what i’m reading

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (7.9.18)

Happy Monday! I am feeling refreshed and ready to begin a new week, and I haven’t felt that way in a really long time. I had a really great weekend; my mom’s birthday was yesterday, so I basically spent the weekend celebrating her and that was lovely in all respects. My brother and I spent Saturday night with her, playing games and eating pizza and cake. Then, yesterday, I brought over mini doughnuts and then took her out to lunch. It was perfect.

This week, I finished three books! One of them was an audiobook, so don’t get too excited. 😉 Here are my reviews:

Books Finished

Title: A Hope Divided
Author: Alyssa Cole
Format: Library e-book
Published: 2017
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Plot Summary: For three years, Marlie has been a spy for the Union, even though she lives in the South where the Confederacy is strong. When she has to harbor a Union soldier who recently escaped from prison in her laboratory, she does so not knowing the effect he will have on her. Then, the home Marlie is staying in becomes a new base of operations for the Confederate Home Guard, and in doing so, she becomes a prisoner in her own home. When a stunning family secret is revealed, Marlie and her Union soldier have to go on the run, following the path of the Underground Railroad.

My Thoughts: I was a little disappointed in this historical romance, especially since I loved the other Alyssa Cole romance I read. I just did not enjoy Marlie’s character and the romance between her and the Union soldier, Ewan, was lackluster. I didn’t really feel any chemistry between the two of them, any reason for why they needed to be together. There were also a ton of loose ends that were never fully wrapped up. And it’s not that I need a tidy ending to love a book, but it’s rather annoying when an author opens up a can of worms, but then never really resolves it. I needed a little more closure. What I did love and appreciate from this novel was learning so many new things about the Civil War (there’s so much my high school history classes never covered!)

Title: The Cruelest Month
Author: Louise Penny
Format: Library paperback
Published: 2008
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team is called back to Three Pines when a murder happens at the old Hadley house during a seance. Was the victim merely scared to literal death, or was something more sinister at play?

My Thoughts: While a lot of this book moved a bit too slowly for my tastes – I’m still trying to get used to the pace of a cozy mystery since I’m so used to reading thrillers full of crazy twists and turns – the last 30% was pretty much perfect. I also struggled with this book because there was a secondary plot line involving an old case that Gamache had solved in which he sent the former Superintendent of the police to prison. In the previous two books (The Cruelest Month is the third book in Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series), there have been a few storylines leading to this one, so it wasn’t a surprise, but it was still very stressful to read about and hard to stomach. In the end, though, the mystery at hand had the starring role and when everything was finally revealed, I was pretty surprised at who the murderer turned out to be!

Title: Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality
Author: Jacob Tomsky
Format: Library audiobook
Published: 2012
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Plot Summary: Jacob Tomsky is an experienced hotelier who dishes on the secrets of the hospitality business, and provides some tips and tricks for your next hotel stay.

My Thoughts: I listened to this memoir on audiobook, read by the author, and it was just okay. It was the kind of memoir that didn’t really seem like it needed to be written. Know what I mean? Like, just because you can write a memoir about working in the hotel business doesn’t mean you should. It was kinda boring, to be honest, and his tips can be boiled down to: treat hotel employees with respect and bribe them with money (preferably a “brick,” aka $100) for upgrades. This won’t be a memoir that I recommend to everyone I know, nor do I think I’ll remember reading it just a few months from now.

What I’m Reading This Week

The Strongest Steel by Scarlett Cole – I am loving this contemporary romance by a new-to-me author. This is the first book I’ve read from Scarlett Cole, but you can be sure it won’t be the last. I’m nearly finished with it, and kinda don’t want the story to end!
Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman by Anne Helen Petersen – I talked about this book in a previous What I’m Reading post, but I didn’t end up reading it the week I said I would because I had to read a more time-sensitive book (Educated by Tara Westover, which was on a two-week loan from the library and I knew I wouldn’t be able to renew it.)
Intermediate Thermodynamics by Susannah Nix – Once I finish The Strongest Steel, I’m picking up another Susannah Nix contemporary romance. I read the first book in the series, Remedial Rocket Science, and loved it so much. I’m hoping this one is just as good!

