June 2021: Out of this World Reads
*An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth* and *American Kingpin* were both a joy to read, for very different reasons. One feels like a warm and cozy chat with an astronaut, and the other, an intriguing examination of the rise and fall of the Dread Pirate Roberts, aka Ross Ulbricht, as he developed an empire on the dark web. Biographies are so much fun because you get to step into the shoes of the person, and these two books provide quite the ride, highly recommend.
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*An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything* by Chris Hadfield (NF) // [Space; autobiography: Super sweet, Chris Hadfield is basically Mister Rogers and Alex Trebek combined in astronaut form.]
*American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road* by Nick Bilton (NF) // [True crime; biography: Riveting thriller that makes you wonder if the punishment really fits the crime.]
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*Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most* by Greg McKeown (NF) // [Productivity; psychology: Almost as good as *Essentialism* (one of my favorite books of 2018)—basically, not everything has to be hard.]
*Verity* by Colleen Hoover (F) // [Mystery; thriller: A creepy ghostwriting situation right up my alley. Lots of twists and turns.]
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*The Hunting Wives* by May Cobb (F) // [Thriller; mystery: Imagine The Real Housewives of Texas with guns, booze, and murder—a fast-paced guilty pleasure.]
*Draculas* by Blake Crouch (F) // [Horror; thriller: Super bloody, extra gory vampire infestation at a hospital.]
*Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life* by Emily Nagoski (NF) // [Feminism; health: Not bad and it was referenced in season three of “Sex Education” on Netflix.]
*Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know* by Adam Grant (NF) // [Psychology; development: Felt like a combination of other, better books; kind of a generic reminder to think critically.]
*The Maidens* by Alex Michaelides (F) // [Mystery; thriller: Not as good as *The Silent Patient*; just okay.]
*Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers* by Helena Dea Bala (NF) // [Essays; memoir: Kind of mixed feelings on this one, not the easiest stories to hear as you can imagine.]
*Maybe in Another Life* by Taylor Jenkins Reid (F) // [Romance; chick lit: Usually I’m allergic to this genre, but I’m a big fan of *The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo* and *Malibu Rising* so gave this one a shot.]
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*Hummingbird Salamander* by Jeff VanderMeer (F) // [Sci-fi; mystery: Loved VanderMeer’s *Strange Bird*, *Borne* was amazing, and *Dead Astronauts* was weird yet strangely beautiful. This one was long, bloated, confusing and ridiculous.]
*The Devil and the Dark Water* by Stuart Turton (F) // [Mystery; historical: Big fan of Turton’s *The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle,* however this book was a complete slog.]
