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Summers are exhausting for me. I mostly just work, sleep, moan about being too hot, and read the occasional book. I don't have time to write long book reviews, so let's try short reviews.

Here's everything I read last summer.

Rapid Reviews Of All The Books I Read Last Summer

The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: Tom Sawyer, a quick-witted prankster, causes mischief in his rural Missouri town. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Tom is rambunctious. I can see why this book is a classic. It was first published in the 1870s, but Tom reminds me of the boys I grew up with in the 1990s and early 2000s. I guess outdoorsy boys are all similar. That's why this book never gets old.

How To Know A Person: The Art Of Seeing Others Deeply And Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks: I'm on a quest to find a self-help book that actually helps. I suspect this one might help, but I need to reread it before I decide for sure. It's about how to become a better listener. It's less philosophical than other self-help books. I'm too stupid for philosophy and too cynical for pretty quotes. I need a to-do list. I appreciate that this book gives actionable steps that I can take to become a better listener.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: Literally everything in this book irritates me. In 1945, Claire Randall stumbles through a portal and gets sucked back in time to 1743 Scotland. Even though she's married, she quickly falls in love with a dude from 1743. It's long, and boring, and poorly written. Claire needs her nursing license revoked. Also, I couldn't stop thinking about Claire's husband and how she seems to have no issue cheating on him. I think I hate every character in this book except Claire's husband.

Taaqtumi: An Anthology Of Arctic Horror Stories by Inhabit Media (Publisher): Short horror stories written by writers from the far north parts of the globe. Like all anthologies, this one is a mixed bag. Some of the stories will haunt me forever. Others are a slog. My favorite is about a veterinarian whose doggie patient wakes up during surgery. Gross and completely terrifying.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker: I can see why this novel is a modern classic. The characters are beautifully realistic, and the plot is grim. It's about domestic violence and the small ways that abused women take control of their lives. The women rely on each other until they find the strength to stand up for themselves. It's a novel that will stick in your brain for sure.

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad: The author is a journalist who Tweeted: "One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this." That's what the book is about. The author discusses hypocrisy and how we reframe historical events to make ourselves look like heroes who acted in self-defense. It's a short and intriguing book. I'm going to reread it because I'm unsure of my opinion. It's just too short!

Feel The Fear . . . And Do It Anyway: Dynamic Techniques For Turning Fear, Indecision, And Anger Into Power, Action, And Love by Susan Jeffers: Another book I read on my quest to find a self-help book that actually helps. As a chronically anxious person, I have mixed feelings about this one. It tells you to push through fear because it'll never go away. If you're not scared, you're not growing. You have to learn to live with it. But, what happens when you're so exhausted from pushing through fear that you don't want to live anymore? The book didn't go far enough for me, but I recommend it to people who struggle to make decisions. It can help with that.

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale Of Power, Greed, And Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams: I was underwhelmed, which isn't the book's fault. There is so much hype and controversy about this memoir. I was on the library waitlist for months. I probably over-hyped it in my head. I've read a few books about social media companies, and this one doesn't stand out from the crowd for me. We all know that social media sites put profit ahead of people. They have the ability to make the world a happier place, but they choose outrage because it's more profitable. There isn't much in Careless People that we don't already know.

Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI by David Grann: I've read a few of David Grann's nonfiction books, and this one is my least favorite so far. I didn't dislike it. I just didn't find the people as compelling as the other people he writes about. The writing style is rather dull. It did spark my interest in the Osage murders. I would like to read another book about how the Osage were defrauded and murdered by powerful people. It's a disturbing historical event that deserves more attention.

Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid: Is it possible to both love and hate a book? I love the main character, Emira, because she doesn't feel like a main character. She's an average 25-year-old. She enjoys her low-level job and spends her free time partying with friends. I love the sinister undertone to the story. All the other characters are using Emira. Her boyfriend has an odd fetish for Black women. Her employer is a social media influencer who profits off a racist incident that happens to Emira. It's very creepy. I hate this book because of the dialogue. It is cringy. The child characters' dialogue is especially irritating. I realize this story is satire, and many of the characters are over-the-top, but I put the book down several times because I needed everybody to shut up.

All The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I don't have the motivation to write 5 separate book reviews, so I'm reviewing the whole series. I reread all The Hunger Games. Then I read Sunrise On The Reaping for the first time. The series is about teenagers who are forced to compete on a deadly dystopian reality show. I love these books. I like their boldness. The author isn't afraid to make her characters do morally questionable things and blur the lines between "good guy" and "bad guy."

Sunrise On The Reaping is a solid addition to the series. I couldn't put it down. I understand Haymitch's personality and motivations a lot better after reading it. It didn't have as much tension as the other books in the series. I think that's because the author is very clear about the tributes and the Capitol being enemies. The tributes didn't feel as dangerous to each other because they all have a bigger enemy. The scariest thing in this book is the poisonous arena environment that the Capitol built. That didn't create as much tension as the tributes killing each other. I still thoroughly enjoyed the book, though. I never get tired of rereading this series.

The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis: Another reread. I felt "meh" about this novel as a child and still feel "meh" about it as an adult. It's about kids who go through a wardrobe and have a Christian-flavored adventure in a fantasy land. I disliked Edmund when I was a kid. Now I understand why he'd trade his siblings to a witch for a delicious dessert. I like dessert. I have a sibling I'd like to trade.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White: Yet another reread. I didn't have the brain power for new books. I liked this book as a kid and still like it as an adult. The story is extremely imaginative. Wilbur the pig doesn't want to become bacon, so he teams up with Charlotte the spider. Charlotte uses her web to write compliments about Wilbur so the humans can see he's too special to eat. The friendships between the characters are delightful. Unfortunately, I'm still scared of spiders and was not bothered by the end.

Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier: I need to read more historical fiction. I always enjoy a well-developed historical setting. This novel is about a teenage girl who becomes a maid/assistant to the painter Johannes Vermeer. There's not much of a plot, so I found myself getting bored a few times. However, I love the tension between the characters. Every tiny interaction feels huge because they don't trust each other. The reader is rarely sure if something inappropriate is happening, or if the characters are just overthinking an innocent situation. Read it if you enjoy character-driver historical fiction with vivid settings.

What's the best book you read last summer? The Hunger Games was my favorite.