September celebrates banned books and the lovely @thetallented via @thecharmedbookclub is hosting a challenge!
Monday, September 25, 2017
September Banned Book Week Challenge
Ahhh! A day late but better late then never!
September celebrates banned books and the lovely @thetallented via @thecharmedbookclub is hosting a challenge!
September celebrates banned books and the lovely @thetallented via @thecharmedbookclub is hosting a challenge!
September 18- 24th Wrap Up
I am reading so much this month! It makes me so happy :) This is in part to my finally downloading the Libby by Overdrive app. I am now able to listen to audio books during my commute and on a good commute week that is 10 hours of precious reading time. If there is an accident or more traffic then usual that could potentially be even more!
Anyways, onto the books that I have read this past week!
I finished How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry. I received a free eBook copy from Penguin First to Read in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute, quick read. It was just okay for me. I felt like the overall story line was well done but the intermittent breaks to review other love stories sometimes broke out of nowhere or were forced and uninteresting. I would recommend it to people though. The beginning killed me, I cried for sure. What a horrible way, in a good way, to start a story.
The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jeffries was my next read. This was my "historical" pick for the battle board. I was able to listen to this one on my commutes and read it outside of that. I loved the writing. The book itself is paced a bit slow with giant leaps in the timeline. There is mystery upon mystery in this book and you need to pay attention to all the various story lines unfolding. I was able to semi guess the main mystery but did not have all the details right. Worth the read just be ready for a slower paced story.
I then listed to Partners by John Grisham. This was a little novella prequel to The Rogue Lawyer. We were introduced to Sebastian Rudd and his Partner. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about how the partnership was established and a little more insight into Sebastian Rudd's character.
Next up was Fifty Shades Freed by EL James. Yes, yes I am admitting to reading this series. I read the first two back when all the hype started and never got to the third one. I was able to get the eBook copy from Libby by Overdrive and decided to finally get around to finishing the series since one of my goals by the end of 2018 is to read all books added to GoodReads from 2012/finish all series that were started in 2012. Though some of the scenes are too hot to handle, the overall writing is poor and the story line was only moved forward by how to get to the next sex scene. The relationship is a terrible one and I would hope readers would not try to mimic anything outside the "play" time.
Then back to Historical genre and a Charmed Book Club pick, The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman. This is another book read and listened to. I am glad I had the audio book for this one. It wasn't a bad story just super slow and the writing kept jarring me out of the story. It was peppered with lists in the beginning that made it hard to read fluidly and then I didnt like how I felt the perspective went from intimate almost in the moment to coldly reading a news clipping/memoir. It is a very interesting story and based on real events and real people so I enjoyed it in that sense.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman was my next read. I borrowed this from a friend that is soon leaving the state so there is a large collections of her books that I am borrowing and need to hurry up and read so I can return them before her big move! This book was creepy. As an adult with children it made me uncomfortable and hope that my children would not want to trade me in for an "other mother". From a daughters perspective I can see where the true enjoyment from this story can come from. I really like the moral at the end as well and will have to get a copy for my kiddos when they are middle grade.
Anyways, onto the books that I have read this past week!
I finished How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry. I received a free eBook copy from Penguin First to Read in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute, quick read. It was just okay for me. I felt like the overall story line was well done but the intermittent breaks to review other love stories sometimes broke out of nowhere or were forced and uninteresting. I would recommend it to people though. The beginning killed me, I cried for sure. What a horrible way, in a good way, to start a story.
The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jeffries was my next read. This was my "historical" pick for the battle board. I was able to listen to this one on my commutes and read it outside of that. I loved the writing. The book itself is paced a bit slow with giant leaps in the timeline. There is mystery upon mystery in this book and you need to pay attention to all the various story lines unfolding. I was able to semi guess the main mystery but did not have all the details right. Worth the read just be ready for a slower paced story.
I then listed to Partners by John Grisham. This was a little novella prequel to The Rogue Lawyer. We were introduced to Sebastian Rudd and his Partner. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about how the partnership was established and a little more insight into Sebastian Rudd's character.
