ABSOLUTELY AMAZING BOOKS
The Great Alone by Kristin HannahMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I talked about this book more here, and all I really have to say is that this book was excellent and deserves all the hype it is getting. It was so well done.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the review copy of this wonderfully exceptional book. :) It will stay with me well into the future.
Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of World War I by Hazel GaynorMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was all over my Instagram feed in December and I had heard so many good things about it. The cover is also gorgeous and the premise was appealing to me, but I was reluctant to pick it up when I finally got it from the library in January (did I want to read something Christmassy after just packing it all up?!) Don't let the title sway you - this book has a lot of mention of Christmases over the years, but it's not specifically related to Christmas in any strong way. This book reminded me so much of another book I loved, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society except that the individuals writing letters were already friends so they spoke of shared history. The literary references and insertions of Shakespeare's works and other poets etc was wonderful, and I loved the way the story unfolded (even though I did guess at some of it - it was predictable, but I didn't mind one bit).
This story reminded me of what it feels like to write and receive letters, which is a bit lost these days and something I would like to get back into this year. The characters in this novel are fun, strong, and real. The cast isn't as large as in Guernsey, but I liked the focus on the two main characters and their family/friends as side characters. I can't stop thinking about how much I enjoyed this book, hence the 5 stars. This book came to me at exactly the right time and I am so happy that I picked it up.
A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna RaybournMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Oh, I just love these characters. They are SO fun to read about, and quite humorous. Although I predicted the ending to this mystery, I still really liked this book and there were a few twists and turns. This is some of the most entertaining historical fiction I've read for sure.
Followed up by:
A Treacherous Curse by Deanna RaybournMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
WOW. I am absolutely in love with this series. I found this one to be the quickest read of the three - I absolutely couldn't quite put my finger on what was going on in the mystery. Stoker and Veronica were amazing as always in this third instalment and their chemistry just HAS to pay off at some point! I am already highly anticipating the next in this series - I HOPE IT IS SOON!!!
Thank you to Berkeley Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced review copy of this book which came out in January.
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik BackmanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This audiobook was excellent. I love Elsa's character so much, and the entire cast of characters is quite fun. Elsa's love for Harry Potter might have predisposed me to loving her right from the very beginning, but this whole book was just so well done. The mysterious aspects, the family ups and downs, and the true emotion here were so evident (particularly on audio, I think) and I am a Backman fan forever and ever. He has not yet written something that I didn't enjoy immensely. (Read for Erin's challenge: book written in another language)
From Lukov with Love by Mariana ZapataMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Kristen sent me a message when she found out that this book was out, and I promptly downloaded it immediately and read it until I was done. I really love Mariana Zapata's books, and this one was particularly fun as a lead up to the winter Olympics when figure skating is featured a bit more prominently in the world in general. These characters were wonderful and I really really loved this book. Dear Aaron is next on my list by her after reading about some of those characters in this book.
Still Me by Jojo MoyesMy rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Oh, it was so wonderful to read about Louisa Clark again. And Ambulance Sam. And a bunch of new entertaining characters. This was so, so enjoyable. Me Before You was absolutely sensational and a 5 star read for me. Unlike many others, I actually quite liked After You on its own. Still Me was better than After You and in some ways it felt like more of a continuation of Me Before You. There are some fun snippets of Will Traynor in this one. Louisa comes into her own in some ways. I love her as a character and I had forgotten that. I appreciate JoJo Moyes' writing and need to get at her backlist soon. (In particular, The Girl you Left Behind is sitting on my shelf unread).
Greenglass House by Kate MilfordMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It took me a little while to get into this book, but the audio version was really very well done and I eventually could not wait to find out what happened at the end. The setting and the cast of characters were really interesting and unique and the story unfolded in a fun way. I can't wait to share this one with my children in a few years - perfect middle grade book, in my opinion.
Enjoyable enough :
Dating You / Hating You by Christina LaurenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book reminded me quite a bit of The Hating Game, but there was a bit less angst. It was super cute and very funny - it was interesting to get a bit of a fictional inside look at the life of a Hollywood agent.
The Snow Child by Eowyn IveyMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Winter is the perfect time to read this book, as I'm sure many readers would agree. At first, I wasn't sure how much I liked this book - it seemed sad, and difficult to read during January. However, I stayed with it and really did end up liking it. I'd say it's more of a 3.5 star rating but rounded up to 4 due to the lovely writing and interesting setting. This is ultimately a story of hope, growth, and belief. The magical realism and snow girl character made this really fun, and I really liked all of the other characters too.
Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet by Jennifer L. ArmentroutMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I talk about this book more here. My favourite short stories were: Click by Katherine McGee, The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer Armentrout, and The Unlikelyhood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies.
The Beau & the Belle, The Duet, and The Design by R.S. GreyMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
These books were super easy to read and they passed the time just fine. I love curling up with one of R.S. Grey's books on the weekend and just passing an evening with some smiles and the knowledge that a happily ever after moment is coming. It's like watching a romantic comedy in book format, and I love it. Overall, they didn't have quite the depth that I seek out in some books, but they were funny and the characters were great. The Duet was probably my favourite of the three of hers I've read so far and I talk about The Beau and the Belle more here.
