show us your books

Today is the day that WINTER IS HERE!!

(The book, not the season – thank goodness :)). I am about 10 chapters in (Thank you Lucy for waking up at 4:30 am!) & loving it so far. I can’t wait to chat about this final book in the Lunar Chronicles series. I have been gearing up for it by reading the fanfiction winners’ entries on The Lunar Chronicles blog (lots of fun stuff going on over there!) Marissa Meyer is also periscoping at the book launch event today…I’m not really into Periscope, but it might be fun to check out. I really feel like I haven’t anticipated a book this much since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (or all of the HP’s, really), so it is a fun feeling.

My November edition of Show Us Your Books will feature Winter (if I can wait that long to talk about it! – Doubtful!) but here’s what I read in October up until this week.

Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson (4 stars)

I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as Edenbrooke, but I still really liked it. I love a good “friends become something more” storyline, so I was happy with how that all played out. Definitely worth the read if you’re into books from that timeframe.

A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston (2 stars)

I almost didn’t finish this book, but I did eventually and I have to say I wasn’t the hugest fan. The way it was written just wasn’t captivating enough for me. I wrote a bit more about this here.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (4 stars)

Many people have heard of this book, and I will admit that it motivated me to purge some things that I’ve been holding on to for years and will never use again, but I haven’t worked through the whole method (nor do I agree 100% with all of it) yet. There are tons and tons of blog posts and suggestions on implementing this method!!

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (3 stars)

This wasn’t the best YA I’ve read this year, but it wasn’t the worst either. I couldn’t stand the mother in this story, and I found parts of it very unbelieveable, but it was still a cute story overall with some more mature subject matter than some YA novels.

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran (4 stars)

I listened to this on audiobook on a whim, and realized I recognized passages of it, so I think I read it before. It was nice to listen to and I found myself finding some of the quotes online that I especially enjoyed. It’s not for everyone, but if you are philosophical or religious, or you like books like The Alchemist, this might be a good one for you.

Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows (5 stars)

I loved this story SO much and the characters were amazing. I couldn’t believe how much I felt drawn into the world of Guernsey. I also especially loved the ending and I rooted for it throughout the book. I was surprised at how much I liked the letter-writing style of this book, but it really worked for it. Go and check this book out immediately if you haven’t already!

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty (4.5/5 stars)

After reading Big Little Lies this summer, I knew I would feel similarly about this Liane Moriarty book. Her writing just grabs me right in and I can’t stop thinking about her book until I am done it. I love the way she toys with moral dilemmas and partway through this novel, I couldn’t think of a single way for her to end it that would feel justified, but she did (in my opinion). The epilogue especially wraps it all up in an interesting way. Her books definitely make you think.

The Matchmaker’s Match by Jessica Nelson (3 stars)

I signed this out on a whim from the e-library and I liked it overall. I found the story to be a bit predictable, but I was OK with that. The characters were cute and I like reading books from this time period, so it worked for me. The premise of a woman matchmaker in those days was interesting too, and I liked the independence of her character.

Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman (3.5 stars)

I got some great tips from this book that I will be putting into practice with our girls. Having studied emotional intelligence from a career standpoint during my Master’s, I think it is n important skill to develop in children.I skimmed a few chapters (typical for me and non fiction) but I was intrigued by many aspects of this book.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (CHILDREN’S book) (5 stars)
A cute children’s book that I had never read…and a great story of friendship and charity. On that note, I also read TONS of other children’s books this month (we average at least 5 a day per kid before bed), including some great Robert Munsch and some Halloween favourites. 🙂

What have you been reading lately? I’m working through The Silkworm, Little Women, and of course I am starting Winter today after work. Making my way through the Semi-Charmed Winter Reading Challenge one book at a time! I am also getting closer to my 100 books in 2015 goal on Goodreads!!

Check out the Show us your Books Link-Up HERE at Steph’s blog or HERE at Jana’s blog today!!! There are always lots of great recommendations, regardless of your taste in books.

I’m still working towards my goal of 100 books in 2015 on Goodreads…I think I’m at 75ish now, so I’m a few “behind schedule”, but still hopeful!!

It’s been awhile since I linked up with Steph and Jana for Show Us Your Books, and today is the one year anniversary of the link up! I love following along with this link up because I always find a few great recommendations to add to Goodreads and maybe even find a new blogger or two to follow.