Next up was Fifty Shades Freed by EL James. Yes, yes I am admitting to reading this series. I read the first two back when all the hype started and never got to the third one. I was able to get the eBook copy from Libby by Overdrive and decided to finally get around to finishing the series since one of my goals by the end of 2018 is to read all books added to GoodReads from 2012/finish all series that were started in 2012. Though some of the scenes are too hot to handle, the overall writing is poor and the story line was only moved forward by how to get to the next sex scene. The relationship is a terrible one and I would hope readers would not try to mimic anything outside the "play" time.
Then back to Historical genre and a Charmed Book Club pick, The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman. This is another book read and listened to. I am glad I had the audio book for this one. It wasn't a bad story just super slow and the writing kept jarring me out of the story. It was peppered with lists in the beginning that made it hard to read fluidly and then I didnt like how I felt the perspective went from intimate almost in the moment to coldly reading a news clipping/memoir. It is a very interesting story and based on real events and real people so I enjoyed it in that sense.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman was my next read. I borrowed this from a friend that is soon leaving the state so there is a large collections of her books that I am borrowing and need to hurry up and read so I can return them before her big move! This book was creepy. As an adult with children it made me uncomfortable and hope that my children would not want to trade me in for an "other mother". From a daughters perspective I can see where the true enjoyment from this story can come from. I really like the moral at the end as well and will have to get a copy for my kiddos when they are middle grade.
Monday, September 18, 2017
September 11-17th Wrap Up
September TBR and 11-17th
Wrap- Up
Current TBR List: 31
Currently Reading: 9
Books Finished in September: 12
Currently Reading: 9
Books Finished in September: 12
I felt like this past week was very slow for me reading
wise. I still managed to finish four books but I feel like I am falling into a
slump. Could be that I have a billion books started… I have severe book commitment
issues.
I finished Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham.
I really enjoyed this story! Sebastian Rudd does not fit
your typical lawyer description. He does not sit in a fancy office with nice décor
with a pretty secretary. His office is a heavily armored van and his secretary
is his partner/law clerk/bodyguard/gold caddy/chauffer’s mom. Sebastian defends
people that other lawyers avoid. He believes everyone deserves the right to a
fair trial, even if he has to cheat his way into one. I thoroughly enjoyed
Sebastian’s character and it was a fast read. I liked seeing a different
perspective of a dirty but fair lawyer and how he sticks to his morals that
everyone deserves a fair trial.
I then read The Show-Off Monkey and Other Taoist Tales by
Mark W Ginnis, a GoodReads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the drawings and most of the morals. My main
problem laid in the names given to the characters, I did not understand how
most of them related to the stories and they were over the top silly to the
point they were not amusing. I also failed to understand a majority of the
stories. I did enjoy a couple though. 2.5 stars for the drawings and the
stories and morals I enjoyed. I wanted to like the book more.
Then I finally read Inferno by Dan Brown.
I saw the movie several months back and I enjoyed it. I like
the idea of hidden codes and messages leading you on a wild goose chase. I
think that while it’s a stretch, it could potentially still be believable.
Inferno follow Robert Langdon as he wakes up with a gunshot wound to the head
not knowing where he is or what happened over the last couple days. He know he
woke up muttering something that sounded like “very sorry” and having haunting
visions of a woman asking him to “seek and find”. The movie and the book tied
out to the very end, then they diverged a bit and I can understand why. I do
not think a movie or a movie audience would like the ending of Inferno as it
was originally written since it is so dark and raises huge moral questions.
Definite worth the read if you like history and thriller. It is terrifying to
think if something like this is possible.
I ended the week with Bakuman Volume 3.
I am still really enjoying this series! The two friends are still
striving to make it to be number one and are learning various lessons along the
way. They want to be more mainstream but they are finding out they are not well
suited for the style. They are able to help their rival and its ends on the
note that lack of communication is causing frustration on both ends. Can’t wait
to see how this plays out in the next volume!
