I can't wait to see what everyone has been reading. Linking up today with Steph and Jana, our amazing hostesses :) Here are a few books I read in the past month or so since the last link up:
HIGHLY RECOMMEND:
How to Walk Away by Katherine CenterMy rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
This book comes out May 15. I had extremely high expectations for this book because I absolutely adored Happiness for Beginners and though I haven't read all of Katherine Center's books yet, I have enjoyed many of the others as well. This book was just as great as I expected it to be. I think it claims my second spot out of her books because I just have such a strong adoration for Happiness for Beginners but this was still so great.
I am not ashamed to admit that I read it in one sitting on a rainy Sunday evening and loved every minute of it. It was more emotional (for me, at least) than Happiness for Beginners because the reality that the main character finds herself in is so devastating and hope seems to falter for quite a bit there.
As with many of her books, I loved the cast of characters. Her writing is so great and I found myself laughing and crying and deeply rooting for the characters. And of course, I was quite happy with the ending and all the feels :)
I will absolutely be re-reading this one and adding a paper copy to my bookshelf in addition to this advanced copy provided to me by St. Martins Press and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and share my opinions before its May publication - I follow Katherine Center on Instagram and I had been following her progress with this novel and waiting with bated breath to have these words in my life.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. FinnMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It feels like it's been awhile since I read a psychological thriller after burning myself out on them a bit last year - but this one deserves all the hype. I spent most of the book not knowing exactly who or what to trust and the ending was particularly surprising to me - and intense too. The short chapters really make this one move quickly. I highly recommend this one if you like this genre - it was kind of a better version of The Girl on The Train (in my opinion) and the writing was very good.
Homegoing by Yaa GyasiMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
This isn't a popular opinion but this book was difficult to read. It took me forever because I just never connected with the overall story and the format. However, I did enjoy many of the stories and the writing was wonderful...it just wasn't enough to hold my interest over other books. I do think this is an important book and I'm glad I read it, but it was difficult to connect with because I would just be getting into a character and then their story was over. (Read for "home in the title" category for Erin's challenge).
Leaving Everest by Megan WestfieldMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
After loving Lessons in Gravity last year, I was really excited to see that Megan Westfield had a new book coming out. I was a bit hesitant about this subject matter because Everest is soooo grandiose and the magnitude of the mountain and the survival skills required to summit it freak me out a little bit BUT I needn't fear because this book made me really appreciate and love the Everest life. Emily and Luke and the supporting characters were so fun to read about and I had read 60% of this book without even realizing it. I happily finished it off the next morning and am now looking forward to revisiting it soon. It was also great to see a slight mention of April and Josh from Lessons in Gravity.
Again, I was reminded that I like the new adult genre quite a bit, especially when it is done well. Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with a copy of this for an honest review.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca SteadMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I loved this audiobook and finished it quite quickly. It was a cute story about a 12 year old girl and her friends and there were elements of time travel, A Wrinkle in Time, learning about friendships and family, and some growing up. It was great.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline WoodsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This audiobook was incredible. Woodson's storytelling is so riveting and it was a joy to listen to. I was completely invested in it and if anything, I wanted more. I think the format of this really lends itself well to an audiobook too - the poetic nature of the writing was a bit harder for me to read in print although it is still lovely. This had been on my TBR list for way too long (and in my audible queue) so I'm glad I finally made time for it.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafónMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow - this audiobook was fantastic. This book will stay with me for a long time. I loved the language, the description of Barcelona, the mysterious story, the sadness, the emotions, and the love of books. This is an incredible story even though it was very dark at times. It reminded me a bit of The Book Thief for some reason (although meant for an adult audience) and it also reminded me a bit of The Count of Monte Cristo though that could be because the audio narration felt similar.
STILL WORTH YOUR TIME:
Force of Nature by Jane HarperMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
After loving The Dry (like many - it was so popular last year it seemed!), I was anticipating this book and it was another good one. I didn't love it as much as her first book but I still found her writing to be absolutely captivating and all-consuming, particularly her description of setting. I really had no idea how this book would resolve and the ending was fast-paced and page-turning. I really like Aaron Falk as a character too and hope we see more of him in her future work.
