Recent Summer Reads – Show us Your Books link up!

Today’s one of my favourite days to browse blogs: Show us Your Books day! Check out the link up at Steph and Jana’s blogs today. I read quite a few great books over the past month and I’m happy to share them today!

Highly Recommended Books (Depending on Your Taste, of Course)

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can’t decide if I liked this more than Tell Me Three Things, which I absolutely loved, but either way, it’s close. The author herself calls this one her favourite. The characters are adorable. They are dealing both with regular everyday teen-type stuff, and much heavier stuff. Books like this one are my favourite type of YA read for a reason. Definitely seek out Tell Me Three Things or this book if you like YA fiction that deals with difficult subject matter but feels overall optimistic and has wonderful characters and interactions.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a fun read!! Reminded me a bit of The Goose Girl for some reason. The whole departure from actual history was VERY fun. If you like YA historical fantasy, definitely add this to your list – it’s for sure one of the funniest books I’ve read this year.

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an intense read!!! It took me a little while to get into, but it was really full-speed-ahead from about the halfway point to the end. Despite it being quite a sad story, I did enjoy the writing immensely. The bookishness of this book was appealing, but the actual storyline and connections made came right out of left field for me and I was quite blown away when it was all revealed.

The Sisters Chase by Sarah Healy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was slow going for awhile and since I’d heard a few people rave about how amazing it was, I was a bit disappointed. I finished two other books while reading this one. However, about partway through it, this book became quite irresistible to me and I wanted to learn more about how the characters’ lives panned out. This is not an uplifting or happy book by any means, but it was a well-written character book about family sacrifice and the lengths one will go to protect their family and their past. The pacing was spot-on too – each chapter really moved the next one along and I flew through the second half in about a day. I don’t quite know how to classify this because it’s not really suspense, but it feels a bit suspenseful as you piece everything together. It felt a bit reminiscent of Summer Sisters to me although I’m not quite sure why.

Middle of the Road Books for Me

The Other Girl by Erica Spindler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book definitely held my interest and is mostly what I want out of this genre. I didn’t know who I could trust, and that element kept it moving along at a steady pace. I hadn’t read a suspense type book with police officers as main characters in awhile so I enjoyed that part too. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this book.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a quick read, and it was a fun look at a family with some adorable quirks (the 4 year old? adorable!). I didn’t necessarily love that it portrayed Audrey coming to terms with her anxiety relatively quickly (although it is fiction, and I am biased working in the field of psychology). It was definitely a cute YA book. This was my first read by Kinsella and it was more or less what I expected but not my favourite YA by any means. Not sure that I will seek out any of her adult books right away.

Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Super cute fluffy little YA read. Felt like it should have been a bit shorter but the ending was super adorable. 15 year old Heather would have been allllllll about this book but as an adult, the quality of my YA reads needs to be a tiny touch higher. It’s not the book, it’s me. Thanks for the advanced copy of this book Netgalley.

The Good Widow by Liz Fenton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Parts of this book were really quite suspenseful, but other parts were just a bit unbelievable and I generally did not feel extremely sympathetic to the characters despite them being in very sad scenarios. It felt a bit disjointed at times, but I finished it quite quickly once I got into it and wanted to find out how it ended so there were some great elements that kept the story moving forward. Thanks for the advanced copy of this book Netgalley.

Before We Visit the Goddess by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a relatively short book and the alternating viewpoints kept my interest but also made it a bit confusing at times. Overall, I really appreciated the story but it might not be for everyone.

Currently still reading:
North and South
Flowers for Algernon (I am not finding it easy to read)
The One and Only Ivan
The Jane Austen Project

Looking forward to seeing everyone else’s summer reads!!!

What I’ve Been Reading Lately

Time to chat about books…YAY!!!

This was a busy month and I had a few books that I didn’t finish. I also had that problem of 20 library books coming in on the same day so I had to return a few either unread or partially read. Oh well!! Linking up today with Steph and Jana to chat all things books!!!

Here are the books I absolutely loved this month:

Glass Houses by Louise Penny
My rating: A MILLION out of 5 stars

Anyone who has talked to me in the past year and a half knows how much I love this series, so I had high hopes for this book and it exceeded my expectations. Like many others, I feel that this series is best read in order and I feel that the books improve quite a bit as they go along. In fact, some of my favourites of the series so far were The Nature of the Beast and A Great Reckoning. Glass Houses took the series in yet another direction and it was amazingly well done. Beloved characters faced some tough decisions in this book and it was so intriguing to read.

The way that Louise Penny was able to connect various plots and storylines in this book was impeccable and I couldn’t believe it when I got to the end and figured it all out. I am also hopeful for the next book (already – and this one hasn’t even been released yet! haha!) and concerned for some of the uncertainty at the end of this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this absolutely phenomenal book.

Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fishbane did something wonderful in this book; it is a fictional account with a lot of true history about L. M. Montgomery’s adolescence. She wrote it almost as an Anne of Green Gables type story, and it was so fun. I knew next to nothing about her family life and upbringing and definitely did not know that she spent part of her youth out in Prince Albert. This partially biographical fictional novel was fascinating, fun, and enjoyable. I would highly recommend it if you are a fan of the author or interested in her life. Many of the characters were actual people in L. M. Montgomery’s childhood and inspired some of her beloved characters in Anne of Green Gables & Emily of New Moon etc.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It seems like a lot of people either absolutely loved this book or couldn’t finish it. I can see both sides of that, but I loved it. The audio was especially fantastic – I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much in print. The narrator was wonderful. It was so funny at times, so heartbreaking at times, and absolutely moving. I already knew I adored Backman’s writing (thank you, Beartown), but now I know I need to read all of his books. In this one, all of the supporting characters were fun and I can definitely appreciate Ove’s views on life: simple and profound at the same time. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. If you try it and can’t get into it, do the audiobook for sure!!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I was anticipating this book for months and though it was quite different from some of her others, I was not even a little bit disappointed. I finished it in about a day and loved every word of it. Evelyn Hugo’s character and life story were so fascinating and also felt so emotionally charged. I was completely immersed in the entire story. This was the perfect summer read with substance. Her writing blows me away.

And a few other books that were solid:

I Found You by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book definitely kept me guessing and it was a solid page-turner. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever read, and parts of it were extremely sad, but it was a quick and enjoyable read.

