Book Recommendations During Quarantine

I’ve been thinking about writing this post for weeks, but my own reading life has taken a bit of a dive off the deep end since we’ve been staying at home more. You’d think I’d have *more* time to read, but I feel like I actually have less because the days are very busy and the evenings are tiring. I’ve lost my 90 minute (total) commute 4 days a week which I always devoted to reading, too. I’m slowly turning a bit of a corner though, I think, and I still want to share some books I’ve read over the past few years that might really hold your attention during these tough days!!!

In no particular order, here are some book recommendations for quarantine times, mostly light-hearted or very captivating:

The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
I loved this book that really resonates well in the springtime and might inspire you to start or continue your own gardening hobby!

Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda
This short book is such a fantastic read to take in over a period of time. I’d say we could all use a little pep talk these days, right?!

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
This plot is the EXACT kind of adventure you might need to follow along with while you can’t leave your house. It is a perfect read-aloud book if you have middle grade (or slightly older, even teenage) children. It’s on our TBR as a read-aloud book this year.

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
This adorable British book is so fun because the two main characters don’t meet until VERY late in the book even though they technically share an apartment (flat). Talk about perfect physical distancing! 😉 This book falls into one of my favourite genres: not-too-fluffy women’s fiction. Cannot wait to read this author’s second book <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45134200-the-switch which came out in the UK already and comes out in the US/Canada in June!

The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson
This book is ideal for fun summer reading. If you are a big Harry Potter or Jane Austen fan like me (and this book’s main character), even better! This is a bit like Ms. Congeniality meets…The Parent Trap? But for adults? Super fun.

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
Haha, for a minute I bet you thought I was sharing a list of books without including this one on it…but I’m not!! Gotcha!! 🙂 This is one of my favourite books of all time, it is perfect to read around this time of year because it is set in the spring/summer but I’d also recommend it not because it might make you appreciate aspects of your day that you aren’t otherwise. It is also a *bit* of a precursor to her new book coming out this summer!!

Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan
If you are looking for a fast paced suspense with a hint of romance, don’t look any further! This is on Hoopla too so it’s easy to access during these days when the libraries are closed!

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

I adored this book and I hope to re-read it soon. It’s a charming read about a bookstore owner and the events that take place over decades of his life. Bonus – there are tons of book recommendations IN this book!! 🙂

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

I’ve thought of this book countless times since reading it almost 5 years ago. I also can’t stop recommending it 🙂

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
I read this entire book, pretty much, with a smile plastered on my face. Nina is such a fun character – she lives for books, she is excellent at trivia, she is a good friend, but she is also rigid, organized, and likes her alone time. It’s easy to relate to her and respect her. It was fun to watch her grow and accept changes in her well-planned-out life throughout this book.

What I’ve Read During the Weirdest Month of my Life

I know everyone knows this, but man, this last month has been weird. To go from feeling very busy/very overscheduled to INCREDIBLY “LESS BUSY” and told to stay at home constantly but to still have a busy mind and become a full-time WFH employee, parent, and homeschool teacher basically overnight? PHEW. I know you all know. We are all in this together. It is hard, but at moments it is easy. It feels natural and SO unnatural. My feelings ebb and flow. Sunday I cried off and on all day missing my family at Easter. Monday, I was mostly happy and all good. Ups and downs!!!

Anyway, it makes me feel very much like I’m living my normal life when I link up with Steph and Jana for Show Us Your Books, so that’s what’s happening today! Yay!! I’ve seen with most of the bookworms I know that some people have THRIVED during quarantine and others have not. I feel like I fall a bit into that second camp because my brain is having a hard time focusing on books right now. Anyway, here are the books I’ve read and listened to in the past month!! Not a bad mix but not what I was expecting to have read in March/April either.

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because this was such an original concept. At first, I was a bit confused and not sure if I liked this book, but overall I think it could be a realistic portrayal of a relationship in which the parents and in-laws are difficult and things maybe move a bit too fast without both sides being on the same page. I loved how the tables turned mid-way and things got hilarious and fun. I read this in almost one sitting and it held my attention and made me chuckle more than many books I’ve read in the past month or so. If you enjoy enemies to lovers as a concept, this might be fun for you 🙂 I LOVED the idea that the house could heal their relationship and of course, I adored the ending and the last few chapters. It was super fun overall.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was really hard to get through for me, partially just because of the timing when I was reading it and partly just because I felt like not much happened. I did push through to the end and I know some people will end up loving it but it just wasn’t for me. I did really like some of the characters overall, like Vincent, but not enough to bump it up past 3 stars.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of Us Is Next (One of Us Is Lying, #2)

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

Despite not remembering One of us is Lying *super* well except the ending, I had no difficulty picking up with the characters in this book and getting myself immersed in their (rather intense) teenage/young adult lives and mysterious drama. This definitely held my attention without any difficulty, particularly on audio, though I read half of it too. Figured it all out a little bit before the end but it didn’t change my enjoyment at all. Highly recommend and could be read as a standalone but would spoil the first in the series.

Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First of all, this book completely drew me in with its comparison to one of my favourites, Edenbrooke. There was an adorable meet-cute. There were fun and interesting and a couple of less lovable misunderstood characters. There was some adorable romantic tension and swoony moments.
I adored Amelia and her love for her younger sister. I felt for her situation. I REALLY adored Peter and how sweet he was despite not seeming that way at the beginning.

This group of proper romance regency novels rarely lets me down and this book was no exception. Plus…have you seen a cover this gorgeous around anywhere else lately?

Thank you to Shadow Mountain and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book comes out today!! I was overjoyed to be chosen in Abby’s reader group to read a paperback ARC that had travelled around the country. This book was a bit lighter overall than its predecessor so I enjoyed that about it. I really, really liked this. I would have gobbled it up in one sitting if my attention span lasted longer than 5 minutes these days. It was fun to read about Kristen and Josh (from The Friend Zone) again but also to read about Sloan and Jason AND Tucker. If you enjoy contemporary romance, loved The Friend Zone, or enjoy humorous love stories, this one is a good one.

Beach Read by Emily Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d read a few reviews around of people who absolutely loved this book and I kind of thought I’d probably like it too, but I actually really enjoyed it SO MUCH MORE than I expected to. Basically, I ignored my entire family for about 24 hours (don’t worry, not actually, I still did some parenting) to finish this. These characters, this setting, and the entire plot were just so fun and good to read. Two authors who knew each other in college (and had a bit of a love-hate but mostly hate relationship) end up living next door to each other in the middle of nowhere and slowly decide to try to write in the other’s genre. SO fun right!?!? This isn’t a light and fluffy book, there is some serious subject matter in it and some family drama/past history that lingers throughout but I did find it compulsively readable and probably one of the closest books I’ve found to compare to my beloved The Hating Game.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 – I really liked these characters, especially Maisie and Simon and all their friends. I just found the pacing a bit off and hard to follow. I will for sure continue the series especially since the audiobooks are all on Hoopla and I’ve read much worse characters than Maisie between the wars!

Lost Hills by Lee Goldberg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was exactly what I needed at the time I read and listened to it – fast-paced, excellent and exciting police procedural with high stakes. It was a bit more gory and gruesome than I might prefer, but I adored Eve Ronin and I will probably pick up the next in the series sometime. The ending was also very exciting and nerve-wracking and my interest was held throughout. This short book is worth a try for sure if you enjoy this genre!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was excellent. I half read/half listened to it via Kindle Unlimited and it held me so captivated trying to piece together their family history and all of its sadness, resolution, and reunion. So good and cannot wait to check out other books by this author.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

This book was really interesting because it was so unique. It was a short, quick, read and the audiobook was well done. The children were loveable and the entire plot was really very sweet especially at the end. It was missing just a tiny little something to make me love it more but overall I don’t regret reading it at all.

I also finished reading Wonder to the kids (they both absolutely loved it, even my 6 year old), a wonderful book about bees and growth mindset called Lucy the Bee and the Healing Honey (honestly, the main bee was named Lucy and her best bee friend was named Molly, can you say perfect for our family?! Thank you Netgalley!) and now we are almost finished up with Harriet the Spy.

Read a few other romances including the first in Maya Rodale’s Gilded Age series (really enjoyed it). Grateful for audiobooks while I am taking so many walks around my neighbourhood these days.

Just last night, I started All the Devils are Here, Louise Penny’s September 2020 release which was downloadable for me a couple of weeks ago and MADE ME SO HAPPY. Also working on the first in the Kate Daniels series.

What are you reading? Are you having any trouble engaging in books? As I said, I think it’s because reading really gives me a break from my over-socialized busy “normal life” but now this is my normal life so I want to socialize whatever way I can, which is via the internet, constantly. LOL. Surprisingly, my 8 1/2-year-old even felt like she “just didn’t want to read” about a week ago but I think we’ve all settled back into our regular reading routine now.

What I’ve Been Reading Lately

Today I’m sharing some short reviews of a few REALLY excellent books I’ve read in the past month! I have actually been completely floored by the books I’ve read lately – almost all of them have moved me to tears or made me grin like a crazy bookworm or cause me to gush about them to everyone I see, whether they care or not. I can’t believe how many great books I’m including in this post – I hope one or two of them make it on to your list too! Linking up today with Steph & Jana for Show us Your Books.

