books

It’s time once again to link up with Steph and Jana for their monthly Show Us Your Books linkup.  I love seeing what everyone’s been reading and add a gazillion books to my ever growing to-read list.  Here is look at my February reads.  I only read seven books, however, the majority of them were four stars, which I’m okay with!  Quality definitely rules quantity for me any day.

3 Stars

Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia – When Hattie Hoffman dies many secrets are uncovered about the high school girl when trying to find her killer.  Although this suspense book had the requisite twist at the end, I found it overall to be a slow read.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne – Lucy and Josh work together at the same publishing company.  They are bitter rivals…..until of course, they weren’t.  This was an easy chick lit/contemporary romance read.  I wanted to like it more than I did…….but I didn’t.  It’s an okay read, especially for those who like the genre.

4 Stars

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney – This psychological suspense book is told via two different girls, Emma (the past) and Jane (the present).  Both women end up living in the same house at One Folgate Street.  Living at the modern, minimalist house comes with lots of rules, which the women accepted after needing fresh starts in their lives.  Although the book wasn’t great, I gave it four stars since it had me guessing until the very end.  It’s also being turned into a movie but a release date hasn’t been announced yet.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh – This book is centers around a hit and run, and is told from the POV of main protagonist, Jenna Gray and the lead detective. I’m hating that every new suspense book has been dubbed the best thriller since Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train.  This book is one of them. I honestly almost gave up on this book since it started off so slow.  It picked up mid-way through and then became a page-turner, so I’m glad I stuck with it.

The One Thing by Gary Keeler –   I first listened to a couple of episodes of the podcast that is based on this book.  This is a great book on time management and productivity, focused more for those in the business sector.  However, I feel like I learned a lot from it and even recommended my husband read it.  The big take-away, no surprise here, is to focus on one thing and get it done.  They apply this to all different areas in your life – family, job, home, etc.

Unbelievable by Sara Shepard – This is book number four in the Pretty Little Liars series.  I am continuing to read this series, managing about a book a month.  Not much to say about this one except that it’s total brain candy.

5 Stars

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult – Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors.  I hadn’t read a book of hers in awhile and after a long wait, finally got this book from the library.  This book is such a thought-provoking read about race and racism in America.  While race is a difficult subject it seems even more relevant in the current tumultuous times we are experiencing.  I highly recommend this read.

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Today on the blog it’s all about book love!  I am linking up with Jana and Steph’s monthly Show Us Your Books link up to share my January 2017 reads.  This month I read 12 books.  It seems like a lot, but several of them were middle grade fiction books.  I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s posts and adding to my goodreads list!  And speaking of goodreads, you can friend me if you’d like to see what I’m reading or what I’ve read.  So in order of least to most liked, here are my January reads:

2 Stars

Marvin and the Moths by Matthew Holm – This is a middle grade fiction book that I read and reviewed for Kiss the Book.  It involves a science experiment gone wrong and giant moths and a killer spider……yeah, not really my thing!

3 Stars

Autumn’s Wish by Bella Thorne – This is another book that I read and reviewed for a Kiss The Book review.  It’s the third book in a YA series that I was just “eh” about.  Not having read the first two books in the series wasn’t really a problem.  They give enough back-story about what happened in the previous books.  My issues with the series is that it is written about a group of high school kids.  However, it’s kids my daughter’s age (almost 11/middle school) who are fans of Bella Thorne from her Disney show Shake It Up.

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo – Raymie starts taking baton lessons in hopes of winning the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition.  If she wins, her picture will be in the newspaper and she’s hoping that her father, who left town with a dental hygenist, will come back home.  She meets two other girls at the baton lessons who form an unlikely friendship.  My daughter read this book.  Since we no longer read together, like my son and I do, I like to at least occasionally read some of the same books as her.  This won the Goodreads Choice 2016 for middle grade and children’s books and has been nominated for other awards as well.  Having read some of DiCamillo’s other books, this book was just an okay read for me.

4 Stars

Home by Harlan Coben – Besides James Patterson, Coben is one of my go-to authors for quick, suspenseful reads. This is book number 11 in the Myron Bolitar series.  It had several unexpected twists.  While I prefer to read a series in order, I think that this book can be read as a stand-alone without feeling totally lost.

