November/December Book Review

I'm pretty behind on book reviews, since it's the end of January.  I didn't read much in November and December, because um, Christmas.  But I had this post ready to go, so figure might as well post this and then work on a post for all the books I read on vacation!



The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

I read this book in 2 days.  It was good and I really needed one of these mystery books that I haven't read in awhile.  This book is about a group of women who met through an online mommy message board basically.  They are called the "May Mothers" as they all had their babies in May.  One day, one of the babies is kidnapped.  This book goes through the 13 days that follow from different perspectives of the different mothers trying to find baby Midas.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

I gave this book 5 stars.  It wasn't my favourite book every, but I did enjoy it.  But I gave it 5 stars because it had so much depth.  It made me think, it made me smile, it made me cry.  

This was my book club book for this month, and I'm glad I actually read it, even if I can't get to the book club meeting. 

Ove is an old man whose wife recently passed.  This is what bothered me the most, that he was described as a grumpy old man, but was 59.  That's not old enough to be considered a grumpy old man and have friends who have Alzheimer in my opinion, but I digress.  This story is about him, but it's also a love story about a man who doesn't know how to function once the only person who understood him is gone.  And it's a story about a man who comes across as miserable but actually has more compassion than most people.  To watch Ove develop, and relationships develop was enjoyable.  

A main takeaway from this book is the common line "be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle" and also that by being kind to someone, you never know what kind of impact that might make on their life.  You might be giving them something to live for. 

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

When you are in a reading rut, get yourself a good murder mystery.  I had started reading Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill about her life in Scientology.  I found it interesting, but biographies are sometimes difficult because things aren't constantly happening an they are slow.  So it was taking me forever, and I had already renewed it once.  So I returned it and grabbed this one.  I read it in less than a day. 

Like other Shari Lapena books, I found the whole premise a bit odd and unbelievable.  But that doesn't stop you from wondering who dun it. 

A group of people are at a cute boutique hotel in the middle of nowhere.  A big storm hits, they lose power and are stuck. Suddenly someone is murdered.  Is there a murderer in their midst or is there someone else there that they don't know about.  

This book was kind of like reading a murder mystery dinner.  A group of people, one is a killer, who is it?

September Book Review

I have officially read my 30 books that I wanted to read for the year!  Anything now is bonus.  

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

This might be one of my top books for the year so far.  It wasn't the one that I read the quickest, it maybe wasn't the most "enjoyable" (I did enjoy it, but I mean in comparison to a light and fluffy chick lit book).  But as a real literary book that has a bunch of depth but is still readable, this book is it.

Leni and her parents move to Alaska to homestead in the 70's.  It's a turbulent time, and her dad has changed since being released as a POW from the Vietnam war.  Leni finds herself in Alaska and this novel is an exploration of that, her family, the friends she makes.  

For me, I love watching Alaska shows, so that's what drew me to this book in the first place.  (Alaska: The Last Frontier anyone?)  But I felt like this book had some great character development, it was thought provoking and educational.  

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

This book is about Hal, a young woman who is living day by day and has loan sharks after her.  When she gets a letter telling her that her grandmother has died and she will get an inheritance, it seems too good to be true.  Especially since she knows that this woman couldn't possibly be her grandmother.  She is desperate so plans to deceive this family in order to come into the money anyways.  Unfortunately things begin to unravel once she gets to the estate that belonged to Mrs. Westaway.  

I did enjoy this book, but not as much as some of Ruth Ware's books.  I loved In a Dark, Dark Wood and the Lying Game.  This one was more along the lines of the Woman in Cabin 10.  Left me wanting a bit more from it.

I've Got My Eyes on You by Mary Higgins Clark

What can I say about this besides the fact that it's classic Mary Higgins Clark.  A young girl is murdered, the book takes on the perspective of her family, a couple suspects and the detective.  I found it slightly predictable and a few parts surprised me as being unrealistic, but this was a shorter book and an easy read.