Lovely War by Julie Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book SOOOOOOO much. This book has probably/almost/maybe claimed a spot on my list of favourite books of all time. The audiobook was absolutely incredible with a full-cast narration. The premise of this book doesn’t necessarily sell it at all, but this is a story of two different couples during World War I as told by Aphrodite, the goddess of love when defending herself and her to her husband, Hephaestus, the god of fire. Throughout the story, I sometimes forgot a bit about the gods as narrators but there are other perspectives too: Hades, the god of the underworld, Apollo, the god of music and dance, Ares, the god of war, and others. It sounds a bit strange and fantasy-based but I assure you it works better than I could have imagined and I am blown away by the uniqueness and intimacy of this storytelling. I cannot recommend this book enough and I don’t intend to stop raving about how excellent it is anytime soon, so beware of that 🙂

What You Wish For by Katherine Center
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I’d been waiting not-very-patiently for this book for at least a year and a half when I saw on Katherine Center’s instagram that she was in Galveston doing research for a book starring Duncan from Happiness for Beginners. I already knew right then and there that I would love this book no matter what, but in many ways, reading it still surprised me and surpassed my expectations in ways I was not expecting. I originally expected lightheartedness and silly jokes throughout but there were some highly serious issues tackled in this book in a very realistic and universal way.

Needless to say, I really had no idea what this was about (aside from Duncan) until a few weeks ago when I read the synopsis here on Goodreads and I was quite surprised that Duncan might not be the incredibly easygoing and carefree character that I’d grown to adore in Happiness for Beginners. Why? How? Ahhh!! I knew there’d be a reason for it, and I knew I’d love it anyway, so when I got the ARC in an e-mail from St. Martin’s Press I dropped everything and started it that same day.

This book has some amazing underlying themes of seeking joy instead of sorrow, embracing friendships and relationships and friends becoming your family. There are several health issues that are touched on. I knew (hoped!!!) there would be a tiny mention of Helen and Jake from Happiness for Beginners, and that surpassed all my wildest expectations. I adored the setting including the incredible-sounding school environment. I choked up during several lines of this book and also grinned wider than ever other times. The side characters including all of the other teachers at the school (especially Alice with her math t-shirts!!) and a delightfully inquisitive 3rd grader named Clay were fun and multi-faceted.

Fans of Katherine Center’s books will adore this one, I’m sure. I really, really enjoyed the ending, and of course, the epilogue, but there are lines throughout this that I want to underline and remind myself of daily. Steam-wise and romance wise, this falls closer in line with Happiness for Beginners than Things you Save in a Fire in case anyone is curious about that. This book was inspiring, hopeful, funny, realistic, heart-wrenching, beautiful, and so special. I can’t recommend it enough. 🙂

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was exceptionally difficult to absorb, as it is meant to be, but also exceptionally well written and the narration by the author was wonderfully done. I know it’s been said before about this book, but I truly feel like the eye-opening stories and accounts of Bryan Stevenson’s work and experiences detailed here should be required reading for absolutely everyone.

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was utterly fantastic. I’d seen it described as a read-alike to The Snow Child and Harry’s Trees, both of which I really enjoyed, and while I see the comparisons, this book is extremely unique as well. I really enjoyed the characters, my jaw dropped a bit when everything kind of came together and the story was revealed a bit more, and the ending was so nice. This book is full of a myriad of raw emotions and I would also say that there are some trigger warnings which I can mention in a private message to avoid spoilers here. Overall though, well worth the read if you enjoy contemporary fiction that takes awhile to figure out and has lovely imagery and fantastic characters as well as an interesting setting & premise.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was fascinating from the point of view of how and why we develop habits. It is *not* as much a manual for developing better habits and if that is what you are seeking, I would recommend Atomic Habits for a more how-to guide. However, I found the science included in this book super fascinating!!! Keep in mind that my background is in psychology, so I am fascinated in the way the brain works and how people behave, but this was written in a really interesting way with a lot of anecdotes and cases discussed to illustrate particular points. I highly recommend this one on audio but just know that while it is motivating, it is more about the background and effect of habits on lives.

The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Wow! I really loved this. It took me a little longer to get into than The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, which I loved instantaneously last year, but by the end of this, I was still in love with Abbi Waxman’s writing and characters. This book has some very sad moments due to the main character being a sudden widow as well as a mother of young girls (close in age to mine so I related well to some of her thoughts on these pages). The gardening aspects felt very appropriate to read in spring and some of those chapter snippets were really funny! Overall, Abbi Waxman’s writing is some of the best I’ve enjoyed lately in women’s fiction and I can’t wait to read her other books as well.

