Worst Books I Finished in 2018

These are the worst books I managed to finish in 2018:

Sex Criminals Volume 1 by Matt Fraction
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Descender Vol 1 by Jeff Lemire
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
Oranges are not the only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Heartland by Sarah Smarsh

Definitely #1 Worst goes to:
The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

Best Books I read in 2018

Best Books I read in 2018. In no particular order:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Nevermoor  by Jessica Townsend
The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips
When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Evicted by Matthew Desmond

2019 New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions

I didn't used to be a making resolutions person but I did very well on my bookish resolutions this year and have decided to continue to make them. I have 5 book resolutions.


1. Complete 40 books for the Popsugar Challenge.
2. Complete 24 books for the Read Harder Challenge.
3. Accept, read, and review at least 6 ARCs.
4. Read at least 2 books from my owned TBR each month.
5. Read at least 5 translated books.

Last December Update

These past couple weeks I participated in the Magical Readathon hosted by G over at Book Roast.
This is what I read:

Finish your coursework: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
I thought this was fairly saccharine but overall a cute story with likable characters. I gave it 3.5 stars.

Help Hagrid decorate the trees: Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
I was really enjoying this story about a low-caste girl being selected as a king's concubine and rebelling against her position. I thought it might even possibly be a 5 stars book until the ending which I thought was very lackluster. It's obviously setting up for another book, possibly more. I gave it 3.5 stars.

Meet at the 3 Broomsticks for some mulled wine: Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini
This was a short picture book about a father trying to get his son out of war-torn Syria. Their journey is dangerous but the best option they have. It was incredibly moving but I wish it had a bit more. I gave it 4 stars.

Give Dobby some socks: The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
This was an interesting look into caste systems in India. It is about two women and how their lives intertwine. The characters were incredibly well developed but I was dissatisfied with the ending and it chooses a big moment in a character's life to just stop. I gave the book 4 stars.

Wear a Molly Weasley sweater: Saga Volume 9 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples
Oh, I love Saga and this was a great one. It ties up some of the running story elements and is incredibly sad. I loved it. I gave it 5 stars.


After that I watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with my family on Christmas Eve.

I haven't read anything else and probably won't until January. Happy New Year everyone!

Weekly Update 2

This past week I've finished two books.

The first was Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. This is one of his many Discworld books (and excitingly my first!) The premise is that a con man who is about to hang for his many crimes is given a chance by a politician to become a postmaster of a now-defunct post office. This was a hilarious book, with many tongue-in-cheek moments that made me laugh out loud. I gave it 4 stars and will definitely pick up more.

The second was was A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne. I was hesitant to pick up another book by John Boyne after loving The Heart's Invisible Furies so much earlier this year. However, he is a skilled and prolific writer so I picked up his latest novel. I admit, it was a bit odd. There were multiple points of view with a central protagonist. I often didn't know whose points of view we were reading until well into the chapter which I found confusing. The story is of Maurice Swift, an ambitious writer who will do anything to succeed. He is incredibly unlikable but once I knew whose head we were in, I found the story engaging and that ending was phenomenal! I gave this book 4 stars.

Harry Potter Christmas Magical Readathon

The Harry Potter Christmas Magical Readathon is happening between December 17th- 26th. There are five challenges with the reward concluding with watching a Harry Potter movie. There are different possible paths but this is the path I'm choosing.




Finish your Coursework: I think this will be Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Help Hagrid decorate the trees (golden detail on book)- Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Visit the 3 Broomsticks (read a book that only takes 1 day/evening)- Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini

Sneak into the kitchen to gift Dobby odd socks (read book with item of clothing on cover) – The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

Knitted sweater from Molly Weasley (read a book focused on family)- Saga Vol 9 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples.

End with watching a Harry Potter movie. I will be with my family for the holidays so they can choose any Harry Potter movie they would like. 

Weekly Update 1

This week I read two books.

