Birthday Book Post (Show us Your Books Link up!)

Hello from Cavendish PEI, home of Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon! We are having a great vacation so far. Today also happens to be my birthday so we are heading to Charlottetown to stay at an adorable Airbnb for a night before Molly and I go to Anne and Gilbert (the musical) tomorrow afternoon and we head home soon after. I couldn’t help but still link up with Steph and Jana to chat about the books I’ve read in the last month or so!!! Again, I don’t really chat about all the books I’ve read here anymore but you can always follow along with all my reading on Goodreads!

Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was absolute perfection. I don’t really read graphic novels as a rule, but I checked this out to share with Molly before our trip and we both LOVED it. I actually went out and bought it to bring along to PEI – and I almost NEVER buy books. 🙂

Circe by Madeline Miller
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Wow, I loved this. I listened to it and highly preferred it that way – the narrator was fantastic. I am familiar with The Odyssey and studied it briefly but have not read it all. This was so fascinating, so captivating, and so much more likable for me personally than I was expecting. I can’t WAIT to read The Song of Achilles now and I will probably go the audiobook route with that one too.

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first Tessa Dare book and I loved it! I can’t wait to read more from her. Historical romances are so fun and this one was no exception. I really enjoyed the characters and the entire plot. These types of books are sometimes a bit predictable and a little over the top but I don’t care – I enjoyed it so much.

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This was certainly what I have come to expect from Elin Hilderbrand and in my opinion, this was a perfect summer read. A bit of romance, a bit of tension, a questionable death, and an incredible setting that I’m dying to visit myself.

All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first Colleen Hoover book and it will certainly not be my last. I absolutely loved these characters and fell head over heels for her writing. This book was sad and hard to read at times, but I finished it fairly quickly and really, really enjoyed it. However, I think there needs to be a trigger warning for (highlight to see) infertility and cheating because there is no way I would be able to read this book AT ALL if that was something I was struggling with in any form. Also…is Graham definitely one of the best and most loving husbands ever or what?! Everyone makes mistakes but holy smokes the ending of this book was amazing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

B.A. Paris’ books definitely keep me turning the pages, but this one wasn’t my favourite of hers. I did figure out what was going on a bit early but it was also just a lucky guess 🙂 Definitely still an okay beach read since it passes the time quickly and is easy to follow along with.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book.

Forget Me Not by Kierney Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the first 50ish pages of this while waiting in a line and then kind of forgot about it for a little bit before picking it up again and finishing the rest in one night. It definitely held my interest and was SO.MESSED.UP. the way that serial killer books should be. I liked Jess Bishop and her background was pretty cool (her childhood though- whoa).
Would highly recommend if you like police procedural/quick read mystery type novels – this one was really good with a few twists in there!

Thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for the ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The hype for this book is definitely well-deserved. I was unable to put it down until I found out what happened. The characters were interesting and I really liked the way it was told in multiple POVs. Highly recommend if you are looking for a YA read that will definitely keep you guessing.

Bad Reputation by Stefanie London
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the first book in this series a bit more even though I did like Remi and Wes as characters. I just found the library setting a bit more personally appealing than the ballet. If you like contemporary romance set in NYC, this is a good one to add to the TBR but it wasn’t my favourite overall. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC of this book.

Not So Nice Guy by R.S. Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At times, I loved this book. I liked the characters and their professions, and I’ve always loved the idea of best friends to something more. However, I had a few issues with the execution of the plot and it just felt like it could have been stronger at times. Overall, I really did like this and it made me laugh like R.S. Grey’s books always do, but it’s not taking the place of my favourite by her. (Which belongs to Anything You Can Do, FYI 🙂

Thank you to the author for providing me with the ARC of this book!

Blind Kiss by Renee Carlino
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

The majority of this book drove me completely crazy. Wayyyy too much push and pull and too little too late. I did read it in less than 24 hours and it made me feel a range of emotions, but I can’t really recommend it. If you’re looking for a book by this author, I liked Swear on this Life a lot. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC of this book.

TL;DR: I highly recommend Circe to everyone!!! I recommend Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers series if you like romantic comedy and Forget me Not if you’re into Detective novels. AND OF COURSE, the Anne of Green Gables graphic novel is SOOOO well done.

The Best Books I Read in 2017 (SUYB link up!)

I’m here to (belatedly) link up with Steph & Jana to share the best books I read this year.

I read 39,597 pages across 118 books Img bookstack 360

I love all of the best-of lists that come out at this time of the year because I always end up adding tons of books to my TBR list and finding lots of new gems to check out next year.

