It’s been a while hasn’t it? I have so much to share. Even when I wasn’t blogging I was sharing my thoughts on Goodreads and my reading Instagram account.
I want this blog series to be a place where we can all talk about what we are reading, loving, hating, what we are wanting to read and what we wish we hadn’t.
Please comment and share your thoughts!
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
by Shonda Rhimes // This one’s tricky. I really liked it a lot. The “girl power”/”girl boss” element is excellent. Shonda is fierce and strong and doesn’t take crap from anyone. I love that. I found so many parts of the book inspiring. I nodded my head and laughed out loud. I really identified with her chapter on mommy wars and her thoughts on women not being able to accept compliments. I read many parts out loud to Jimmy and her words facilitated many conversations between us. But I also felt like the book could have been so much more. Shonda never let us know too much and she never got truly deeply personal. I know….that’s a lot to ask. But I found the book to be more inspiring platitudes and I wanted it to be more of a personal memoir. With all that said…I definitely recommend it. 3.5 stars.
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff // I am going to be the odd woman out here. And I’m okay with it. This was President Obama’s favorite book of 2015. I saw countless friends rave about it and read glowing reviews. But I HATED IT. Hated hated hated hated it. Ugh. I hated the characters. They were horrible and selfish people. And although I can honestly say that Groff is a talented author (obviously) I was turned off by her style. I honestly can’t even put it into words. I just had a very visceral reaction to this book – and not in a good way. 1 star.
We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh // I loved The Language of Flowers so I reserved this one at the library as soon as it came out. I loved it. Diffenbaugh wrote each character beautifully and I fell in love with each of them for different reasons. The book really moved me-and I still think about it now and then. 4.5 stars.
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter // SO MESSED UP. And creepy and dark and nauseating in certain parts. If any of those things are too much for you..don’t read it. But I thought it was so good. It kept me glued to my earphones – I listened to it on Audible. Really- consider yourself warned. SO MESSED UP. But riveting. 4 stars.
Anything at all by Colleen Hoover // I am not a romance girl usually. Not that I have anything against reading- I don’t discriminate when it comes to books…I love ALL books. But Colleen Hoover made me a romance girl. She’s funny and witty and her stories are HOT and realistic. Not cheesy. I love her. I listen to her books on Audible as well.
The Hummingbird by Stephen Kiernan // This book was really interesting to me. At first I kind of skimmed all of the historical parts of the book but then I realized that they were crucial to the plot line so I had to go back and start over. As an army wife…the PTSD parts were painful to read. But so well written. One small negative – I got kind of annoyed with the way the main characters talked to each other. I deeply enjoyed the hospice parts of the book. It was a beautifully written and tender tale. Just lovely. 3.5 stars.
For more of my recently read book reviews, check HERE.
+ Anything and everything by Karin Slaughter
+ The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild
+ Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
+ Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
+ Carrie by Stephen King
+ Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams
Whew! That’s just the tip of the iceberg, too. So many books so little time!
So what about you? Tell me about what’s on your list.
I haven’t read any of these! Shonda Rhimes is on my list, though. I read A Little Life over Christmas and loved reading it, though I have some thoughts about what worked and didn’t – but I loved it and it crushed me. I’m listening to A Casual Vacancy (finally) and reading The Sea Lady by Margaret Drabble (I’ve loved her sister AS Byatt for years, and am intrigued by their reportedly terrible relationship – and the book is good, too). I’m forgetting something, so it must not have been very good!
Thanks for the tips, you know I always trust you!!!
I’m so happy to find someone who agrees with me on Fates and Furies! I was so excited to read it, but then kept waiting to fall in love with it (or even just like it!) and it never happened. I forced myself to finish it and kept thinking, what did I miss? How is this on so many people’s favorite or best lists? I even went onto goodreads to read some reviews with spoilers to make sure I didn’t miss anything- ha! One star from me too!
I think I’m not smart enough to “get it”. haha!