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – I read this book with my son over the course of a couple of weeks.  Somehow I had missed ever reading this book on my own.  This is book #2 in the Chronicles of Narnia series, but I think the most popular?  Honestly I didn’t even realize there was a whole series and that I wasn’t reading the first book, until we had already started reading it.  This was a great fantasy read that we both enjoyed.  We then watched the movie which we both liked, even though it was a little different in parts.

Nowhere Girl by A.J. Paquette – I received this book and read and reviewed it on my blog for Multicultural Children’s Book Day.  It tells the story of Luchi, girl born in a prison in Thailand.  It’s the only life she’s ever known.  But when her mother passes away, she is released into the real world.  As Luchi embarks on her journey, she learns secrets about her mother’s past.  This was a really great book that I had never heard of and would never have read if I hadn’t participated in Multicultural Children’s Book Day.  Our children need access to more diverse books, including this one!

Only Ever You by Rebecca Drake –  3 year-old Sophia disappears from a playground for a few minutes, scaring her mother, Jill.  When she is found she has a tiny needle mark in her arm, which everyone convinces Jill is just a bug bite.  But then  Jill feels like she’s being watched and has someone been in her house?!  When Sophia is later taken from her own house, the blame is put on Jill and her husband, David.  Jill has to prove her innocence and find her daughter.  This was a suspenseful read that had me guessing until the end.

Perfect by Sara Shepard – I finished the third book in the Pretty Little Liar series.  Since I started reading the series, it looks like I’m reading about one book a month.  These books are filled with lots of high school drama.  They are fun, brain-candy reads for me.

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick – I love Anna Kendrick!  In this book she talks about the beginning of her career, being a celebrity, romance and more.  It’s all told in her humorous, tell it like it is, down-to-earth style.  As I was reading, I could imagine her voice telling the stories.  If you’re a fan of hers, I recommend this book!

Word of Mouse by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein –  Isaiah, known as mouse #97 was raised in a laboratory along with his other 96 siblings.  In an escape attempt, he is the only one who makes it out of the laboratory.  He eventually meets Mikayla, another mouse who introduces him to her family.  Can he convince them to help save his family?  This is Patterson’s newest middle grade fiction book.  My son is fan of Patterson’s other middle grade fiction series.  He borrowed this book from the library and loved it so much that he insisted that I HAD to read it.  I thought this was a cute read and had good lessons on accepting differences.

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero – I’m going to be honest, this book isn’t for everyone.  But if you like self-help, inspiring books, then I recommend this one.  Sincero is a success coach who tells it like it is.  One of her biggest messages repeated throughout the book is “love yourself.”  This was a timely read for the new year as I try to figure my -ish out!

5 Stars

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I have seen this book reviewed on so many Show Us Your Books blog posts that I finally had to read it.  I’m sorry I waited so long!  If you want a book that gives you all the feels, this is one of them.  I won’t give a summary since I think almost everyone in the link up has already read it, but I loved this tear jerker of a read!

It’s time for Steph and Jana’s first Show Us Your Books linkup of 2017!  I especially loved reading last month’s best of 2016 books posts, which made me move up some of the books on my to read list!  Today I’m sharing my December 2016 reads.  I read 10 books which all rated 3 or 4 stars, so a pretty good reading month for me.

3 Stars:

Flawless by Sara Shepard – I’ve been slowly making my way through the Pretty Liar series.  I’m not sure what took me so long to start this series but it’s perfect brain candy!  Plus, I’m enjoying watching the show on Netflix as well.  There’s only 16 books but 141 episodes and I’m already seeing how the show is different from the book. But, it’s fun!

Happy Endings by Adele Geras – This is a YA book that I received for review for the Kiss the Book blog.  Set in London, 16 year-old Mel spends her summer rehearsing in a youth theater performance of Chekhov’s Three Sisters.  With a small cast, they become close and Mel navigates new friendships, drama and romance.   Although this is a short book, at 170 pages, I felt it read very slow.

Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson – This non-fiction book provides, “21 essential strategies to sleep your way to a better, body, better health, and bigger success.”  Shawn Stevenson provides useful tips and insights on getting better sleep  and why it’s so important.  I’ve been interested in getting more sleep and know that sleep is important.  I found this book to be informative.

Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple – I wasn’t a fan of Where’d You Go Bernadette? so I probably shouldn’t have read this book.  This book is a quirky, family drama that I thought was okay.

4 Stars:

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig – A cute, middle grade fiction book about the origin of Santa Claus.  You can read my full review in my 25 Books of Christmas post.

Matilda by Roald Dahl – Somehow, I never read this book until now!  My son and I read this book together over the course of a couple of weeks.  It’s a great Dahl read about a super smart little girl and her parents who don’t believe in reading or the importance of an education.  Luckily, her teacher Miss Honey realizes Matilda’s gift and encourages her learning.  We were unable to see the musical in NYC before it closed but will watch the movie soon.

Paris For One and Other Short Stories by Jojo Moyes – I’m normally not a big fan of short stories.  However, I really like Moyes’ books and enjoyed this collection.  It’s a book of nine short stories all about relationships.

Three Christmas Wishes by Sheila Roberts – I like to read Christmas books in December.  This was another book that I read for my 25 Books of Christmas feature.  You can read the review here.

Two By Two by Nicholas Sparks – This book was a little different than Sparks’ normal love stories.  This was actually more of a story of a couple falling apart.  There were a couple of other side stories going on as well including Russell, the main character bonding with his young daughter as he basically raises her as a single parent.  This was a tear jerker, as Sparks’ books usually are.

What Light by Jay Asher – I loved Asher’s 13 Reasons Why.  This book was very different but an enjoyable, holiday YA read.  This was another book I reviewed for my 25 Books of Christmas.

It’s time once again to link up with Steph and Jana for their monthly Show Us Your Books link up.  This is a chance for me to share my monthly reads as well as add to my ever growing to read list!  Here’s a look at my November 2016 reads:

2 Stars

Princess In Pink by Meg Cabot – This is number five in the Princess Diaries series, a YA series.  This book focuses on Princess Mia wanting to go to the prom.  Her mom is also super pregnant and ready to give birth to her new sibling.  It’s been awhile since I had read a book in this series and I’m not sure if I’m going to continue.  This book was just “eh” for me.

3 Stars

Power Your Happy by Lisa Sugar – Lisa Sugar is the founder of POPSUGAR.  In this business/self-help book she talks about building her company and gives tips to the reader on different areas to help us create our “happy” like she did.  Overall an okay read.

Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber –  I read this book for my 25 Books of Christmas feature on my blog.  You can read the review here.

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty – You know something tragic happens in this book but it takes forever to find out what.  I didn’t find any of the characters very likable and thought the book was too long.  Definitely not my fave of hers.

4 Stars

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena – Anne and Marco Conti go to their next door’s neighbor’s house for  a party, leaving their six month old baby home alone sleeping.  Although they were taking turns every hour checking on the baby, when they get home for the evening, she’s missing.  Now they must try to get their daughter back.  I found this book to be very suspenseful, with everyone looking guilty at some point in the story.

The Mistletoe Secret by Richard Paul Evans – Another book for my 25 Books of Christmas.  You can read my review here.

Never Ever by Sara Saedi – This book is a modern YA take on the classic Peter Pan.  Wylie Dalton and her brothers meet Phinn at a party.  They follow him to a remote island where no one ages past 17.  It seems like paradise until Wylie discovers that Phinn has kept secrets from her.  There is a second book in this series coming soon which I am looking forward to reading.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware –  Journalist, Lo Blacklock is going on a luxury cruise to the North Sea to see the Northern Lights.  While on the ship she sees a woman in Cabin 10, the one next to hers, but then never sees the woman again.  No one else on the small ship has seen her and Lo begins to think she’s going crazy.  I found this book to be a suspenseful read that kept me guessing.  I’ve heard Ware’s first book, In a Dark, Dark Wood is even better so I will be checking that one out soon.