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Weekend Wrap up : 7/18/2020

The Goldfinch – – Donna Tart

I am so conflicted on this one. I think I enjoyed it? But I am really not sure!

I have been listening to the audiobook for quite some time. The audiobook is fantastic. The narrator does a great job with the different characters. I can’t believe it was just one narrator. 10 out of 10 recommend the audiobook if you are going to read this. 

I am just not sure what I think about the story itself. This is a long one, almost 800 pages. And while I do like long stories that span a characters life, I don’t know if this one fits that category. I think I was about 300 pages in and I felt like the story was going nowhere. But the writing was very good. A bit long winded in spots, but good nonetheless.

Overall, my rating is confused. I am going to hold onto this one and I think I will reread it in physical form at some point. Maybe I will get a better understanding of my feelings if I do it that way.

3.5 Stars

Scythe – – Neal Shusterman

I am embarrassed to say I almost unhauled this unread not that long ago. I am so glad that I held off and that I finally read this.

This has to be my most surprising read of the year. I did not expect to like this, let alone love it. It is not my preferred genre or age range. But I loved every page of it.

I blew through this over 400 page book. I was hooked from the very beginning. I am not a huge YA reader, but this had none of the elements of YA that I dislike.

I just received Thunderhead and plan to read that very soon.

I am currently in the middle of trying to pick my next reads. Stay tuned for when I post what I plan for next weekend!

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Weekend Reads Update : 7/11/2020

First things first, I apparently am still stuck in June. I can’t believe I didn’t notice I put “6” instead if “7” in the title of my last post. So embarrassing. But if anyone needed clarification, that post was in regards to what I was reading the weekend of 7/11/2020.

So anyway, I had a pretty productive reading weekend. I was able to finish one thing, start and finish a second book, and continue on in an audiobook I started a few months ago but never finished.

Call Your Daughter Home – – Deb Spera

I really enjoyed this book. I am a little upset I didn’t realize that I was approved for this through Netgalley before it was released. I can’t believed I missed that and only noticed it a few days ago. But, I finally read it, I enjoyed it and I am glad I got to it.

I decided to listen to this on audiobook. I was surprised to see it available on Hoopla, but I downloaded it right away and started listening.

Call Your Daughter Home follows 3 woman; Gertrude an abused mom of 4, Retta a first generation free slave working as cook and house maid on a plantation and Annie the wife of the man who owns the plantation. At first you would not think they have anything in common, but they do. They are all strong women living in South Carolina dealing with life during the time before the Great Depression.

I love historical fiction and it was nice to be in a time period that wasn’t WWII. I thought the author did a fantastic job of conveying the emotions and atmosphere of these years. She also did a great job with these characters. I loved Retta the most.

Overall, this was a very well done book and I highly recommend it.

5 Stars

The Wife Stalker – – Liv Constantine

Oh boy, what can I say about this one, besides it was a mess. I think I am done with this author duo. I absolutely loved The Last Mrs. Parrish but nearly DNFed The Last Time I Saw You. I should have DNFed this one.

It’s best to list all the things I had a problem with in this book

  • Time frame; it was all over the place. You never really knew how much time passed between chapter or even paragraphs.
  • The dialogue was cringe worthy. Amateurish.
  • Instalove worse than in a YA novel.
  • Unoriginal. As predicted, it was a one man 2 women situation.
  • Even the twist could not save this. It was predictable but at the same time not.
  • Key parts of the story were missing. Important conversations that would have changed the tone of the story weren’t there. You didn’t find out till the end that they even happened.

On the positive side, it was a fast read. The chapters were short and kept the story moving. It was just completely lack luster and just not worth the time, even if it is minimal.

2 Stars

The Goldfinch – – Donna Tart

I feel like I have been making my way through this audiobook for months. While I find it ok, it just isn’t wowing me. I am not eager to pick it up because nothing is really happening. But I have made it halfway through, so I will push to the end. On the positive side, the audiobook is done very well and the narrator is great. The story itself is just meh.

There we have it. Overall, I had a pretty productive reading weekend. It helped that I was just lazy and not really in the mood to leave my house. I am not complaining since I very much do enjoy being at home.

How did your weekend/week reading go?

Until next weekend!

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Weekly Reading Update 11/11/19-11/17/19

Welcome back to another weekly update! I managed to finish 3 books this week as well as find my (probably) least liked book of the year.

Continuing on my Shari Lapena rabbit hole I listened to 2 more of her books. First up is The Couple Next Door. I LOVED this book. Initially, I rated this a 4 but I think I am bumping it up to a 5 star read. I blew through this audiobook. I kept wanting to know more! Just like An Unwanted Guest there was particular nothing special about this writing, but the story just had me going. I can without a doubt say I did not see that final twist coming. That is what I want in my thrillers. To be shocked. And this had that for me. I do own a copy of this and was thinking of unhauling it a while ago and I am so glad I didn’t. This will for sure go on list of top thriller books of the year for me.

