The second half of this reading month was a bit slower than the first half. The main reason is I was super tired and had no down time until the last week of the month. Since then I have picked up some new yarns to crochet and listened to a few audiobooks.
This month, even though the second half was a bit much, I read more than I have in February, where I read only 4 books. This month I was able to read 5 books, yay progress! Plus, one of them was The Count of Monte Cristo, so I feel like I read A LOT, especially if I look at it page wise. Now, on to the books!
Before I started to read this book, I love the idea of this book. Now that I have read it I can happily say the execution of this story was wonderful. The author is a very talented writer and did a great job with this novel. The authors were interesting and their personalities were interesting. The shenanigans the characters went through were sometimes so out of this world, which for the idea of this book, that makes a lot of sense.
I really enjoyed the mixture of thriller and science fiction. The intertwining of these two generous was done masterfully in my option. Her writing had me hooked on this book, I needed to know what happened next.
This is the second work I have read by Chimamanda and I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Each story revolves around a women that is forced to face unfortunate situations in both Africa and the United States. The theme of family, identity, and culture intertwines each of them.
Her writing is beautiful, the struggles broke my heart, and the internal and eternal struggle these women had to face were eye opening.
I am currently about 22% through this book as of writing this late on the 30th of March. I picked this up on a whim at my local bookstore because I had a coupon and gift card. I previously have heard about it. The title alone sounds like these are short stories and poems that are meant to truly share their experiences, their feelings, hopes and dream, but also their fears. As of right now each ones of the poems and stories are powerful in their own way and I cannot wait to read more after I finish typing this up.
March is a wrap! This month has been an incredible reading month for me, I’m not sure what happened. I just kept zooming through books and a wide variety of them too. I have Manga, thrillers, fantasy, mystery, YA, horror and some non-fiction. I am not sure why my reading was all over the place, but it worked for me.
One thing I find interesting is that I see around the blogosphere and on booktube is that some times people have themed reading months. An example would be a classics month, science fiction month, and so on. I have never been someone who can read one type of book and only that type for a longer period of time. Have you done this? I am always curious about what reading habits other people have, I guess I am a bit nosey. Anyway, here are the books I read this month and a few books I am in the middle of.
Over the past month or so I have been reading Death Note, now I am pretty sure this is a manga with 13 volumes so you will be seeing a lot of these covers of the next few months. I have to say I am really enjoying this series. It makes you think about right and wrong and is it the outcome or the intentions that make people good or bad. This whole thing started because my boyfriend picked out this series when I did a little experiment with him. You can find out more about the experiment here: Haul | Boyfriend Picks My Books.
I feel like Christine is one of Stephen Kings most notable novels. Most of the time when someone is talking about Stephen King they mention either The Shining, Christine, or Carrie. I was very excited to get to finally reading Christine and I was not disappointed. He always has a way of making me worried/scared of every day events or objects. I have to say that this is one of my favorites by him, easily a top 3 pick.
I ranted and raved about this book in my review, you can find it here:REVIEW | Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen. I loved this book and if you have not already you should check out her twitter, she is hilarious.
I can’t believe I have not picked up this book sooner. I think I was afraid of all the hype surrounding this book when it first came out. I actually didn’t choose this book on my own. I had a bookseller pick out some books for me and this happened to be one of the books she picked. I can see why some people have an issue with this book, but I have to admit that I found parts to be surprising and enjoyable, especially the doodles. I ended up reading this book in a single day. If you want to see what else the bookseller picked out for me you can find that here: Haul | Bookseller Picks My Books.
This is a non-fiction book that explores the Romanov rule of Russia. Now I love Russian history so this was a books I knew I needed to read. If you read into Russian history there are a few moments and stories that you would never hear happening anywhere else. While I do recommend this book I will say it would be a good idea to have a computer or some type of device where you can search some terms and countries, especially early in the book. There is references to countries and groups of people that no longer exist. There are also some Russian words and titles that are used. If you are unfamiliar with Russian history/government it would also be useful to look them up.