The Phantom's Apprentice by Heather WebbMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I am very familiar with the musical of The Phantom of the Opera but have not read the original book. I'd say this novel did a wonderful job of encompassing the story and adding to it as well. It took me awhile to get into, and made me realize that probably my favourite part of the Phantom of the Opera is the music, because other parts of it are creepy (a ghost?! a stalker crazy ghost in an old building?! ahhh). I did really like this book though and if you are a huge fan of the original story, this would be worth your time to consider. It's still set in historical times but the story is told a bit more from Christine's perspective.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sonnet Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel for review. It is now available.
Death on the Nile by Agatha ChristieMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
While I still appreciate and admire Agatha Christie's writing and I like Poirot as a character, this was not as good as I expected it to be. The cast of characters here was just unlikable to me and I found myself not really caring what happened to anyone. The mystery itself was also predictable. (Read for "setting = transportation" category of Erin's challenge).
By the Book by Julia SonnebornMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I had been anticipating this book for months because I love Persuasion AND I am generally a huge fan of many Austen retellings. While this fell a little flat for me, I still liked it. There were certain parts about it that I decidedly DID NOT like at all, but the ending was good and the characters were good enough and there were some cute parts. I liked the university setting and the supporting characters too.
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie JamesMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
This was really cute. I wouldn't classify it as a P&P retelling at all but I did enjoy the mention of the book a few times. Way less drama than P&P in my opinion. haha. Passed the time nicely. Very similar to Dating You/Hating You in a lot of ways.
Other books I read and enjoyed but don't feel the need to discuss in extreme detail:
I went on an R.S. Grey binge towards the end of my Kindle Unlimited free month and read Anything You Can Do, The Foxe and the Hound, The Allure of Julian LeFray, and The Allure of Dean Harper. Anything You Can Do is likely one of my favourites of hers - I love that type of love story and it was well done and funny. The others were all good and as I've said before, her books are like sitting down to watch a romantic comedy in book form. Somewhat forgettable after the fact, but so enjoyable in that moment. I also read Living Out Loud and it was 3/5 stars for me - I can't wait for the second part of this S&S retelling. I read this book in one day and while it wasn't my favourite, it was still cute. I also read and enjoyed the first in a trilogy by Susannah Nix (contemporary romance) about women who work in scientific fields. It was funny and cute.
What have you been reading lately?
I'm currently reading:
Educated by Tara Westover
Re-reading:
First time reading the illustrated version! This is one of my favourites in the series so I am loving it.
You are the second person that has had such good things to say about The Woman in the Window. I'm moving it up on my TBR.
ReplyDeleteSomeone else read Force of Nature, too; I just can't remember who. Each time I have read the title, it has reminded me of the Sandra Bullock movie from the late 90s or early 00s, Forces of Nature.
You read so many good books over the past month! I remember everybody talking about The Dry and it’s on my list so hopefully I pick it up soon! The Woman In The Window sounds like a really good read as well and it’s going on my list. I feel like I’ve heard a lot about that one lately. And hooray for rereading Harry Potter! The illustrated copies are so beautiful and I can’t wait to read them with the girls one day!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about The Woman in the Window. I'm currently reading Chamber of Secrets, illustrated edition. I can't wait to get to the third as that's my favorite too.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I felt the same way about Force of Nature. Can't wait for more Aaron, though.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your thoughts on Educated!
A friend was just talking about The Woman in the Window! Cool to see a good review. Understand what you mean about Homegoing- I enjoyed it, but it was a little hard to keep up with all the different characters & connections.
ReplyDeleteI keep seeing the Woman in the Window so I will probably need to add it to my list. I DNF Homegoing, I may pick it back up soon to try again but I couldn't connect at all.
ReplyDeletei am trying to get to a point where i just read what i want, but it's hard what with challenges and netgalley and library books. i tend to enjoy books more when i just read whatever tickles my fancy but that really doesn't jive with all those deadlines sometimes lol. i am so glad you liked how to walk away, i can't wait to read it. the woman in the window is next up on my list (another deadline, a friend gave me her copy and i need to give it back in a few days!). well at least you didn't hate homegoing lol. i have the shadow of the wind at home, so glad you enjoyed it! i'm glad you liked Anything You Can Do, it was my first of hers and i really enjoyed it. might have to re-read. i did not like by the book at all, womp womp.