I plan to post a bit of an analytical post about my reading life in 2017 early in January 2018 but I wanted to link up today with Steph and Jana for a December bonus Show us Your Books post with the best of 2017. I am sharing the best books I read this year whether they were published this year or not.

As usual, I gave a lot of 4 star reviews this year. I think I have gotten a bit stingier with 5 star reviews, but four stars feels like OMG I loved this book and it is highly likable and recommendable.

Here are the books I rated 5 stars and would highly HIGHLY recommend if they sound like something you’d like:

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have thought of this book at least once a week since I read it, which is rare for me. I need to read it again sometime to absorb the story again. I am beyond excited that there will be a sequel coming out in mid 2018!!! This isn’t *really* a feel good book, but the writing was incredible, and I know it has been quite well-received this year so I’m sure this is not news to anyone but this book was SO, so good.

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

Loved this book. The audio was especially fantastic – I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much in print. The narrator was wonderful. Loved all of the supporting characters and can definitely appreciate Ove’s views on life: simple and profound at the same time. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I sent it to both of my grandmothers in the past few months, but I think it is great reading for anyone.

This one was also incredible in a completely different way:

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

There was so much that I wanted to highlight and re-read in this book. I loved all of these whimsical and interesting observations about the world. AKR’s writing is so positive and fun. I can’t wait to read her first memoir now.
Reading this book was quite bittersweet knowing that we will never read her beautiful words again.

Of course, I expected my beloved Louise Penny’s 2017 book Glass Houses to be awesome, and it was all that and more. The icing on the cake for that one was reading it early via Netgalley and then MEETING HER in person and getting my copy signed. ❤

Glass Houses by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Glass Houses was unbelievably good. The style was a bit different as many parts of it were told between two time periods (about 9 months apart so not a major time travel type book). As always, the residents of Three Pines featured prominently in the book, and there were a few newcomers too. Gamache’s character made some very tough decisions and some actions in this book that really caused me to pause and think. I don’t want to say much more about it but I do understand all of why it had to happen. All of the corruption in the past books really led up to the major plot in this particular story. I recommend this series ALL THE TIME, but start with book 1!!! It really hits its stride around book 4.

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

This was a story that needed to be told. As a mother and a wife, I absolutely loved this book. It was so uniquely told and the writing was fantastic. Favourite quote from the book: “If you give all your worry to one thing, soon you’ll realize that’s way too much and worry about it less and you’ll feel more in control of it for keeping it at the front of your mind and that will help you worry less too.”

Children’s/Middle Grade/YA that I really enjoyed:

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this beautiful book.

Emily of New Moon and A Wrinkle in Time were also two re-reads that I enjoyed profoundly on audio this year.

And here are a few 4-4.5 star books that I also loved:

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

So cute. I actually read this book twice this year and bought it. One of my favourite YA reads ever. I also loved her other YA book which was new this year, entitled What to Say Next.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I fully expected this book to be incredible, and scientific, and intense, and it was all of those things and more. It was also a lot more heartfelt and hopeful than I expected. Some of it definitely went over my head, but I didn’t mind and felt like I “understood” it all enough to enjoy it immensely. The hype is real for this book.

A Thousand Letters by Staci Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this in one sitting and loved it. I enjoyed the Persuasion aspects of it, and I will absolutely be seeking out more books in her Austen adaptations series. Parts of this were absolutely heartbreaking and made me teary. Beautiful writing. Thanks Kristen for the recommendation!!!

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an extremely enjoyable reading experience. I read this book in one night because I loved it so much. I also thought about it all the next day. The characters were super fun. Definitely a wonderful addition to the romance genre.

A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell, #1)

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a fun book to read! Loved the characters, was quite invested in the story, and enjoyed the way it unfolded. Looking forward to continuing the series.

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen Flynn
Born a Crime: Tales from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
The Lost Husband by Katherine Center – I love her books & can’t wait to read a new one in 2018!!
The Darker Shade of Magic series (I still have one more book to read in the trilogy)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Books that were good and really, really made me think:

The Hate U Give – by Angie Thomas
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Count of Monte Cristo (no kidding – it consumed 4 months of my life/51 hours of audio)
The Casual Vacancy
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
The Crossover
Murder on the Orient Express

I also love that the first book I read this year was The Bookshop on the Corner and the last one I am hoping to finish up is How to Find Love in a Bookshop. 😉

I can’t wait to share more detailed stats in the new year!!! Check out what everyone else is recommending over at the link up (Thanks for hosting, as always, Steph & Jana!!!!)