I read The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker. I posted a standalone review for this book and will summarize. The book is about a mysterious sleeping sickness that quickly infects a small college town in California. The book focuses on too many characters which inhibited my ability to really connect with any of them. It was initially very exciting but started to drag in the middle. I gave it 3 stars.

The second book was a memoir called When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him. This was her account of growing up in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. She and her family, along with huge populations of cities, were sent to labor camps where many died. They died from starvation, easily preventable illnesses, or were straight-up murdered by the Khmer Rouge. They were trying to implement a communist society run entirely by peasant farmers and were not accepting of anyone educated. This was a horrific, yet riveting tale which illuminated a situation I didn't know much about. I gave the book 5 stars.

Review of The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

Review of The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker


The book starts out with a young college student coming home from a party complaining of feeling ill. She goes to sleep and doesn't wake up. This "sleeping sickness" quickly spreads to other kids at the college and then to many people throughout the town. Many disasters befall the town because so many people get sick that there aren't enough citizens to keep the town functioning. The book primarily follows:

Mei- roommate of patient zero
Matthew- another college student
Rebecca- another college student
Ben and Annie- a married couple who have a newborn baby
Libby, Sara, and their father who is a doomsday prepper and conspiracy theorist
Nathaniel- a biology professor whose lover is in a care home due to dementia
Catherine- a psychiatrist who evaluates the sickness from a psychological perspective

I felt like there were way too many characters. This lack of focus made it hard to care if they developed the sickness or died. Initially the story was very exciting and felt post-apocalyptic but around the halfway mark it started to drag. It focused a lot on people's dreams. Some were interesting and/or relevant to the story, but most were boring and felt unnecessary. The ending felt abrupt and tied things up a bit too neatly to feel realistic. I gave the story 3 stars for initially grabbing my interest but by the end, I was dreading picking it back up.


This book comes out January 15th, 2019.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an ARC.

December TBR

It's the last month of 2018! I only need to read one more book as part of my challenge. I'll be reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott as my "book by a female author who used a male pseudonym."
These are the other books I plan to read as well. I'm also taking part in the Magical Readathon which I will post a TBR for as well.



1. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
2. When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him
3. The Kinship of Secrets by Eugenia Kim
4. The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman
5. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

Review of Radio Underground by Alison Littman

Review of Radio Underground by Alison Littman

Radio Underground is a historical novel about a revolution in Hungary against a repressive communist regime in the 1950s and the consequences of those actions. The book has three points of view; Eszter, her daughter Dora, and a man going by the pseudonym of “Mike.”

While the pacing was quick, I had two issues with this book. The first is that the blurb gives away too much of the plot. I would advise reading the book but ignoring the description on the back. The second issue I had was the writing. The perspective of “Mike” is a man who writes in broken English to a German rock and roll DJ. I believe the author was choosing words that might imitate broken English but it often felt clunky and hard to read. I’ll give you some examples.

“I will try, so read strong….I reminisced that someone had stepped on my head.”

“It forwarded me to anger since he escaped seeing what I saw.”

“The code will not go forward if the jamming makes continuous.”

Additionally, the word choice of his young sister seems incredibly formal and inauthentic of how a 12 year old would speak.

However, these two issues do not take away from the incredible story of people rebelling against their Communist government. I was on the edge of my seat for much of the story. The characters were well developed and their relationships seemed real. I gave this book 4 stars.

Trigger warnings for rape, torture, and violence.

This book was released on November 28, 2018. Thank you to Netgalley and Last Syllable Books for providing me with a copy.

Weekly Wrap Up 3

Weekly Wrap Up 3


Because of the holiday that is coming up, I've decided to post a couple days early. I will be too busy to read anymore or write up a thorough review.