ReplyDeleteLove thrillers, so definitely adding Woman in the Window to my TBR. I had a hard time getting into Homegoing as well, and DNF. I'd love to pick it back up, but not sure that I will.
ReplyDeleteI think that Homegoing was difficult to read too, I kept trying to connect the stories back to their ancestors, but then I realized that I needed to let each other stand on their own, without trying to force the connection... that's when I found a good rhythm for it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Brown Girl Dreaming, I might read it with my son next year.
and Always LOVE Harry Potter.
I've had Shadow of the Wind on my kindle forever and I really need to read it! I am planning on re-reading all of the HP books later this year and I can't wait! Prisoner of Azkaban was one of my faves, too!
ReplyDeleteBrown Girl Dreaming has been on my list for years. My now dearly departed fourth grade teacher recommended it.
ReplyDeleteI still need to read The Dry and Shadow on the Wind. I just added The Woman in the Window to my TBR. Several of you mentioned how much you enjoyed it in this link-up, so I'll give it a shot because I do love a great psychological thriller.
ReplyDeleteOh I love thrillers so I am adding The Woman In the Window to my list!!
ReplyDeleteDeath on the Nile is not an Agatha Christie novel that I re-read as much as the others, but the television version with David Suchet is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteYou certainly know how to write a compelling review- I hadn't even heard of How To Walk Away and now I'm anxious to read it! I've been on the fence re: The Woman in the Window because it sounds similar to The Girl on the Train, but I just heard that it's going to be a movie, and I have a weird thing about reading a book before seeing the movie, so I've added it to my TBR.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read Happiness for Beginners for ages but just added How to Walk Away to my to read list too. Homegoing and The Woman in the Window are on my to read list too.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading When You Reach Me to my class right now and they love it.
ReplyDeleteI tried Shadow of the Wind a few years ago and didn't finish it. Maybe the audio would be better.
Thanks for reading and reviewing EVEREST!! Having read the book, I think you'll have fun scanning over some of news stories that will undoubtedly come out of the climbing season this year (kicks off next month!).
ReplyDeleteSome of the review copies didn't have links to the LEAVING EVEREST Bonus Book in them, so LMK if yours didn't so I can send you the link!
Glad for the tip about BROWN GIRL DREAMING...audio is my current favorite way to read and the book is on my TBR. --Megan
Wow, it looks like you had a really productive reading month! That's awesome! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you also liked The Woman in the Window. The writing was much better than I initially expected, so that was a nice surprise.
Homegoing has been on my list forever. If I try for the bonus round of Erin's challenge, I might read it then. I'm thinking I may not get to the bonus round, though. I still have one more book left to complete the first round, and tons of other library books that are higher priority right now.
The Shadow of the Wind sounds like both something I would like and something I wouldn't like. (Weird, I know.) I kind of want to read it now, though, because we just went to Barcelona last November and it might be interesting to read a book set there. I also love books that involve books/a love of books, so that makes an even more compelling case for me to read it.
Glad to hear The Woman in the Window is worth the hype! I got it through BOTM, and I'm hoping to get to it once we move (because I already packed it up. Haha). I have How to Walk Away on my NetGalley-can't wait to read it soon!
ReplyDeleteI am on the wait list for Woman in the Window at the library and I need all these other people in front of me to hurry up!!! I have Homegoing on my TBR but I feel like I might need to be in a certain mood to get through it. I need to check out Katherine Center. Haven't read anything from her.
ReplyDeletei'm waiting for force of nature and i hope i like it (i loved The Dry).
ReplyDeleteSo many great books to add to my tbr. I enjoyed Homegoing. I listened to the audio version but glad I had the hardback handy to refer to the family tree chart. Brown Girl Dreaming was another great book I listened too. I'm trying to get my hands on a copy of Educated. It seems like everyone is talking about it! Pam :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed The Beau and the Belle, so I definitely want to read more of R.S. Grey's books. I love a good rom com. Leaving Everest sounds really intriguing to me! :) I want to read Homegoing and Brown Girl Dreaming - I'm glad that you enjoyed the audio so much! I am in the minority and wasn't blown away by The Dry.. so I am not sure if I will continue with the series or not.. XO - Alexandra
ReplyDeleteSimply Alexandra: My Favorite Things