May Books.

I only finished two books in May. That's not to say I only READ two, but that's all I finished. I'm hoping to wrap up SEVERAL books {if you've been around here for long you know that I like to read about fifty at a time...} in June. I would LOVE to finish them all and have a blank slate in July. Maybe that should be my goal!

Meg by Steve Alten

I used a website called What Should I Read Next? and plugged in a few different books. Because I love Jurassic Park and Jaws {the movies, but also the books} I got lots of Steve Alten suggestions. I purchased a few and Meg was the first one I've read. Meg is about Jonas Taylor, a former Navy officer who left after a submarine mission went bad and he wound up panicking and killing fellow officers on his rapid ascent. He thinks that he saw a megalodon in a tropical trench deep in the ocean, but no one believes him. He spends the next few years trying to piece together what happened and study the possibility that the prehistoric animals are not really extinct, but just living in tropical water that is trapped miles below the surface in the Pacific Ocean's deepest canyon. When he gets called in by a friend who needs his help to do some work in the same location, he hesitantly agrees. It's his chance to prove to everyone that he isn't crazy. Once in the trench they see it - a male megalodon - and are attacked almost immediately. Jonas watches from his sub as his friend's sub is destroyed. During the attack the crew on the surface begin pulling the one-man submarine up and the male is entangled and trapped in the cables. A female comes by and begins to attack the male. Because there is blood pouring from its body, she is able to swim behind the wreckage through the colder water to the warmer water at the surface. She's free from the trench. How will they contain this 60-foot creature before she wreaks havoc on the world's oceans.

I know it sounds crazy, but I REALLY enjoyed this one. It was written in a way that didn't make it seem too far-fetched and the characters were very likable. The reviews online are mixed, but if you enjoy Jurassic Park or Jaws-type books, you'll enjoy it.

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

The boys LOVE Ramona. This is our first Ramona book. Will especially loves her. In this book, Ramona is still a stay-at-home child who longs to be with Beezus at school. While she's at home she gets into all kinds of trouble - she bakes her doll in a cake like Hansel and Gretel, she takes a bite out of every apple in a box (because the first bite is the best!), and she secretly invites 15 children over to her house for a party. She is seriously the funniest, but she'd make me pull my hair out if she lived with me. I'm such a Beezus (as is James!). We've already started the second Ramona book and we're enjoying it even more! If you're looking for a starter read-aloud, Beverly Cleary books are great!