The Dry by Jane Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book definitely held my interest with the dual mysteries going on. It kind of reminded me of Into the Water but that’s probably just because I just read that one (and there were a few sort of similarities)…it was pretty suspenseful and I finished it quickly because I was anxious to see the story unfold.
This book also made me sort of appreciate the 100% humidity we’re currently experiencing.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was one of the cuter YA books I’ve read in awhile. Definitely predictable at times, but the cultural aspects and general premise for the story were really fun and humorous. The characters also juxtaposed each other nicely. I liked that they were set on unique career paths and this whole book felt very modern and contemporary, so that was fun too. Plus, yum, iced coffee! 🙂

He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book wasn’t too bad. Parts of it were definitely intriguing, but a thriller shouldn’t take me over a month to finish. 😛 It wasn’t even that it was boring or anything, just that I couldn’t really figure out the point until the end. Once I got to about 60%, it picked up significantly and I finished it in a day or so. It was definitely unique and there were a few little twists (particularly near the end) that redeemed it a bit.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d say this is about a 3.5 stars for me. Not that I didn’t like it – I really did quite like the characters but I found myself skimming over parts of the world-building because my brain just wasn’t in the mood for fantasy. Totally my fault because the world that is built here is pretty cool. It felt a bit more like a new adult or adult book than YA and I’m not sure if I quite like where the series is going but I will probably pick up the next book sometime later this year.

The Royal Treatment by M.J. Summers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun book that I finished in a day. Cute characters, predictable, but fun. If you liked The Royal We, this is similar in some ways and a bit shorter 🙂 Kristen, you would like this!!!

Currently reading: Dark Matter (only about 10 pages in), Flowers for Algernon, North & South on audio. <– All three of these are for Erin’s book challenge 🙂

What have you been reading lately? Are you all about the thrillers this year too? It’s just such a popular genre!!!

Spring Reads

This was another month in which I was surrounded by absolutely wonderful books and I am so excited to talk about them today. Linking up, as usual, to chat books with Steph and Jana for Show Us Your Books and with Modern Mrs. Darcy for Quick Lit. These aren’t really listed in any particular order besides the order I read them in 😉 I would recommend almost all of these books listed, depending on your own personal taste, of course!! I have strong feelings about a lot of these books and could talk about them for days and days, so I tried to be concise here (and failed a bit) but I can guarantee that I will be talking about a few of these books in more detail soon.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book in one sitting and completely devoured the entire situation and the lovely characters in it. It was quite a unique storyline and there were a few things that I did not see coming (one of which left me with some INTENSE feelings). I really like Nicola Yoon’s writing. I also feel like this book will translate quite well to the big screen this month.

This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a story that needed to be told. I absolutely loved this book. The marriage, the parenting, and the relationships and the general approach to life are all exactly what I strive for in my own life. I’ve heard some criticism that the book was a little bit too neat and this isn’t how it would actually happen, and while that might definitely be true, I think the book was still quite relevant, very endearing, very sweet, and very educational and thought-provoking. If you haven’t heard what it’s about, it is about a family with five boys (sounds so busy – and it is in the book!) but the youngest boy wants to be a girl. The decisions made by the parents about how to approach this situation are a bit unique, and the way that it plays out really makes you think. I had this book out from the library twice before I actually read it because I did not expect to like it very much, but I can honestly say that it will probably be one of my better reads of 2017. I cannot recommend it enough. The writing is wonderful, the story is so lovely, and yes, it might not be overly realistic, but it is fiction, and it was great. I really feel like this book would appeal to a wide range of readers regardless of whether you have ever had any of these questions appear in your everyday life.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh man, this book was cute. I had a pretty good hunch about it all the way through, and I enjoyed the ending. Parts of this book were quite sad, and of course the entire premise is very YA :)… but I read it in a day and would definitely recommend it if you are in the mood for a fun teenage love story. It is one of the better ones I have read in the past few years for sure.

Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have spoken quite a bit about my love for Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s children’s books, and of course I was moved to tears when I read her essay about her husband before she died. I’d say that was when I knew I needed to read her adult memoirs. This isn’t like any other memoir I’ve ever read, and as a psychologist, I love all of the observations about people, emotions, feelings, phenomena, and general happenings in the world. The way that she views the world is positive, hopeful, whimsical, and lovely. There was so much that I wanted to highlight and re-read in this book. It was a quick read, but it was so powerful and I know I will refer to it often and re-read it. I look forward to reading her first memoir soon. Reading this book was quite bittersweet knowing that she just passed away, and this was her last work (she actually wrote this before she knew about the cancer, so there are parts of it that feel SO sad knowing what we know now about her life). For instance:

When she reached 40, Ms. Rosenthal began calculating how many days she had left until she turned 80.
“How many more times, then, do I get to look at a tree?” she asked. “Let’s just say it’s 12,395. Absolutely, that’s a lot, but it’s not infinite, and I’m thinking anything less than infinite is too small a number and not satisfactory. At the very least, I want to look at trees a million more times. Is that too much to ask?” (source)

Another super fun thing about this book is that it is interactive, and you can text a number while reading it to respond to various questions or share your thoughts, all of which are anonymously published on the book’s accompanying website. It’s really fun!

The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s a bit challenging for me to rate this book, because I didn’t *really* like it much but I did read it in two sittings, so there’s that. Overall, I found the characters a little bit flaky and the whole plot to be a bit unrealistic/unbelievable, although maybe it’s just not something I can ever picture in everyday life, or maybe it’s cultural. I’m not sure. The musical references and the main character’s love of music was great. In no way does this rate near to The Rosie Project for me which was much more funny and endearing, in my opinion.
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. I will likely still pursue future works from this author and I know a lot of people will definitely really like this book but it fell a little bit flat for me personally.

The Hangman by Louise Penny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I went back to read this just to have a little bit of Three Pines in my life, and for that aspect, it was nice. However, it is nothing like her other novels (rightfully so, since it is a short story written for Canada’s Good Reads project). It was a super quick read but you still got a decent glimpse into some of the characters and the setting but I am a bit more anxious for her next full length novel instead!!

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How do you review a book that was a part of your life for 4 months? Obviously, this book is a classic for a reason. The writing is fantastic, the plot is complex, and there is a lot of very serious plotting going on. I think I could have done well with the abridged version because I did find myself really tiring of the book towards the end. However, if you enjoy reading the classics, this one is definitely a good one (just consider the abridged unlike me ;)). I listened to the majority of this and the Audible version was fantastic.

