Monday Reading Update & Feedback Please!

Happy New Year’s Eve everyone! I can’t believe 2018 is almost over. Has anyone else been super busy this holiday season? I wish I could say it’s because I’ve been traveling but I haven’t, just a lot of busyness after Christmas. I feel like I’m finally slowing down but yes, my reading has suffered. I’ve read 1 book over the past 2 weeks and I’m starting to get frustrated by not having a book to look forward to reading at the end of the day. I’ve picked up so many books over the last few days and haven’t been able to get into ANY!  I’m sure I’m not alone in that feeling that happens when you can’t get into anything…like oh no, I’m never going to find another book I love! Irrational I know but I start to feel like that. This is also the curse of being a mood reader; I’m only in the mood for certain types of reads lately, namely thrillers or quality romance. P.S. Before I came back to finish writing this post I started a book …read on to find out what has FINALLY got my attention.

That being said I’ve also been thinking about blog postings for the new year and would love your quick feedback in the comment section. What would you like to see more of on the blog…book lists, Monday Updates, Top Ten Tuesdays, Throwback Thursdays, more reviews, mini reviews, discussions, etc? I’d really like to hear what you’d like to read more (or less) of on the blog. I’m trying to come up with a more consistent posting schedule so please share any thoughts you have. I’m looking forward to talking books with you in 2019…

RECENTLY READ…

 

The Sandman  by Lars Kepler
Published: March 6, 2018 by Knopf
464 pages

My Thoughts: This was a fantastic, creepy thriller that also had a good mystery to it. I jumped right into the series with this book (book 4) and didn’t feel like I was missing anything. I love the main character, Joona, and the Scandi setting is perfect for a winter read. Plus, book 5, Stalker is coming out in Feb. If you love intelligent, plot driven thrillers give this a try

 

 

 

TRIED BUT COULDN’T GET INTO…

Scrublands  publishes in January and was a book I was really looking forward to. The marketing blurb said it was The Dry meets Before the Fall but while it was set in Australia like The Dry that’s where the similarities ended for me. I gave this one 40% but found it to be very repetitive and to have way too much going on. The Paragon Hotel  is another January release that sounded right up my alley. Set in the era of Prohibition there’s a single woman with a gun shot wound running from someone on a train bound for Oregon. The blurb says a good mystery involving a missing child comes up but I didn’t get past 10%. The writing and dialogue felt stilted to me and by 10% I had to admit I had no idea who was who or what was going on. If trusted reading friends love it I may give it another try. The premise ( a Serial like documentary with a convicted murderer) and introduction of Don’t Believe It intrigued me and I think I’ll revisit this one another time, it just wasn’t compelling enough to hold my interest right now (DNF 15%). I’ve had She Rides Shotgun  on my TBR for so long. It won the Edgar award for best debut novel which usually is a surefire sign I’ll like a book but while I know the dad in the story was an outlaw and “bad” person, I just found him annoying and didn’t care about the little girl. This is one instance I think if the author would’ve allowed me to get to know either of them before diving right into the action I might’ve been connected enough with at least the little girl to keep going (DNF 8%).

CURRENTLY READING…(as of about 2 hours ago)

Forever is the Worst Long Time  was on my radar in the past but I forgot about it unfortunately. When I saw it on an Instagram favorite books of 2018 post today I immediately downloaded a sample, loved it and promptly bought it! So far it’s reminding me of One Day in December  (My Review) with what seems like an interesting love triangle developing. I’m loving the dialogue and pace, so far so good which makes me really happy.

What have you been reading & loving lately? I’d love to know and don’t forget, if you have an extra minute, leave me a comment letting me know what you’d like to see more of on the blog for 2019! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

 

 

 

 

IT’S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

 

Hosted by The Book Date

Happy Monday everyone! I had a great weekend, not only in terms of reading but also because I attended one of my very favorite places to go every spring called The Gift of Light Expo which is a mind/body/health/wellness expo. I love it because it includes the opportunity to sit down with many psychics and if you recall my post about The Immortalists you’ll remember I have 2 favorite psychics I chat with every year. It’s enlightening and so much fun! On the reading front I had a bit of an ARC crisis last week as I tried to read a couple of my upcoming ones and I couldn’t get into them. I know I’m not the only mood reader out there, so those of you who are as well will understand that sometimes only a certain genre will “hit” you and for me this past week it’s been…wait for it…romance!! I feel like overall I don’t read a lot of romance but when I come across well-written, angst filled, juicy drama I just love it. Yes, I’m also a sucker for love triangles, that’s probably why I love The Bachelor, isn’t that the ultimate love triangle?? So, you may be surprised about my current reads but I’d love to hear from you if you have other top romance recommendations for me…your favorites and must reads…bring them on!!