Instagram: @shelf.loving
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/shelfloving
Monday, September 11, 2017
September 4-10th Wrap-Up
September TBR and 4-10th Wrap- Up
Current TBR List: 31
Currently Reading: 7
Books Finished in September: 8
Currently Reading: 7
Books Finished in September: 8
Another great week of reading!
I started The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, book one of the Percy Jackson series, and I love it!
It is a middle grade novel so the writing is for a younger
group but I still enjoyed myself immensely. Percy is struggling to survive
school since he is labeled the trouble maker. On a school trip to a museum he
swears that his math teacher turns into a harpy and tries to kill him and he is
saved by a pen that turns in a sword. This is the beginning of his adventures
to half-blood hill where he learns more about himself and who is father really
is. It enthralled me and I can’t wait to pick up the rest of the series.
I was then able to finish The Spellbook of the Lost and
Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle. I received a free e-book from First to Read
program in exchange for an honest review.
This book was told from multiple perspectives and though it
was slightly drawn out in the middle kept me interested. Past and present
collide as teenagers attend a party and a spell to recover lost things is cast.
Everyone lost something during the party, we all lose something every day. I
like the idea that not all lost things are terrible, sometimes they are even
good. The ending was woven together fantastically but since most of the story
was a bit dragged out for me I gave it a solid 3 stars.
Drumroll please! I finally finished The Count of Monte
Cristo by Alxandre Dumas. Officially the longest book I have ever read, and
probably will ever read.
You can tell the age of the story but it was no less epic
and it was easy to see why this remains a classic. A young man is wrongfully imprisoned
because he loves the wrong girl, after being held for years he manages to make
his escape and that is where the adventure really starts. A must read for those
that love coming of age stories, just be ready to invest a lot of time!
After finishing such a hefty read as The Count of Monte
Cristo I fell into Bakuman volumes 1 and 2 by Tsugumi Ohba for some quick easy
reading.
I really enjoyed these. It is about middle grade kids who want to become manga artist and the story was unique and the art is beautiful.
I really enjoyed these. It is about middle grade kids who want to become manga artist and the story was unique and the art is beautiful.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
September TBR and 1-3rd Wrap- Up
September TBR and 1-3rd
Wrap- Up
Current TBR List: 31
Currently Reading: 6
Books Finished in September: 3
Currently Reading: 6
Books Finished in September: 3
Starting with the books already completed:
When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman.
Five plus years ago I read the 16th book in this
series, I didn’t know it was the 16th one. I enjoyed that story and
have wanted to read the series since then. My goal by the end of 2018 is to
clean up my TBR list that I added to GoodReads in 2012 (I will probably, maybe
post this goal when it gets closet to 2018?) Anyways, I discovered Overdrive
and downloaded When the Bough Breaks and I loved it! Lots of trigger warnings
for this book, so be aware if you are a sensitive reader.
It was unique starting this series as an audio book on my
smart phone. The novel was first published in 1985 and the technology and
concerns regarding technology were interesting to read about. Moving into the
meat of the story, Alex Delaware is a recently retired, young, child
psychologist. A huge case caused burnout and he left his field to relax the
days away after then main suspect in a huge child abuse scandal was found by
him in his office with his head blown off. Early retirement though hardly works
for the highly driven and curious people and when Dr. Morton Handler, another psychiatrist
is brutally murdered and the only witness is 7 year old Melody Quinn Delaware
is dragged out of retirement by the police. As he works with the young girl he
finds that her current nightmare is linked to his own recent experiences.
The plot was steady and the twists and turns came out of
nowhere, no surprise why this was an Edgar Award for Best First Novel! I cannot
wait to pick up the rest of the series.
I then finished Loud Music by Gloria Geiger.
I was given a
free copy of the e-book in exchange for being part of a book tour with
@happylilbooknook (Instagram). I will save information for those dates! Look
for it September 10th-16th.
After Loud Music I was sucked back into Overdrive and
borrowed The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon.
