Books: Second Quarter

This quarter was all about audiobooks- I listened to all of these except two (The Blue Castle and The Light Between Oceans.)  Packing/De-Cluttering/Organizing/Cleaning lends itself to lots of audiobooks, and ones I had read before were preferable because then it wasn't too tragic if I missed a part when I ran into the other room to find yet another roll of tape.   (First Quarter Books Here)

Excellent
11. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - Perhaps my favorite book ever.  I loved listening to it this time and I can't wait for the movie this fall.

12. The Giver by Lois Lowry - Another re-read (but I listened this time.)  Excellent, powerful message- one I think everyone should read.

13. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins- Again, an audiobook I'd read before.  This was my first time re-reading and I appreciated the book much more this time already knowing the ending.  I was less upset and shocked so it was much more enjoyable.

14. The Light Between Oceans - by M.L. Stedman - This is the story of a man and his wife who operate a lighthouse on an island off the coast of Australia.  After unsuccessfully trying to have a baby they find an infant washed up on a boat and decide to keep it.  But later when they return to the island they realize their decision to keep the baby without alerting the authorities has terribly affected another woman.  This story was so sad but also tender and sweet.  I was captivated by the characters and so invested in their lives.  And I really loved the ending.

Good
15. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery - I hadn't ever read any of her books except for the Anne series (which is one of my favorites.)  Not quite up to Anne standards, but similar and very enjoyable.

16. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr - Seventeen-year-old Mandy is pregnant and looking for a better life for her baby (and herself.)  She meets Robin online and asks to move in with her for the duration of her pregnancy and let Robin adopt her baby.  Plan sounds great, but Jill, Robin's teenage daughter, is hesitant and suspicious of Mandy.  This is a really sweet, but not overly trite YA book.

Meh
17. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell- I made it almost halfway, but I was not that into the story and it had too much profanity for me.  But it seems like everyone else loves her books so I guess I'm missing out?

18. The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel - I accidentally got the abridged version to listen to and I was really struggling to keep up with the story so I took it back and figured I'd read the full version sometime.  Then we got the movie and I fell asleep twice trying to get through it, so I'm not overly motivated to go out and get the book super quickly.

What have you been reading??  I'm clearly due for some good new reading material.