Amazing Grace by Lesley Crewe
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This book was interesting, but parts of it seemed a little bit too easy and parts seemed a little bit too hard (in relation to what happened to the characters, not the writing). I enjoyed the Cape Breton/Nova Scotia setting. I really liked the main characters and their fortitude. Parts of this book were also LOL funny, so I appreciated that.

The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Katherine Center’s books and this one was really well done. It felt quite relatable in many ways, and her writing really draws you in and makes you feel for the characters. I loved the setting in this book, and the family scenario. There were moments that felt SO sad and moments that felt SO happy and I really felt all of those right along with the characters (maybe I was having an overly emotional week though? ;)). This book also made me want to spend some time outside with some goats, which is saying a lot. LOL.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a good thriller that I finished in two sittings. It was a fast read and I was anxious to find out how it ended – but it wasn’t thrilling in the whole “AHH I have no idea what is happening or who to trust!” kind of way. Still a good read and I would recommend it if you like this genre. I was pleased with the ending.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m wavering between 4 and 5 stars on this one but it’s definitely a 4.5 read for me. I’ve never read any of Backman’s other books but when I was provided with an advanced review copy of Beartown via Netgalley (thank you!), I was anxious to dive into this one. It might seem like this book is mostly about hockey and while that is the primary activity in the book, it is about SO much more than that. This book absolutely blew me away. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I was so anxious to find out how the events would affect everyone in the story. The pacing was better than I expected because I’d heard some of his books were a bit slower. Definitely give this book a try.

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you’re a fan of Lauren Graham, you will really enjoy this book. I listened to it and enjoyed hearing her voice talk about Gilmore Girls. Some of her stories are very funny, and some of her advice is quite good. I especially enjoyed the parts about filming the Gilmore Girls revival. I also quite enjoyed the advice for writing from Don Roos – such a great plan that I might put into action myself in the next few months.

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I also read two books that I chose not to review here; they were a bit too vulgar for me but the second was from Netgalley so I wanted to give it a shot and it was short. If you’re interested in extremely fluffy/unrealistic royal romance and you don’t mind the vulgarity, I am happy to share the name of the series if you e-mail me 🙂 I polished them both off in hours including some skimming. Also, two DNF books this month: The Roanoke Girls and The Animators. Books I paused this month: Everyone Brave is Forgiven and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Thought I was in the mood for WWII but it turns out I was not.

If you’re going to choose just one of these books to read, I would vote for This is How it Always Is. A runner up would be Beartown. Seriously, I cannot stress enough, even if you didn’t love A Man Called Ove (I haven’t read it yet but have heard mixed reviews), please give this book a try. THIS REVIEW in particular really highlights what this book has accomplished. If you feel strongly about feminism, community, friendship, or standing up for what you believe in, read this book.

If you like whimsical non-fiction, Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s book is uplifting and thought-provoking and fun. If you like to spend 4 months listening to a book on Audible, The Count of Monte Cristo was really quite a timeless story of revenge. Haha. If you are in the mood for some YA, Tell me Three Things would be my recommendation there. 😉

Chatting about Books (SUYB March!)

It’s the best time of the month: Show us Your books day with Steph and Jana! Everyone should head over and wish Steph a happy birthday (tomorrow!) and link up to share all of their favourite reads with her 🙂 Happy birthday eve to one of my favourite bloggers!!

Some parts of this month were so BLAH for reading for me and you’ll see that reflected here. I just didn’t have any books that were so compelling that I wanted to carry them around with me and read them every possible second. But you know what? Real life can’t always be super exciting. One thing I also did was start plugging in my phone for the night ACROSS the room so that I wouldn’t put down my book to go and check social media. This was helpful. haha. I had a lot less commute time (i.e. best reading time!) this month because some co-workers were commuting with me and also because of all of the snow days we had. Funnily enough, I felt kind of the same in February 2016.

Anyway, I can’t heartily recommend all of these books (such is life!), but here are my thoughts on them nonetheless:

Red Rising by Pierce Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me forever to get into this book, which surprised me because I had anticipated reading it for a long time after hearing others rave about it. Once I got partway through, the plot moved along quicker and I was all-in. I will definitely read the others in this series as soon as I get a chance…need to know what happens to Darrow moving forward!!!
I’d say that the comparisons to The Hunger Games and Ender’s Game are spot on for this one overall but there are quite a few distinct differences too (obviously). Bottom line: if anything you hear about this book draws you in, read it. It is worth it.

Sign of the Cross by Anne Emery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my choice for Erin’s book challenge for a book set in the city you live in. I never would have heard of this book otherwise, but it was really good!!! I don’t know if I’d ever read a book set in Halifax before, but it was pretty fun picturing everywhere that these events took place (although some places were fictional, I assume). The book drew me in right from the start, and I enjoyed the characters and their range of occupation: the two main characters were a lawyer and his family and a priest. I had a guess or two about the solution to the mystery, but it played out differently than I was guessing. I think I’ll definitely pursue the others in this series sometime just because I enjoyed the writing, the characters, and especially the setting and description of it.

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book definitely held my interest for the most part, and the story was unlike what I have been reading lately so I appreciated that. The revelation near the end was not quite what I expected, so I enjoyed the suspense of it. It’s definitely not for everyone though, and I found parts of it to be a bit slow. Even as a lifelong Catholic I found the religious aspect a bit over the top, but it was absolutely quite true to that time and location in history (just felt weird reading about it in the present day).

Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I loved this because it was fun to be in Belle’s world, and the story within a story was interesting. All of the characters in the Beast’s castle were fun and this really made me excited for the upcoming movie. It was definitely very YA, but if you’re a fan of the story, this might be a great variation to check out. Parts of it are quite true to the Disney movie. 4/5 for enjoyment, 3 for the writing. PS: Not to be superficial but isn’t the cover SO gorgeous?!

When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed Secret Sisters last year, and this one was even better, in my opinion. Parts of it were a bit predictable and unbelievable, but it was quite quickly paced and I read it over a couple of days to find out what was happening. It definitely passed the time quite nicely and I would recommend it if you like mysteries that aren’t overly gruesome and have some romantic elements on the side.