This was a super cute book and easy listen. The plot kept
moving following a young duo as they meet for the first time and experience a
relationship over the course of one day.
Natasha is an illegal immigrant who came to the states at 8
years old. She loves science and just wants to be able to go to college and
study, but she is being deported in 12 hours. As she heads into the city to
fight for her family to stay she gets caught up in things outside of her beloved
facts.
Daniel has always been the good kid, not as good as his
brother, that is until the recent disgrace. He wants to be a poet, a dreamer
but his Korean family has chosen for him to be a doctor and he has to attend
his admission interview. As he is on his way he sees Natasha, dancing to her
music, lost in another world. Fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it has
aligned and he was meant to meet her.
Science, every moment brings us to a single moment while a
million untold futures still lie ahead. What can the future hold for a girl
forced to leave soon and a boy with a mapped out future with no choices left to
be made?
Now drum roll! The September TBR! This will have some
updates because the CBB will be meeting towards the end of the month and we
will be picking our books and categories for the upcoming months.
|
Source
|
Format
|
Week
|
Start
|
Finish
|
Title
|
Author
|
|
B
|
A
|
1
|
8/24/2017
|
9/1/2017
|
When the Bough Breaks
|
Jonathan Kellerman
|
|
BT
|
E
|
2
|
8/29/2017
|
9/4/2017
|
Loud Music
|
Gloria Geiger
|
|
B
|
A
|
2
|
8/30/2017
|
9/4/2017
|
The Sun is Also a Star
|
Nicola Yoon
|
|
B
|
P
|
9/27/2016
|
The Beauty Myth
|
Naomi Wolf
|
||
|
P
|
P
|
6/29/2017
|
Requiem for a Dream
|
Hubert Selby Jr
|
||
|
P
|
A
|
7/9/2017
|
The Count of Monte Cristo
|
Alexandre Dumas
|
||
|
GR
|
P
|
8/22/2017
|
Pineapple
|
Mia Castle
|
||
|
B
|
P
|
8/28/2017
|
Fangirl
|
Rainbow Rowell
|
||
|
F2R
|
E
|
8/29/2017
|
Spellbook of the Lost and
Found
|
Moira Fowley-Doyle
|
||
|
P
|
P
|
My Friend Leonard
|
James Frey
|
|||
|
P
|
P
|
The Zookeeper’s Wife
|
Diane Ackerman
|
|||
|
P
|
P
|
Fever 1793
|
Laurie Halse Anderson
|
|||
|
P
|
P
|
Rogue Lawyer
|
John Grisham
|
|||
|
NG
|
E
|
Saving Paradise
|
Mike Bond
|
|||
|
NG
|
E
|
Fox
|
Kelly Oliver
|
|||
|
NG
|
E
|
The Ninth Circle
|
C.A. Harland
|
|||
|
B
|
P
|
Odd Thomas #7 Saint Odd
|
Dean Koontz
|
|||
|
B
|
P
|
Dresden Files #3 Grave
Peril
|
Jim Butcher
|
|||
|
B
|
P
|
Carry On
|
Rainbow Rowell
|
|||
|
B
|
P
|
Bakuman Vol 1
|
Tsugumi Ohba
|
|||
|
B
|
P
|
Bakuman Vol 2
|
Tsugumi Ohba
|
|||
|
B
|
P
|
Bakuman Vol 3
|
Tsugumi Ohba
|
|||
|
F2R
|
E
|
Reincarnation Blues
|
Michael Poore
|
|||
|
F2R
|
E
|
Beasts Made of Night
|
Tochi Onyebuchi
|
|||
|
B
|
P
|
Wonder
|
R.J. Palacio
|
|||
|
P
|
P
|
How to Win Friends and
Influence People
|
Dale Carnegie
|
|||
|
B
|
P
|
Flowers in the Attic
|
V.C. Andrews
|
|||
|
P
|
P
|
The Tea Planter's Wife
|
Dinah Jeffries
|
|||
|
P
|
P
|
It
|
Stephen King
|
|||
|
B
|
A
|
The Lightning Thief
|
Rick Riordan
|
|||
|
F2R
|
E
|
Don't Let Go
|
Harlan Coben
|
Source:
A = Amazon Top 100 Free
B = Borrowed/Library
BT = Book Tour – Honest Review
F2R = First to Read (Penguin) – Honest Review
G = GoodReads – Honest Review
NG = NetGalley – Honest Review
P = Purchased
A = Amazon Top 100 Free
B = Borrowed/Library
BT = Book Tour – Honest Review
F2R = First to Read (Penguin) – Honest Review
G = GoodReads – Honest Review
NG = NetGalley – Honest Review
P = Purchased
Format:
A = Audio
E = E-book
P = Physical
A = Audio
E = E-book
P = Physical
Instagram: @shelf.loving
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/shelfloving
August Wrap- Up
August Wrap- Up
Current TBR List: 39
Currently Reading: 9Books Finished in August: 14
What another great reading month! 14 books down and only 25
left on the never ending TBR list as of the end of August (stay tuned for
September post, I know I am running late but it was a holiday weekend!).