April Book Review

I brought 5 books with me to Costa Rica.  A bit ambitious?  Definitely!  But you always want to be prepared!  We were super busy the first few days, and crashed as soon as we got back to our treehouse.  No time for reading!  And then when you are with a big group of people not much reading happens.  I didn't spend time on the beach like I usually do and so I only got through a book and a half.

Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins

This is another book in the Blue Heron series.  I enjoy the series because it brings back characters that I have met before, but it's getting a little bit boring.  I don't love the girls.  They are a bit too edgy for me.  And by edgy, I mean rude.  Not sure how to describe it but that they just speak to people in a way that I don't think they would in real life, a bit too harshly.  The books are getting too predictable.  That being said I will likely finish the series...haha.  I only rated this one 3 out of 5 stars as it was definitely my least favourite of the series so far.

Odd Child Out by Gilly MacMillan

As I was reading this book it kept talking about a previous case and I wondered, is this the second in a series?  It is, and I have the first one sitting on my shelf...so hopefully I haven't ruined that one for myself!

I didn't love this book.  It was kind of a mystery, but also very political.  It's about two friends, a boy with cancer and a Somalian refugee in England.  There is an accident one night and their families and the police are trying to figure out what actually happened.  

I just didn't find it overly thrilling, and I found the basis of the story more political in nature an being about the lives of Somalian immigrants.  Which can be an interesting perspective, but it's just not what I thought I was getting into.

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

So what I've learnt from Liane Moriarty books is that it's more about the characters than the story and the ending.  I don't remember that being the base with the first few I read, but it's been the case with the most recent ones.  That being said, I enjoyed this book more than Truly Madly Guilty.  I think I liked the characters and just liked to see where they were going and wasn't overly worried about a big exciting ending.

This book is about triplet sisters.  Lyn is all about living the perfect life and checking everything off her list.  Cat has found trouble in her marriage.  Gemma is the single one who lives day to day and can't seem to find a lasting relationship.  I found the characters compelling and really just wanted to see where the book took them.  

March Book Review

I've definitely slowed down my reading a bit as I've been busy with other things, but I still got through 3 books this month.  Here's what I read!

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

This is a young adult book.  I really enjoyed Lauren Oliver's Delirium series and I didn't read Before I Fall, but I thought the movie was good.  So I figured I would throw this one into the mix.

I thought that this book was decent.  I read it in about 4 days. It's about two sister's Dara and Nick.  They were in a car accident about a year before and haven't been speaking since.  Then a little girl from their town goes missing, and then Dara goes missing.  I enjoyed this book well enough, but unless you are a big young adult fan, it might not be fore you.  (Delirium on the other hand, if you like dystopian teen novels, was awesome!)

Every Breath You Take by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke

I really enjoyed this book.  To be honest, I've felt like Mary Higgins Clark books have been lacking a bit recently.  This might be because the woman is 90... Anyways, I got into this book quickly and read it in a couple of days.  

This book is part of the Under Suspicion series, which is about a woman, Laurie, who produces a reality TV show that looks into cold cases.  I like when authors have series like this because you really get to know the characters.  Definitely a worthwhile read for Mary Higgins Clark fans!

The Choices we Make by Karma Brown

This book is about Hannah and Kate, best friends since Grade 5.  Kate has been blessed with two beautiful children, but Hannah has been unable to get pregnant for 6 years.  This book deals with friendship, infertility and surrogacy.  It makes these issues feel real (and I mean they are real, to so many people).  It deals with the legal aspects and emotional aspects.

This book made me think hard about what I would do.  What if my best friend or my sister was unable to carry a child, would I donate my own eggs and do it for them?  Could I separate myself from that child, knowing that it was going to belong to someone else?  I don't have the answers, I don't think I would have them until I was in that situation.  I know that this is the greatest gift you could give someone and I applaud the people who do it.

This was an emotional read, but I really loved this book for bringing truth to what so many people are experiencing.  (Maybe not the actual surrogacy aspect as I think that's a bit more rare, but the infertility is so common.)

