Monday Reading Update

 

Hi All! Hope you had a good weekend. We’re still waiting for warmer weather here in Ohio, so in the meantime I’ve been taking advantage of reading under my favorite cozy blanket. I had a SUPER productive reading week last week, finishing 3 books, 2 of which I really liked although none were 5 star reads…close but not quite.

RECENTLY READ…

The River   was way more literary than I expected. I don’t mean that in a bad way because the writing was excellent but I thought it would be more thriller like and it really wasn’t. I appreciated the author’s obvious knowledge of canoeing on a river and wilderness survival along with his ability to create extremely realistic scenes. I wanted to read this book because I love nature and stories about wilderness survival because I would never ever want to go camping or rafting on a river…ever. I felt like I was there while reading this story though. However, I thought there was something lacking. I’m not sure if it was the third person narration which made me feel less connected to either Wynn or Jack but I was left feeling underwhelmed when I should’ve felt several other emotions.

Before She Knew Him was one of my most anticipated winter reads and it definitely ended up being addictive reading. I love how Swanson writes characters who are wacky and completely in your face about it! BUT, I ended up having thoughts…many thoughts…I’ll have a review up soon.

The Last Act was a such a fast paced, action filled read. The blurb for this contained so many of my favorite buzz words (FBI, prison, undercover, ) I knew I would love it…and I did. Review up (hopefully) tomorrow for pub day

 

TRIED BUT WASN’T FEELING…

American Spy also had so many of my favorite buzz words in the publisher blurb…espionage, spy thriller, FBI, passionate romance and betrayal…yes please! After the opening scene, however, the plot quickly fizzled for me with WAY too much telling and a second person narrative structure I didn’t like.

 

CURRENTLY READING…

The Devil Aspect  came on my radar after I saw Katie’s review at Basicbsguide  on Instagram. This creepy story centering around the “criminally insane” sounds like something I’ll love. I’ve just started it but I can say it’s drawn me in from the first page. Let’s hope my luck with quality thriller reads continues!

POSSIBLE NEXT READS…

    OR  

I think I’m about ready for a thriller break before I start having nightmares about all the psychopaths I’ve been reading about! Both of these sound promising and would be much lighter reads.

Did you read anything great last week? Have anything that sounds amazing coming up? Let me know in the comments!

Have a Great Week!!

Monday Reading Update

Anyone else spend the weekend in due to snow and ice? Here in Ohio, we got a heavy dose of ice and snow drifts which I don’t think will be melting anytime soon since we’re supposed to have below 0 temps this week:( I’m ready for winter to be over! What I was most looking forward to was lounging on the couch under my comfy blanket and getting lost in a good book. It didn’t happen . What did happen? I ended up DNFing another most anticipated winter read. I’ve been struggling with my winter reading these last 2 weeks that’s for sure. Is anyone else having this issue? I’m really hoping an outstanding 5 star read comes along SOON! If you’ve read something amazing be sure to let me know what it was in the comments!

RECENTLY READ…

As Long As We Both Shall Live  was a book I had seen pretty positive reviews for on Instagram and the prologue was especially intriguing. In fact, it had one of the best first sentences I’ve read in a long time so I thought it might be a psychological thriller I actually ended up loving. It wasn’t. You can read my mini review on Goodreads (here) but I found it to be predictable and in several ways trying to be a Gone Girl knockoff.

I was thrilled to get an early copy of Into The Jungle  since I loved her first book The River at Night  , so much so that I dropped everything and read it in one day. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one. Although the level of detail in the writing of the remote location in the Amazon jungle was excellent (the author has clearly done her research), I was unprepared for the number of scenes involving animals being killed for food, hunting, sport etc. It was honestly too much for me and caused me to somewhat disconnect from the story. I’ll review closer to May pub date.

Maybe in Another Life  has been on my tbr for quite awhile and I had actually tried it in print long ago and couldn’t get into it. This time I listened to the audio book and really enjoyed it. Julia Whelan was the narrator and she made all the difference. The story wasn’t perfect by any means but still worth a listen if you’re in the mood for an easy romance.

 

TRIED BUT WASN’T FEELING….