What are you reading this week?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (7.2.18)

Happy Monday, friends! This is going to be a weird week for me because the Fourth of July holiday falls on a Wednesday. I’m not taking any time off before or after the holiday, so I’m working for two days, off for a day, and then working for two days. Anyone else doing this weird schedule this week?!

I had a great reading week because I finished a book that is now in the running as my favorite book of the year. We’ll see if anything I read in the second half of 2018 can beat it out, but it’s going to be difficult. The book was so good and I want everyone I know to read it.

Books Finished

Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Published: 1949
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Plot Summary: The year is 1984 and London is a totalitarian society, a place where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can read your mind. Winston Smith is a man who resists what he’s been told and is drawn into a secret society called The Brotherhood, along with his love interest Julia.

My Thoughts: It’s crazy to me that George Orwell wrote this book in 1949 and that so many things he wrote about in a fictionalized version of society have resonance today. It’s terrifying, really. I really think this is a book that should be required reading, especially right now, because it really makes you realize just how important resistance is. I found 1984 to be fascinating in all respects, although there were certain parts of the novel that felt like a slog and I felt like I had to power through to get to the “good” parts.

Title: The Kiss Quotient
Author: Helen Hoang
Published: 2018
Format: Hardcover
Rating: ★★★★★

Plot Summary: Stella is a 30-year-old woman who has Asperger’s and has had very little success in the dating and sex department. So, she hires Michael, an escort, to help her get better at it.

My Thoughts: This book gave me all of the feelings. It was perfect in every way, and it is the only book that ranks all the way up there with The Hating Game as one of my all-time favorite romances. It’s the kind of book that I immediately wanted to reread when I finished it, and I’ve spent the whole weekend in a funk because I’m so sad that Stella and Michael aren’t in my life anymore. I could relate to Stella more than I thought I would (which is a blog post for another time…) and I loved how kind and patient Michael was with her. There truly aren’t enough novels with autistic main characters, and the way the author intertwined Stella’s autism with the story was beautifully done. It wasn’t the main focus of the novel, nor was it a point that was brought up time and time again. Stella was just… Stella. She’s an autistic woman, but that’s not the only thing about her. The love story between Stella and Michael gave me every happy feeling and I’ll leave you with this line from the book that nearly had me bawling at the sweetness of it: “Michael was mint chocolate chip for her. She could try other flavors, but he’d always be her favorite.”

Book Abandoned

Fool Me Once by Katee Robert – This novel was just not for me. The writing was pretty terrible and the plot didn’t seem to make very much sense. I also felt that the two main characters were one-dimensional and there was no real chemistry between them to make their love story work. This book really showed me how much Robert’s writing has improved over the years because I’ve read her more recent novels and the writing is so much better. I’ll stick to her new stuff from now on.

What I’m Reading This Week

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny – This is the third book in the Armand Gamache series, and I’m so glad I’m finally getting around to it! There’s something about Three Pines that just brings me such comfort and happy feelings. (Even though, damn, for such a quiet, idyllic community, there are a lot of murders. Ha.)
A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole – I just started this historical romance yesterday! Alyssa Cole is one of my new favorite romance authors, and her voice is much needed in the white-saturated space of romance.
The Strongest Steel by Scarlett Cole – Once I finished A Hope Divided, I’m onto a new romance author. I can’t remember where I heard of Scarlett Cole, but she’s been on my list of “romance authors to check out” for a while so fingers crossed she’s a good one to add to my arsenal.
Heads in Beds by Jacob Tomsky – This is my nonfiction audiobook pick for July, which I started yesterday. It’s a insider’s view of the hospitality industry and Tomsky has a really fun writing style.

What are you reading this week?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (6.25.18)

Hello friends and happy Monday. I had a really great weekend and I am gearing up for a very busy week. I have deadlines on deadlines at work, as well as some fun social plans, like going to see Ocean’s 8 with my girlfriends and watching the season premiere of Big Brother with my mom. Don’t you worry, though. I’ll be sneaking in as much reading time as possible. 🙂

Last week, I finished three books, but I’m only going to be talking about two here. The third one, A Storied Life, will get its own review on Wednesday, so stay tuned for that!