Tell Me True by Ally Blake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cute characters in this story. I read it in one sitting when I was home alone one Friday night with a glass of wine, and I can honestly say that it was so enjoyable to just lose myself in this book for a few hours. Sometimes you just need that experience. It wasn’t overly memorable or new, but it was fun.

You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had high hopes for this book, but it honestly fell a little bit flat for me. Usually I really enjoy this type of story, but the ending just came about too quickly for me and parts in the middle weren’t enjoyable. Overall, it was an okay read but just no what I was expecting and a bit too contrived.

Recent Favourite Kid Reads:

Just in case you’re looking for something to read with the younger people in your life 🙂 Here are some of the chapter books and picture books our family has enjoyed lately:

Clover’s Luck, The Enchanted Egg, The Missing Magic by Kallie George
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We loved this series 🙂 It was approachable, interesting, and fun. My 5 year old loved all of the magical animals. I felt like it was a little bit of a (much simpler) intro to the magical world and maybe a bit of a stepping stone between Magic Treehouse and Harry Potter. LOVED it.

I Haiku You by Betsy E. Snyder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

These short poems are adorable and my kids love this book.

I Carry Your Heart With Me by E.E. Cummings
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The only thing more adorable than this book is hearing my almost 3 year old “read” it aloud. Seriously. SO cute. I also learned how much my husband does NOT love poetry when we had this book out from the library. LOL. Or maybe just e.e. cumming’s poetry, which I find quite adorable. 🙂

Step Outside by Doretta Groenendyk
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has an awesome message and the words and pictures are lovely. We especially like all of the “magazine clipping” hidden words on some of the pages. We really enjoy this author and have read all of her books.

In a Blink by Kiki Thorpe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun read and would be a great chapter book for girls who already love the Disney fairy world. My daughter enjoyed it but we haven’t pursued the rest of the series yet.

Finally, I was so sad to read about Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s death yesterday at age 51 from ovarian cancer. She recently wrote this piece for her husband as she was dying, which broke my heart. She also wrote a lot of our favourite children’s books including Little Pea, Plant a Kiss, and I Wish you More.

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I spent a large chunk of time listening to The Count of Monte Cristo this month, which is still enjoyable but SO long. I am almost at the halfway mark of the 50 hour audiobook. WOW. It’s another book I wouldn’t necessarily recommend unless the classics are your thing (they’re not always my thing but I like to challenge myself every once in awhile). I will say that the writing and the plot are quite intriguing and I’m not having quite as much trouble remembering the characters as expected…although the jumps to time periods in the future between chapters threw me for a loop and I felt compelled to consult SparkNotes. #readingforpleasure lol. I will say I bumped this book up to 1.85 speed on Audible and I am flying through it (not really) a bit faster now.

Also currently reading The Girl Before (SO intense!!) and The Little Book of Hygge.

What have you read lately? Anything good?? I can’t say that I am in need of a lot of recommendations because my TBR list has exploded this year so far BUT I love hearing what everyone else has enjoyed lately!!!

Book Talk (SUYB link up)

Happy Valentine’s Day!!! We are currently experiencing #snowmaggedon2017 which has mostly shut down Halifax (this happens SO rarely). We got over 4 feet of snow yesterday and more overnight. It took Brian and I over an hour to shovel the driveway last night, and there’s more out there this morning! The kids had a snow day on Friday, then we laid pretty low on Sunday because Lucy had a stomach bug, and yesterday we couldn’t go out in the blizzard so I am going STIR-CRAZY!!! We’re home again today, but hopefully back to routine tomorrow!!!!

I’m so blessed to be able to spend Valentine’s Day with my three loves though. Molly is so excited about it and has been drawing hearts and talking about love non-stop for the past two weeks. We had heart-shaped pancakes this morning and we’ll probably try to do a craft or two this afternoon.

Linking up with Steph and Jana on this LOVEly day to chat about books!!! I expected to read more lately, but honestly only a few books this month (5ish weeks!) really grabbed my attention. I’m not sure why that is…I think a few of the books I read just took awhile to get into. I found myself reading a chapter, and then checking Facebook or Instagram….and then falling asleep. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I only felt like I really read three (ish) books that kept me thinking about them like crazy while I wasn’t reading them. Anyway…happy Show Us Your Books day!!!

The Best Books I Read this Month

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve seen Ruta Sepetys and this book recommended all over the blog world in the last year, and then it also won the Goodreads Choice award in 2016 so it has been on my to-be-read list for awhile. I agree with all the other fans out there – this book was incredible. I had no idea that this event actually took place. It makes me wonder how many other little WWII stories are out there that have not been shared widely. The multiple points of view really built this story for me, and I felt horror, sadness, and hope for all of the characters at different points in the story. It was a relatively quick read compared to other WWII novels I’ve tackled – I think the short chapters really helped to build the story. I would highly recommend this amazing story.

Loyalty by Ingrid Thoft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m so glad Steph recommended this series to me because this first book was really good! There’s not much that is unlikeable about Fina Ludlow’s character. She is smart, sassy, and good at her job. Her relationships are interesting. She’s surrounded by men, but she is powerful. There were some possible triggers in this book, but it was still really, really good. I will absolutely read the others in this series at some point.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am really glad that I was told beforehand that this book was a bit slow at the beginning, because I really found it hard to get into until about the halfway point. It was a great thriller though, and sadder and more intense than I was expecting (I completely expected it to be more focused on something that it was not). Highly recommend it if thrillers with a twist are your kind of thing.

Other Enjoyable Books

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me a long time to read this book, but that wasn’t because it wasn’t good. There was just so much detail in the narration and some of the language was meant to be savoured. In some ways, it feels like one of those books in which not much seems to happen, but that’s not really the case at all. It’s just one person’s story and reflections over the course of about a year. It reminded me of the storytelling in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and some of the subject matter also felt similar.

It’s in His Kiss by Julia Quinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Almost done the series of the Bridgertons…I loved Hyacinth’s character and the subplot in this story. I turn to this series when I need a fun break from whatever else I’m reading and I have yet to be (too) disappointed. The Bridgertons are a fun family!