Photos of You by Tammy Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was hesitant to pick this book up despite being sent the ARC in an e-mail because I was worried it would be just a bit too sad and I figured I needed to be in the right headspace to read it. I was right – it is incredibly sad, but it is also immensely hopeful, completely beautiful, and so worth the time. We learn in the first few pages that our beloved main character, 28-yr-old Ava, has been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer after being in remission for several years. She has a couple of unbelievably close, fantastic girlfriends and two adoring parents. Many of her short years on earth earth were affected by her cancer. She decides to have a “wedding” in which she is the bride but there is no groom as a bit of a celebration of life and the story takes off from there. These pages are full of love, hopeful message, and poignant thoughts and observations about life. Ava is brave, but she is also sad and bitter about her situation at times. The ending of this book was lovely despite its sadness and I adored every moment with these interesting and fun characters. The setting of the book is also gorgeous and important at times – the descriptions of some of the locations were breathtaking and made me feel like hopping on a plane to New Zealand tomorrow. Fans of Me Before You will love this book. Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow – this is a book you should read if you or anyone you know has experienced depression. It is not a self-help book but more of a memoir that will likely cause you to feel so seen if you’ve had periods of depression in your life. Matt Haig’s experience that he details and shares in these pages is raw, intense, and so well described compared to all other books I’ve read about depression. Of course, not everyone will feel the same in any way, but I think this book includes enough broad strokes of experience to resonate with anyone, honestly.

I especially loved the parts about how books helped to save him, as well as writing, yoga, running, and his family and partner. So many quotable lines.

This will probably be an emotional book to read if you are in the thick of depression or anxiety at the present, but it might also just be the healing solidarity you need.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A few bookworm friends that I really trust mentioned that this book was fantastic so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I was also warned that they cried and that it was emotional and after devouring this, I can see how it would move someone to those emotions. I felt it myself.

The premise of this book is quite interesting. At the beginning of this relatively short novel, our main character Dannie, who is a major type-A lawyer in Manhattan with her entire life planned to the month, has a strange dream-like experience in which she wakes up leading a very different life than she could ever imagine five years in the future. We go back to the present day and skip around a little bit but it became obvious that something was going to happen to make this book UNABLE to put down and indeed that did happen.

I felt profoundly connected to these characters even though I couldn’t personally relate to them in the same way I often do with characters. I loved the NYC setting. I felt the pain that these fictional characters were going through as well as the decisions they were faced with and the consequences of those decisions. This story included a lot of friendship, love, sadness, joy, hope, unexpected turns, and everything in between. It was an extremely quick read that I did not want to put down.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first started this book, I thought I was going to have to put it down. I felt absolutely heartbroken about the beginning and so frustrated for Laurie but I knew Mhairi McFarlane would make it all okay and I was along for the ride. I’m so glad I stuck with this book because I TOTALLY LOVED IT. I loved the character development, I loved the introduction of new characters and their depths, I was absolutely in love with how British everything was (it’s just so fun!!!). And of course, overall, I loved the ending too and the way things all played out. Was it predictable? Yes…of course…in some ways. Did I still feel very happy and enjoy every word? Yep.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

New Kid by Jerry Craft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After my beloved favourite book-recommender Janssen from Everyday Reading recommended this on Instagram or in a blog post (I can’t remember which!), I knew that I had to get my hands on this graphic novel immediately. Then it won the Newbery and I was beyond antsy to read it. This book did not disappoint and graphic-novel lovers should pick this up ASAP. I loved Jordan’s very profound and mature observations of his new school. His parents were wonderful and so human. This book really represents how many of us feel in middle school, but even more so starting at a new private school and starting to fit in and find one’s place. Jordan’s friends were so fun and there were a lot of very humorous and unexpected plot twists in this book.

Themes of embracing diversity and reducing prejudice abound in this book but it is subtle enough to be totally approachable to middle-grade readers. My 8 year old also loved it though I imagine some of it went over her head.

I also read the sixth book in the Ravenels series, Chasing Cassandra (it was SO good and potentially my new favourite), Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, The BFG with the kiddos, Lauren Layne’s newest, Yours in Scandal, which comes out today, and a few other books for Erin’s challenge. I’m currently reading The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, When we Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal, and still slowly making my way through The Poisonwood Bible.

TL;DR: Add Lovely War, What You Wish For (out July 14!), Where the Forest Meets the Stars (on Kindle Unlmited!), and Just Mercy to your list ASAP!!