February Book Review

I didn't read a ton this month as I was busy with other things.  But I still got a few books in and they were a bit different from what I often read.  

The Magnolia Story by Chip & Joanna Gaines

I have never watched even one single episode of Fixer Upper.  I know who Chip and Joanna Gaines are, but really knew nothing about them.  And I loved this book.  So if you watch their show, you will probably really love this book!

This book is just their story, how they met, their marriage and how the show came to be.  They seem so down to earth and like they just have a very solid marriage and family life.  My only complaint is that it took me awhile to like Chip's portions of the book.  Joanna wrote the majority of it and then every so often Chip would throw something in.  It became more substantial as time went on, but in the beginning I didn't like the style of it.  I did come around eventually though.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

This book has been on my list for awhile, but I kept putting it off because I wanted fluffier reads.  But this was actually a really easy read and I found myself into the story from the very beginning. 

This book is about a 9 year old girl who is orphaned and rides the orphan train to Minnesota in 1929, where they are "adopted" out.  Some kids find good families who want a child, some find homes where they just want someone to work.  The other side of the story is in 2011 and involves Molly, a foster child, who is doing community service with a 91 year old woman named Vivian and is going through all her memories stored in her attic.  

Although I can in now way relate to the children on the orphan train, this book made the situation real and what it must have been like for these poor children back in 1929.  

My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

I guess you can say I'm a Kristan Higgins fan.  Her books aren't classic novels, but they are light and easy to read romances.  I always enjoy them.  Plus she has a ton of books, so there is usually something available from the library when I'm looking for something to read.

Harper thinks she has life all figured out.  She has her boyfriend Dennis and she's thought it through and thinks it's time they get married.  Dennis isn't so sure.  Then they go to her sister's spur of the moment wedding but her sister is marrying her ex-husband's brother.  She hasn't seen her ex in 12 years.  

These books are always a bit predictable, but there are a few twists and turns along the way.  They are definitely a nice option to have when you either just need something to read, or want something light.  

So it was a light month for reading, but I still got a few books read!  I went to the library yesterday and got 3 books out, so that always keeps me busy as I know I have to get them read before they are due!  I've read 7 of my goal of 30 books for the year, so I'm on track!

January Book Review

Time to get back at it.  Reading has kind of fallen by the wayside in the past little bit.  I think partially because I was reading "Career of Evil" and having a bit of trouble getting into it in the beginning, so although I wasn't reading, I wasn't reading as much as I should of been.  But with my 2018 word "intentional" I'm hoping that reading becomes something that I do more often again.  I found I was wasting my lunches by surfing the internet, getting nothing accomplished over an hour.  So I'm back to reading on my lunch and using that time to really refresh and get lost in a book.

I have a goal to read 30 books this year.  At first I wanted to set my goal at 40 books.  I thought it was doable because that's still less than a book a week...but I also know that I sometimes have phases where I can't find a good book or can't get into a book.  I read 24 books last year, so it's still uping my goal! (I'm going to read some Harry Potter and Nancy Drew if it doesn't look like I'm meeting my goal, haha!)

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

For those of you who don't know, these books are actually written by JK Rowling.  They are about Cormoran Strike, a private detective, and Robin Ellacott, his assistant.  This is the third book in the series.  I honestly started reading this book about a year ago.  I think it was too big and I just couldn't get into it because I was overwhelmed by the size.  (It's not that big, just too big for me at the time.)  I didn't really give it a fair shot.  Once I started reading it though it was great.  I probably read the last half of it in one night and couldn't put it down.  Ryan wondered what I was doing and said I don't usually read all night long.  

I find Strike and Robin totally enthralling, I love their relationship and hope that Rowling understands that Robin is as vital to the success of these books as Strike it.  These books are so different from Harry Potter, but Rowling has really found a new niche.  Funny thing is while I was reading one day Parker said "is that a Pe-a Potter (Harry Potter) book?"  I have no idea why he would relate them as it looks nothing like a Harry Potter book!

