Happy Show us Your Books day for November!!! I haven’t been reading quite as much as I’d like lately – I still read some really great books in October, but it was SUCH a busy month. We somehow have all of our weeknights stacked with children’s activities and I find once I get them to bed at 7 or 7:30ish, all I really want to do is stare at the wall. LOL. That being said…we have had some lower-key weekends and more to come heading into winter, I think, and I just want to be cozy and relax as a family and get some work done inside our home.

Here are a few of the books I read in the last month or so! Linking up today with Steph and Jana, as always. Check out the link up to see some other great, quick book reviews!!!

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been on my TBR for a super long time. It was quite long, and strange in the sense that it was a thriller but a LONG one. It was captivating though, and the audiobook held my interest the entire time. This is quite a saga that goes back and forth in time a little bit and it is easy to forget that it is fiction. At times, I really wanted it to go just a bit faster to find out how it all worked out but the journey to that final destination was definitely interesting. Some of the characters were very easy to follow along with even though I wouldn’t call it a character-driven novel.
This definitely wouldn’t fall in the category of a quick thriller/mystery but if you have the time and want to commit to the story, I found it absolutely worth it and wish I had picked it up sooner. HIGHLY recommend the audiobook – the narrator was fantastic.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reading this aloud to my daughter was so wonderful. I love the illustrated books. This has usually been my favourite in the series though I go back and forth a little bit. I just love the whole Triwizard Tournament aspect and the growth in everyone’s relationships and transition to maturing etc. I was a bit concerned about my 8 year old’s reaction to the ending and the darkness to come, but I think we will be able to talk about it for years to come and we’ll hold off on Order of the Phoenix for a couple more years. (Not me though – I am going to re-read that one myself asap).

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson is such a phenomenal writer and this story was so well told. It wasn’t long, nor was it easy to read. It was a beautiful story of family and it stayed with me long after I finished it.

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This wasn’t quite as good as I was expecting. It definitely had some cute moments and also definitely did remind me a bit of How to Lose A Guy in 10 days but the writing just wasn’t my favourite ever. The cover and description sucked me in but it just didn’t deliver for me personally.

The Winston Brothers series by Penny Reid

Did a re-read with Kristen of the first 4 Winston Brother books in less than a week – this is such a loveable family and these books were exactly what my tired and grumpy brain needed in the week after daylight savings time. LOL. Now I’ll re-read the 5th one ASAP and get to the two NEW BOOKS including the conclusion to the series. Penny Reid writes complex and smart characters in a contemporary romance genre and I love her books. My favourites so far are Truth or Beard and Beard in Mind but I’m sure I will love the final book.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, this book completely held my attention and I was super absorbed in all of the events unfolding at Ellingham. I’d say this reads like a slightly creepier and older The Mysterious Benedict Society, kind of?! It jumps from past to present and I didn’t mind that. I loved the present-day characters and the mystery component was SO good. I knew this one ended on a cliffhanger so I knew I had to start the second book right away but I was NOT expecting the cliffhanger to feel like the author actually just stopped writing mid-sentence (the sentence was complete but UGH!!!). So just be warned, you will need to have the next book right next to you to start right away. I alternated between audio & ebook and enjoyed the audio narration very much. FANTASTICALLY creepy but not too scary fall read. (YA)

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The only thing I didn’t like about this book is that its sequel IS NOT OUT YET.

Seriously though, I loved all the extra information we got here and even though many of the relationships had more tension here than in the first book, I still enjoyed the plot and characters immensely. Ellingham continues to be a creepy setting and you still don’t QUITE know who you can trust. The ending of this one was yet another cliffhanger that left me dying to read the third and final book in this series, so if you can wait until all 3 books are out, you might be a happier reader. LOL. (the third book comes out January 2020).

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In some ways, this book was completely different in tone (and definitely setting) than A Curse so Dark and Lonely. I think I loved it equally as much once I adjusted to that though. Grey is one of my favourite characters maybe ever. He is complex but he is so kind, he is strong but he is also human. I really, really enjoyed the whole journey-adventure-being on the road plotline in this book. I definitely felt extreme tension near the end and was utterly shocked at the conclusion of the story. Yet another series with a cliffhanger and a third installment that doesn’t come out for months (in this case, years, ahhhhhh). Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think that’s about all I’ve read lately!!! Currently reading: Still Life (Three Pines Re-read) but slowly!!!, Would Like to Meet, and hoping to plow through some more ARCs before the end of 2019!!! What have you read lately?! Anything I really need to check out asap?!