I've completed three books this week. The first one I finished was I'll be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. This was a posthumously published novel about the Golden State Killer, a man who committed over 50 rapes, countless robberies and break-ins, and killed at least 10 people. He targeted middle class and well-to-do neighborhoods in California in the 1970s and 1980s. After targeting single women, he then upped the ante by targeting couples. This book was incredibly scary because he got away with it for so long. He was recently caught in April of this year at the age of 72. I wished I could give this book 5 stars, but with it being incomplete when the author died, and her friends and colleagues piecing together what they could, it only garnered 4 stars from me.


The next book I devoured was Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. This is the second book in the series. This is a middle grade fantasy focused on Morrigan Crow in the whimsical land of Nevermoor. This book picks up where the first ended, focused more on the magical school and the mysterious disappearances of magical people. I loved the world building, the exploration of different abilities, and meeting new characters. I gave the book 5 stars and am eagerly awaiting book 3.




Lastly, I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. This is what the movie Blade Runner was loosely based on. This might be the first case for me personally where a movie was better than the book. The movie cut out all the boring parts. Dick creates Mercerism (a religion) and a devotion to animals as an example of how humans are superior (empathy). It felt needless and altogether quite boring. The "love" story felt instantaneous and I never really felt it was explained why the androids had to be "retired" (or murdered) I gave the book 2 stars as there were a few scenes that were quite entertaining.

My first unsolicited ARC

I opened my email today and found my first unsolicited ARC. The book is called The Farm by Joanne Ramos and it seems to be a story about a poor immigrant making money via surrogacy and the toll it will take on her. I was nervous at first to accept an ARC that I didn't know anything about because I have a good track record of really enjoying the ARCs I've chosen. However, this seems like a story I might really enjoy. It doesn't come out until May 2019 so I won't be reading or reviewing it just yet.

Weekly Update 2

I only have 1 book to review this week. I read The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson. This was a fun story about a woman who inherits a bookshop along with a scavenger hunt from her beloved but estranged uncle. The book is a mix between contemporary and mystery. Why did her parents and her uncle have a falling out? Why did he decide to reach out only after he was dead? Each of the clues were found in books or quoting books and it was super cute and enjoyable. I mostly listened on audiobook. I gave the book 3 stars.

Weekly Update 1

This week I read 2 books and DNF'd 1.

I started out reading Cries Unheard by Gitta Sereny. This is a non-fictional account of a child murderer who when she was only 11, killed two toddlers. The premise was to understand the crime and the motivations for killing two children she barely knew. Unfortunately, she really doesn't focus on the reasons why and strangely seems to be sympathetic to the killer. Her writing is also incredibly redundant and inexplicably it was boring! I decided to quit around 43% and have returned it to the library.

The next book I finished was A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos and translated by Hildegarde Serle. This is a wildly popular children's quartet in France and has recently had the first book translated into Engilsh. The story is about a 17 year old girl named Ophelia who has two magical talents. The first is being able to travel through mirrors and the other is reading objects. She finds out she is engaged to a man from a different land (highly unusual) and travels with him to his land called Pole. There she finds out more about her fiancee and the very different ways of this land. It is scheming and political. I enjoyed it very much and am eagerly awaiting the translation of the next book. I gave it 4 stars.

Then I read One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg. This is a beautiful graphic novel about two lovers named Hero and Cherry.  A man comes to rape Cherry as a means to win a bet with her husband. Hero (the lady's maid/lover) weaves beautiful stories to enchant the man so that he continues to put off "seducing" Cherry. The stories were lovely, the feminism was inspiring, and the artwork was beautiful. I loved this book and will seek out other works by Isabel Greenberg. 5 stars!

November TBR

This month I'm taking part in the month-long readathon "Non-fiction November"
There are four prompts that are very broad and I'm planning to pick 4 nonfiction reads to fit them. I'll also be reading fiction books as well.

Shelf- Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
Micro- Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (this is a microhistory)
Wander- A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley
Past Time- Cries Unheard by Gitta Sereny

Additionally, these are the fiction books I'm planning to read:

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Wildcard by Marie Lu
A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos Translated by: Hildegarde Serle
Radio Underground by Allison Littman

Week 4 Wrap Up

This past week I've finished two books.