Books Finished

Title: Running Blind
Author: Cindy Gerard
Format: Library e-book
Published: 2015
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: When Jamie and Rhonda are tasked to take on a high-stakes security mission together, the sexual tension that has been brewing between them becomes too much to resist.

My Thoughts: This wasn’t my favorite book by Gerard because it got off to a slow start and I wasn’t quite sure if I even liked either hero at first. There was this distance between me and them, so it was hard to really grasp their internal motivations. And the first 50% of the book was pretty slow, which is unusual for a Gerard book. Her books are usually pretty fast-paced from beginning to end, but for the first half of the book, I really didn’t know where it was going. When the book finally picked up, however, it didn’t slow down at all and I couldn’t put the book down for anything. I wish the book had had a bit more character development, but all in all, a pretty good romantic suspense novel.

Title: Final Girls
Author: Riley Sager
Format: Library audiobook
Published: 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Plot Summary: Quincy is the sole survivor of a brutal massacre that happened while on vacation with friends when she was in college, and as such, she becomes a final girl. She becomes a media sensation, just like the two final girls before her – Lisa, who survived a massacre at a sorority house, and Sam, who survived a massacre during her shift at the Nightlight Inn. Quincy has built a life for herself in the ten years since, but then Lisa turns up dead and Sam shows up at her home. Sam is a force to be reckoned with, demanding Quincy relive that frightful night and spilling out so many truths and lies that Quincy doesn’t know what to believe anymore. Or if her memory of the night a decade ago is even real.

My Thoughts: Oh boy, oh boy. I loved this thriller so damn much! I don’t think I’ve been so shocked by the twists and turns a book has taken in a long, long time and I can tell you that Riley Sager knows how to deftly craft an incredibly complex novel. I listened to this book on audio and it was perfect. I never wanted to stop listening because I never knew what was going to happen next, which is the true sign of a great book because I can usually stop and start audiobooks easily. I loved Quincy and Sam’s push/pull dynamic because I honestly never knew who was telling the truth or what to believe. Highly recommend!

What I’m Reading This Week

1984 by George Orwell – I have about 150 pages left of this classic sci-fi novel and I think the reason I am loving it so much is that it feels so terrifyingly real. I have highlighted so many passages that resonate with me, solely based on what has been happening in politics ever since the worst human became president.
Fool Me Once by Katee Robert – When I need a break from 1984, I’m reaching for this sweet contemporary romance. It’s a short book (under 200 pages) and not particularly well-written, but it’s a nice palate cleanser.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang – Once I finished 1984, I’m going to start the book I picked out from June’s Book of the Month (<– affiliate link) selections. I am so excited to dive into this one!

What are you reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (6.18.18)

Happy Monday, friends. Last week was a doozy for me. Taking care of a three-month-old puppy is no joke, and it lent very little time for blogging or reading. Even so, I managed to finish two books because even in a busy season, I always, always make time for reading, even if it’s only for a few minutes right before bed. Here’s what I finished last week:

Books Finished

Title: Beauty and the Mustache
Author: Penny Reid
Format: Library e-book
Published: 2014
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: Ashley hasn’t been home to Tennessee in eight years, but a family tragedy forces her back home and back to her six brothers. While home, Ashley is introduced to Drew and neither of them can tamp down the instant attraction between them. But her life is in Chicago while his is in the mountains of Tennessee – is this just a recipe for disaster?

My Thoughts: I think the reason I loved this book so much was because it heavily featured the brothers from Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers series, and I adore them. They are so well-written and well-characterized, and it was nice to get Ashley’s story because, while she’s been featured in the books in that series, I never knew exactly her origin story nor how she and Drew got together. I didn’t find the romance in this book as compelling as I wanted it to be, but it really took a backseat to the bigger plot that was Ashley and her brothers losing their beloved mother to cancer. This was so heartbreaking, but the author did a great job of conveying all of the emotions that come with this type of tragedy – because, truthfully, it’s not always about crying and feeling sad; it’s also about laughter and memories. It was beautifully written, and I loved that the romance didn’t overshadow that aspect until later in the book.