Valley of the Moon by Melanie Gideon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book didn’t grab me the way I expected it to, and although I did like it enough to finish it, it fell a bit flat for me. I’m not sure why…maybe it just came to me at the wrong time (during a bit of a book slump). I usually love it when books jump back and forth between time periods but this one left me feeling a bit torn. The concept is still great, and the characters were mostly very likeable. I’m glad I finished it, because the ending was really very good.

Winter Storms by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I quite enjoyed this conclusion to the trilogy. I’m not usually the biggest fan of “Christmassy” stories, but this series was a quick and fun read around the holidays. I loved all of the family dynamics. It was fun to follow along with everyone and easy to picture oneself on Nantucket with all the crazy Quinns for Christmastime 🙂

Miracle On 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although this romance trilogy is totally fluffy and at times a bit sappy, I love the characters, I love the NYC setting, and the friendships are unbeatable. This was a cute conclusion to the series. I think the world could use some more people like Eva in it.

The Best Mistake Mystery: The Great Mistake Mysteries by Sylvia McNicoll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great little book and I know my daughter will enjoy it in a year or two. The characters were sweet and I loved the dog parts. Probably good for about age 8. I’m reading a few books in this age group here and there because I have an avid 5 year old reader and I want to keep her in books!! Thanks for the copy of this, Netgalley 🙂

Any Time, Any Place by Jennifer Probst
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fun, quick, contemporary romance read. I like these ones that are in a series because you can see where the next story is going. I hadn’t read the first in this series but this was still fine as a standalone. The characters were fun, the female protagonist is strong and sassy, and the extra twist was interesting to see resolved. Thanks for the copy of this, Netgalley 🙂

Year of No Clutter by Eve O. Schaub
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was not quite what I was expecting, but it was motivating to read about someone else’s attempts to clear their clutter. It also made me feel better about some of the stuff that I *haven’t* kept around for years, haha. Thanks for the copy of this, Netgalley 🙂

I’m currently still reading The Count of Monte Cristo (ugh I might end up giving it up because my motivation to read it is almost zero – my attention span just isn’t there these days), Red Rising (trying so hard to get into it! 40 pages in!! Tell me it is amazing, please!!!), and I started The Kitchen House but the library is taking it back (digitally) tomorrow so I’ll have to pause that one!

What have you been reading lately!?

Recent Reads (SUYB 2017)

My 2017 reading life is off to a great start!! I knew it would be, mostly because a lot of great library holds came in at once and I am enjoying my picks for Erin’s book challenge 6.0 so far. Check out Steph & Jana’s posts today to see what others have been reading lately!! Here are the books I’ve read since the last Show Us Your Books link up:

Great books:

The Mothers by Brit Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I know most people have already heard others rave about this book, but it’s for good reason!! This book had beautiful writing and I felt so much sympathy for all of the characters at one point or another. The character development was fantastic. This subject matter isn’t what I normally turn to in my reading life, but it had a lot of different perspectives and I appreciated that. It was fun to follow the characters through adolescence into adulthood too. I loved “the mothers” sections especially.

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book and it was a great start to my 2017 reading year. I sat on the couch and read it while my kids played with their new Christmas toys. It was a great reading-in-front-of-the-tree-with-a-coffee book. It reminded me of PS: I love You (the movie) for some reason and I really wanted Nina to succeed in her new adventure. The setting was perfect and the characters were awesome. The introduction is also fantastic – don’t skip it!! (I read this for Erin’s challenge).

Books that kept me interested:

Woman of God by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a complicated book to review. It was quite compelling and I absolutely loved the characters, especially Brigid. As a lifelong Catholic (but not necessarily conservative), I think that this book was interesting, pertinent, and hopeful. It would be amazing if some of the parts of this book became reality one day, but I’m not sure if that will be the case or not. I have always enjoyed Patterson’s books and this one was no exception even though it was miles away from most of his other novels. I will also say that parts of this book seemed a bit unrealistic, but I think it was meant to be that way. If you feel strongly that women should play a larger role in the Catholic church, I would recommend this book. It’s not a read for everyone though, understandably. The tagline for this book is a bit misleading, but I’m sure it grabs people’s attention. I read it after my mom raved about it. (I read this for Erin’s challenge).

View all my reviews Winter Street and Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book and Winter Stroll in a few days leading up to Christmas when life was busy. These books are super fluffy and the character development isn’t 100%, but they were better than most fluffy Christmas books I’ve read. I am still on hold for the third book so I might not get to that until about February, but that’s okay- I still need to find out what happens to all of the characters anyway 🙂

The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a cute read and I can’t wait to read it to Molly sometime – unfortunately it went back to the library before I got to it with her. Written by the author of Pippi Longstocking, which I loved as a child.

The Lord’s Persuasion of Lady Lydia by Raven McAllan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book well enough while I was reading it, but it’s not about to become a favourite in the historical romance genre. Parts of it felt a bit too contrived, and although I appreciated Lady Lydia’s position and independence as a woman in this era, it felt a bit overdone at times. The mystery element was a bit unique and the parts set in the countryside were nice too, but unless this is your favourite genre to read, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book! (Read for Erin’s challenge).

Books that I started and DNF: Jane and the 12 Days of Christmas (enjoyable but felt weird reading it after Christmas so returned it to the library at 50% – I will pursue this Jane Austen series at some point though), First Star I See Tonight (couldn’t get into it, not in the mood), The Life Intended (maybe someday I’ll pick it back up).

Currently reading:

The Count of Monte Cristo (I picked this for Erin’s challenge and it is 54 hours long on audio so I’ll be reading it right til the end, I think) and I’m about to start one of these books below…which one should I go with!?!?!

Really, which one should I read next? Jellicoe Road is on my list for Erin’s challenge, but My Brilliant Friend and Midnight Riot are library books!!!

What have you been reading lately!?

The Best Books I Read in 2016

Belated Merry Christmas wishes!!!

When I started writing this post earlier in December I actually forgot that some books I really, REALLY enjoyed were books that I read this year. When you read 117 books in one year, it can be hard to remember them all, which is why I LOVE Goodreads and my bullet journal for keeping track of the books I read and what I thought of them.