Why I Love to Read

Although I remember myself as being an avid reader as a child, particularly during the summer months, I think reading took a bit of a backseat in my life for many years in high school and university. After the birth of my second child, and subsequent return to full-time work, I found myself following book bloggers, seeking recommendations, pursuing popular highly-rated books and becoming a bit more active on Goodreads. All of a sudden, I was placing holds at the library all the time. I was being intentional about my reading. Eventually, I signed up for Netgalley and started posting reviews of books and joining blog link-ups. Now, 5 years later, books are one of the top 5 “most important” things in my life. I don’t typically ever go a day without reading. I never stop thinking about what I’m going to read next or how I feel about what I’m currently reading. It has become my favourite hobby ever.

I’ve taken some time to think about why I love reading so much:

When I’m reading, I am able to get my mind off whatever is going on in my own life and escape to other character’s lives. It is truly the greatest form of relaxation for me and since it takes up all of my attention, it is a true “escape”.

I love to learn more about different cultures, people, relationships, careers, families, and situations that I may never find myself in.

Reading allows me to truly focus something outside myself

Reading and talking about books has led me to some of my strongest friendships ever and it has also strengthened my relationships with friends and family both through insights I’ve gained while reading or by sharing love for books

I’ve always been fascinated by language and reading allows me to enjoy the beauty of the English language and truly appreciate and savour the way some authors are able to weave words together in amazing ways

Reading allows me to live many lives aside from my own and see things from perspectives I might not otherwise consider

Reading makes me feel less alone. It is a magnificent thing to see a potential situation I’ve been in reflected in someone’s book and to open my eyes to how I could approach similar situations in my own life.

Why do you love reading? Do you share any of these thoughts?

Show us Your Books – First 2019 book post!!!

I hardly get ANY reading done (usually) during Christmas holidays because my brain is total mush at the end of each day and I just want to scroll through social media for a few minutes and fall asleep. However, I did read a lot of books before Christmas so I have some to share today!! 🙂 A few of these made it on to my top books of 2018 post!!

Linking up with Steph and Jana today to share the books I’ve read lately! At least half of these are audiobooks, which is the only way I get things done anymore – by promising myself that I can listen to a book while I clean or run or whatever. Haha. See the end for the biggest recommendations 🙂

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this more than I expected to – the ending really tied it all together for me 🙂 I think this is my first David Baldacci book, and I don’t think this is his typical book so maybe not the best place to start but I wanted a not super sappy Christmas book and this fit that bill.

Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a lovely collection of Avonlea Christmas short stories and it was delightful on audio 🙂 I hadn’t heard many of the stories which I assume are from some of my unread Montgomery books. Of course, the story of the dress with puffed sleeves is a favourite 🙂

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great last (easy to read!) contemplative book for the end of the year. I listened to it and then instantly got it out in print from the library so I could make some notes and be inspired 🙂

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. Why did I wait so long to listen to this one? It was so good!! A perfect read for the beginning of the year. So much of what Shonda talks about in this book (I loved the audiobook narrated by her!) is so logical and straightforward but the way she presents it is so entertaining and wonderful. Loved this and will likely think of it often.

From Doon With Death by Ruth Rendell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was one of the shortest mysteries I’ve read and felt on par in some ways with Agatha Christie though not as complex a story as hers. I did like it and read it in two sittings and will likely continue with the series at some point in the future.

Luna and the Lie by Mariana Zapata
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn’t love this book as much as some of her others, but I still liked it more than some romances I’ve read this year. So 3.5/5 stars. I had a hard time relating to the characters in this book and I didn’t quite buy into their story but overall the fact that I love MZ and I finished this in a day during a very busy week tells me that this was still good if you like this genre 🙂

A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My favourite of the series so far! The mystery in this book was SO good, and I have come to absolutely adore the characters. I wrote Deanna Raybourn and told her how much I loved this and she wrote me back, which was fun too! 🙂 I cannot recommend this series enough – it is unlike anything I’ve ever read. I think it best falls under historical mystery and is so so well done. This one comes out this month but I was lucky to receive an ARC through FirstToRead (thank you!)

Melt for You by J.T. Geissinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was SO, so good. I also enjoyed the first book in the series (totally unrelated to this one – they are standalones), Burn for You. I have yet to get to the third but I am hoping it will be good too. On KU and such a strong story about a woman really coming into her own. These characters were so loveable.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book sucked me right in and though I put it down for a little bit over the Christmas holidays (I started it on audio but that expired and I have a used paperback version so I didn’t worry about it too much), I still really, REALLY liked it. Wonderful characters, super interesting story, emotional but not over the top (at least for me) like some other WWII books. Based on a true story – so fascinating. Dual timelines/alternating characters but I didn’t find it hard to follow along at all because the alternating characters are travelling together, so it’s more like throwbacks to the past. Definitely recommend.