Neanderthal Seeks Human and Truth or Beard by Penny ReidMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Penny Reid's books are VERY funny. I read the first in each of these series and like R.S. Grey's books, these pass the time sooo nicely. In particular, in Neanderthal Seeks Human, Janie is a one of a kind character, and so much fun. I will slowly read the others in this series although they're not at my library so I am keeping an eye on kindle deals.
Not recommended overall:
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie SuMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This wasn't my favourite Austen adaptation. I've heard that it does follow the Youtube series pretty closely. It's funny because in some ways it felt similar to Eligible, which I loved, but I think it lacked the humour of that book...or something. Anyway, it wasn't too bad but I am off Austen retellings for a little bit after this one. (probably until next week or something - haha). Read for Erin's challenge: book with a person's name in the title.
As You Wish by Chelsea SedotiMy rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
The premise for this book is quite captivating and unlike anything I've read before, so I was initially quite taken with it. I read the first third of it quite quickly and was anxious to find out what happened. However, Eldon's character soon got pretty old and he never seemed to do much. He was also so angsty and difficult to read about. I will say that the author strung me along quite nicely in that I wanted to keep reading to find out what his wish was - and what others had wished for - but overall, this book wasn't quite as good as I expected it to be. The ending did redeem it in some ways, and this might be better received in its target YA audience but for me it was a bit of a flop. Freebie for Erin's challenge.
If you've read this far - yay, thank you!!!
TL;DR - I highly recommend The Great Alone, Last Christmas in Paris, From Lukov with Love (if you like romance), and Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series as well as all of Fredrik Backman's books. ;) Still Me was wonderful too.
Currently reading in some capacity: The Shadow of the Wind (loving it on audio), Brown Girl Dreaming (almost done on audio), and Homegoing. <--taking my time with that last one and have taken it out from the library 4 times now :S Needing to start another Netgalley book too. I tried Ensnared last week and had to take a major pause - might be a DNF but I hate to do that with ARCs.
What have you been reading lately? My Netgalley shelf and my library holds are both exploding but I'm trying to keep up OR just let some go until later. Too many books, too little time!!! :)
Looks like you've read some great books recently! That's awesome. I LOVED Me Before You but I still need to read After You. My sister enjoyed both, so she's hoping to read Still Me soon. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I do love Louisa as a character in general.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I liked Still Me even better than After You, which I still liked more than many people. Louisa is really good in this one :)
DeleteBeartown was really good, but sound very different than this Backman book! Interested to see him tackle a different type of story.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try that Kristin Hannah one, I keep hearing good things. I read The Nightingale and loved it, but felt just meh about Magic Hour by her. I wasn't sure if I should read Still Me. I LOVED Me Before You but could have lived without After You... but I've heard this one is better.
ReplyDeleteThis one is way better than After You in my opinion. It really wraps the story up nicely. I know what you mean though - I don't really feel that Me Before You needed to be a trilogy but I loved all the extra time with Louisa as a character. The Great Alone was wonderful! I haven't read Magic Hour or any of her others besides Winter Garden and The Nightingale.
DeleteCan you believe my library has no Mariana Zapata books. It makes me so mad! The Veronica Speedwell books sound interesting. I loved Nightingale, even though it isn't usually my genre to want to read so I added the new book to my TBR. Glad you liked it. Still Me is already on hold at the library, waiting my turn!!
ReplyDeleteI loved Me Before YOu, but I'm scared to read Me After YOu, because I've heard so many bad things!! but I might check out your suggestion, I do feel I need more Louisa Clark in my life.
ReplyDeleteLouisa Clark is such a great character!!
DeleteKristin Hannah's latest is getting lots of love but admit I've been hesitant to get it. I loved The Nightingale so much but it also broke my heart so much. The Deanna Raybourn books sound right up my alley and adding them to my TBR. I still have not read Me Before You, some day!
ReplyDeleteThis one definitely broke my heart a bit less than The Nightingale...which shattered me and caused me to cry multiple times. Haha. I won't say this one isn't intense, but it's not QUITE the same level of sadness, or at least it wasn't for me.
DeleteI've been anxious to see a review on Still Me... I cant wait to get my hands on that one
ReplyDeleteI didn't think I would like The Great Alone based on the topic, but your great review makes me think otherwise. I definitely want to read Last Christmas in Paris!
ReplyDeleteAdding The Great Alone to my TBR!