So after that audiobook, I had to jump right into another one of Shari Lapena’s. I picked up A Stranger in the House. Let me just say, they all can’t be winners. By no means was this a terrible book. I gave it a solid 3 stars. But out of the ones I read from this author so far, this was the one I was most bored by. I didn’t find the plot to be that interesting and I thought it was a little boring. Again, it was a very quick listen but I found myself zoning out of it. Not my favorite mystery/thriller but certainly not the worse.

The worst mystery/thriller I have read this year, and maybe ever was The Last Time I Saw You by the writing duo Liv Constantine. My goodness this was a mess. I am not sure how or why I continued it but I did and I finished and I gave it 2 stars, but that is being generous. I am not going to go into much detail here because this book deserves its own review, which I will have up Thursday Nov. 21. But know this was a big disappointment for me. I really enjoyed The Last Mrs. Parrish and was looking forward to reading this one. It was a big NOPE from me,

For this upcoming week, I am working on my Buzzword Readathon TBR, which I will link HERE. I am also 150 pages away from finishing The Starless Sea. which I am loving and taking my time with.

What are you reading this week? What are your thoughts on the books I completed this week?

As always, let’s chat in the comments!

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book blog Book Review bookish books Uncategorized weekly update

Weekly Reading Update 11/4/19-11/10/19

I have decided to start doing weekly reading updates. Sometimes, when I finish a book, I want to get my thoughts out but it may not be enough to fill a whole single review. So why not but everything in to one post?

This week was a fairly good reading week. I managed to start and finish two books and I have started three others that I currently am still reading.

What I Finished

Honestly, if it wasn’t for audiobooks, I would not have finished as many books as I have this year. This stands true for this week as well.

One Dark Throne – – Kendare Blake

This is the second installment in the YA Fantasy Series Three Dark Crowns. Like the first, I read this on audiobook through Hoopla. No one is more surprised than me that I am really enjoying a YA Fantasy, and I mean really enjoying it. I can’t go in to much detail, as this is the second in a series, but in short, this involves three sisters who are fighting to be the Queen. The each have a different power, a magic, to be used in obtaining the crown.

The first book left off on a cliffhanger that had me so intrigued. I wasn’t sure if i was going to continue on in the series, and then the ending happened, and I knew I had too. When I saw the second book was on Hoopla, I knew it was time to continue. Just like the first, I really enjoyed this. I love the characters, especially Arsinoe and I love the story going on. I ended up listening to this in two sittings, I wanted to now where this was going. I am excited to get to the third book in the next few weeks.

4 Stars

An Unwanted Guest – – Shari Lapena

This was an impulse listen. I actually had no intention of reading a Shari Lapena book because I heard mixed things about all of her books. But when I watched one of Aimee’s videos from Aimee Reads and she was discussing this in a pretty positive way, I figured I would check Overdrive and see if it was available. It was and i needed an audiobook so that’s that.

Quite honestly, I really enjoyed this one. An Unwanted Guest follows a group of people who end up at the same hotel in a middle of a snowstorm. And some one is found dead.

This was a breath of fresh air among the mysteries that I have been reading this year. There was nothing special about it, nothing super unique surrounding the mystery. But I liked it because of that. No ridiculous shock just because. Just simple writing for a simple whodunit mystery. Super enjoyable.

4 Stars

What I Started

This week was the release of my most anticipated book of 2019.

The Starless Sea – – Erin Morgenstern

I am currently about 30 pages into this and it is nothing less than I expected. Beautifully written with a stunning story to tell. It is taking me a bit to read it, as it is a little heavy in the fantasy department with some the chapters, but I am enjoying it. Plus, I don’t want to rush it and miss something.

The Couple Next Door – – Shari Lapena

Because I enjoyed An Unwanted Guest so much, I decided to pick up the one and only Shari Lapena book I own and give it a chance. I needed a new audiobook and this was available. I am about 30% of the way through and I am hooked. Again, there is nothing special about the writing, but I am enjoying where the story is going. I anticipate that I will have this done in the next few days.

The Last Time I Saw You – – Liv constantine

I loved The Last Mrs. Parrish when I read it last year, so I wanted to give their newest book a read. There isn’t much to say except I am not really enjoying it. I am sure, when I finish this I will have enough to say for a full review so I will keep this brief by saying this writing seems very messy and the story is not that good. I will continue on only because it is a quick read and it is a short book.

There you have it. What I have read and what is on deck for this week. Have you read any of these? As always, let’s chat in the comments!

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