I felt like this book took me way to long to read even though I was enjoying it. I looked and I started it on February 14th, I was reading it for over a month. I am not sure why, but I had a hard time picking up this book. When I did pick it up I read over 100 pages at a time and really enjoyed it. I have never really had that happen to me before. Regardless, this was a good book and I enjoyed the story a lot.
Joe Hill is so good at writing short novels. Each one of the novels that is present in this book was very different from one another, but they were all great. They made me think about society and what people are capable of. It also creeped me out quite a bit. Even though these are fiction they are written in a way where they seems very possible. Even though there are four novels in here I read this in a single day. I could not put it down. I HIGHLY recommend this. I think this was my favorite read this month.
This is the 4th book in the Jackaby series. If you have read my blog for a while you will know that this is one of my top series, I think only second to Harry Potter. It is described as a mixture of Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes. It is funny, has adventure, great characters, and a great story line. I can easily say I have not been disappointed by a single book in this series. You really should look into it.
There is not much to say about this because it is the second book in a trilogy that explores the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. I read volume 1 months ago and finally decided that I would pick up the second. Now, I can already tell that this is going to be an audiobook I am going to rent from the library. Not because it is not good, but because it is very dense and I tend to focus better on these types of books when I am cleaning or working on another “mindless” task. I know, my brain works a little funny sometimes, but all that matters is I figured out what works best for me.
I am currently buddy reading this thriller, I am about 100 pages into it and I am very much enjoying it. It is only about 250 pages, so it is very short. I am very much looking forward to what is going to unfold next.
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale
This is a non-fiction account of a boy murderer during the victorian era. I am very much enjoying this buddy read. But, be warned if you pick this up there is a lot of background about the time period not just the court case. So if you do not wish to hear about the neighborhood or what stores where in the town at the time you may find this book over detailed and long winded. I find it interesting mainly because I love learning about how people and navigated in their lives as well as the society they lived in.
Hello everyone, March is already halfway through and I am just astonished. Time feels like it is just getting faster and faster. Anyway, I wanted to take this time to share with you the books I am currently reading. I hope you enjoy!
Yes, I am still reading this book. It is not because I am no liking it, in fact I am enjoying this book quite a bit. So, when I want to read it I don’t want to be distracted. This leads to there being less reading opportunities.
I am currently buddy reading this book with 3 of my friends. I will not be finishing it this month, but that does not mean I don’t want to. I keep having to force myself not to get ahead of the buddy read. Once again you can check out my March TBR | 2018 for the description.
Happy March everyone! I hope it has started off on a good foot. This month I am very excited to read a few of the books off of my shelf. Especially with #IndieAthon happening all month and the #CroneBookClub happening on March 18th! Click the link for more details on all the fun.
At a Caribbean resort built atop a former slave plantation, Myrna works as a maid by day; by night she trespasses on the resort’s overgrown inland property, secretly excavating the plantation ruins that her island community refuses to acknowledge. Rapt by the crumbling walls of the once slave-owner’s estate, she explores the unspoken history of the plantation—a site where her ancestors once worked the land, but which the resort now uses as a lookout point for tourists.
When Myrna discovers a book detailing the experiences of slaves, who still share a last name with the majority of the islanders, her investigation becomes deeply personal, extending to her neighbors and friends, and explaining her mother’s self-imposed silence and father’s disappearance. A new generation begins to speak about the past just as racial tensions erupt between the resort and the local island community when an African-American tourist at the resort is brutally attacked.
Suffused with the sun-drenched beauty of the Caribbean, Fingerprints of Previous Owners is a powerful novel of hope and recovery in the wake of devastating trauma. In her soulful and timely debut, Entel explores what it means to colonize and be colonized, to trespass and be trespassed upon, to be wounded and to heal.
They can’t wait to meet the fandom of mega movie, The Gallows Dance. What they’re not expecting is to be catapulted by freak accident into their favourite world – for real. Fuelled by love, guilt and fear, can the friends put the plot back on track and get out? The fate of the story is in their hands …
A fast-paced, genre-flipping YA fantasy adventure from a brand new author, writing in homage to the best YA fiction.