A Month of Great Books

I’m so happy that Show us Your Books day is finally here with Steph and Jana!! This month was an awesome reading month for me. Almost all of the books I read had me completely engaged, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of them depending on a person’s taste in books. 🙂 I am finally feeling like I might actually finish Erin’s book challenge…the only book that I have left to finish up is The Count of Monte Cristo, and I only have 17 hours left of it on Audible (which is actually only 9ish at 1.85 speed!!!)..so that’s totally doable in the next 20 days, right?! 🙂

I’ve noticed that I have been giving a lot of 4 star ratings this year and I’m not really sure why. I haven’t rated a book 5 stars yet in 2017 even though I’ve read some fantastic books. It seems like there has always been one thing holding me back from a full 5-star rating, and I’m okay with that, but I’m hoping for the BOOK OF THE YEAR to drop into my lap any day now. lol. Honestly though, reading a lot of 4-star books isn’t the worst thing in the world. I am enjoying my reading life immensely. I think I just need to wait to read TJR or Louise Penny’s new book and that’ll be 5 stars for me, I hope 😉 So much to look forward to in books this year. 🙂

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was just what I needed at the time: a book I could not put down. It grabbed me right from the start. It was interesting reading about two different characters who had similar lives in some ways. There were a couple of twists that I didn’t see coming at all. I was generally creeped out and on-edge the whole time I was reading this. I know that it will be great on the big screen whenever it gets made (the rights have already been purchased).

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
(read for #ownbooks #diversereads category of MMD Reading for Growth; read for Erin’s book challenge 6.0 category: homonym in the title)

I was unable to put this book down and finished it in a day. I loved the characters and their teenage but also adult-like problems. The plot moved quite quickly and the relevance of the issues was quite intense. I really enjoy books that are told from multiple perspectives (this reminded me a little bit of (A Little Something Different, but so much better). This book really made me enjoy the genre of YA after leaving it for awhile. I can’t wait to read her other book, Everything, Everything and I have it lined up for April because my new favourite Facebook book club is talking about it next week.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was on my radar for awhile, but I knew I wanted to wait until all three books were released to start reading them. I read about 85% of this book quite quickly and then I sort of put it down for a couple of weeks. I’m not sure why?! I really liked the writing and the world that is created here. It is unlike anything I’ve read lately, but yet it sort of reminds me of something and I can’t quite place it. When I finished this book, I felt like a lot happened but it wasn’t overly complicated. Schwab just sort of immerses the reader Overall, this was a great start to this trilogy. I can’t wait to see what happens next and I’ll be reading the next book next month when it comes in from the library. If this is your kind of genre, I think this series will turn out to be really enjoyable. I am rooting so hard for Kell!

A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Read this for Erin’s challenge 6.0 – category: Time Travel)

This book had some very cute moments and I enjoyed the time travel aspect and the setting. It fell a bit flat for me and I’m not too sure why. The ending was enjoyable though.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a quick read for me and I absolutely loved the writing. The emotions that Mohsin Hamid were able to convey in this book were very real, and this book absolutely made me think about migration in a light that I hadn’t before. I don’t think this will be a favourite of mine necessarily, nor will I re-read it, but it opened my eyes to something that I think is quite important in our present day and for that I am grateful. If migration/immigration is something on your mind at all, you might want to give this book a chance. It is not very long but it is extremely powerful.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(Read this for Erin’s challenge 6.0 – category: Book by your favourite author)

I put off reading this book for years because I had read the first little bit of it and found it to be quite boring (a lot of the Internet agrees with 2012 Heather). However, this time, it came to me at the right time. I had just heard a fellow J.K. Rowling fan talk about how much she’d liked this book on the WSIRN podcast, and I already had it lined up for Erin’s challenge (and had put it off for 3 months). I did quite enjoy the writing in this book, and I felt that the plot moved along quickly enough (and there were certainly enough characters!) to keep me interested. However, I can see how this book wouldn’t be for everyone. It would not have been one I would have enjoyed 5 years ago, and there was a LOT going on and a lot of everything going on with every character. It was a much easier read than I was anticipating though and overall I am so glad that I forayed into J.K. Rowling’s work beyond Harry Potter. I do really love her writing, and I am antsy to go and read HP again sometime this summer. Note: for people who are NOT fans of Harry Potter (are there any? lol j/k), this book is absolutely NOTHING like it in any way, so it might be worth your time if that has ever held you back from trying it 😉

CURRENTLY READING:

Only 16 more hours left in my audiobook of The Count of Monte Cristo (it’s starting to get a bit intense!)
This is How it Always Is (this book is SO amazing so far!!!)
Everything, Everything – discussing this in online book club later this week 🙂

What have you been reading lately?! Anything good to recommend?? I think I have enough library holds to carry me through until May but I can’t wait to get into some fun spring and summer books!!!