I finally finished The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. At 771 pages, it took me almost 2 weeks to read. The writing is beautiful if dense and overly wordy. I liked the character development and the plot, though it took awhile to get to the actual plot. The book was slow, had unnecessary details, but kept me intrigued because of the complicated characters. I gave it 3.5 stars.

Then I finished Heartland by Sarah Smarsh. This book was not what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a look into poverty on the grander scale, buoyed by her personal experiences growing up poor. However, this book isn't exactly a memoir- it focuses a little on the author's life but more on her relatives' experiences. It does contain some factual statements about poverty and how it can later affect things. But it was disorganized, jumping around in ways that just didn't make sense. Additionally, the whole book she is addressing the book to the child she never had. While this would have been clever for a chapter- especially the one focusing on her family's cycle of teenage motherhood- it starts to feel gimmicky and annoying when she switches between second and third person. Overall, not worth the read. I gave it 2 stars.

Series I'm not Planning on Finishing

I start a lot of series, typically because booktube recommends them but find they are as engrossing as everyone says. These are the duologies, trilogies, and series which I have started but have no plans to finish.


A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (Read 1 out of 3)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Read 1 out of 2)

Giant Days by John Allison (Read 3 out of 9)

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Read 1 out of 3)

His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman (Read 1 out of 3)

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (Read 1 out of 12)

Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughn (Read 1 out of 4)

Deanna Madden Series by A.R. Torre  (Read 1 out of 3)

Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Read 3 out of 4)

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (Read 3 out of 7)

Unwind by Neal Shusterman (Read 1 out of 4)

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (Read 1 out of 3)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (Read 1 out of 4)


Any you think I should give a second chance? Any of these you agree with?

A late Wrap Up 3

So this is a bit late but better late than never.

For my Charms Extra Credit I earned 3 points. I read:

Rictumsempra: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Accio: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Incendio: Brain on Fire by Susanah Cahalan

So while I started The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, I definitely didn't finish it. I feel good with three.
I've already reviewed the first two so I'll tell you about the last one.

Brain on Fire is a memoir about a woman who suddenly starts experiencing strange physical and mental issues. She stays at a hospital for nearly a month while they try to figure out her mysterious illness. It was entertaining and informative and the chapters were short which helped me keep reading. I gave it three stars as I don't think it's likely I'll re-read it.

Additionally I read Nobody's Girl by Barbara Amaya. I did a full review so I won't repeat myself but I loved it. 5 Stars.

Review of Nobody's Girl by Barbara Amaya

A few weeks ago I announced that I had been approved to review two books on Netgalley. This past weekend I sat down and read one titled Nobody's Girl by Barbara Amaya.

The memoir is about Barbara enduring sexual abuse at the hands of several of her relatives, running away, and being sold into sex trafficking. She ultimately overcomes and becomes an advocate for runaway youths. Even though this story took place in the 70's and 80's, it's unfortunately still a current problem today and will resonate with modern readers. This story was heart breaking; especially when her cries for help were repeatedly ignored. However, in the end, it becomes an inspiring tale of resilience and a triumph over evil. The story was written well and I connected with her as a character. I gave this 5 stars. Trigger warnings for sexual abuse, violence, drug abuse and attempted suicide.


This is available now and I'd highly recommend the audiobook.

Weekly Wrap Up 2

This week I've finished 2 books.

The first was A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. This was a non-fiction account of Bryson hiking parts of the Appalachian Trail. This reminded me a lot of Wild by Cheryl Strayed where she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail but this was written in the early 1990s. It's interesting, and sometimes funny but I didn't feel it varied much at all. The gist = hiking sucks. I gave it 3 stars for making me laugh.