As teenagers in Lagos, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are fleeing the country if they can. The self-assured Ifemelu departs for America. There she suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinze had hoped to join her, but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London.
Thirteen years later, Obinze is a wealthy man in a newly democratic Nigeria, while Ifemelu has achieved success as a blogger. But after so long apart and so many changes, will they find the courage to meet again, face to face?
Fearless, gripping, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story of love and expectation set in today’s globalized world.
It’s love at first sight for high school student Arnie Cunningham when he and his best friend Dennis Guilder spot the dilapidated 1958 red-and-white Plymouth Fury for sale—dubbed “Christine” by its original cantankerous owner—rusting away on a front lawn of their suburban Pennsylvania neighborhood. Dennis knows that Arnie’s never had much luck in the looks or popularity department, or really taken an interest in owning a car . . . but Christine quickly changes all that. Arnie suddenly has the newfound confidence to stick up for himself, going as far as dating the most beautiful girl at Libertyville High—transfer student Leigh Cabot—even as a mysteriously restored Christine systematically and terrifyingly consumes every aspect of Arnie’s life. Dennis and Leigh soon realize that they must uncover the awful truth behind a car with a horrifying and murderous history. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and heaven help anyone who gets in Christine’s way…
Early in the morning of Monday 8 July 1895, thirteen-year-old Robert Coombes and his twelve-year-old brother Nattie set out from their small, yellow-brick terraced house in East London to watch a cricket match at Lord’s. Their father had gone to sea the previous Friday, the boys told their neighbours, and their mother was visiting her family in Liverpool. Over the next ten days Robert and Nattie spent extravagantly, pawning their parents’ valuables to fund trips to the theatre and the seaside. But as the sun beat down on the Coombes house, a strange smell began to emanate from the building. When the police were finally called to investigate, the discovery they made sent the press into a frenzy of horror and alarm, and Robert and Nattie were swept up in a criminal trial that echoed the outrageous plots of the ‘penny dreadful’ novels that Robert loved to read. In The Wicked Boy, Kate Summerscale has uncovered a fascinating true story of murder and morality – it is not just a meticulous examination of a shocking Victorian case, but also a compelling account of its aftermath, and of man’s capacity to overcome the past.
While I know I am going to be reading more than 5 books, well hoping I read more than 5 books these are the main books I would like to finish this month. I wish you all the best in March and I hope you read some awesome books!
Can you believe another month has passed? I still have trouble not putting 2017 on everything. Anyway I have to say that this month has been a great month. For some reason I had such drive to improve things in my life and it has made me so much happier. If you have previously read my decluttering blog posts, you know I was trying to simplify my life and get rid of the things I don’t need. Well, I kinda fell off the wagon half way through and I ended up getting the drive back to continue and it has made me happier. If you want to check those out you can find them here: Decluttering | The Start of it All, Decluttering | Daily Clothing, Decluttering | My Books.
Anyway, with that I actually ended up reading more. I am not sure, but clearing things out got the cobwebs out of my head and I read nearly every day this month, I am proud to say I only didn’t read one day. A personal record, I think in March I want to try a 30 day reading challenge.
Anyway, without anymore delay here is my February wrap up!
I absolutely fell in love with this Manga, I have been eating it up ever since. I love the fact I am learning about some Japanese culture and how the story line deals with good in evil in such a way that makes you question, is a person good or bad based upon their thoughts behind their actions or is the outcome of their actions define them. I ended up giving this volume 4 stars.
This was an absolutely amazing read. I am so happy I picked it up on a whim. It was written so well and it was so informative. I can easily say I learned so much while reading this book. Another thing I liked about this book was the fact that this book discussed race outside of the United States. Most books that discuss race are written about the U.S., but reading about the history of race issues in the U.K. was enlightening. As I said in my very short goodreads review, this book will stay with me for a very long time. I gave this book 5 stars, easily.