|
Source
|
Format
|
Start
|
Finish
|
Title
|
Author
|
|
B
|
A
|
7/14/2017
|
8/2/2017
|
The Weekenders
|
Mary Kay Andrews
|
|
F2R
|
E
|
7/27/2017
|
8/3/2017
|
The Bookshop at Water’s
End
|
Patti Callahan Henry
|
|
B
|
P
|
8/9/2017
|
8/9/2017
|
El Deafo
|
Cece Bell
|
|
B
|
P
|
8/1/2017
|
8/12/2017
|
All The Missing Girls
|
Megan Miranda
|
|
F2R
|
E
|
8/2/2017
|
8/14/2017
|
The Library of Fates
|
Aditi Khorana
|
|
B
|
P
|
8/12/2017
|
8/15/2017
|
Behind Her Eyes
|
Sarah Pinborough
|
|
B
|
P
|
8/17/2017
|
8/17/2017
|
Milk and Honey
|
Rupi Kaur
|
|
B
|
P
|
8/15/2017
|
8/20/2017
|
Eleanor & Park
|
Rainbow Rowell
|
|
B
|
P
|
8/22/2017
|
8/22/2017
|
Fruits Basket Vol 1
|
Natsuki Takaya
|
|
B
|
A
|
8/3/2017
|
8/24/2017
|
Steve Jobs
|
Walter Isaacson
|
|
BT
|
E
|
7/30/2017
|
8/25/2017
|
The Darkening Dragons
|
Sarah Everest
|
|
F2R
|
E
|
8/14/2017
|
8/25/2017
|
The Dying Game
|
Asa Avdic
|
|
B
|
P
|
8/25/2017
|
8/27/2017
|
The Romantics
|
Leah Konen
|
|
F2R
|
E
|
8/25/2017
|
8/29/2017
|
The Readymade Thief
|
Augustus Rose
|
In the final days of August I was only able to complete one book, The Readymade Thief by Augustus Rose. Please check out previous posts or my GoodReads accounts for more details on the other books read!
The Readymade Thief was a Penguin First to Read ARC e-book in exchange for an honest review.
Even though the books plot moved forward slowly, there was a lot of the same things happening page after page that I was still kept interested in the story. There were fantastic stretches when it came to looping science and art together. It was interesting but felt like an over blown Da Vinci Code. I loved the Da Vinci Code though so this was a solid read for me. The characters were hard to connect with though and they did not seem to follow their own personal codes unless it was easy and satisfied the plot. Due to the difficulty of liking the characters I went from solid 3 stars to 2.5 rating.
A = Amazon Top 100 Free
B = Borrowed/Library
BT = Book Tour – Honest Review
F2R = First to Read (Penguin) – Honest Review
G = GoodReads – Honest Review
NG = NetGalley – Honest Review
P = Purchased
Source:
E = E-book
P = Physical
Format:
Instagram: @shelf.loving
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/shelfloving
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