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Another month, another awesome stack of books! This wasn’t quite the month of greats that last month was, but I’m satisfied nevertheless!
Here’s what I read:
Wayward and The Last Town by Blake Crouch- I polished off the rest of the Wayward Pines trilogy in a matter of days. My take on it? Super entertaining. I didn’t love it like i loved Dark Matter, but it was super entertaining. Totally worth a read. I won’t ever watch the TV show b/c I tried, and it’s just not my thing, but I did love the books. Warning: parts of them are totally ridiculous and they totally require major suspension of disbelief.
Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica- I really enjoy Kubica’s books. This one was a quick read with plenty of twists and turns. It was entertaining, and that’s what I was in the mood for- it kept me guessing! 4 stars
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne- I kept hearing all of these five star reviews for this one so I was so excited to read it. Prepare yourselves because for some reason I have a lot of feelings about this one.
From my Goodreads review:
Meh. I’m not sure of my feelings here. Let me start off by saying that I am in no way a literary snob. I love me a good chick lit, a semi smutty romance- I do. I think they are fabulous palate cleansers and I enjoy them greatly.
With that said – while there were several things I really enjoyed about this book, there were more things that bugged me in the end.
Likes: there was some clever and snarky dialogue and witty banter I really enjoyed. The two lead characters had amazing – AMAZING chemistry. Seriously. There was also a great scene at the end of the book where one character tells off another. It was immensely satisfying!
Dislikes: I got so tired of hearing about how little and tiny Lucy was. So tired. By the end of the book I was rolling my eyes every time I read something else about how tiny she was.
Also – I despised Josh’s family. His dad is a horrible person and his mom never stands up for him.
For some reason the author likes to repeat certain phrases over and over. “Gimlet eyed” and comparisons to lara croft. But for me the final straw is when Josh describes himself as “socially retarded “. Just NO.
Last comment – I found certain behaviors that Josh displayed to be controlling and abusive. Like when he would snatch the phone away from Lucy and demand that Danny never Call her again. I totally get that some people are into the whole Fifty Shades of Controlling thing… but I’m not one of those people.
Whew. Not sure why i typed so much but apparently I have a lot of opinions about this book. Ha!! 2.5 stars
Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran- This is not a fast paced book. So if that’s what you enjoy, you won’t like this. This one is a bit slow and meandering. You have to stick with it because it’s worth it. Devastating and morally complicated and deep. And also very timely. It’s one of those books that’s interesting because it explores that gray area between right and wrong. 4 stars.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour- First off, best cover art award goes to this book. Haunting and sweet and sad and beautiful. And very short – I read it in one quick sitting. I also really appreciated the diversity in this book – it was done in a very authentic and organic way. 3.5 stars
The Night Circus byErin Morgenstern- Where do I start with this one? Absolute magic. The most stunning imagery I can remember in a novel. I was completely immersed in the circus world. I had a couple of problems with the ending and the fact that it stalled out pace-wise for me a couple of times and gave it 4.5 stars on Goodreads, but the more I think about it I think it’s closer to 4.75 stars. I’ve been thinking about this one a lot since I read it, which is the measure of a good book to me. It was quite beautiful and moving.
Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum- I adored this YA read. I devoured it in one day and it put a big grin on my face. Yes… I totally figured it out by the end but that didn’t stop me from falling in love with it. Sweet, funny, and a little bit sad. Pretty much the perfect YA book. 4.5 stars.
My Book of The Month selection for April:
I need your help here. I’m completely stuck between Startup and One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter. What do you think I should choose? HELLLLP!
April deals from BOTM:
** 1-month membership for $5.00
** 3-month membership for $9.99 + free BOTM tote
- Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
WOOHOO! Happy reading, sweet friends!
As always- please let me what what you are reading and what’s in your TBR pile!
xoxo
S
Love seeing what you’re reading and getting your thoughts. Thanks!
I actually just commented on your Instagram then got this email – have you read This Is How It Alwaus Is? By Laurie Frankel? I really enjoyed it. Next I’m planning on re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I’m guessing it’s been about 30 years since I’ve read them.
Just read that. So engaging, wonderful writing…
I’m reading IT right now
I’m reading a nonfiction book called The Revenge of Analog, which basically talks about things that were thought to be made obsolete by technology that have a resurgence in popularity: vinyl records, paper notebooks, etc. Interesting, but not something I’ll fly through. I downloaded a Nora Roberts book called Daring to Dream because I’m in the mood for a romance and picked up Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krause Rosenthal.
Always happy to see what your are reading and have added a few to my list! Currently I am reading The Silver Witch by Paula Brackston–I have an unexplainable affinity for books that are magic/witch related and Brackston’s books are filling that need for me right now :). Sarah Addison Allen also has some magical qualities to her stories and I devoured all of them.. I just picked up Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman yesterday at the library and am liking what I have read so far. The library now has a coloring table for the kids which left me with about fifteen minutes of reading time–why had they not done this sooner?? My to-read stack is pretty high at the moment due to requesting so many books at one time, but at the top is The Seed Collectors by Scarlett Thomas and Now and Then Friends by Kate Hewitt.
Michelle, have you read Alice Hoffman’s novels? Sarah Addison Allen is very similar, although Hoffman is heavier on the magic!
I feel like you will have read any book I mention because you read as many books in a month as I do in a year ha! But I just finished My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella and next up is The curious charms of arthur pepper…or something like that. It’s waiting for me at the library.
I skipped this month’s BOTM (and last month’s) because none of them appealed to me. However, I loved “A Little Life” — long and graphic but an amazing journey.
Pick One Day This Will Matter – b/c I’d like your review – the reviews were intriguing……..
k8
I just finished We are Okay,
This is How It Always Is, and American Street.
I loved Tell me Three Things. I’ve been finding new books through the library’s free Book Page magazine; I just realized there’s an online version, too. I also discovered the What Should I Read Next podcast.
Have you ever read anything by Liza Palmer? I think Field Guide to Burying your Parents was my favorite. I love character novels. How about Sandra Kring? I loved the Book of Bright Ideas.
I also loved Melissa Keil’s Life in Outer Space and Adi Alsaid’s Let’s Get Lost.
Thanks for the recap!
I’ve been reading a lot of science fiction and YA fantasy. I just finished Kelley Armstrong’s Age of Legends Trilogy and really liked it. I’m also re-reading the Expanse series (excellent sci-fi) and I’ve got Game of Crowns and The Romanov Sisters going for some non-fiction.
Did you ever read We Were Liars? It’s a YA contemporary that came out a couple years ago. I don’t know what made me think of it but it was one of those books that had an ending that I was just dying to talk to someone about. I did not see it coming. at. all.
you are a super reader!! I love your reviews!
I’ve been adding your books to my TBR list as I see them on Instagram. Thanks for sharing your love of reading! Since your last post, I finished A Man Called Ove! Oh how I loved this book and all of the characters in it! I also read I See You by Clare Macintosh. Not as good as I Let Go (one of my favorite books in 2016) but still 4 stars! I also read Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller. I only gave it two stars. The story plodded along and I really didn’t like the characters or find them very sympathetic. I may add a half star if my book club discussion next week is good. Currently, I am reading When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalannithi.
Also, wanted to let you know that I thought of you when I saw this shirt in Old Navy: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1035712&vid=1&pid=507736052
I just finished reading “A Boy Called It”. Disturbing and heartbreaking…time to move onto something lighter!