Well this was surprising to me! Two of my most anticipated winter reads are DNF’s. I was really looking forward to Here and Now and Then for the time travel but the story and characters felt so bogged down in scientific details that I lost interest (DNF 31%). I fully expected to enjoy Sally Thorne’s new book after loving The Hating Game  but I didn’t like the main character Darcy at all. I know she was supposed to be edgy but I found her annoying. The writing seemed stilted, the banter off, it just wasn’t working for me (DNF 18%).

 

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO…

The End of Your Life Bookclub  is the true story of a mother and son who form their own 2 person book club during her chemo treatments. I’m early in the story but I’m enjoying the narrator and really loving the way this mother and son bond over their in depth book discussions. This feels like it will be emotional (I’m really liking mom) but also a very nice tribute to reading and books and how they impact our lives, even at the end.

 

CURRENTLY READING…

I just started The Nowhere Child , (Jan 22) (mystery/suspense) but so far I really like the writing. The set up… a 30 year old woman is approached by a man while on her lunch break at a school in Australia. He shows her a picture of a little 2 year old girl and tells her that girl vanished when she was 2 and he thinks SHE is that girl! I’m fascinated by missing people stories so I’m anticipating this will be a winner for me. Plus, it’s published by Minotaur Books which is one of my favorite publishers.

 

POSSIBLY READING NEXT…

     OR     

 

That’s all for now, how has your reading been going? Tell us all about your hits & misses in the comments! 

Don’t forget, you can connect with me on Instagram (itsbooktalk) , goodreads (itsbooktalk@gmail.com)  and Twitter (@itsbooktalk) where I typically post some different content and what I’m currently reading, listening to etc.

HAPPY READING! 

 

IT’S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Hosted by Katherine at Bookdate

I can’t believe we’re just about halfway through December! I’m pretty sure I’m done with my Christmas shopping and almost done with all the present wrapping so the rest of the month I hope to relax and enjoy the season. I’ve been jumping all around in my reading life so I feel that this month is a toss up of backlist reads with some 2018’s thrown in. Speaking of 2018 reads…I’m not having the best of luck with them. In fact, two of my highly anticipated reads were a bust for me last week, while another one I wasn’t sure about turned out to be a hit more me. I know I’m not alone, but what’s happening with the 2018 reads? Thoughts anyone?

RECENTLY READ…

 

I was very excited about both of these 2018 reads (coming Jan 9th) but expected I would like The Chalk Man better since it’s a mystery and partly set in the 1980s which always appeals to me. Turns out, I wasn’t impressed with The Chalk Man for several reasons, the biggest being that the alternating time periods and the character development didn’t work for me. I’ll have my full review up the first week in Jan and yes, I know I’m in the minority for this one! I suspected I would like The Immortalists based on the premise of siblings visiting a psychic and learning the dates of their deaths and in the end I REALLY enjoyed it. It started off a little rocky for me but I’m so glad I stuck with it because I truly enjoyed the characters and story. Review also coming early January

TRIED BUT DIDN’T FINISH…

This is another 2018 release (Jan 2) that’s being talked about everywhere and while it seems the majority of people on Goodreads are loving it, I only made it to 26% before I called it a day. The weird thing was I started off really liking the premise and the voice of Anna and I found the writing to be snappy and fast. However, the farther I got the more I found myself reading ALOT of details about Anna’s fascination with (& watching of) black and white movies as well as lengthy email exchanges between her and others and I became bored. Another psychological thriller that didn’t hit me.

UPCOMING READING PLANS…

I was seeing favorable thoughts about this one from trusted bloggers so I thought I’d give it a try. I’ve only read the opening chapter but I have to say while very disturbing, it grabbed me! One feeling I have right off the bat with this read is that this author’s writing is excellent, I love the way it’s flowing and the initial character development. Stay tuned:)

What’s on your reading agenda this week? 

Have a great reading week everyone!