I wanted to narrow my “best books of 2016” list down to 10 books like I did last year, but that was honestly impossible, so this post is what you get. Here are my favourite and most notable reads from the past year and a bunch of extra enjoyable reads at the end. I wouldn’t recommend all of these books to every reader because we all have different tastes, but I think I’ve tried to include a bit of a variety here too. Looking forward to seeing which books make it on to other readers’ lists!! Check out Steph and Jana’s blogs today for the link-up. I’m also linking up today with Top Ten Tuesday over at The Broke and The Bookish.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany – So…of course I loved this book. I knew I would love it before anyone even had the idea to write it and I am absolutely completely biased because I could read a new Harry Potter book everyday and be the happiest person alive. BUT my more unbiased opinion would be that this was a fun way to revisit some beloved characters, and although the play format was different, it made for a quick read and I really loved it. It wasn’t nearly enough to quench my Harry Potter thirst and I am dying to re-read the series so I might even start doing that this week. I know there are a lot of critics out there, but this was pure enjoyment for me.

The Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny – my personal favourites were book 4 (A Rule Against Murder), books 5-6 (The Brutal Telling, Bury your Dead), book 9 (How the Light Gets In) and book 12 (A Great Reckoning – published this year). This entire series is worth the time and I will recommend it until the day I die, but if you don’t like it, we can still be friends. It starts a bit slow, but it’s best to read the books in order if you can. I went on a huge Louise Penny binge read in 2016 and I do not regret it one little bit.

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton – (see review here) I read 2 Kate Morton books this year and I had planned to read more, but I ran out of time. 😉 Her books take awhile to get into, and they are a bit long, but they are so, so good. I’m sure I will get to her other books in 2017 and I can’t wait. The Secret Keeper was intricately woven and absolutely completely satisfying at the end.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty – I had forgotten that I’d read this book this year because it stayed with me so much that I feel like it’s been in my life forever. I read it in January and actually checked it out from the library again in November to re-read parts of it. I loved this book so much and have recommended it to people because I thought it was just such an interesting perspective on married life, motherhood, sisterhood, and all of it. It was SO interesting and so well done, in my opinion. Definitely my favourite book by Liane Moriarty so far.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi – I’d heard so many amazing reviews of this book, but I wasn’t sure how much I would like it because memoirs are not typically my thing. This book was amazing though. Parts of it were desperately sad, but there was also so much hope. The writing was beautiful. I listened to it on audiobook and I definitely recommend that format.

Better than Before and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – I am not a big non-fiction reader but these books were both incredible, and incredibly inspiring. Not for everyone, but I am a huge fan. AND check this out:

You can order a signature card to put inside your book on her website! She ships them for free in Canada and the US!

Persuasion by Jane Austen – might just be my favourite of all of them. This story was phenomenal and I don’t know why I didn’t read it sooner. I go back and forth between P&P and this as my favourite Austen every day.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – this was an absolutely incredible book and it has sold millions (and been highly rated for many years) for a reason.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – if you haven’t heard of this book, you’ve been living under a rock. 😉 The emotions that I experienced while reading this book were INTENSE but it was so absolutely incredible. It’s also the book that turned me off WWII books for the rest of 2016, I think. So there’s that..but it was great.

One True Loves – by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I gushed about this book for months and was able to buy it last month so I read it all again. I might get over it someday, but not anytime soon. For the record, I also loved After I Do and Maybe in Another Life. If you haven’t picked up a TJR book yet…get one of these asap.

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer – this book came quite highly recommended by Kristen and it did not disappoint me one little bit. I hope to re-read it sometime. It was SO humorous for that genre and highly enjoyable.

Other books I loved that you should check out if you’re looking for recommendations:

Endgame – by Susan Kelly <— this is my aunt and I am still abundantly proud of her for publishing her first novel this year.
Sense and Sensibility & Emma by Jane Austen – if you are trying to branch out from Pride & Prejudice
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt – if you like middle grade at all or have a teenager in your life…this book was SO great.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith – if you want to read a more modern classic 😉
The Secrets of Happy Families by Bruce Feiler – if you like books about parenting.relationships without all the mumbo jumbo crap. This was a good one.
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center – if you like Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books or are looking for a slightly less fluffy contemporary romantic fiction book
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld if you like Pride & Prejudice but you aren’t a purist
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah – if you want to cry your eyes out after 450 pages
The Likeness by Tana French – I hope to read more of this series someday, this one was an interesting murder mystery
All the Light we Cannot See – by Anthony Doerr – if you love beautiful writing and WWII
The Golden Son by Shilipi Somaya Gowda if you enjoyed The Kite Runner
One Plus One by JoJo Moyes if you liked the movie Little Miss Sunshine
The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn if you like historical romance and series about families 🙂
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale – I’m not sure what I would link this book to, but probably if you like The Secret Garden or other similar older YA classics.

Just for fun, here were my top ten books in 2015. 🙂

And here are a few BEAUTIFUL book covers from 2016:

We had a beautiful Christmas and I am absolutely 100% enjoying spending every waking moment soaking up my lovely children and relaxing. Looking forward to reading more “best of” lists this week and sharing my 2016 book analytics post soon!!! Happy New Year to all of my favourite reading buddies 🙂 🙂

SUYB Last-ish one of 2016!

I have loved all of the Show us Your Books posts this year and am proud to say that I was able to participate in the link up each month! I’ve said before that being active on Goodreads and immersing myself in this book blogging community has really, really improved my reading life. In some ways, I feel like Show us Your Books is a mini-book club where everyone talks about different books (or sometimes the same ones!) and I love the connections that I have made with other readers. If I don’t say it enough, thank you SO much Steph and Jana for hosting this wonderful link up that brings all of us readers together once a month! I absolutely appreciate being a part of this community.

I feel like I read a lot of light-hearted books this month. I think I was a bit burned out on challenging books, or something. When life gets busy (aka holiday season), my books tend to get easier to read. Haha. Anyway, some of them were really great so here are my thoughts:

BEST BOOKS I READ THIS MONTH

Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really, really enjoyed this book and with a psychology background, I am very drawn to some of her suggestions on forming habits. Some of the information in the book could be called “common knowledge”, I suppose, but it was presented in such a fascinating way that I could easily feel myself nodding my head and saying that I do that, or would like to do that. I am a huge Gretchen Rubin fan and already purchased this book after reading the library copy. LOVED it. I know non-fiction isn’t for everyone, but I definitely find Rubin’s work super fascinating and if you’re interested in it but can’t commit to reading non-fiction (totally understandable) – her website is also awesome!!!