Then I read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This was a heartbreaking story of two girls and how their lives were affected by the constant turmoil in Afghanistan. The way women are treated in this terribly primitive society was appalling. I loved these characters, was broken by the trauma they endure, and was ultimately crying at the beautiful ending. I gave this 4.5 stars. I will be seeking out his other books because he just may be a new favorite writer for me.

These two ticked off two challenges for my Charms Extra Credit Readathon. I'm unsure if I'll be able to finish another one before the readathon is over.

Weekly Wrap up 1

This week I had my in-laws visiting so I had a lot less time for reading. However, I still managed to finish 2 books.

The first was Anything Goes by John Barrowman. This was an interesting memoir but it felt disjointed, skipping all over the place, and rarely focusing on the Doctor Who and Torchwood times. I feel he wrote this book a little too early, in the height of his t.v. roles rather than afterward where he could include more tidbits. Overall, I enjoyed it so I gave it 3 stars.

The second book I finished was The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. I've read one other book by her, The Nightingale. She is a solid historical fiction writer. She writes deeply flawed and realistic characters. The Great Alone was a breathtaking adventure of surviving in the Alaskan wilderness with an abusive father. I really enjoyed this book but felt the ending went on a bit too long and was somewhat unrealistic. I gave the book 4 stars.

October TBR including Magical Readathon Extra Credit

I was so pleased when G from Book Roast announced the week long Magical Readathon extra credit. There are 5 challenges that I'm going to attempt though I feel 4 is more realistic. The readathon takes place between October 8th-14th.

1. Alohamora: read a book that's first in a series- 

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron

2. Accio: a book that is the top of your TBR- 

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

3. Rictusempra: a book that "tickles you in the right way" (exciting trope/theme/genre) - 

I took this literally and found a funny book. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

4. Lumos: a book with a white/light cover- 

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (this is nearly 800 pages so not ideal for a readathon but I want to read it)

5. Incendio: a book that has "fire" or "flame" in the title/series name or has flames on the cover- I probably won't get to this challenge but if I do, my choice is Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

For the rest of October I have chosen these books for my TBR:

1. Anything Goes by John Barrowman

2. Nobody's Girl by Barbara Amaya

3. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

4. Tangerine by Christine Mangan

5. The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

5 Star Predictions

I realize that while I read a lot, I don't read many 5 star books. I recently read a 5 star book; The Book of M by Peng Shepherd. I realized I want that reading experience more often so I decided to look at my goodreads list and pick out five books I think will be 5 stars.

I plan to read these books in the next 3 months and then update you on how they turned out.

1. Anything Goes by John Barrowman
I love the character Captain Jack on Doctor Who and Torchwood and feel his autobiography might be just the ticket!

2. The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
I've heard this book is incredibly sad but written beautifully. I also know a sequel came out recently so if I enjoy it, I will have that to look forward to.

3. Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
This is the sequel to Nevermoor which I loved and nearly gave 5 stars. I'm hoping to love this one just as much or more.

4. The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips
This is highly rated on Goodreads and it looks to be a very compelling family drama.

5. Sabriel by Garth Nix
Another highly rated book on Goodreads with a fun magical story. This is the first in a series so if I like it, there are more to read.

Weekly Wrap Up 4

This week I took a little break from reading and binged season 6 of Wentworth on Netflix. However, I did manage to finish 1 book that I listened to on audiobook.

I read Charlie Bone and the Hidden King by Jenny Nimmo. This is the 5th in the series and honestly it was my least favorite. You do find out a "dramatic reveal" but I had already guessed it a long time ago. I'm curious if it was really obvious to kids who read it as I know I'm not the target demographic. I think something that bothered me about this one is warnings came too late to do anything and characters also failed to act on warnings. It made the events feel a bit forced. Additionally, Charlie is mean to his best friend Benjamin who he hasn't seen in several months. I felt this was out of character. I gave the book 2 stars. I will probably continue with the series as they are easy enough reads and Hoopla has the last three books.

