The Shark Club is one of my favorite books I've read in 2017. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the plot line, and the mysterious crime that also takes place within the story.

Brief synopsis: Maeve was bit by a shark when she was 12, the same day she kissed the boy she loved. Instead of becoming afraid of sharks, she become obsessed with them. Almost 20 years later, she's a marine biologist and the boy she loved has become part of her past. When she comes home from a research trip, she learns that not only is her past becoming part of her present, but that someone is finning sharks. This book is the story of her truly learning what she wants, while also trying to learn who is killing her beloved creatures.

I absolutely loved this book. Maeve is such a brave soul in so many different ways. Hazel is a wonderfully curious and smart child. The story is smart and interesting.

I don't know a lot about sharks, so I found myself Googling a lot throughout the book - and I made the terrible mistake of searching for shark finning (don't do it!), which is when people remove the dorsal fin and tail of sharks, then throw them back into the water to drown and bleed to death. It's really terrible, and something that actually happens a lot.

While not a traditional crime thriller, this novel is first and foremost a love story (family, romance, and a love of sharks), but also has a ecological crime mystery thrown in. I also enjoyed the Florida setting and the mention of how delicious Pub subs (Publix sub sandwiches from the deli) are.

I really was surprised how much I loved this book. While Ann Kidd Taylor co-wrote a memoir with her mother, I was surprised to learn this was heart first novel. The perfect read the close out your summer, The Shark Club was smart, funny, and heart-wrenching.

Summer is almost over, which means FALL IS COMING! With just a little over a month until fall gets here, it's almost time to bring out pumpkins and all the fall decor. I personally can't wait. However, to not jump the gun, I wanted to start the transition from summer to fall with some decor that isn't too much of either season.

Boxwood and succulents are really perfect decor year-round, throw in a little jute cording for a rustic look, and you've got yourself the perfect transitional look. Using boxwood, faux succulents, jute cording, and a few other materials, it's easier than sweet summer pie to make a wreath that'll get you through the rest of your summer days. Make sure to click on over to Oriental Trading for all your DIY home decor needs.




What you need:
Wire wreath frame
Boxwood garland
Faux succulents
Jute cording (large - I used 7 mm.)
Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Optional:
Wooden welcome sign
Paint or stain
Paint brush



How you make it:

1. Carefully wrap the garland around the wreath frame. You want it to fill about half the frame. Some pieces of the boxwood will likely fall off as you wrap. Keep these for later!





2. Once you've got your garland wrapped entirely around the frame, tuck the ends through the frame and hot glue to secure. You may also want to sporadically hot glue the garland throughout to keep in place.
3. Wrap the end of the jute cording around the wreath frame just next to one end of the wrapped garland. Tie the end in a knot to keep in place. Wrap the cording all the way around the half of the wreath frame until half the frame is filled with boxwood and the other end is completely wrapped in cording. There will likely be spaces between some of the cording, which is okay! Tie off the other end of the cording.





4. Tuck the ends of the cording back into itself. Use hot glue to keep the cording in place, especially the end knots.
5. Once the full frame is covered (half boxwood, half jute cording), use the small pieces of boxwood to fill the holes throughout the wreath. Push them through the frame, secure with hot glue.




6. Place a variety of faux succulents into any spaces within the boxwood. I used a cluster of three, but this is entire preference. Again, use hot glue to keep the succulents in place. For extra hold, you may want to secure with floral wiring.
7. Using about a foot and half of jute cording, tie the end into a knot to make a circle of jute. Loop it through the top of the wreath frame and back into itself to create a loop for hanging.
8. Optional: Paint or stain a wooden welcome sign, and hot glue into place.

Now you're ready to hang!

I read Shari Lapena's debut novel The Couple Next Door last fall as a selection from my Book of the Month club subscription, and while it had its flaws, I really enjoyed the story. So I knew I had to read Lapena's newest novel as soon as I heard about it. A Stranger in the House comes out today, so you can order it or pick it up wherever you buy your books from now!

Brief synopsis: Karen is a plain-jane housewife that works in bookkeeping, and her husband is an accountant. Married for two years, they are a happy couple with boring, nondescript lives. Until Karen wrecks her car on the bad side of town the same night a man was murdered in the same area. Unfortunately, Karen's wreck caused a concussion and temporary amnesia - so she can't remember what happened. Tom starts to wonder how well he knows his wife, and she's wondering the same thing about herself.

Much like The Couple Next Door, Lapena's A Stranger in the House is a little off-the-wall. While that may not suit some readers, I was able to look past the outlandishness of some of the situations to enjoy the novel. I felt the plot was intriguing, but often found myself flipping back pages to make sure some of the situations were lining up.

There were a lot of parallels between this novel and Lapena's debut, including a nosy neighbor that plays a large role in the story, as well as misuse of trust between the main couple, and a detective that just don't think things add up.

If you enjoyed The Couple Next Door, you'll sink into Stranger just as well. With switched perspective story-telling, an unreliable protagonist, and a twist at the end (which I unfortunately saw coming), this novel may just be the next big buzzed about summer story.

The Cuckoo's Calling | The Silkworm | Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike series) by Robert Galbraith: I went ahead and tossed these all together, because it made the most sense. This series follows veteran and private detective Cormoran Strike and his partner Robin as they solve a series of crimes. It's basically Criminal Minds in book form, and so much more detail. It took me a few chapters to get into the first book, but once I was in - I was in. I could not get enough of the storyline - and I really, really love the two main characters. The stories are smart and really entrancing. I highly recommend.  Book one: 4/5 | Books two and three: 5/5
The Half-Life of Remorse by Grant Jarrett*: I can't say enough how much I was bored by the book. I think the plot wasn't half-bad, but I wasn't a fan of the writing and it all felt very anticlimactic. The story follows three characters who are all tied together is their own special ways, but they don't quite know it yet. It's a story of hope and consequences, but again - the writing was very slow. (full review here) 2/5


What did you read in July?