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one was so different than some of the others in the series and quite serious but I enjoyed the slight change in setting and the new characters. I absolutely loved it and am so sad to be done binging on Louise Penny.

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. I wish I had more TJR to read, but now I’ve read them all!! I can’t wait for her 2017 release.
I really liked both storylines in this book, and although I did identify more strongly with one of them, there were pros and cons to both. The writing was very unique and I didn’t have any problems keeping the stories straight or anything. I loved the themes of friendship and finding yourself. Now I want to see Sliding Doors, which I hear has a similar premise 🙂

The Many Lives of Fitzwilliam Darcy by Beau North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun Pride & Prejudice retelling which really made me think a lot about Darcy’s character and what his thoughts may have been like in P&P. I really enjoyed it, and particularly enjoyed the fact that it was centered around the stay at Rosings (which was a fun part of the original novel :)). Thank you for the copy, Netgalley!

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a fun book. Parts of it were really reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables & it had been so long since I’d read Montgomery’s work that it was quite a joy to immerse myself in it again. The characters were sweet, and although parts of it were a bit predictable, I really don’t mind that in this type of book. If Anne of Green Gables were Sense & Sensibility, this would be Persuasion, in my opinion. Reads like a much more adult level book. If you are an Anne of Green Gables fan, you need to add this one to your list FOR SURE.

ENJOYABLE, EASY, READS

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was so much better than I expected it to be. It was very funny, very cute, and very sweet. The characters were adorable. Their bantering was adorable. It was an easy, fun, book that made my heart flutter a bit. If you like romantic comedy movies, I think you would DEFINITELY enjoy this book.

Lessons in Gravity by Megan Westfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a fun read. I loved the wilderness setting & the backdrop of filming some dangerous rock climbing. The setting seemed beautiful and it made me want to visit Yosemite someday. I loved the couple and the emotions behind their relationship. This is a great debut novel and I look forward to more books from Megan Westfield in the future!It had also been awhile since I’d read a new adult book & I had forgotten my enjoyment of that genre 🙂 Thank you to Netgalley for the copy of this book & to Kelly for drawing my attention to it!

Everyone Is Beautiful by Katherine Center
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although I didn’t enjoy this as much as Happiness for Beginners, I still quite liked this look at motherhood and found it quite easy to relate to. It had some very funny moments in it too.

The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book definitely kept me interested and I enjoyed it. It was sweet. I read it around the time of Gilmore Girls and parts of it reminded me of that (a little bit – not a LOT!) It is a cute little book.

NOPE NOPE NOPE

The Gift of a Lifetime by Melissa Hill
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Eek…this book was difficult to read. It was pretty confusing, and the characters were a bit too flighty and the twist was really intense IMHO. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I definitely didn’t connect well with this one.

Currently reading:

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand (hoping to finish this cute series before Christmas!), A Study in Scarlet Women for Netgalley, and still making my way through Rebecca on audio (took a little break from it ;)).

Come back on December 27 for the bonus Show Us Your Books link-up to find out my favourite books from the year (hint: I will likely have an impossible time narrowing it down to less than 20…). haha. I’m also planning to share some analytics on the books I’ve read this year because I am a statistics geek 🙂

What have YOU been reading lately? Any recommendations for me in 2017??

The month I binged on Louise Penny (and other books for Show us your books!)

Time to link up with Steph and Jana and share some books I’ve recently enjoyed!! It’s the best day of the month for a bookworm 😉

Most of my reading time this month was devoted to Louise Penny books – and I definitely don’t have a problem with that because the four books that I read in the Inspector Gamache series this month were FANTASTIC.

Here are a few snippets of the books I read this month: Louise Penny books first, followed by other (also fantastic) reads. If you’re sick of hearing me talk about this series (and I don’t blame you at all!)…skip to Forever Interrupted :):) Although you should give all of the gorgeous covers a quick glance! haha.

The Beautiful Mystery (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #8)

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book in the series was definitely a bit different than the others with less of the main characters, but it was SO, so good. The settings that Louise Penny creates are so interesting, and this one particularly so. It was not a happy book though and the tension moving forward is going to be pretty interesting…I started Book 9 immediately after finishing this one.

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the best so far in the series. I could not put this book down or stop thinking about it the entire time I was reading it. It was beyond intense. I would actually say that it is 100% worth it to read all the other books in this series just to read and enjoy this book. So many past moments are wound into this story and I absolutely loved that about it. Even though it was tense, some of the resolutions made this feel a bit less tense than the last book as well.

The Long Way Home by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story was definitely interesting, but it was a bit of a let-down after what happened at the end of How the Light Gets In. It really occupied my time on a long flight though, and I was pretty unsure about the conclusion of it until right near the end, so it did have some very good parts. The writing was a bit darker and there was some definite tragedy in this book as well.

The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another very exceptional book in the series, probably my second favourite so far and much, much better than The Long Way Home. When I finished this book and I was reading the acknowledgements, I was shocked to discover that this story is based on a real person and true events in Canadian history. I had never heard of it before. The terror in this book was quite profound, and it was interesting to see the role that Gamache played in this book compared to a few books back. It was a very intriguing read. I enjoyed the part about CSIS. I listened to half of this and read half of it – the new narrator was quite good, in my opinion, but one mispronunciation drove me crazy. haha.

I’m currently reading A Great Reckoning (just started it!) and I am savouring it like crazy because when I finish it I’ll have to wait almost a year to read another new Gamache book.

Moving on to other books now:

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was my third TJR read and my least favourite. I will say that it made me feel very sad though and caused a few wiped tears on an airplane in public, so obviously there was some connection to the story ;). I just found that this book didn’t quite have the uniqueness factor of One True Loves and After I Do, even though it was a highly unlikely scenario to find oneself in. I really appreciate her writing and if you have enjoyed her other books, I’d give this one a shot too.

The Likeness by Tana French
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I picked this up at the library and realized I was only able to check it out for 7 days, I wasn’t sure if I would get through it or not. It was a BIG book. However, even though it did feel a bit long at times, the story was quite captivating and I was drawn in and invested in it quite quickly. I couldn’t believe how unbelievable the story was at first, but that’s what’s so great about fiction. I told my husband about it and he said that would never happen – which might be true, but it sure was fun to read about. This book reminded me of how I feel when I read Kate Morton – yes, it was long, but it was still great writing and a lot of the writing was pertinent to the conclusion of the story.
I’m not sure if I’ll plummet into the rest of the series right away, but I might pick away at the other books slowly. I do enjoy that the series does not have to be read in order and each novel is about a different character but they are connected. This book won’t disappoint if this is your genre!!!