Title: Educated
Author: Tara Westover
Format: Library hardcover
Published: 2018
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: Tara Westover grew up in Idaho, living with her survivalist family and never receiving any sort of formal education. She’s sixteen when she decides to pursue academia and, in doing so, fights against everything her family has ever taught her.

My Thoughts: Oy, this book made me so angry and I feel like this review may be all over the place. Bear with me. I was angry with Tara’s parents and the way they had no real regard for their kids’ safety. I was angry with the way Tara was gaslighted again and again and again by her own family. I was angry with the way Tara continually put herself in unsafe situations. I was angry with the way the Bible was used as a tool to torment and keep women down. So much anger. At times, I held the book in my hands and shook it because I could not believe some of the stuff I was reading. It was horrific and shocking and the fact that Tara didn’t have any sort of advocate in her family was sobering. She had to become her own advocate, and she became one due to academia. Academia is what saved her; it showed her that there’s a great big world out there, one that believes a woman can be more than a wife and mother, and that Mormonism isn’t the only truth. This book was hard to read at times because it was just so heartbreaking to read everything Tara had to endure. It was also heartbreaking to read how she continually tried to find her place in her family in the years after she left home to pursue academia, even when it was obvious that being with them wasn’t the best place for her to be. She rose above what was expected of her, and the result is a woman who found her own inner strength to live her own truth, a truth that is so different from what she was told growing up. This book was both stunning and agonizing, and I encourage anyone to give it a read.

What I’m Reading This Week

A Storied Life by Leigh Kramer – I’m about halfway through this delightful story, and yep, it’s as good as I had imagined it would be. I’ll be writing a full review of this novel next week, so stay tuned for that!
Final Girls by Riley Sager – This is my fiction audiobook pick for the month of June, and I can’t remember the last time I was so invested in an audiobook! Usually, I’m not always excited to listen to my audiobook because it takes me away from my podcasts (and podcasts usually don’t require as much active listening as audiobooks), but with this compelling thriller, I kinda just want to forget about my podcast feed and binge through the entire book. It’s so good so far!
1984 by George Orwell – Once I finish A Storied Life, it’s time for my second “classic” of the year. I picked 1984 because it’s one of those books everyone talks about, but I was never assigned to read it in school. Fingers crossed I enjoy it!
Running Blind by Cindy Gerard – I’m also going to pick up this romantic suspense novel from one of my faves. It’s been sitting in Overdrive for me for a couple of weeks now, so I need to read it before it expires! I’ll read this in between pages of 1984.

What are you currently reading?

Categories: Books

What I’m Reading (6.4.18)

Happy Monday, friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I’m in a season of change right now, and my anxiety does not fare well during these types of seasons. It’s made me overly emotional and insomnia has been a not-welcome companion to my nights. So, I tried to make sure this weekend was all about me (one of the great benefits of being single): I got lots of sleep, did a ton of reading, and took a long walk in a nature preserve. I also saw Chip! He was outside with my mom when I stopped by and once he saw me, he came running and got super excited! It made my heart so happy that he knows me and loves me deeply already. I feel the same way, buddy. 🙂 Anyway, this weekend truly rejuvenated me and I’m feeling ready to take on this week and handle the changes happening personally and professionally with new vigor.

Last week, I finished three books, and here are my reviews:

Books Finished

Title: I Wish You Were Mine
Author: Lauren Layne
Format: Library e-book
Published: 2016
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: It’s been a year since Jackson’s life fell apart: a car accident ended his football career and since he was found in the car with another woman, also his marriage. Now he’s living in NYC and working as a health and fitness writer for a men’s magazine. When he reconnects with his ex-wife’s sister, Mollie, sparks fly but both are wary. For Jackson, it’s hard for him to trust another woman after the way his marriage imploded. For Mollie, who has had a crush on Jackson for years, it’s hard to reconcile the idea of moving in on her sister’s ex-husband.

