December 2021 Reading Wrap-Up

January 1, 2022LeeLeave a comment

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 1
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: I was going to lie, but seriously it was Alan Alda’s part.
Least Favorite Thing: The movie lol

Been a minute since I read this last, but definitely still enjoyed it.

My Posts About World War Z

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 8
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: It’s so bizarre-o.
Least Favorite Thing: Literally nothing.

I basically read this one a second time to see if the audiobook was as unsettling as reading it physically. It was.

My Posts About We Have Always Lived in the Castle

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 10 – 13
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: Weird.
Least Favorite Thing: Weird.

A friend at work read this recently and I realized while talking to her about it that I still wasn’t sure what this book was about. Now having read it a second time, I can definitively say… I still do not know what this book was about.

My Posts About American Gods

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
(The Twilight Saga, book 1)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ – it was ok
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 14 – 16
Read Count: 4
Favorite Thing: At least it wasn’t The Host?
Least Favorite Thing: It was Twilight.

Ok do not judge me for rereading a book I hate. I wanted to experience the audiobook version because I’ve always read it physically before. News Flash! It was equally terrible having someone read it to me!

My Posts About Twilight

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
(Strange the Dreamer, book 1)
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 21 – 22
Read Count: 3
Favorite Thing: Wait do I find Lazlo attractive?
Least Favorite Thing: Gimme a second, I’ll think of something…

I have wanted to listen to this one for a while because I just knew it would be excellent, and my library happened to have it available for me so I listened to it while I worked and it was so calming (the narrator’s voice) and beautiful (the prose).

My Posts About Strange the Dreamer

White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: Oct 23 – Dec 22
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: So beautifully written it makes me want to cry.
Least Favorite Thing: Actually makes me cry because so much bad stuff happens.

This was my car book. That is, this is the book I left in my car to read on lunch breaks and when I have to wait for something. As you can imagine, it was a bit heavy for a car book lol

My Posts About White Oleander

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: Nov 6 – Dec 28
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: The writing was so beautiful!
Least Favorite Thing: Literally nothing. Maybe I’ll pick something next time I read it.

Nina LaCour is officially on my favorite author list now. I will read a book, regardless of the premise, if Nina LaCour writes it.

My Posts About Watch Over Me

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
(The Twilight Saga, book 2)
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ – did not like it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 27 – 28
Read Count: 4
Favorite Thing: [cricket sounds]
Least Favorite Thing: I actually hate the audiobook narrator…

Edward wasn’t even in this book and yet I had to hear about him every 10 seconds. Blech.

My Posts About New Moon

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
(The Twilight Saga, book 3)
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ – did not like it
Review: No
Format: Audiobook
Reading Dates: Dec 28 – 29
Read Count: 4
Favorite Thing: It was over quickly.
Least Favorite Thing: It was still torture.

Seriously, these characters are so much more insufferable when you have to hear them out loud! Like they were annoying people before, but then hearing their words aloud? Oh my gawd, I wanted to slap people who don’t even exist.

My Posts About Eclipse

In Progress

ImageSeptember 12, 2019LeeLeave a comment

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First Lines Fridays: August 2, 2019

August 2, 2019June 12, 2018LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

First Lines:

The Santa Anas blew in hot from the desert, shriveling the last of the spring grass into whiskers of pale straw. Only the oleanders thrived, their delicate poisonous blooms, their dagger green leaves.

Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!

Top 5 Wednesday: July 4, 2018

July 4, 2018July 2, 2018LeeLeave a comment

Best Books You’ve Read So Far in 2018

To participate in Top 5 Wednesday, head over to their Goodreads Group!

Alrighty, I’m going to do this in the order that I read them, not in the order that I liked them (because that would be way too hard).

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

This was my first Gillian Flynn novel and I was honestly nervous to read it. I liked the movie and was worried that the book wouldn’t be as good. But a fellow blogger assured me Flynn was an excellent writer and Gone Girl did not disappoint. In fact it kind of blew me away how much I loved it. I went online and bought it before I had even finished reading it. I look forward to reading it again sometime.

Tales of the Kingdom series // Cynthia Voigt

Oh come on, you knew this series had to be on the list somewhere, right? I reread them earlier in the year and loved them just as much as always, maybe even more. As always, this is a loosely-connected, non-magical, fantasy series, set in a medieval-esque world.

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

This is one of the best autobiographies I’ve read ever, and definitely the best this year. Anna is funny and pithy and pleasantly verbose. What made it even better was listening to the audiobook version where Anna reads you the book herself.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

This book was recommended to me from another reader because I said I wanted to branch out of my genre comfort zone and I have to admit I didn’t expect to like it. But the prose was engaging and beautiful and I found myself falling into the mind of the protagonist quickly and easily. I definitely want to read more by Janet Fitch in future.

The Martian by Andy Weir

I had one main issue with this book (mentioned in this post), but everything else about it was excellent. It was funny and the format was interesting. If you liked the movie you will most likely like the book as it is extremely similar. I found it really hard to put down.

What are the best books you’ve read in 2018 so far? Leave me a comment or link me to your own post.

Mid-Year Reading Recap

June 28, 2018June 29, 2018LeeLeave a comment

Now that June’s about to end it’s time to look upon our reading progress so far this year and share some book opinions!

Oh man I forgot I got tagged in this, I suck! Thank you for the tag, Scarlet @flamingmirrorbookish!

1. Best book you read so far this year
I’m tempted to mention one of my favorite books again, but I won’t, I’ll choose one that was new to me this year: White Oleander by Janet Fitch. The prose is absolutely beautiful and I loved the way the main character, Astrid, looked at things.

2. Worst book you read so far this year
Guys obviously it was the Twilight books. The worst of all of them was the partial from Edward’s POV, Midnight Sun.

3. Completed any series?
Oh sure. Most of the books I read are part of a series anyway. As for complete series I read this year, they are all rereads:

Tales of the Kingdom // Cynthia Voigt
My favorite all time book series. These are loosely-connected, non-magical fantasy. I recommend it to everyone, always.
Twilight Saga // Stephenie Meyer
My least favorite series, which I recommend to literally nobody. Love yourselves.
The Darkest Minds // Alexandra Bracken

4. Anticipated read for the second half of the year

Oh! Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor! I have it pre-ordered and I am so eager to have it!

5.A book that disappointed you
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I loved the film, but the book just didn’t click with me even a little. I don’t even know if I’ll read the one about the aunts now…

6. How many books have you read so far this year?
I’m glad to say I managed to reach half my goal for the year this month, by just a hair. I have read 38/75 books this year! 🙂

7. A book that made you laugh
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I know technically it’s called a children’s book, but really any age group can enjoy this book and I recommend it to all.

8. Estimated read count for the year?
I think I’ll definitely meet my goal of 75 if I can keep this up!

Alrighty I tagged some people on tumblr, but I actually want to tag all my WordPress readers. Give me the deets on how your 2018 goals are going at this halfway point in the year! Either comment or make your own post and drop me a link.

QuoteMay 7, 2018May 2, 2018LeeLeave a comment

Love. I would ban the word from the vocabulary. Such imprecision. Love, which love, what love? Sentiment, fantasy, longing, lust? Obsession, devouring need? Perhaps the only love that is accurate without qualification is the love of a very young child. Afterward, she too becomes a person, and thus compromised.

– Janet Fitch, White Oleander, page 301