RECENTLY READ…

Collide is book one of two in the Collide series and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing drew me in immediately and once I settled in with my glass of wine, I flew through this book in one evening. This was exactly the type of read I was looking for and I don’t know how I haven’t come across Gail McHugh before.  Pulse is book two and I also read it in a day. These definitely need to be read in order. While I liked Collide a smidge more, I did find a certain twist the author included in Pulse to be so surprising and unexpected that I found myself seriously considering throwing my kindle across the room! In the end, I recovered and my kindle is fine:) Check back later this week for mini reviews of both. ***In the meantime, if anyone knows why Gail McHugh hasn’t wrote a book in almost 3 years please let me know, I want to start Amber to Ashes but apparently it ends in a cliffhanger and the next book has never come out***

 

TRIED BUT WASN’T FEELING….

Well, I got to about 24% (kindle reading) which is a lot for a book I kind of liked but wasn’t really feeling and then I decided I really didn’t care about picking it back up. It wasn’t that it was bad either because I thought the beginning was great but for some reason the storyline stalled and I lost interest. As others have suggested I’ll try a different Bohjalian at another time.

 

PODCAST I’M LOVING…..

You guys know I love podcasts and true crime so I’m thrilled I found this podcast which has kept me busy through several long drives and house projects. Georgia and Karen bring a dark humor vibe to their show (they’re comedians) and I just love it. I highly recommend starting with their episode titled Project Artichoke if you decide to give it a try

 

UPCOMING READING POSSIBILITIES….

Both of these sound great so I may head back into dark and scary with The Sandman or  psychological tension and suspense with Tangerine. Of course I may also grab another romance to squeeze in this week!

Hope you have a great reading week and please feel free to give me some of your favorite must reads in romance

 

IT’S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Hi Everyone! I can’t believe it’s mid-January already although I’m kind of happy the month is flying by…I’m done with snow and freezing temperatures and ready for spring! I thought the cold temps would lead to cozy evenings reading by the fire but that is NOT what’s happening. I’ve actually only finished 2 books since Jan 1 which is shocking and perplexing for me. I have, however, started many and either abandoned them right away or in some cases (Grist Mill Road) at 35% into the story. So often lately the premise and/or blurb of the books I pick up sound so good but the actual execution or story development is disappointing.  On the flip side, we’ve been to several outstanding movies these last few weeks...The Darkest Hour, All the Money in the World, Molly’s Game and The Post…all excellent and all based on true stories. My favorite out of the 4 was Molly’s Game which was a juicy look at backroom high stakes poker. My advice is don’t google anything about the movie before you see it, just go then google!!

RECENTLY READ…..

I think I fell for the marketing of this one which is billed as one of the top thrillers of 2018 but I can’t say I found it very thrilling. I’m positive it’ll be a favorite of many and the movie rights are already sold with Charlize Theron starring but I had many issues with this one from the get go. It’s probably a case of it’s not the book it’s me but I have pretty high expectations for thrillers and this didn’t meet them.

 

CURRENTLY READING….

I just started this last night and while I’m intrigued and I like the writing style, it hasn’t grabbed me like I’d hoped. It’s early and I’ll keep going to see if I can stay invested

 

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO….

I was in the mood for an inspiring audiobook so when I heard Jack Canfield on Oprah’s recent Super Soul Conversations podcast, I knew I wanted to hear more from him. I’ve listened to about 5 hours of this and I really like it. Not all of the principles are new of course but that’s ok, I appreciate being reminded of what’s possible and I find the stories of the people he includes compelling and yes, inspiring!

LIKELY TO READ NEXT….

I read and loved Matt Wesolowski’s first book Six Stories last year and this one is really calling to me right now. His writing is so original and creative that I know I’m in for a treat. If you’re a fan of podcasts ala Serial, Making a Murderer, etc then you should really grab one of these books.

How’s your reading year starting off? Anyone else struggling with 2018 reads like me? 

HAPPY READING!