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

I'm a big Liane Moriarty fan.  I was kind of worried about this book though because the reviews weren't great.  6 adults and 3 kids are at a BBQ.  Something terrible happens, but it takes quite a while for you to find out what happens.  I think what annoyed me about it was that I understood for suspense reasons why you didn't know what happened, but from a storyline perspective it didn't really make sense.  The story was so vague, where it shouldn't of been.  Conversations that seemed like they were missing parts of them, characters who were missing because you weren't supposed to know what happened to them.  

I spent the first half of the book kind of skipping ahead chapters because I couldn't stand the suspense.  The last half of the book I really enjoyed though.  I think you have to go in with low expectations.  The one review I read said that it's more about the characters than the story, which is an interesting way to look at it.  And the characters were interesting.  

So overall it's a decent read.  Not amazing, but not terrible.  I don't know.  Not sure what else to say about it.  Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman have optioned the film rights.  I can see how it could be a movie or mini-series similar to Big Little Lies as it's a very similar style to Big Little Lies.  There is a lot going on with the characters that you could dig into deeper.

The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

You may recall that I'm a Kristan Higgins fan.  Her books are easy to read chick-lit.  I'm slightly conflicted about this one though.  I enjoyed this book, I read it quickly, it was easy to read.  But I found that it had way less depth than the other books that I've read of hers.  I just found out that her books are "Harlequin" novels, and it makes a lot of sense.  Still an enjoyable read, but nothing mind blowing!

Faith was left at the alter by her boyfriend of 8 years because....he was gay.  She left town and three years later is back.  But she keeps running into Levi Cooper, her ex's best friend, and the guy that ruined her wedding.  

Definitely won't be my favourite book of the month of year, but there's a few more books in this series and I'm still going to be reading them!  

The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins

This is the second book in the Blue Heron series, The Best Man was the first.  I had the same feelings about this book.  I enjoy the fact that it's a series, because although the book is about a different person within the family, it has a lot of the same characters.  It's always nice to see characters that you've enjoyed in subsequent books.  This book is definitely a Hallmark movie though.  It's light and easy and fairly predictable.  Nothing mind blowing.  But I still enjoyed it and read it in about two days!

November Book Reviews

So....you may or may not of noticed that there wasn't a book review for October.  Unfortunately I read no books in October, but it wasn't for lack of trying!  I spent 3 weeks trying to read Seeing Red by Sandra Brown.  Usually I like Sandra Brown, and this was her newest and the librarian talked me into borrowing it because it had just come back in.  I could not get into it!  Now it has decent reviews on Goodreads, so maybe I'm the only one who felt this way.  But I just found that it went on and on about nothing for too long.  And I HATED the way the man talked to the woman in it.  I found him crude and vulgar and yet she was interested in him.  It sounded like the book was written by a man because I couldn't imagine a woman actually writing those parts.  So anyways, this was one of the first books in a very long time that I didn't finish!

Luckily November has been better.  I'm back to work so I don't have as much time to read, but I'm often reading on my lunch since I have an hour.  So we just have a couple of reviews this month, and here they are.

The Rumour by Elin Hilderbrand

I knew that this was a good choice after the Sandra Brown fail because although I don't find Elin Hilderbrand's books hugely thrilling, and they are somewhat predictable, they are a nice light read.  It's easy to get into them and enjoy them. 

This book is about a couple of friends in Nantucket.  There is one who is having an affair with her gardener, one who is writing a book about it, and then all of the rumours that are going on about both of them an their husbands because Nantucket is a small place, and that's what happens.

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

I loved this book.  How much I love a book is just based on the feeling I get.  I couldn't put this one down but I also didn't want it to end.  I liked it much more than The Woman in Cabin 10, which was Ruth Ware's last book.  I'm also definitely looking forward to reading her other novel "In a Dark Dark Wood" now.  