I have to make another dent in my Netgalley books this month and I am also dying to read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire so I will probably do that and just plow through the rest of the series. I also have a bunch of library holds coming in soon (can’t complain about that!!) I also have 3 books in progress that I need to get back from the library so I can clear them from my Goodreads currently reading shelf…lol. #bookwormproblems

TL;DR – I highly, highly recommend the Veronica Speedwell series – the first one is A Curious Beginning. Wonderful series that gets better and better in my opinion. I also recommend Year of Yes and The Alice Network. If you like romance, I cannot recommend Melt for You enough.

What have you been reading lately?! Anything good that I should add to my 2019 TBR?!?!

Recent Reads – June 2017 Show us Your Books

I’ve been looking forward to this day for MONTHS – the release date of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! Oh, and Show us your Books too! 😉 I can’t wait to read this book and share my thoughts on it soon. For today, I’m linking up with Steph & Jana to talk about the books I’ve read in the last month or so since the last link up. Head over to the link up here to check out some other recommendations too!!

This was another pretty decent reading month overall. Even though I got through quite a few books there were plenty of evenings that I was just WAY too tired to even crack a book open. I also had 5 books on the go at once at one time and then finally just decided to return a couple of them to the library. Reading should never be overwhelming, but I went a bit crazy requesting holds from the library when some summer reading guides came out and to plan ahead with Erin’s Book Challenge, so I had about 20 books out at once and not enough time to read them!! I’ll get to them eventually 😉

Here are some books I’ve read recently, in no order besides when I read them:

FOX by Kelly Oliver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book reminded me a bit of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series even though the characters come from a slightly different background. I definitely saw a lot of it coming, but it was still fast-paced enough to hold my interest. I didn’t realize before reading it that it is the third in a series, and I am guessing that there will be more in the series moving forward. Overall, this book passed the time nicely and added a bit of a different element to the genre. I will likely pick up the next in the series just to find out what happens to all of the characters because I felt like this one ended a bit abruptly.

Thank you to Netgalley & KAOS Press for the advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a quick but charming little book (Seriously, it’s just over 100 pages long and I read it in one sitting). It is written in letter format and it was nice to read. It took place shortly after the second world war and the bookishness of it was so charming and cute.

Toward a Secret Sky by Heather Maclean
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This book was a bit different than anything I’d read recently. The fantasy element of it was quite interesting and I enjoyed it. It had a pretty quick pace, and a few twists (though I definitely anticipated one of them). The setting was fun and the characters were good. It ended on what seemed like a bit of a cliffhanger or a to-be-continued arc so I will probably try to pick up its sequel someday. Also, I hate to always be pointing this out but what a GORGEOUS cover, right??? Thank you to Netgalley & Blink for the advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I think I liked this better than her debut, Behind Closed Doors which was one that I tore through in a day, so that’s saying something. This one was a bit less *terrifying* for some reason, even though the idea behind it was quite a scary one. I definitely did not anticipate what was going on for quite awhile and it was hard to know who to trust, which is what I like in a book like this. This was the first book I won through a Goodreads giveaway, which was super exciting!!! Thank you, Goodreads and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this book which comes out July 18, 2017.

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I had high hopes for this book, and while it was definitely entertaining and fun, it wasn’t QUITE as funny as I expected. It was entertaining though, and I really enjoyed listening to a lot of her stories, particularly about awards shows and being on set and life in L.A. I also realized that she has been in a few movies I have yet to see – so I want to get on that! I also have to say that I really enjoyed the narration which was done by the author.

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh man…this book was slow-going for awhile there, much like the first one in this series, but I got hooked partway through it and finished the rest up pretty quickly. I think one of the things that made me want to put this book down is the world-jumping. Although I do appreciate that and it is a major element to the series, I felt like sometimes I just wanted to continue to find out what happened in one world or with one character. This is likely a timing thing for me because I have enjoyed plenty of books in the past that jumped around but my attention span wasn’t great these past few weeks so it was harder to follow.
The world that is created in these books is SO good.The characters are spunky, quirky, fun, and complicated all at once. This book was a great addition to the series and I feel unbelievably happy that I waited until the 3rd book was out to begin this series because AHH cliffhanger ending. I will absolutely be starting book 3 ASAP from the library.
I also wanted to point out that I really enjoyed the new characters introduced in this book – Alucard in particular. The big event was fun. Learning more about Rhy was fun. Looking forward to the adventures that will happen in the third and final book.

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was so, so good. I loved the audiobook. There were truly so many great stories about life in South Africa and the storytelling technique in this book is phenomenal and SO interesting. Trevor Noah makes his childhood humorous even though there are quite a few sad moments or moments that give you pause as well. I would highly recommend this book if you are looking to just get a different point of view on what it might have been like to grow up in a country very different from ours in North America. I’d highly, highly recommend the audio version of this one because Trevor Noah’s narration is perfect.