Approval from Netgalley

I've just been approved by Netgalley to read two new books!

The first is a book called Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Lost Innocence, Modern Day Slavery & Transformation by Barbara Amaya. A piece of nonfiction about a teen girl sold into sex trafficking. It has already been published so you can get your hands on it if you're interested.




The second is a novel called The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker. It a science fiction novel about a mysterious sleeping sickness. It's expected to publish in January 2019.




Expect my reviews for these books in the coming months!

Weekly Wrap Up 3

I am on a roll this week. I've read 5 things. I feel like maybe I'm getting out of the dreaded reading slump!

The first thing I picked up was third installment of Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa. I've never really been into manga or anime but I started watching the anime alongside reading the manga and I'm really enjoying it. I like that we got a lot more backstory in this one. I gave the volume 3 stars.

Then I checked out The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang on audiobook. It is definitely steamy in parts. The premise is a woman with autism is bad at dating and sex so she hires an escort to teach her. (A reverse-gender Pretty Woman) While I liked parts of it, the miscommunication, repetitive reasons why they couldn't actually be together, and other parts just felt forced and contrived. Despite those things, I liked the story. I gave it 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 on goodreads.

Then I picked up A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Bernard. This is a YA novel about a selective mute girl who falls for a Deaf guy. They communicate through sign language. This was a cutesy fluffy novel but it was well written. I'm always interested in learning more about Deaf culture and this gave me some insight. I gave the story 3 stars.

Next I picked up Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 4 by Hiromu Arakawa. The story is definitely developing which I'm enjoying but the fight scenes are somewhat lacking in the manga. They definitely play out better on the anime. I gave this one 3 stars.

Lastly, I listened to The Book of M by Peng Shepherd. This book is a dystopian world where people lose their shadows, and with them, their memories. Once they lose their memories, people can become violent, which makes the world a very dangerous place. I was so immersed in the story; even dreaming about the characters and spending every spare second I could reading. I loved the story, the world, the characters, everything. I can't believe this is a debut novel! I will definitely pick up anything else she writes in the future. I was left with some questions at the end but overall the experience was phenomenal. I gave the book 5 stars.

Weekly Wrap Up 2

I've had a great reading week; mostly in part to being ill and not leaving the house much.

I read 4 things this week: 2 books, a graphic novel and a manga.

First I picked up Giant Days Volume 3 by John Allison. I was very underwhelmed by this volume and felt like it just jumped from random event to random event. I felt the characters changed in unbelievable ways. Ultimately, I decided I wasn't going to continue on with this series any longer. I gave it 2 stars.

Then I picked up The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I'm sure many people have read this book but it had languished on my shelf for a long time. I wish I'd have picked it up sooner. The story was heartbreaking, beautiful, and a tragic story of friendship. It had all the makings of a five star read until the ending. While the motivation behind the choice at the end was understandable, it started to come across as torture porn. So much bad happens. I wanted a happy ending. We got a "meh" ending. I gave it 4 stars.

Next I picked up Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 2 by Hiromu Arakawa. Honestly, I wasn't really interested in reading this but my husband has watched the anime and wanted to re-watch it with me. I solidered on with reading this and found it entertaining but pointless. Until the chapter with the chimera. Oh my goodness, that chapter had amazing character development that really made you feel for them. I nearly cried. I gave the volume 2.5 stars but decided I'm definitely going to carry on with the series.

Lastly, I finished The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. This was a tome of 512 pages but I devoured it in just 3 days. I wrote a full review but I'll sum up. Interesting mystery with sci-fi twist. So many twists and turns but I didn't care for the ending so I gave it 4 stars.


I really hope I can keep up this reading streak!

Review for The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Review for The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

This book was nothing like I’ve ever read before. It had the feel of a classic mystery with a fun and interesting sci-fi twist. The premise is that Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11 pm each night and Aiden Bishop has to figure out the identity of the murderer. He has 8 days to do so but will wake up in a different host each morning. Each host has their own personality, with assets and limitations.