Swear on This Life by Renee Carlino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d been dying to read this book for a few months after hearing a lot of people talk about it. It was a perfect plane read. I enjoyed the alternating stories between present day and the actual book that was written in the book. It was fun to bounce back and forth. The ending seemed to happen a bit too quick for me, but I think it was intended to come across that way.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I quite enjoyed this book, and I definitely agree that it is reminiscent of The Great Gatsby. I found myself quite drawn to what happened to all of them and I enjoyed the format of looking back on a single year in one’s life and all of the events that unfolded with those people. It was fun to walk a mile (or more :)) in Katy’s shoes while reading this book. Also made for a great plane read 🙂

All the Words Are Yours: Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful little book with some very nice romantic haikus. I don’t really read poetry, but I had seen this book on a “best of” list and it was a quick read, but it was beautiful. Steph, I think you would enjoy this one – it reminded me of Haikuesday 🙂

The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More by Bruce Feiler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It usually takes me forever to get through non-fiction books and I generally shy away from them or just read pertinent bits and pieces, but this one was quite fascinating. There was a lot to learn from this book, and I have already implemented some of the suggestions and strategies in our own family. I especially enjoyed that this book didn’t really fall under any particular parenting/family umbrella but suggested many, many, many different ideas that COULD work for a family. Some of the research notes and interviews were VERY interesting too and quite easy to relate to.

The Lady Most Likely… by Julia Quinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A quick, fun, and cute historical romance. Wasn’t a favourite but it passed the time fine. Three couples woven into one story.

I also put a couple of books on pause this month: Bel Canto – which I just can’t seem to finish (sorry, Alexandra! ;)) and a few Netgalley books that I think I will pursue this month. I was pleased to finish Erin’s book challenge this month too…and I’ve decided to hold off on the semi-charmed winter book challenge and just do Erin’s next challenge so that I can read anything and everything that comes in from the library for me. I’m hoping to get to Rebecca this month and Mansfield Park before the end of the year to finish up Jane Austen’s books! I would also like to get to The Blue Castle sometime soon – I can’t believe I’ve never read it because I loved Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon when I was younger.

Book Talk (Show us your books!!)

September was a big transitional month for us, and it was busy! It was busy at work, it was tiring being a mommy to tired kids, and we all got our usual back-to-school month cold. Because of all of this, I escaped to books almost every night and polished off quite a few. Some were better than others, but all in all, it was a pretty good reading month. Linking up today with Steph and Jana to talk books with everyone!! Happy 2 year Show us Your Books anniversary!!!

Best books I’ve read lately:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me awhile to get into this book, but eventually I really fell hard for the characters and their lives while growing up. There was a lot of heart in this book. I’d highly recommend it!! It is a long read, but I enjoyed it on audiobook. It was fun to watch Francie Nolan grow up and experience success in life.

These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book even though it took awhile for me to get into it. I haven’t read a lot of books from this time period in US history, but this one was a great snapshot of what life might have been like in a certain area at that time. The love story was secondary to the very strong character of Sarah Prine and she was such a determined woman that you just have to love her. There were definitely a few tear-jerking moments and some slower passages, but this book was really special and I’m glad I took a chance on it.

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book. I was not prepared to love it as much as I did. I really liked the entire plot where they spent time in the wilderness, I enjoyed Helen’s character and how much she learned about herself, and of course, what wasn’t to love about Jake?
This book was so much more than I was expecting it to be, and if you’re looking for a feel-good read that is not TOO fluffy (in my opinion), this one is really good.

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Started this book at 7:30 pm – finished 85% of it over the next 2 1/2 hours, then woke up early and finished it before work. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing is addictive.
This book was as enjoyable as One True Loves for me, and although there were parts of this book that I couldn’t relate to (I don’t think I could ever do what they chose as a couple even if it worked for them), there were other parts that I absolutely related to. I felt this way about One True Loves too. Her characters are just such real people that when you are reading about them, you think, wow, I’ve felt that way before too. I love that about these books.
I highly recommend this author and I’m certainly going to be picking up her other novels this fall.

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lot of the relationships in this book were particularly strained, so that added a new level of interest to it for me. It was kind of fun to be back in Three Pines too. I am totally hooked on this series and really enjoying working my way through the books this year.
I enjoyed all the art world talk in this one, and I truly was a bit shocked at who the murderer ended up being, so that was fun!

The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills by Daniel Coyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun read with some very practical tips. I love tips that are backed by research. This book taught me a lot about what I can do to cultivate some skills I am hoping to improve on, and it also taught me that sometimes people are better than me at things because they put A LOT of time, practice, and effort into it.

Some other enjoyable reads:

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I almost abandoned this book, but got back into it during my commute and it was enjoyable. If you like regency style stories, this one isn’t too bad. It’s not my favourite, but some of the characters are entertaining.

A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an extremely quick read, but so many quotes in it that I really love. I will probably definitely read the whole thing again (seriously

Suddenly Royal, Recklessly Royal and Reluctantly Royal by Nichole Chase
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first book in this series was the best of the three, but the other two were OK too and it was fun to follow along with the other characters. The first one really reminded me of The Princess Diaries crossed with The Royal We and it was just too much fun to read.

Sunset in Central Park by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I felt a bit invested in this series after reading the first book via Netgalley, so I had an idea of how this book would play out. It was a fun read with a happy ending and cute characters.

Other books I read: Leave Me (don’t bother), The Gender Game (really liked it!), and two more books in the Bridgerton series: Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (loved it!) and To Sir Philip with Love (not as good but still OK)…honestly, if you happen to be seeking out a great historical Regency romance series, this is a really good one!!

Currently reading: Bel Canto, The Secrets of Happy Families, The History of Love, and The Beautiful Mystery. (I’d really say I am only focused on two of these though…haha). I have two 6 hour plane rides coming up next weekend so I will be finishing all of these by the end of that, I’m sure!

Steph and Jana are also hosting a giveaway today, so head on over and check that out!!

Happy reading, everyone!! What have you been reading lately?! Any recommendations??