I have to say that this book is not for me, but I can see why people like it. I would suggest that you click the title (it goes to goodreads) and read some more on it to see if it is something up your alley. I do have The Muse by Jessie Burton and I hear more positive things about this book of hers so I am going to give it a try. I will say Jessie Burton’s writing itself was not the problem, just the story line was not for me. I hope that makes sense.
From the first pages I was so drawn into this novel. As in Goldfinch, Donna Tartt’s writing is grand. She writes characters you can actually hate, but seem so real. She has the ability to create made up characters seem so lifelike, it really is a talent. Another talent of her is making me go “WAIT WHAT?!” when I read her books. So many unexpected things happened in this book I have to say I lost count of the amount of times I was shocked. Since I was reading this in a readalong with some wonderful ladies it took a great deal of self control not to read ahead. I ended up giving this story 4 stars.
This is the third book I have read by Christopher Isherwood and his works continue to impress me. His writing is relaxed even though a bunch happens. This novel has to do with a young writer, fictionalized Isherwood being hired to help write a Vienna based movie with an Austrian director just as WWII begins. Even though you have the story revolving the film industry at the time, you also see a lot of the history seep into the story itself. I ended up giving this story a very strong 4 stars.
As you can see I was not joking when I said I enjoyed this manga. I ended up reading this very soon after finishing Vol. 1 and I read it in one sitting. Since this is a second book I don’t want to give to much details so I don’t spoil anything. I will link to the goodreads page though if you want to know more. I ended up giving this 4 stars.
I am so close to finishing this amazing book, but I ran out of time near the end of the month and I honestly wanted to savor this book. It is well written and it has made me take time to think and reflect upon some of the events that happen in this books. I will be finishing this in the near future and I will be picking up more of her books. I already put in a few requests at my local library.
This month I started reading my next Stephen King Book, but I ran out of time to read it. Darn February only having 28 days. This classic Stephen King book has been on my radar for a very long time and I am so happy to finally be reading it. Even before I started reading Stephen King I knew about him and this car. I don’t want to say more for fear of spoiling a few things. Just know I am enjoy this book and I plan on finishing it soon.
This month I have to say I found a ton of awesome books. All of them I am very excited about and I cannot wait to read them. Some of these books are from my Haul | Boyfriend Picks My Books and others were recommended to me by friends or strangers who I ran into at the bookstore. If you have read any of these please let me know what you thought of them. Also, are any of these on your TBR as well?
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.
As teenagers in Lagos, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are fleeing the country if they can. The self-assured Ifemelu departs for America. There she suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinze had hoped to join her, but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London.
Thirteen years later, Obinze is a wealthy man in a newly democratic Nigeria, while Ifemelu has achieved success as a blogger. But after so long apart and so many changes, will they find the courage to meet again, face to face?
Fearless, gripping, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story of love and expectation set in today’s globalized world.
They can’t wait to meet the fandom of mega movie, The Gallows Dance. What they’re not expecting is to be catapulted by freak accident into their favourite world – for real. Fuelled by love, guilt and fear, can the friends put the plot back on track and get out? The fate of the story is in their hands …
A fast-paced, genre-flipping YA fantasy adventure from a brand new author, writing in homage to the best YA fiction.
Vermont, 1950. There’s a place for the girls whom no one wants–the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It’s called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it’s located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming–until one of them mysteriously disappears. . . .
Vermont, 2014. As much as she’s tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister’s death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister’s boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can’t shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case.
When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past–and a voice that won’t be silenced. . . .
Hiddensee recreates the backstory of the Nutcracker, reimaging how this entrancing creature came to be carved and how it magically guided an ailing little girl named Klara through a dreamy paradise on a snowy Christmas Eve. It also brings to life the mysterious godfather Drosselmeier—the ominous, canny, one-eyed toymaker made immortal by Petipa and Tchaikovsky’s ballet—who presents the once and future Nutcracker to Klara, his goddaughter.
