A confession. I actually finished one book in June, on the very last day of the month. But I already had my June post written, and so I'm counting it for July, because there's no one to say that I can't. There are no rules in this reading goal, just happy dances when reading actually occurs.
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| Photo by Elin Melaas on Unsplash |
So after a strong reading start to the year, and a total halt to the reading goals while after my mom got sick and passed away, this was the month where I was hoping to get back on track. {Spoiler!} That didn't happen. But at least I got back into the reading groove and got SOMETHING marked off the list! We'll start with the one book that I finished in June, and then moved into the July books.
- Gangsters vs. Nazis by Michael Benson - ★★★ I started reading this book in March of 2023. That should tell you something right there. It was one of the "Amazon Prime Reading" offerings, and the premise was intriguing: Jewish mobsters who fought (literally) the Nazi-sympathizers in the U.S. prior to WWII. I'm giving it three stars because, again, it was an interesting story line, mostly unheard of (by me) prior to this book, but the writing just didn't hold my attention. Too many names, too many locations, not enough direct information (a whole lot of, "here's what we know"). I was glad I didn't pay for the book, and I wouldn't say, "grab this" unless you saw it as a Prime Reading option again. And for that reason, not even linking it.
- Rocket Men by Robert Kurson - ★★★★★ This may be the best book I've read so far in 2025. The author does a fantastic job of incorporating his interviews with the astronauts themselves (something that's basically impossible to do now that so many are gone) and the folks from NASA, and really putting the reader in the captain's seat, so to speak. The way he goes back and forth from the decisions that led up to Apollo 8 saving 1968 to the backstories of the three astronauts and their wives, to the epilogue, was just really well done. If you like space stories, this is a good one. I knew how it turned out and was still on the edge of my seat (the mark of a good writer). If you aren't into space...this is still a good book. Bonus: these are the only three NASA astronauts whose marriages survived the space program, so it's a love story as well. Three, in fact. Worth reading! Five stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
- The Year at Thrush Green by Miss Read - ★★★★ I haven't read a "Miss Read" book in a while, but the kids got me the last three I didn't own this past Christmas, and it felt like the right time to dive into an easy, cozy read. Something that didn't take too much brain power to enjoy and put me in a lovely English village in "simpler" times. And I was right. If you've ever read and enjoyed the Mitford series by Jan Karon (based on life in small town NC - in fact, based on life in Blowing Rock), you'd probably enjoy Miss Read's books. Lacking the spiritual spin of Mitford's Father Tim, it's still a really lovely set of fiction about life in small town England in the 50s and 60s. In this particular book, we go through the year (starting in January, ending in December) with our friends in Thrush Green, and there's a thin story line that runs throughout. You don't have to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this as a standalone, but it helps if you have. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
I made good headway on two other books in July, but didn't manage to finish them in time. Along with not getting this blog posted in time. But if 2025 has taught me anything, it's that LIFE HAPPENS. Don't sweat it. It's great to set reading goals, but the important thing is to make time to read, even if it's just five minutes at the end of the day. Read for fun. Read for pleasure. Read for learning. Just read.
See you in a month!