ReplyDeleteyay for the great alone! i am hoping to get to it asap. last christmas in paris too. maybe i should save it for christmas haha. i know i don't need to but at the rate i am going, it might take that long. i just started A Perilous Undertaking so hopefully I finish the series soon. I really liked the first one.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for your thoughts on Dear Aaron.. I don't actually know anyone who has enjoyed it... so I'm scared. I mean there are people on GR that loved it, but none of my 'friends' on GR liked it. So yeah. You tell me when you're done lol. Ambulance Sam lol! i can't wait to read that one. You know I feel about the RS Grey books. The Design was probably my least favourite.
so guess what! i can lend penny reid's books to you! i just discovered this. you only get them for 2 weeks though, so just let me know when you want them. i do not own the beard series though, so i can't lend you those. i read them on kindle unlimited and i'm not paying full price when i've already read them lol but i will buy them when they go on sale.
not gonna lie, not looking forward to the lizzie bennet book. i liked the youtube series but it's not even close to my favourite Austen related anything, and I've heard the book doesn't really go into more detail, covering things you miss in the youtube show. so i don't know what the point of it is. but i chose it for Erin's challenge so i 'have' to read it. plus i have it at home so may as well.
sooooo don't take my word for it but you should definitely DNF ensnared. i wish i had. sorry not sorry.
Yes yes yes The Great Alone. I only wished for a little more storytelling in the end. I loved it so much I read the After, which I never do LOL
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even heard of the idea of "meet cute" until watching The Holiday, but I love it. I'm still on the fence about whether I like short story anthologies or not, but adding this to my queue. I still have Me Before You on my shelf- I should probably read that first! I completely judged The Great Alone on its cover (which doesn't appeal to me), but after seeing so many great reviews and being a fan of Kristin Hannah in general, I'll have to add it!
ReplyDeleteIve heard such good things about My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry! Its on my list
ReplyDeleteDefinitely want to read The Great Alone and Snow Child -- it's the wanna-be Alaskan in me. I really liked a Man Called Ove and want to read his other books, even though I've heard they aren't the same.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Alone is definitely next up on my list!
ReplyDeleteI actually started listening to My Grandmother and then had to get the ebook from the library because I ran out of time but it was such a good book! I also loved all of the Harry Potter references too! A Perilous Undertaking sounds like a good book and it’s totally going on my list! I can’t get enough historical fiction!
ReplyDeleteI’m excited for Still Me and I am glad to know this is better than After You. I love Jojo Moyes and her backlist is one I need to tackle, too.
ReplyDeleteLast Christmas in Paris sounds right up my alley!!! Adding it to my TBR!!! :)
ReplyDeleteAlright, I need to move Great Alone up a little higher on my reading priority list! Your review has me sold! So many people read The Beau & The Belle this month! (I Blame Kristen!) Eventually I may cave on that one although I might not be willing to post the cover art to my book collage! Ha!
ReplyDeleteI've added The Great Alone to my TBR. I've only read two of Hannah's books, the two that you mentioned, and I'm interested to read more.
ReplyDeleteI really, really wanted to like My Grandmother... but it just didn't happen. I didn't really care for the imaginary land story that was told throughout. I loved A Man Called Ove and Beartown, though.
So many great recommendations on your list! I had never heard of the Veronica Speedwell books, so thanks for sharing those! After reading A Man Called Ove, I am a Frederik Backman fan for life!
ReplyDeleteI liked The Snow Child from beginning to end and it was so sad and so happy at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI've only read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and I don't know if I want to try another. (ugh, I didn't love it).
I somewhat despise Louisa Clark but am willing to read a third. Something about that stupid storyline pulls me in. (my husband has watched the Me Before You movie twice ha ha).
Wow, you read a lot last month! That's awesome! :-)
ReplyDeleteI think I need to try a Fredrik Backman novel at some point. I feel like a lot of people love them, and I've just never gotten around to seeing what all the fuss is about.
I added The Snow Child. It seems like the kind of book I should have heard about, but it's not ringing any bells. I looked up more information about it on Goodreads, and it really intrigued me. I don't always love magical realism, but when it's done well, it can be amazing.
The Great Alone was already on my to read list. I love Kristin Hannah. I didn't know that there was a third book in the Me Before You series and I just added it to my to-read list. I may check out Backman's My Grandmother Asked Me on audio!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah does historical fiction so well! And I have Last Christmas in Paris on hold at the library - hopefully I get it soon!
ReplyDeleteI have Eligible and The Secret Diaries of Lizzie Bennett in my to-read stacks, but I haven't gotten to them yet.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Snow Child. I think because I read it as I was just beginning to come back to the reading life it stuck with me. I cannot wait to read The Great Alone and The Last Christmas in Paris. Pam :)
ReplyDeleteI have had my grandmother told me to tell you she's sorry for SO long and still haven't read it ;(
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed The Beau and The Belle. I have more of her books and Reid's and Zapata's on my TBR. I am hoping Kristen will keep sharing when they are onsale. hehehe :) I loved Lizzie Bennett Diaries on YouTube, but I don't think I would want to read it. Bummer that you didn't love it. I want to read Veronica Speedwell books and also Last Christmas in Paris! :) Glad you had such a good reading month!! :) XO - Alexandra
ReplyDeleteSimply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
I'm hoping to read The Great Alone sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteLast Christmas in Paris made me think about the lost art of letter writing, too. It was sweet to see a romance evolve that way.
I'm definitely going to check out the Veronica Speedwell series!
Meet Cute sounds like a fun book - I'm always interested in asking couples how they met!
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes a bunch of those books look amazing !I loved the Great Alone. I'm adding a lot of these to my TO READ list so thanks for the recommendations!
ReplyDelete