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Due to the success of The Girl on the Train (which I actually enjoyed because I did NOT see any of it coming), this book had a lot of hype but I heard mixed things about it too. It sounded intriguing enough so I was still really looking forward to reading it and it did NOT disappoint me in the least. I found it to be quite intense and the pace was pretty quick too. I finished it in 2 days. It was a pretty sad story with a few triggers but I really rooted for the characters more in this book than I did for The Girl on the Train and this one had a more consistent feel overall. I definitely recommend it if this is your genre of choice (which it is for me, apparently, this year).

Currently reading: He Said/She Said (this one is good so far and I would have normally finished a book like this but I just needed a bit of a break), Glass Houses (SO happy to be back with Gamache et al and thank you SO MUCH Netgalley), and A Man Called Ove on audio. I also started a few books and returned them to the library to try out another time instead. So basically, summer socializing and soccer season and working has fried my brain for sustaining reading. I’m looking forward to some amazing books to come this month though!!

Here’s something I found online yesterday, too. What do you think?!

I think I would go with the aqua pill but the blue pill sounds so tempting too!!!

What have you been reading lately? I’d love to add it to my ever-growing TBR!!!

Fri-YAY Five

This week felt a little bit blah at times. We had two super rainy days that were really busy, three lovely sunny days but I was working, and we are heading into 6 straight rainy days apparently.
I also had a headache 3/5 days that would NOT go away but feeling better today. That being said, it still feels very much like spring and I am looking forward to the weekend including some rest and some time with friends!! Last week, I introduced my 5-year old to the word Fri-YAY and she loves it. Haha. She (being the studious French student that she is) also likes to say “Vendre-YAY” which cracks me up. We are having nachos and guacamole for supper tonight to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and I can’t wait!! Yum.

Here are 5 random things from this week:

1) I have seen 3 people this week reading books that I just finished in the past month. I wanted to jump on them and talk about what they are thinking of the books, but that seemed creepy. Why is it so easy to talk about books online but not with random strangers? Haha. I have so much I want to say about what I’m reading (see next week’s posts!)

2) Friends of ours had their second baby (girl) this morning and I got to go over and visit for a little bit this afternoon. SO beautiful to see a brand new baby and made me want to go home and snuggle my non-babies tonight!

3) Really looking forward to seeing THIS on the big screen in a few weeks sometime

4) I got some (off brand) curlformers this week in the mail and they are SO fun! The only problem is that they are impossible to sleep in, so I have to plan ahead a bit. I’ll try to share a picture of how the curls turned out this weekend but I love them!

5) Loved this post about adult friendships. I was also quite interested in this info about eating vegetables. 26 of the most inspiring lines in literature was beautiful.

Have an awesome weekend!!!

March Mayhem Recap (What’s New? link up)

I expected March to be a little bit calmer than February, and in some ways, it was, but we sure did a lot this month too!!! We got a lot more snow, including on the first day of Spring (boo!), Molly had March break from school, Lucy was *really* sick for about a week, Brian was sick 3 times with a “cold”, and we saw a lot of friends and family. I also read some amazing books (more on that next Tuesday!), saw Beauty and the Beast, and did a little bit of running, some yoga, and some pilates. Phew.

Here are some highlights:

We stayed overnight with some close friends who have a dog and a cat. My kids are obsessed with the cat (we won’t ever have one because Brian and I are both allergic, but I like cuddly cats too). Lucy decided that her stuffed cat was friends with Teemu and every time the cat would move, she would move her stuffed cat next to her. It was adorable and hilarious:

I had some delicious food, including shawarma salad (a chicken shawarma without the pita but with lots of lettuce AKA soo good), a tuna salad with tons of veggies and curry (this was delicious, recipe to come), had 3 delicious burgers during Halifax burger week, and the kids devoured cake on several occasions, including my aunt’s birthday.

I also made these delicious paleo banana muffins that I’ve been wanting to try from Julie’s blog.They were fantastic and the kids loved them too.

We caught some live music – my cousin playing piano with my university friend on the small pipes and my cousin playing fiddle with piano accompaniment for St. Patty’s Day.

I had a wonderful girl’s night out to see Beauty & The Beast with my good friend Laura. It was amazing. I cried a little bit (thank you Paris). The music was gorgeous as was all of the cinematography. I loved how French it was. I loved the library scenes and all of the characters, of course. I made shirts for myself and my friend to wear to the movie & we also had little red rose earrings which were a fun purchase. I also did my nails with Jamberry’s Unexpected Romance which was a fun one.