This book is about 4 girls who were friends in high school.  While there, they had a "lying game" where the goal was to tell the biggest lies and make people believe them basically.  Of course something terrible happened as well and now 15 years later it is coming back to haunt them.  I liked that this book was about girlfriends, it made it different than so many other books.  I found it interesting the differences between the girls, the length of time that had passed and yet they could still pick up where they left off.  There were some plot holes as we got further in, which kind of bugs me.  I think that's what bugged me most about The Woman in Cabin 10 as well.  But overall this has been one of my favourite books in awhile!

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is a super late addition (like I'm adding it on December 21 and originally posted this at the beginning of the month).  I'm not really sure how I missed this book!

This book is based on the idea that every time we make a decision, the two decisions create a new life line and our lives run in parallel in two separate dimensions...if that makes sense.  I know there's a more eloquent way to state that, but I can't figure out how right now.  So this book is based on Hannah's life and two very different ways it could of gone based solely on the a decision she makes one night.  I did like the book, I found it interesting that I wasn't cheering for one story line more than the other, I liked them both.  But I'm not sure I buy into this idea that we have parallel lives. 

The book was a good read, like all of the other Taylor Jenkins Reid books I've read have been, but it wasn't one of my favourites.

My September Books

Once again I'm going to tell you all of these books are good.  Because when it comes down to it, if I get through a book then I generally liked it.  If I don't like it I just can't make myself keep reading it.  But also, if a book is only sub par and you get to the end, usually the ending makes it worth it.

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is my second Taylor Jenkins Reid book, and once again I really liked it.  The new genre of chick lit seems to have the requirement that your husband died.  I've read about four books now where this happens...so weird.  

Emma married her high school sweetheart, Jesse.  Then on their first anniversary Jesse dies in a helicopter crash.  It goes through her 2 year grief process very briefly until she finally decides she is ready to move on.  She reconnects with a high school friend, Sam and they get engaged.  Then she finds out that Jesse is actually alive.  

The book is kind of heartbreaking, because you feel for Emma in that she loves them both.  When your husband dies, you don't stop loving him.  But she has fallen in love with Sam as well.  

Despite the fact that husbands keep dying in my books, I really like this type of Chick Lit that has a bit more depth, not quite so Hallmark movie, but still an easy read.

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

Riley believes that her older sister committed suicide as a teenager.  When Riley's father dies and she is cleaning out his house, she finds that not all she believed is quite true.  This book goes through the discoveries that Riley makes about her family.

Although there is a murder in this book, the entire mystery aspect of the book isn't about a murder, which is a bit refreshing!  I wouldn't say it's the best book that I've read, but it kept me interested and I did enjoy it.

The Break Down by B.A. Paris

So this is the second B.A. Paris book that I've read, the first being Behind Closed Doors.  I had similar feelings about this book.  I did enjoy it, but I felt that not everything made sense and there were some plot holes.

Cass drives a short cut through the woods during a storm and sees a car sitting there.  She thinks about helping, but feels it would be unsafe for her.  The next day she finds out a woman has been murdered in the woods.  From then on she starts to get strange phone calls where nobody is there and starts forgetting everything and is sure she has early onset dementia like her mother did.

The thing that annoyed me the most is that this short cut through the woods was perceived as so dangerous, when it was 5 minutes from her nice house.  I couldn't think of a single road where I lived that my husband would tell me not to drive down because it's unsafe, so I thought that was strange.

The book is a bit repetitive with Cass freaking out about the murder and the phone calls and thinking she's going crazy.  But like all mystery books it comes together in the end.  

Good As Gone by Amy Gentry

Julie is kidnapped when she is 13.  8 years later she shows up on her parents front door.  It's a miracle, but suddenly her mom is questioning things.  Certain aspects don't add up.  Is this really her daughter?

This was a good suspense novel.  I liked that the family, although they had their issues which resulted from the kidnapping, was relatively normal.  I find that often in books like this, the family is completely insane and unrelatable. (Like every Gillian Flynn novel.)  This book kept me guessing, although I kind of started to figure everything out about 3/4 of the way through.  It wasn't brilliant, but it was good.

