to do things against her will, but she's way too strong of a character to let something like an obedience curse stand in her way. Highly recommended.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: This held up to the many accolades it's received. It's beautifully written, and the post-apocalyptic world it introduces is carefully and realistically constructed. The flashes back and forth in time and switches between characters meant the book was too sprawling for my taste at times, but I still very much enjoyed the read and would recommend it.

What have you been reading this month? Share over at Modern Mrs. Darcy!

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Thanks for supporting A Cocoon of Books!