The girls dressed up for St. Patty’s Day but Lucy was actually really sick that week (lethargic, runny nose, drippy eyes, it was weird but she is OK now). You can see her all snuggled up and sick here 😦

As I mentioned last week, Lucy turned 3 on Friday March 31. I still can’t believe how fast they are growing. I had the afternoon off work that day so I picked the kids up from daycare/school and took them to an indoor playground. It was AWESOME. Usually, I am not a big fan of those indoor playgrounds and Brian is happier to be there with the kids because there are SO many other kids there and I find that I get a bit anxious. When we went on Friday at 2pm, there were only 3 other kids there and lots and lots of space for my kids to play happily. It was great and they were so happy. I took a few pictures but mostly just chased them around and watched them play, which was awesome for my mommy soul. We then had pizza for supper while watching Paw Patrol (this is a major treat) and celebrated the next day with family and friends. It was fantastic and I was so grateful to be able to spend lots of extra time with these two special little girls.

Molly also finished indoor soccer this month and both girls will be playing outdoor soccer this summer. They are also participating in a Youth running race series which was supposed to start this weekend but has been delayed with the snow. Molly got an awesome second report card and we meet with her teacher this evening. Our family also developed a new obsession with Trolls, and I think Brian loves the music more than any of us. It’s such a cute kids movie & I think we could do a whole lot worse 😉

April is going to be pretty fun – we get Friday and Monday off at Easter and that will be great. I’m hoping to finish up Erin’s book challenge and read some other great spring time books. I have a 5K on April 30 and the kids have two races. 🙂 It’s going to be a nice month!!

SO, what’s new with you lately?! Check out Kristen and Gretch’s blogs today to see what everyone else is sharing this month!!

Book Analytics from 2016

I meant to post this over the holidays, but I just didn’t get around to it, so here it is now, in 2017!! Not too late for more recap posts, in my opinion.

Aside from keeping track of my reading life on Goodreads and linking up with Show Us Your Books every month, I wanted to seek out some actual data on the books I’m reading. I come from a statistics background (my Masters is in psychology) and I love analyzing things like this. It’s a bit of a nerdy pursuit, but it’s fun too. Here’s what I discovered about my reading life last year (none of this surprised me, of course).

In 2016:

I read 117 books and a total of 36785 pages.

By Genre:

Nonfiction: 10
Young Adult: 11
Mystery: 20
Sci-Fi: 2
Fantasy: 4
Classics: 7
The rest were some type of fiction (including historical fiction, romance, historical romance, etc).

As for my ratings (on Goodreads, at least), my average overall rating this year was 3.86.
2 star books: 2
3 star books: 35
4 star books: 52
5 star books: 21

Format of books:

44 print books
56 e-books,
16 audiobooks

Source of the books:

76 of the books I read were from the library
19 were purchased (this counts second hand and audible)
17 were from Netgalley,
2 were borrowed
3 were from Librivox.org.

I read 17 books by male authors and the rest were female.
Most of the authors I read in 2016 are from the US although Louise Penny’s series really bumped up the Canadian author count 🙂
Many of the books I read were published in the past few years, or at least since the year 2000.

I can’t wait to diversify this a little bit in 2017, but I’m happy with how things went in 2016! There were only a few books that I marked as DNF, so that counts as a good year in my books! 😉

Links that are too good not to share

Happy Friday!!! I have a few posts on the go right now, but none of them are quite ready to be published yet, so here is some information I’m dying to share with the rest of the world!! We have a fun weekend ahead of us because we’re celebrating my niece’s 1st birthday tomorrow! I can’t wait. I’m finishing up the cake tonight, and with any luck, it’ll look like this:

Source

Wish me luck that the icing works out!!!

Here are some fun links I’ve seen around the web this week.

Cover reveal and excerpt from TJR’s newest book coming in June 2017!! I can’t wait to read this book. Her books are amazing to me. This one sounds good!

I’m still all over Gilmore Girls and I loved this post about books the author would recommend to characters in Stars Hollow.

I’m hooked on Better than Before, Gretchen’s Rubin’s book about habit building. This discussion about loopholes was especially fascinating (and relatable!) to me.

Some fun homemade gift ideas in this post.

Loved these ideas for post-election reading.

I turn to these children’s gifts guides every year.

Learned a few new ones on this list of computer shortcuts.

I may or may not know that one of my Christmas gifts is an instant pot (I’m so excited!) and I’m already pretty hooked on finding recipes. This site is a good one.

Mindfulness in real life.

My kids are still a bit young for these prompts, but I LOVE this.

Have a great weekend everyone!!