The beginning was initially confusing; which makes sense because Aiden wakes up with total memory loss and the reader learns alongside him what is going on. The characters we meet all have secrets, which makes them all suspects.

The intrigue of this book made it so hard to put down. The author kept revealing so many twists and turns, I felt I was on a roller coaster. I already want to re-read this book, just to fully understand all the secrets and motives. I loved this story immensely and while the ending was quite shocking, I wish the very last part of the book had ended differently. Aiden’s choice at the very end was less satisfying than I had wished for, and it’s the only part I would change. Therefore, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

This book is available in the U.S. on September 18th so if this sounds like a book you'd like, you won't have to wait much longer.




(I received a copy from Netgalley for my personal and unbiased review.)

Week 1 Wrap Up

Well, I've read two things this week and neither were on my TBR. That's how it goes sometimes.

I picked up the graphic novel Giant Days Volume 1 by John Allison and Lissa Treiman. Its a cute contemporary story about three friends in their first year at University in England. One of the girls is questioning her sexuality and has the support of her two other friends. It's kind of a slice-of-life comic and I enjoyed it. I gave it 3 stars.

Then I picked up the second volume to continue on with the story. We get to know some secondary characters; a boyfriend and a guy who is into one of the main girls. I still enjoyed it though I feel a bit like it is directionless. However, I'm enjoying the characters so I will continue on. I gave it 3 stars.

I think to break my slump I'm going to focus more on audiobooks, graphic novels, and manga. My husband keeps pestering me to read Fullmetal Alchemist (since I read the first volume) so I'll probably continue on with that soon.

September TBR

How is it already September? This year has been flying by. Because I read 9 books last month, I've decided to go ahead and keep my TBR list kind of short so I can still read on a whim. In order to finish my challenges for Popsugar and Read Harder, I have 8 challenges left. I'm trying to pick 2 each month so that I don't get bogged down in "assigned" books.

1. Rain by Cynthia Barnett
2. Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
3. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
5. The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
6.  Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

August Wrap Up 3

The past week I have finished 4 books.

First I finished Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers which is a character-driven space opera. This is the third companion novel to A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. I loved this story. We follow five perspectives of people who live on the Exodus Fleet as they explain what their life is like. There is not a huge plot but I found I loved learning about their daily lives and didn't really need a plot. I think its nearly as good as the first, and definitely better than the 2nd. I gave it 5 stars.

Then I read Plainsong by Kent Haruf. This was a book I picked up at a thrift store awhile back and decided it was time to read it. This is another character-driven book but this time, I felt like the characters and world were not as richly described. I felt awkward and uncomfortable with the scene of two boys watching high school students having sex (and not exactly consensual sex either.) There were other descriptions of naked body parts that just felt weird and unnecessary. All in all, it was fairly boring. I gave it 2 stars.

Next I read The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel. This was a Nordic Noir mystery which I read specifically for the Popsugar challenge. I do not care for mysteries but I'm trying to "stretch" myself as a reader. However, my instincts were pretty spot-on. I didn't really like it. There wasn't any twists, except for the reveal which wrapped everything up in a neat little bow. Additionally, it didn't seem plausible. I gave it 2 stars. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit it into any N.E.W.T.s categories.

Lastly, I finished Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. I had seen the movie that this book is based on several years ago and it is a faithful adaptation. The story is about a pregnant teen who is deserted by her boyfriend at a Wal-mart where she secretly lives until she gives birth to her baby. She then relies on the generosity of strangers to help her land on her feet. I enjoyed it but felt the writing is overly simple and some of the characters seemed flat. Overall, I gave it 3 stars. I used it for my Ancient Runes challenge: A book set in the past.

So how did I do on my N.E.W.T.s? 2 Outstandings and 2 Acceptables!

