#not going to tag this shatter me because i don't want the stans to come for me

[rubiesandtomatoes]

my july reads // july wrapup

**the gifts of imperfection - bren�� brown - 4/5**

i'd heard most of this already via her ted talks and other books but brené brown is just so lovely to read. also if you haven't heard her ideas then you should.

**fever pitch - nick hornby - 3/5**

i started reading this the day after england lost the euros because it felt appropriate. strong on university and being a generally obsessive person but a bit too much football for my liking.

**hamnet - maggie o'farrell - 4.5/5**

beautiful beautiful beautiful. recommend this highly if you value sentence level lovely writing.

**wyrd sisters - terry pratchett - 3.5/5**

i always like terry pratchett but i don't always love him. this one i did not love! that is okay.

**shatter me - tahereh mafi - 2.5/5**

this was objectively quite bad (instalove between the two main characters, lack of worldbuilding, a surprising amount of sex talk for a book in which deeply traumatised teenagers flee certain death). still quite enjoyed it.

**the rules of attraction - bret easton ellis - 5/5**

ahh i feel conflicted about this. it was so crass and bret easton ellis is so painfully obvious in his attempts to be countercultural on twitter. but also it's so rare that i read something that seems the right length to me and i loved the whiplash pace of this one.

**what we talk about when we talk about love - raymond carver - 3/5**

the meaning of these stories was just a bit too oblique for me?

**less than zero - bret easton ellis - 2/5**

this one was more crass and less compelling. if you're going to be gross you should probably also be interesting.

**the year of magical thinking - joan didion - 4.5/5 **

such a lovely tender book. very very sad. can't wait to read more from her.