I need to read some of these! I don’t even think they are on my list! thanks Stephanie!
What I am reading now:
The Perfume Collector
For the Love by Jen Hatmaker
Big Magic
Up next: We Are Water, The Hypnotists Love Story, Every Little thing, Crazy Love,
Our Souls at Night, The Rocks….
two I didn’t finish that I want to go back to are CRazy Rich Asians and Black Chalk. have you read either? worth reading???
STill haven’t finished Fringe Hours either, I love it, just love fiction better! that’s one of my goals is to read other stuff besides historical fiction!
LOVE your book lists soooooo MUCH!!! can’t wait for planner posts!!!!!
tara
ehhh on Crazy rich asians. okay but WAY TOO LONG and way too hard to get through. i liked it but i was hard work!!
I have read the first chapter of the Shonda Rimes’ book but I still have Ready Player One to finish so I am holding off. I have a Brene Brown and a Gretchen Rubin book to hand as well as Mari Kondo’s Magic of Tidying Up. Ca n you tell it is January?? Nothing like some inspiration to help with a year of change at our place.
love it!!
Love your book reviews! I’m reading The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. It’s an older book but so good! I plan on reading more of hers.
For a YA series try reading the Selection books by Keira Cass. I feel like you may enjoy them. They are a light but fun read.
Thanks for the rec! Always love good YA reads. I really love Phillipa Gregory- great choice!
Just finished First & then last night. Loved it. Also finished everything, everything last week. I’m on a major YA kick 🙂
Love me some YA. Adding these to my list.
Loved We Never Asked a For Wings! Pretty Girks was very twisted and hard to read in places! Yikes! But I couldn’t not read it.
Circling The Sun was my favorite book of last year! Hope you enjoy it.
I just finished Everything, Everything. Another entry into the sick lit YA genre. But I really enjoyed it! The last part was a shocker!
sick lit. HA! yes. does it make me a sicko that i love it???
I want to read Pretty Girls, that one sounds like it is right up my alley. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of YA books that have a more boy vibe to them because I’ve been reading books with my oldest son. Our last favorite was Armada by Ernest Cline. We both agree it wasn’t as good as his first book but it was still a great sic-fi read and I loved all the 80s references! Now we are watching old movies together like The Last Starfighter and War-games.
I can also give the Selection series another thumbs up, it is like a twist between the Hunger Games and watching the Bachelor!! Great quick reads!
Right now I’m reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. It has a very interesting premise and makes you think about how we really think about ourselves. i don’t know if my son will want to read this, he tends to rate his books on how many kissing scenes there are. LOL!!
a. i really enjoyed the uglies!
b. i LOVE that you read with your son.
c. kissing scenes? BAHAHAAH!
I think you either loved or hated Fates & Furies. I’m on the other side of the fence on it, not because I loved the characters, but because I loved the virtuosity of Groff’s writing. I was an English major in college and I enjoyed unpacking all the literary allusions. I think the reason the characters weren’t likable in almost any way is because they were more archetypes, if that makes sense. So my “liking” the book was really liking her talent, how insanely well-read she is, and her attempt at this ambitious piece of writing, even if there were ways in which she fell short of greatness.
I’ve got Elizabeth Gilbert’s book on deck and look forward to it. I appreciate your review of the Shonda Rhimes book — I had heard of it, sort of thought it might not be my thing, but I’ll give it a try.
Girl…I’m not even close enough to being smart enough to read + understand a book on that level. Bahaha!
Well, I may or may not have been looking up eight bajillion things while I was reading it. ha, ha It’s very possible to get a degree in English and for there to still be sooooooooooooo much you haven’t read!
Reading: “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” by Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess) and “Death Comes to Pemberley” by PD James (BBC production of it is excellent, too.) Listening to “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel” by AJ Hartley & David Hewson and read by Richard Armitage (who, honestly, could make stereo instructions sound awesome.)