Looking back on the last month or so, I read a lot of YA novels that are “easier” to read. I have some more adult things coming up soon though to balance that out 😉 Here’s what I read in September up until today in October – so this is over about 6 weeks instead of a month…(thank goodness Goodreads keeps track for me):

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen (3.5/5) This was a cute YA read and I enjoyed it for what it was. I will probably try some more Sarah Dessen sometime later in the fall or next year.

Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty (4/5) Great ending to this series. I was thrown off at first by the timeline compared to the other books, but I think it suited the final novel well.

The Royal We by Heather Cocks (5/5) I mentioned how much I loved this book before and I’m not ashamed of it. No, it is not literature in the same caliber as Great Expectations, but I loved the take one what it could be to be like Will and Kate (or anyone else in that spotlight).

The Princess Diaries/Princess in the Spotlight/Princess in Love by Meg Cabot (3.5ish/5)…these were quick reads, and I enjoyed them, but eventually I was just kind of finished with the series and I might pick it up again another time. Humorous writing but I needed to read something more adult-ish.

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith – (3/5) – I read this one pretty quickly, but was a bit frustrated with the ending and it seems like a book that I’ll forget

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay – (5/5) I’ve mentioned before that I loved this book. It was a captivating read and I know a lot of others loved it too. Would definitely recommend it if you’re into YA at all.

Me & Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter – (3/5) this book was OK, but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. I found it difficult to finish, actually.

Fairest by Marissa Meyer – (3/5) I listened to most of this on audiobook. While I appreciated the unique perspective of this book, I still found it annoying and was a bit outraged at the evil Levana, even though I was interested to learn more information about her sister…this book did serve to increase my excitement about Winter in November though!!

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson (5/5) – One of my best books of the year. I loved it and I think I will buy a copy so I can re-read it. It was a great story and I loved the writing style too. I’d absolutely recommend it if you are a fan of Regency novels or Jane Austen. I read that the author was inspired by Georgette Heyer (and Jane Austen) and I haven’t read any of her books yet but put some on hold at the library!!

My True Love Gave to Me (various authors – edited by Stephanie Perkins) (3/5)- I was planning to read this one closer to Christmas, but the ebook became available at the library for me so I read it this month. I loved some of the stories, and didn’t enjoy others, but that’s how it often works with anthologies. Still some good reads! Here’s my review.

The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg (4/5) – I used to love the Stephanie Plum books but I quit them when they got to about 10 or so… this was written in a similar way, but I liked the characters and story line a lot more. I think I will definitely read a few more in this series.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple (4/5) I listened to this on audiobook too, and while I enjoyed it overall, I did find some parts of it annoying. Once I got closer to the end, I was much more inrigued by how it would end and I felt like it wrapped up well. It’s definitely not a book for everyone though, and I don’t think I’d read it again. Some of the characters were just a bit too much for me.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (4/5) – this book isn’t for everyone either, but I liked how it paralleled Harry Potter and expanded on the fanfiction the story from Fangirl. I have enjoyed most of Rowell’s books, and this one kept me up all night reading it on the weekend.The story, while similar to Harry Potter, is its own as well, and I appreciated it for what it was.

Brown Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas (3/5) – Picked this up at the library in the “rapid reads” section and enjoyed all of its fluffiness over the holiday weekend. Apparently it’s the 4th in the series. It reminded me a bit of Nora Roberts’ Bride series and I liked that about it. Not overly memorable, but a cute read nonetheless.

The TL;DR Edition of this post: I highly recommend The Royal We if you’re a fan of the younger monarchy, Edenbrooke if you like Regency novels, and Carry On if you like Harry Potter or Fangirl. If you don’t like any of those types of books, give The Heist a try if you’re into light-hearted mysteryish novels. 🙂

Right now I’m reading A Thousand Nights and intrigued so far! It’s such a pretty book, too!!

Head over to Steph and Jana’s blogs to see the link up and find out what other bloggers have been reading this month!! They also have a giveaway going on today since it’s the anniversary of the link up!

Check out yesterday’s post about 10 Great Websites for Book Lovers too!!

Category: show us your books

What I’ve Been Reading Lately (Show us your Books!)

Show us your books! (September-mid October reads)