My Thoughts: When I first read the synopsis for this romance, I was a little taken aback. It seemed a little irreverent, the idea of a man and his ex-wife’s sister falling in love. But, you know what, it worked. And it worked because Mollie was such a delightful character and so was Jackson. They were these two vulnerable souls who needed each other, both because they’d been unlucky in love and because they’d both been broken down by their one common denominator: Mollie’s sister, Madison. And, oh man, was Madison an extremely unlikable character. There were exactly zero redeeming things about her – to the point that it was hard to understand why Mollie loved her so much. I understand that it’s more complicated when it’s family, but take it from me, you don’t have to love your family. And just because they’re family doesn’t mean they get a pass on treating you like shit. I think if there was a weak point of this novel, it was Mollie and Madison’s relationship because it felt a little forced and unnatural. I think the author could have tried a little harder to make Madison redeemable instead of such a villain. But, all in all, the novel still gave me all of the happy, mushy feelings and I’m so glad that Mollie and Jackson got their happy ending.

Title: The Engagements
Author: J. Courtney Sullivan
Format: Hardcover
Published: 2014
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Plot Summary: This novel follows the life of Frances Gerety, a pioneering woman in the advertising world who came up with the slogan, A Diamond Is Forever, as well as four unique marriages as they test whether that saying is actually true.

My Thoughts: Oy, this book was a slog for me. It’s one of those books where I can understand why it’s so well-loved by others, but it just did not land for me and my reading tastes. I’m typically not drawn to character-driven novels and this is exactly what this novel was. Plus, I had a hard time liking many of the characters in this novel, and a lot of the storylines just downright depressed me. These marriages are very true-to-life, very real, very raw, but it also made them hard to read about. They just made me sad! Perhaps I just wasn’t in the right head space for this novel because it seems like I’m definitely in the minority with my opinion. I think it’s the perfect novel for people who love character-driven stories with real, flawed characters, but that just isn’t my jam right now.

Title: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
Author: Erika L. Sanchez
Format: Library hardcover
Published: 2017
Rating: ★★★★☆

Plot Summary: When Julia’s perfect older sister, Olga, dies in a tragic accident, she is left to pick up the pieces. She has to contend with the dreams she’s always had – moving to New York for college, becoming a famous writer – with the knowledge that she’s essentially abandoning her family to do so, something her perfect sister Olga would never even think about doing. But then Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect after all and goes on a quest to find out exactly what secrets her big sister was hiding.

My Thoughts: I flew through this book over the weekend, finishing it on Sunday night. It’s a quick read, even though it does have some heavy subject matters, as it deals with the aftermath of a young person dying as well as the immigrant experience. I found the voice in this novel to be so refreshing and unique, and I really felt like I could understand Julia as a sixteen-year-old. She was brash and opinionated and frustrating and vulnerable and overwhelmed. She was difficult to read at times because she was just so sixteen (you know what I’m talking about). I wanted to shake her as much as I wanted to give her a big ole hug. It’s a YA novel, so it’s not going to appeal to everyone, but this is definitely a book that lived up to my expectations and I’d encourage anyone to give a read, especially if you want to understand the immigrant experience in a deeper, more meaningful way.

What I’m Reading This Week

Dance With Me by Alexis Daria – I loved Alexis Daria’s debut novel, Take the Lead, and when Dance With Me showed up in one of my BookBub emails a few weeks ago, I snatched it up!
Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman by Anne Helen Petersen – This book sounds like it’s right up my alley and it’s been recommended by a lot of people, so it went on my “immediate TBR” list (I keep a long list of books that I want to read ASAP, books I don’t want to get lost in my long Goodreads TBR list, and I try to read two books off this list every month). I’ve been looking forward to reading this one for a long time,!
Boy Erased by Garrard Conley – I’m listening to this memoir on audio, and it is fantastic so far. It follows Garrard’s story of being in a conversion therapy program when he was just nineteen after he was outed to his conservative Christian family.

What are you reading?