 

 

 

 

IT’S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

 

Hi everyone! It’s been too long I know but I have to say I very much needed this blogging break. I’ve spent time reading whatever I’ve wanted these past few weeks and I’m officially OUT of my dreaded reading slump!! I suspect all the ARCS I tried to read but couldn’t get into in early Oct. led to my slump which has led me to rethink the books I’ll be requesting and accepting for review in the future. As all booklovers know, there’s nothing worse than not having a great read to look forward to at the end of the day…or the beginning or middle for that matter:)  I decided to scour my backlist on my kindle as well as the library and I found some AMAZING reads over the last few weeks. In fact, I have several 5 star reads of books that have been sitting on my tbr for far too long! That makes me SO happy. Where the Advanced Copies have fallen short, my backlist has come through for me. I continue to kick myself for not having read them sooner. Read on to find out what I’ve been reading and listening to!

 MY RECENT 5 STAR READS…. 

Inside the O’Briens was the book that jolted me out of my reading slump. I read this in a day and I just loved everything about the story and Lisa Genova’s writing. I liked this even better than Still Alice. I’ll be honest though, I was initially mad at the author over the ending but the more I thought about it and talked with friends who’d read it, I can see why she did what she did. Will review soon

The Life We Bury was one I’d picked up long ago, read a few pages and put it down never to pick up again. Until a couple weeks ago. I usually love books that have been Edgar nominated or won so I decided to give this another try and I was immediately pulled into the story. There’s family drama, intrigue, an engaging mystery and characters I really connected with. Loved it! Look for this on a TBT soon.

The Nightingale What can I say about this beautiful, unputdownable novel that hasn’t already been said? This had been sitting on my kindle since it came out and for some reason I kept telling myself it probably wasn’t as good as others were saying, I wasn’t in the mood for historical fiction etc. I resisted it. I’m so happy I took a leap and gave it a try because I was captivated by this story. I stayed up until 2:00am to finish it and oh the tiredness and tears were so worth it.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is another I’ve passed by since it’s publication in early summer and one I LOVED so much. There’s nothing I didn’t like about this book but what I especially loved was that it wasn’t the story I assumed it would be. And it made me cry which I didn’t expect. Will review soon!

RECENTLY LISTENED TO….

The Stranger in the Woods was a quirky, super interesting story about Chris Knight, a man who spent 27 years living in the woods of Maine. This was a perfect audiobook. The narrator was fantastic and I couldn’t wait to walk or drive and find out more about how he possibly lived for so long without companionship, comforts of home etc.

The Wisdom of Sundays was a rare book that I actually preordered in print and then bought on audible to listen to as well. I love listening to Oprah’s Super Soul podcast and I couldn’t wait for this book. The audiobook is actually very different than the print which made me happy I have both. Oprah narrates and picks 1 Super Soul person to share the topic she discusses. It’s the perfect book to listen to for inspiration, grounding, and enlightenment. I learned a lot, highly recommended!

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO….

Dirty John is an Apple podcast I just started listening to yesterday. This is true crime and it starts with a bang…or rather a murder! This seems to be one of those true stories that’s so unbelievable I keep forgetting it’s true. I can’t wait to keep listening!

UPCOMING READING POSSIBILITIES….

I really have no idea but I might dive into a 2018 read or continue with my backlist, so possibly…

         OR              

Have a Wonderful Reading Week! 

 

 

 

 

IT’S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Hosted by Kathryn at Bookdate

Last week was another pretty great reading week and I managed to finish reading two books and listening to one. I’ve been more in the mood to read rather than write reviews so I’m playing around with a shorter review style, possible changing them up with different formats as well. I’ve got so many books on my fall TBR that in order to get to them all and be able to share my thoughts, I think review writing changes need to be made.

RECENTLY READ & LISTENED TO….

According to a Source  was one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to. The story was just plain fun and the narrator was fantastic! If you’re at all interested in the behind the scenes workings of celebrity gossip this is the book for you.

 The Heart’s Invisible Furies was my complete obsession Thurs through Sat. night. At almost 600 pages, I finished it in 2 1/2 days and am now left with a very large book hangover. I laughed and I cried and I almost have no words for the amazement of this book….hopefully I can find some soon and get a review up! What I can say is this book may have edged out The Force for my top read of 2017 so far!

Gone to Dust was a much anticipated read for me after I read the preview excerpt on Netgalley. In the end, I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would but in fairness to the story, I read this yesterday while in the midst of my full on book hangover from The Heart’s Invisible Furries. No book was probably going to live up to that one the day after! I hope to have a full review up soon.