On Second Thought by Kristan Higgins

I'm definitely a Kristan Higgans fan.  I loved this book.  It's about two sisters, one who is recently a widow and one whose boyfriend of 11 years just broke up with her.  Both of them are dealing with very different losses.  They haven't always been the closest, but this brings them together.  It's intertwined with aspects of love stories, but a lot of it is about their connection and friendship as well, which is definitely refreshing.  I found the characters super likeable and enjoyable to read about.  This is my favourite book of the month!

I'm on a bit of a reading downturn right now.  I just haven't been able to get into anything new since I finished Good as Gone last week.  But I guess I've been reading pretty heavily for the past few months, so maybe that's ok!  Hopefully it picks up again soon, because I'm actually really enjoying reading so many great stories this year!

August Books

I technically finished 5 books this month, but since a couple of them were read on our holidays, I included them in last months book list.  

The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins

Lucy Lang comes from a long line of widows.  She lost her husband at the age of 24 after 8 months of marriage.  6 years later, she thinks that she's ready to move on.  She wants to get remarried and have kids.  She wants someone that she can basically tolerate, no passionate love, because it hurts too much when you lose that.  But is that enough?  

This book was great.  It's a good chick lit book and was easy to read, but entertaining.  I really enjoyed the characters and could understand the hesitation that Lucy had about certain relationships.  I've heard good things about Kristan Higgans and look forward to reading more of her books.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

A boy is killed by a hit and run driver.  Jenna's world has changed.  She runs away and is clearly hiding from everything.  She starts her life over again, but can she really start over when she's hiding her past?

I didn't know where this book was going for the first half of it, but it still held my interest.  There were a couple of parts in it where I was shocked.  This is one of those books where I can't say much more because I don't want to give anything away!  It was really good though and I would definitely recommend it!  I wouldn't say it's a heavy mystery where the who done it is all consuming, that's more just a small part of it.

All By Myself, Alone by Mary Higgins Clark

Maybe I have just read a lot of good books lately, but Mary Higgins Clark isn't thrilling me like she used to.  Or maybe it's that I've read like 30 of her books an they start to get to be the same.  Or maybe it's that she's like 85 and slightly losing her touch.

I definitely didn't hate this book.  It's kind of like The Woman in Cabin 10.  A bunch of people are on a high end cruise.  The main character is working on the cruise as a lecturer (much like in The Woman in Cabin 10 where she was a journalist).  Somebody dies.  Who did it?  It was good.  I read it in like 2 days.  Typical Mary Higgins Clark!  If you like her, then of course you are going to read this, and you will enjoy it.  But it will quickly leave your mind when you start your next book.

Book Reviews Part 2

As promised, here are my next book reviews.  We were on holidays this month and I read 3.5 books while we were away, in 9 days!  

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
I really enjoyed this book.  It's about a woman whose life is seemingly perfect.  She has the perfect husband, perfect marriage.  When they have company over everything goes perfectly.  But things aren't quite how they seem.  I don't want to give anything else away!  There were some plot holes that didn't really make sense, so if you are someone who woul be bothered by that it's maybe not the best book.  Other than that it was a really good read.

Right Behind You by Lisa Gardner

I'm a big Lisa Gardner fan!  She brings Quincy and Rainie back for this book.  Quincy and Rainie are in the process of adopting a foster daughter, Sharlah, when a number of murders take place in which the main suspect is Sharlah's brother who she hasn't spoken to since he killed their parents (in defence of himself and Sharlah) years ago.  So not only are Quincy and Rainie trying to solve the crime and find the brother, but they are also trying to protect Sharlah as they don't know his motives and if he's coming for Sharlah next.  

This wasn't my favourite Lisa Gardner book and it took me a little bit to get into it.  However, if you like Lisa Gardner then it's still worth the read.  And if you haven't read Lisa Gardner before but like Mary Higgins Clark then I highly recommend them.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

I knew absolutely nothing about this book before reading it, just that it was a Gone Girl type novel.  It's not really... This is about a journalist who is travelling on a small high end cruise line for a story.  Part way into the cruise she thinks that she witnesses a murder.  She then tries to figure out what happened and puts herself in danger in the process.  It wasn't as great as I was expecting it to be, but it was fine.  I'm always going to say that about a book if I finish it, because if I really hate it I likely won't keep reading it!  So this book was good, but definitely wasn't Gone Girl or Girl on the Train but I suppose is similar in style to them if you like that type of mystery book.