But Hiddensee is not just a retelling of a classic story. Maguire discovers in the flowering of German Romanticism a migrating strain of a Hellenic mystery-cult, and ponders a profound question: how a person who is abused by life, short-changed and challenged, can access secrets that benefit the disadvantaged and powerless. Ultimately, Hiddensee, offers a message of hope. If the compromised Godfather Drosselmeier can bring an enchanted Nutcracker to a young girl in distress, perhaps everyone, however lonely or marginalized on the eve of a winter holiday, has something precious to share.
Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata (Illustrator), Pookie Rolf (Translator)
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects – and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami, a death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal… or his life?
Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note’s powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily, Light’s father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father’s files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn’t know?
London, 1885. In a city of fog and darkness, the notorious thief Edward Shade exists only as a ghost, a fabled con, a thief of other men’s futures — a man of smoke. William Pinkerton is already famous, the son of a brutal detective, when he descends into the underworld of Victorian London in pursuit of a new lead. His father died without ever tracing Shade; William, still reeling from his loss, is determined to drag the thief out of the shadows. Adam Foole is a gentleman without a past, haunted by a love affair ten years gone. When he receives a letter from his lost beloved, he returns to London in search of her; what he learns of her fate, and its connection to the man known as Shade, will force him to confront a grief he thought long-buried. What follows is a fog-enshrouded hunt through sewers, opium dens, drawing rooms, and seance halls. Above all, it is the story of the most unlikely of bonds: between William Pinkerton, the greatest detective of his age, and Adam Foole, the one man who may hold the key to finding Edward Shade.
Everything readers expect from Follett is here: intrigue, fast-paced action, and passionate romance. But what makes The Pillars of the Earth extraordinary is the time the twelfth century; the place feudal England; and the subject the building of a glorious cathedral. Follett has re-created the crude, flamboyant England of the Middle Ages in every detail. The vast forests, the walled towns, the castles, and the monasteries become a familiar landscape. Against this richly imagined and intricately interwoven backdrop, filled with the ravages of war and the rhythms of daily life, the master storyteller draws the reader irresistibly into the intertwined lives of his characters into their dreams, their labors, and their loves: Tom, the master builder; Aliena, the ravishingly beautiful noblewoman; Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge; Jack, the artist in stone; and Ellen, the woman of the forest who casts a terrifying curse. From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, each character is brought vividly to life.
The building of the cathedral, with the almost eerie artistry of the unschooled stonemasons, is the center of the drama. Around the site of the construction, Follett weaves a story of betrayal, revenge, and love, which begins with the public hanging of an innocent man and ends with the humiliation of a king.
Hello everyone, I hope this blog post finds you on a good day. I know that as I write this I have a weekend full of reading ahead of me and I am so excited about it. So since I am going to be doing a ton of reading I thought I would share the books I am currently reading and hopefully will finish very soon.
Since this is the third volume in the series I don’t really want to get into to much detail, but I am loving this series. If you read my Haul | Boyfriend Picks My Books you will see that my amazing boyfriend picked this out for me. Safe to say that he picked a winner. This manga takes a look at Japanese culture and walks the line of what is right and what is wrong. I find it very intriguing and I keep finishing these volumes in one sitting.
I have been eyeballing this book for what seems like forever. Every time I went into the store I would pick it up and then put it down. I am never sure why, but in my most recent trip to an independent bookstore I finally picked it up. I am only about 30 pages or so into this book, but I am very much enjoying it. I am happy I finally did pick it up, her writing style is great. I can’t wait to see where this story goes.
As you can see I have some great books, at least in my opinion, to read this weekend.
Have you read any of these books? What are you currently reading?
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Started Books:
The Feminist Utopia Project: Fifty-Seven Visions of a Wildly Better Future by Alexandra Brodsky(Editor) and Rachel Kauder Nalebuff (Editor)
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
My Pokemon:
My Abra evolved into Kadabra thanks to my progress into the started books!
Reflection:
This Readathon didn’t start off to an amazing start, but it is progressing so that is always a nice bonus. As I write this a few days into the second week I am happy to say I have made nice progress and have started a few more books.
How is your reading progressing? What are you currently reading?
Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl
The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Bookish Luna 