Charms-
A- Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors by Jenny Nimmo
E- What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera
O- When I Hit You- by Meena Kandasamy

Arithmancy-
A- Plainsong by Kent Haruf
E- Sick by Porochrista Khakpour
O- Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

Divination-
A- Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

Ancient Runes
A- Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts

August Wrap Up 2

In the last 10 days or so, I've finished 2 books. I'm definitely feeling a little slump-y which has probably contributed to my slower pace.

The first I finished was Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray. This is the second in the Diviners series. It is a YA paranormal mystery set in the 1920s. Because its the second book in the series, I can't reveal much but it is about young people with special paranormal powers who band together to fight a source of evil. This book is over 600 pages and it definitely felt like the story dragged a bit but overall it was an engaging read. The audiobook was enjoyable, though nothing special. I gave this 3 stars.

The second was Sick by Porochrista Khakpour. This was a memoir written by a woman dealing with late-stage Lyme's disease and how it affects her life, her relationships, her job, everything. I really related to this because I have a chronic illness. It really felt like I had a friend who understood, and someone I could commiserate with. I don't think this book is for everyone but hopefully it will be a source of comfort for the chronically ill, and a wealth of information to help others understand. I do admit, due to her illness, the writing is not super organized. That was the reason I gave the book 4 stars.

I am in the middle of two more and I'm hoping to finish them before the end of this month.

August Wrap Up 1

I'm still busy unpacking so I didn't have time to write a post earlier. The past (nearly) 2 weeks I've read three books.

The first was Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors by Jenny Nimmo. This was to get an "Acceptable" grade in Charms. This was the fourth book in the series. I'm enjoying it but I feel like the characters are either good or evil; no in-between. This book did introduce some new characters but they quickly left. Overall, it was entertaining but not as good as some of the others. I gave it 3 stars.

Then I read What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera. This was a beautifully written and incredibly heartbreaking story of a Sri Lankan girl enduring trauma which bleeds into her life later as an adult. However, there was little that surprised me. From the very beginning, the author heavily foreshadows events which made the story predictable to me. I gave the book 3.5 stars. This earned me "Exceeds Expectations" for Charms.

Lastly, I read When I Hit You by Meena Kandasamy. Trigger warnings for abuse and rape. The book is not very long, but I had to keep putting it down because of the visceral reaction I kept having regarding the treatment of the main character. It made me cry, it made me angry, it broke my heart. The book is about an Indian woman living with a husband who abuses her in every way possible. Her family and society expect her to not only put up with it, but put the blame on her telling her she should change herself to please him better. The only thing I didn't like about the book is the author is a poet and that was evident with the flowery language and odd symbolic tangents. The writing style just wasn't to my liking and so I gave it 3 stars. This earned me "Outstanding" in Charms.


Yay! I've earned 1 N.E.W.T. so far. I'm hoping to earn 1 or 2 more!

August TBR/ N.E.W.T.s Readathon TBR

I completed 11 out of 12 of my O.W.L.s (all but Defense Against the Dark Arts) so I have plenty of choices. The N.E.W.T.s are much harder this time, requiring three books to achieve an “Outstanding”. The minimum requirement to “pass” is to receive at least one Outstanding and one additional Aacceptable; a total of four books. I am setting my goal a bit more challenging. I have a goal of 10 books; 3 Outstandings and 1 Acceptable. I’m going for Charms, History of Magic, Arithmancy, and Divination. These categories give me some flexibility so the books may change. This readathon lasts for the duration of August so this also serves as my August TBR.

N.E.W.T.s TBR

Charms:

Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors by Jenny Nimmo (A book with magic)

What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera   (A cover that charmed you)

When I Hit You by Meena Kandasamy (A book that will leave a mark)

History of Magic:

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (A book that would fit in Hogwarts Library)

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche (5+ years old)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (400+ pgs)

Arithmancy:

Dune by Frank Herbert (300+ pg)

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (ends on an even page number)

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (not first in series)

Divination:

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers (set in the future)