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

I loved this book.  It starts off with a plane crash of a private plane leaving Martha's Vineyard.  There are 2 survivors, a man who swam to shore carrying a 4 year old boy.  Much of the book is from his perspective, but also goes into some detail about each of the people on the plane.  Why did the plane crash?  Everything seemed to be fine until it wasn't and so they are trying to figure out whether somebody wanted the plane to crash.

This book kept me interested from beginning to end and kept me guessing as to who had done it.  This was probably my favourite read of the month.

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Definitely chick lit, but with a sad story.  Elsie married the love of her life and 9 days later he was hit by a car and killed.  So although it's a light read, it's a bit darker than they normally are.  The book alternates between Elsie and her mother-in-law's grief and the love story of Elsie and Ben.  I found the love story slightly annoying because it was a bit too perfect.  Real life isn't like that, is it?  I think that was the point though, they had a love like no other and it was taken from them so quickly.  I read this one in about a day though, so it kept me interested and was an easy beach read.  I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand

This is my first Elin Hilderbrand book.  I had heard that they are really nice, easy summer reads.  At first I thought it was a bit too fluffy for me, but then I got more into it.  

Dabney lives on Nantucket and is known for her matchmaking abilities.  She has matched 42 couples.  Then her long lost love comes back to the island and stirs everything up.  

As the book went on I definitely got more into it and it was a nice light read.  I will definitely be reading more of her books when I'm looking for something to read.  

Recent Book Reviews

I'm trying really hard to read more.  I used to read all the time.  But it's decreased since having kids, and I know I watch too much TV lately.  So I went to the library and started taking some books out and low and behold when I take out 3 books and have to get them read in 3 weeks, I've actually been doing it!  

Anyways, I always love Shay Shull's monthly book review posts and get a ton of ideas of books to read from them.  So I thought I would share the first few books that I've read this year in hopes of helping out some fellow readers.

First of all, if you like to read and don't have a Goodreads account, get it!  Goodreads is like a social media for books.  You can record books that you've read, books that you want to read, write reviews, read reviews and rate the books that you've read.  I like it to keep track of how many books I've read, and also love that I can enter in books that I want to read.  When I went to the library I pulled up my list and used that to search for which books were available.

Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story by Jewel

I found this book really interesting.  Ryan and I love watching Alaska the Last Frontier, which is a TV show that just happens to be about Jewel's family who live on a homestead in Alaska.  The show really has nothing to do with Jewel and is about their lifestyle of living off the land.  Because of that, I was really interested in her book and hearing about her upbringing and life.  She has had a life that's actually worthy of a biography and it was a very interesting read.

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

I was really excited about this book, and it disappointed me a bit.  I wanted more Gilmore Girls scoop than it gave me, and I didn't really like the way that she wrote.  She wrote as if she was just talking to you, and every time she mentioned another celebrity would write (Hi Mae!) That is definitely what annoyed me the most!  That being said, it wasn't terrible.  I liked it enough, just not as much as I thought I would.  The book is more a series of essays than a biography.  So it's not her life story, just small stories from throughout her life.  If you like Parenthood or Gilmore Girls it's worth a read, but don't expect to be blown away.

The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth

This book is about a woman who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at 38 years old.  The book drew me in from the first chapter, which rarely happens.  It was just a nice light read (as light as a book about early onset Alzheimer's can be).  

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

This was similar to Lauren Graham's book in that it was written as a series of essays about her life.  I enjoyed it enough, but it wasn't fantastic.  Anna seems really down to earth so I liked that, but none of the stories were overwhelmingly exciting.  

