I’ve been reading up a storm the last couple of weeks and I’m filling in squares and I even got my first Bingo over the weekend!

Here’s my updated card:

And here are the books I’ve finished since I last shared about books with you:

Square #23, Set in a place you’d like to know more about: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
4 stars
I thought this book was quite good. The subject matter is difficult at times and there is a fair amount of violence but there is an underlying theme of love and hope that surpasses the despair. The descriptions of Alaska are beautiful, it’s almost as if the state is another character in the story. I will say that I think it could have benefited from more aggressive editing, some parts were repetitious and it did drag a bit at times. I’m glad to recommend it but it’s definitely not for the squeamish!

Square #8, Recommended by a friend: This is Water by David Foster Wallace
5 stars
Short and profound, this little book tackles big ideas, promoting the most important thing of all: being present.

Square #19, Historical Fiction: Grace by Natasha Deon
3 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book, a story of a runaway slave who is killed at the very beginning of the novel and is then told from her point of view prior to her murder and for years afterwards as a ghost following her daughter through life. The plot is good although the switching of time lines is sometimes confusing. My issues, however, are with the stereotypical characters and the use of language and descriptions that just don’t fit the time frame. Profanity that wasn’t used at that time, phrases that are modern, and more, are jarring and out of place and make it hard to immerse yourself in the historical context the author is attempting to create. And some of the characters are way overdone, the cheated on and abandoned plantation wife, the drunk and cruel plantation owner, etc. Underground Railroad is a much better novel covering some of the same issues.

Square #5, Debut: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
3 squares
This book makes for a great summer read – fast and (mostly) light and full of flowers. I do think there could have been a little more character development and I definitely got frustrated with Victoria’s inability to see that she was loved and accepted but all in all I enjoyed it and was quite satisfied with the ending.

Square #15, Audiobook with one narrator: The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
4 stars
Fascinating and full of facts, this book will forever change the way you look at birds!

Square #24, Mystery: Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
2 stars
This series has really declined, the dialogue is way too simple, the plot is non-existent and the recipes are like something from a church cookbook in the 1970s. And yet I keep reading. I was sure this one would be my last but the cliff hanger ending will probably make me read the next one . . .

Square #8, Recommended by a friend: The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
5 stars
Literary fiction at it’s best, read it for the prose and fabulous character development but don’t expect a lot of plot. It’s beautiful and moving and I highly recommend it.

Last week I shared my Summer Book Bingo card but told you I didn’t have a plan for how I was going to track my reading. After some searching on Instagram and Pinterest, I came up with an idea of how I wanted the 2 page spread to look.

Wa-la:

It’s fun and functional and organized. In other words, it suits me perfectly!

And, as you can see, I’m already tracking books. In fact, I took this photo last week and I have filled in 3 more Bingo squares since that time. For now, though, here are my first three:

Square #4, Originally Published in the 21st Century: Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin
A fast read and one I expected to be lighthearted and humorous. It was – at times – but it was also so much more. It turned out to be a thought provoking read on feminism, politics, and the double standard that women face over and over again.

Square #9, Latest Book by an Author You Love: The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
I’m a big fan of Bohjalian’s writing and I love that his novels are all pretty different from each other. This one, while certainly not his best in my opinion, has a good story and it’s a quick read. I thought the ending was a little far fetched but overall I enjoyed the book.

Square #14, Set In More Than One Time Period: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
Jamie and Claire never disappoint, I love their love story.

It’s going to be a great summer of reading!

I realized yesterday that I never shared my Bingo card with you!

It’s an excellent card, I must say. (And I won’t be telling you how many times I hit refresh to get it to be this excellent.)

Now. I have actually finished 3 books already but . . . I can’t decide how I want to track and keep my card updated this summer. I actually printed out this picture and I think (but I’m not absolutely sure yet) that I want to put it in my journal as a two page spread with the card on one side and a list of the books I have read for each square on the other. If I number the squares then I can write a list and match the titles up that way. The squares will also have to be colored in or something too . . . but I’m still undecided on that.

Leave it to me to quickly decide on the majority of the books I will be reading . . . and then agonize over how to keep track of them in a pretty and organized way.