Happy Tuesday!! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with a lot of visiting with family and friends and lots of time outside because the weather was beautiful. I am so thankful for all of the joy and love that surrounds me in my life.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’EngleMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is one of my most beloved books of my childhood, and it was quite a treat to revisit it as an audiobook. I have fond memories of getting this book taken away from me by my dad because it was too late at night and I could not put it down despite my parents telling me numerous times. I had to dig it out of his “hiding place” for it above the fridge the next day after school to finish it. haha. The story holds up quite well and the characters are so fun and different. It’s not for everyone because the fantasy elements are a bit out there, but I love this series. (Read for banned books category for Erin’s challenge).
Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
I read this book as a child and recently enjoyed the audio version, which was quite well done. I can see the relation between Emily and Anne, and I love them both but I do feel that Emily has a bit of a stronger desire to please her caregivers, at times at least, which I can relate to. L. M. Montgomery’s writing is so wonderful and I really love this trilogy about Emily of New Moon. Hearing the audiobook also brings back fond memories of the CBC show that we used to watch every Sunday evening 🙂
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Steph mentioned this series awhile ago, and since I have the 8th (I think) book on Netgalley, I wanted to start at the beginning and get through a few of them despite hearing that they can be read out of order. This was an intense book and I can absolutely see myself binging on the series at some point. I really like Kate Burkholder. I liked this book quite a bit; as much as you can like a situation that is as messed up as this one was. 🙂
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was unlike anything I’ve ever read and it was super quick and enjoyable and different and heart-wrenching. I read this in a single sitting and I loved the format, which was in verse and would be SO fun for about a 12-13 year old who needs something to hold their interest when reading.
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I must first say that this narration was quite well done, and I enjoyed listening to this audiobook very much. That being said, this is not my favourite Austen novel. I felt so sad for Fanny throughout the book, and so disappointed about how she was treated by so many people even though I know it wasn’t uncommon at that time and I know that that was the whole point. I really liked the writing and found it quite lyrical and lovely. I think the characters just didn’t click for me the way that her other novels do. Still hoping to check out the film version sometime and this book also concludes my reading of Austen’s novels, so I am quite pleased with that!!
Books that were Good, but not Great
Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
This book wasn’t too bad even though it was pretty messed up. I was interested in the psychological parts of it since that is my background ;). It had been awhile since I’d read an unreliable narrator book (or so it felt like), so it was good that way. I just didn’t care very much about the characters and found parts of it to be a little bit too “meh”. Overall, not a bad read, but nothing too particularly special and writing about it now a month later, I’m realizing it didn’t stay with me as much as other books have.
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I think I like the movie a little bit better, but the audio version of this was quite good and different from the movie. It will be fun to share with our girls in a few years. (read for Erin’s challenge – Disney category)
Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
This book was pleasant enough to read, and I appreciated the alternating storyline and all of the characters (especially Ruby!). It felt like it was lacking a little something at times but overall the themes and the story were worth the read. It’s not A.J. Fikry by any means, but it wasn’t a bad read at all. It was definitely thought provoking in regard to politics, feminism, and stigma/discrimination. (Read for the yellow cover for Erin’s challenge; thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book by a wonderful author.)
Until Love Do Us Part by Anna Premoli
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was okay, but not my favourite for this genre. It had a bit of the hate-to-love storyline, but it was just missing a bit of a connection and parts were confusing. The writing wasn’t the highest quality, but the plot was enjoyable and happy enough. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy of this book.
New York, Actually by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is such a cute romance series and I liked this one a lot. I read this and Until Love Do Us Part back to back, and actually they are similar in many ways (Manhattan setting, etc) but I much prefer Sarah Morgan’s writing. This series doesn’t have to be read in order at all but the side characters are often reflected in other books.
Currently working on: Beach Music (still loving it but it is long!), Little Fires Everywhere (Had to bump it up because it was a 7-day library loan – really good so far), and The Four Tendencies. I’ve also read 6 chapter books to the girls and have read Julia Donaldson’s books about 50,000 times lately as well as reading French books with Molly 🙂 Lots of reading going on!! haha.
What have you read lately?!?
The Maritime Reader 
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