The Books I Actually Read This Summer

It’s only right that I follow up my Summer TBR post, right?

Hey guys, welcome to DaiDreamer, the blog where all forms of media are on the table: movies, books, TV shows, video games… you name it. I’m Daijah, a Black, Christian teenager who hopes to make it easier for tweens to navigate this ever-changing, fast-paced world. If you have read some of my posts before, welcome back!

Now to dive into the list of books that I read this summer: the favorites, the unmentionables, the DNFs, and of course, the in-betweens. First up is a book highly anticipated by me that just fell flat:

This book, as I stated in my extremely short Goodreads review:

“This book was like Out of my Mind, in a bad way.”

Let’s hear the rest of this review, since it is so brief:

“I found the protagonist unrelatable, too sassy, and just boring to listen to. Not every differently abled person who has an inability to speak has to be loud on the inside. Perhaps they are laconic. Just my thoughts. I expected too much from this book; the best part was the afterword, which I skimmed to after like page 2 of this book. I would’ve preferred to hear Ms. Goddard’s story. “

Let’s not forget the bold DNF at the beginning of this review, either.

The next book I tried out was the amazingly enjoyable Love and the Rocking Chair.

I don’t really need to say anything more about this book. It was really cute and the pictures were beautiful. Not to mention, it was the Dillon’s final collaboration. Therefore, I would suggest asking Mom or Dad to read it as a bedtime story.

The final book I read from my TBR this summer was a pretty big disappointment.

It wasn’t disappointing because it wasn’t a good book. It is a terrific book, unless you have read Live on Purpose, which had devotionals clipped from this book, (like I had) just a little while before. I had to skim this book to find portions I hadn’t already read. And there weren’t many.

The rest of the books on my summer TBR I was unable to find at my library. However, that doesn’t mean that I had nothing to read. I’d say quite the opposite, actually, and here’s proof:

This book was way more emotional than I ever expected for a picture book to be. The book is a semi-autobiographical account of the author’s memory of picking watercress from a roadside ditch and eating it for dinner. Wow. This book was so simple, and that is what made it touching. The pictures displayed amazing artistic skill and depicted a less-fortunate family so beautifully I’ll likely never forget it.

This book was just sad. But good. Sad but good.

I am still looking forward to reading the other books on my TBR; perhaps they will carry to my autumn TBR. On the other hand, perhaps I’ll start afresh. Only God knows.

Thanks for spending your valuable time reading this post. I hope you try one of the books on this list. If you want to know what else I read this summer, check out my Goodreads page. I review clean YA, middle grade, and picture books there. If you are interested in learning a bit more about what I am interested in, check out my Pinterest. Follow me if you would like to get a post once a week in your email.

‘K, bye!

#booksforages812 #middlegradebooks #middlegradebooks