I’ve been told by so many people that I would love Jenny Lawson’s book!
I’m almost finished reading Lake House by Kate Morton. It’s really really good. Some of the book takes place in the 1930s and then in 2003.
Up after that is How to Be Single, Still Waters and The Precious One.
Maybe I’ll add the Shonda book to fit the self improvement book category for the reading challenge I’m doing. It’s not my kind of genre generally.
I just bought Lake House and can’t wait to read it. I love Kate Morton & her other books so I’m sure this one will be good too!
I think I might have read this one but I can’t remember. Maybe it’s on my to read list??
Loved We Never Asked For Wings and Big Magic. I have A Year of Yes here ready to read but I am currently reading Adventures for Your Soul. Love looking at what you read as it has encouraged me to broaden what I read and find new authors.
Thank you Deb!! oxo
I love that you share your good reads, SOME day I’ll have time to read again….I keep sayin that about just everything I love. I’ve been working too much, and starting photography biz in my spare time, and what with my 11 grandkids, ALL of whom have captured my heart and time….I’m not reading anything much but Peppa Pig goes to School.
PSSSST, your Cora is adorable and beautiful just like the other Howell girls! Miss you blogging Steph. Are you coming stateside soon?
Not sure! Our next move is soon but they haven’t told us where we’re going yet. BOO!
Have you read the Elena Ferrante “Lost Child” trilogy? I think you need to read it before you leave Italia! And yes, you need to read Jenny Lawson. Think Jen Lancaster with a darker, non-preppy side. Funny as HELL!
Currently reading “A Short History of Seven Killings.” It’s not actually short, so this one may take me into the summer! 🙂 miss you, friend!
Miss you more!!! And I know- YOU are the one that first told me I needed to read Lawson’s book!!! Adding that trilogy to my list. Love you!
I just wanted to pop in and say I love your new blog, I have been a reader since the Two Peas days.
Also, I had the same reaction to Fates and Furies… didn’t even make it to 50 pages. I was wondering why I wasn’t “getting” it. I’m reading The Clasp by Sloan Crosley right now and not loving it very much, either, unfortunately. Almost ready to give up on it.
If you like YA, try any of Morgan Matson’s books. I loved Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour and Since You’ve Been Gone. Perfect light reading.
Thank you Heidi! So glad you are here. And thanks for the recs! The Clasp was funny and witty but still kind of ehhhh.
I just want to say, you are the best and I am so glad you are back. Reading your blog just plain outright makes me feel good. Thank you.
This is one of the sweetest things I can remember in a long time. Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me today!
I’m so glad to see your posts! It’s like an old friend is back, except you don’t know me. 🙂 One of my goals this year is to read 50 books. Reading has always been my favorite hobby, but having little kids and part-time jobs took me away from it. I’ve turned off the TV, gotten off Facebook, and I’m digging through my huge stash of books (I may not have been reading, but I was still buying books!). Many of your books and authors are on my list. I like some of the same books you do, so I appreciate all your recommendations. One book on your list that I read a few weeks ago is Big Magic, and it’s been life-changing for me. (If she gets a little too much for you in the first pages, don’t give up until you read her Ann Patchett story.) I am a writer who hasn’t done much writing lately, because it’s not practical. And her book really answers why we should pursue creative endeavors exactly because they are not practical! Whenever I find myself trying to justify my creative time, I think of that book. BTW, I love the pictures of your sweet girls. They are just lovely!
Thank you so much for stopping by! I wish you a beautiful and blessed year full of SO MANY books. And also full of LOTS of Big Magic! xoox
I’m excited to hear what you think of Big Magic. I have been listening to it on audible and it’s read by the author – I’m getting a lot of inspiration from it, and it’s really cool to hear her share her creative process. I think you will like it.
Nice List!!!!
How do you manage to find time to read and blog and scrap and and and with 5 girls around????
I admire you…
Funny I also have Big Magic on my list for february!!!
Kisses from France