 

CURRENTLY READING…..

I started this late last night so I haven’t gotten too far but I’m loving the setting (Venice) and the action and intrigue. I’ve never read a book by either Catherine Coulter or J. T. Ellison so I’m looking forward to seeing what makes them both so popular. I’ll be having a giveaway for this one when I put up my review (hopefully around the end of this month) so don’t forget to check back for that!

 

UPCOMING READING POSSIBILITIES…..

The Salt Line is an out of my comfort zone pick but I loved the idea of a literary dystopian survivalist story with a murderous plot! Sounds intriguing.

The Saboteur  caught my eye because it’s a historical thriller which I don’t read a lot of and it’s based on a true story. I think I read somewhere that it’s a Jason Bourne type character set in the WWII time frame. I haven’t read anything by Andrew Gross so I’m curious to see how this goes.

Have you read any of these or have any interest in doing so?

Have a wonderful reading week! 

 

IT’S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Hosted by Kathryn at Bookdate

Last week found me struggling yet again with my reading mood swings. Sometimes I think I’m in the mood for a particular book or genre but then I find myself unable to connect for one reason or another.  Does anyone else struggle with being a mood reader? How do you handle it? I thought I’d turn to tv for something different but I didn’t really find anything other than my absolute fav YOUNGER & The Bachelorette (totally boring last week IMO). Movie wise, we watched Baby Driver which was SO weird yet really good! I was able to actually read 1 book last week (I told you…it’s a bad slump), after trying and discarding several:(

RECENTLY READ…

Hum if You Don’t Know the Words Perfect for readers of The Secret Life of Bees and The Help, a perceptive and searing look at Apartheid-era South Africa, told through one unique family brought together by tragedy. I was drawn in by the comparison to The Help and this book totally delivered; it wasn’t the same storyline but evoked similar feelings in me. This was an atmospheric novel that I’d describe as part coming of age, part mystery, part drama and all around great read. Review coming later this week

TRIED BUT COULDN’T GET INTO…..

As I said, it was a long week for trying and not connecting with several books. I know I’ll return to The Fallen I think the pace was just too slow to start for me. As for the others, I probably won’t return to any.  I was pretty bored with the story and/or characters in all 3 and also couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to keep going with The Marriage Pact.

CURRENTLY READING…

 

The Cartel  a gripping, true-to-life, ripped-from-the-headlines epic story of power, corruption, revenge, and justice spanning the past decade of the Mexican-American drug wars. I decided to dive back into my past tbr and give the shiny new releases a short break. Since I’m on a Don Winslow kick after loving The Force, I jumped right into The Cartel and I have to say I’m loving this saga pitting a DEA agent against the leader of a drug cartel. Suspenseful reading!

 

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO….

 

The Jealous Kind  An atmospheric, coming-of-age story set in 1952 Texas as the Korea War rages. On its surface, life in Houston is as you would expect: drive-in restaurants, souped-up cars, jukeboxes, teenagers discovering their sexuality. But beneath the glitz and superficial normalcy, a class war has begun, and it is nothing like the conventional portrayal of the decade. Will Patton narrates this story and he’s truly one of the best narrators I’ve heard. I love having a great audiobook going for walking the dog, driving, house projects etc. and I’m really liking this one

 

WHAT I MIGHT READ NEXT….

Safe   Ricky Mendoza Jr. is trying to make good. As a teenager, he was a ruthless gangbanger, addict, and killer until he got out and met Rose. As an adult, in recovery and working as a safecracker for the DEA, Ghost is determined to live “clean” to honor Rose’s memory—until he stumbles upon an opportunity to repay the debts of his past. Clearly I’m in a crime thriller mood:)

This is How It Always Is   This is how a family keeps a secret…and how that secret ends up keeping them.  This is how a family lives happily ever after…until happily ever after becomes complicated.  This is how children change…and then change the world.
This is how a family lives happily ever after…until happily ever after becomes complicated. This just came in at the library, I’ve heard great things about it!

Holding  Graham Norton’s masterful debut is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss. I’m really curious about this one, especially the love and secrets part.

What are YOU reading this week? 

Here’s hoping I can get through more than 1 book this week! Wish me luck. I hope you have a fantastic reading week!