The Mother's Promise by Sally Hepworth

I also ready Sally Hepworth's The Secrets of Midwives last year and really enjoyed it, so after I read The Things We Keep I decided to try this one as well.  This book is about a woman who has cancer, her teenage daughter who has severe anxiety disorder and the fact that it's really just the two of them.  Ok from the way I describe these books they sound awful, who wants to read about a young mom with cancer and a 38 year old with Alzheimer's.  But it's more about the women within the stories than their diseases, and they are some great reads.  I highly recommend all of Sally Hepworth's books.  They are easy to get into and the chapters are short, so you just keep reading!

Another post will be coming soon with more of the books that I've read this year!

Reading Lately

I pretty much always have a book on the go.  I've been a reader my entire life (except when I was in University, then pleasure reading went on pause.)  I've read a few books this summer, some good, some great, some just meh.  I have this struggle with putting books down that I'm not enjoying.  Even if I don't like it I want to know what happens.  I could just google it, but I never seem smart enough to do that.

The One & Only - Emily Giffin

I'm a huge Emily Giffin fan.  This book was slightly different than her typical book, but I still enjoyed it.  The reviews on Goodreads were terrible though!  I don't want to say much more because I don't want to give anything away, but it's not the writing that people disliked, it's the topics discussed in the book.  I still give it a thumbs up though...

Wild - Cheryl Strayed

This book was tough for me at first.  I found I couldn't connect with Cheryl when she said stuff like: He asked if I had tried Heroin and I hadn't so we did it. Pardon?  And when she got pregnant she says "I got an abortion and learned how to make dehydrated tuna flakes and turkey jerky and took a refresher course on basic first aid and practiced using my water purifier in my kitchen sink."  This drove me nuts.  You don't just pass by abortion like that, as if it's completely insignificant.

Anyways, the book got better.  Once she was out hiking the trail for months at a time and there was no heroin or pregnancy, she was easier to relate to.  I would recommend this book.

The Matched Series - Ally Condie

I liked the first one.  Typical dystopian with a love triangle.  Nothing amazing, but it was good.  Then the second one I didn't even want to finish.  It was just boring.  But for some reason I read the second one and the third one because I wanted to know what happened. This is one of those books that I should have just googled the ending for.

The Husband's Secret - Liane Moriarty

This is on everyone's book club list I think.  I thought it was really good.  Some secrets you find out about early on, some take you a bit longer and keep you guessing.  It's about multiple families but they all come together and are related in some way.  Definitely a good read.  Really makes you think that you never really know what's going on in other people's lives, or even in those lives that are deeply intertwined with your own.

 What have you been reading lately?

Literary Junkies

 

It's another Literary Junkies link up!  I'm just going to get right into it!

1. What are you reading right now? Tell us about it!

Right now I'm reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  It's our book club book for this month, and although I'm not too far into it, I'm really enjoying it!  It's also probably a book that I never would have chosen to read on my own.  

There are two different stories going on.  One of a young Jewish girl living in Paris during the war.  It is about this time when the French police rounded up all of the Jews in Paris and sent them to death camps.  I had never even heard of this before!

The other story is about a middle aged woman in modern day Paris.  I haven't gotten to the connection between the two stories yet, but so far both stories are keeping me interested.

2. What was your favorite series to read when you were a kid?
Without a doubt it was Nancy Drew.  I read them all!

3. The world is ending: What 3 books do you save from your collection in hopes to contribute to whatever new society forms?

Tough question.  Harry Potter.  Even though technically half of the collection is mine, half is my brothers and they all live at my parents house.  I guess I would just grab three random books from the series!  Maybe the first one, the last one and one in the middle. 

4. What is your favorite genre to read? Why?

Apparently it's young adult.  But I also really like mystery thriller type books and some chick lit for an easy read.

5. If you wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

Ginger Snap.  I don't know.

6. What is next on your “to-read” list? Tell us about it!
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling is on there, as soon as my brother brings it home from school!  I still haven't read Where We Belong by Emily Giffin so I really want to read that one.

What have you been reading lately?