Tag: Books

September Reads

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The Guest List

I’d seen a lot of buzz surrounding The Guest List, especially after Reese Witherspoon chose it for her book club, so I put myself on the list at the library. It finally came in, and I read it over the course of two days. I could not put it down.

The book is told through four different points of view, and is really good at spreading out the murder mystery throughout the book. By the end I was shouting at the book because I honestly had no idea 1) who was dead and 2) who had done it. I had thought for sure I knew both, but Lucy Foley did an amazing job at throwing you off the scent.

I highly recommend this book, and I am probably going to read more Lucy Foley books now. (BOTM)

Head Over Heels

This was one of my Book of the Month Club picks, and I found it a nice fluffy romance to help cleanse my pallet from a lot of heavier books I’ve been reading lately.

Head Over Heels tells a love story between two former Olympic level gymnasts who fall in love while coaching a young gymnast for the 2020 Olympics, which go on as planned because in this world, there is no pandemic.

The book is fun, and follows the romance formula, and I read the whole thing in 24 hours. If you’re looking for a fun, easy read, I highly recommend this book. I’ll even lend you my copy! (BOTM)

Home Before Dark

Home Before Dark is a haunted house story in the vain of Amityville Horror. The book tells of a family who fled their house to save their lives and then profited from the story. Years later, the daughter moves back into the house, and finds out whether the story her father wrote about was true or not.

The book was pretty good. It alternated chapters between current time and chapters from her dad’s book. I felt there were parts of the book definitely lacking, but it kept me interested enough to keep reading. I was honestly surprised with the way the author chose to end the book.

While this is the book I would rate lowest this month, I still recommend it, and will gladly loan you my copy. (BOTM)

The Picture of Dorian Gray

After several months of choosing new releases to read, our book club decided to choose a classic for September. We chose The Picture of Dorian Gray. At first I had a really hard time getting into the book, and then I found it at my library on audio, and I could not stop listening to it.

Earlier this year I listened to Oscar Wilde’s Importance of Being Earnest and fell in love. This book was no different. There’s just something about the way Wilde tells a story. Yes, there was a whole section that dragged, but it really didn’t deter the story too badly.

I went into the book knowing this was what got Wilde arrested and imprisoned for homosexuality, and boy, could you really see it. He was not trying to hide it. The book was a good commentary on sin, and society, and had a good amount of suspense. I really wanted to know what was going to happen to Dorian. I highly recommend, and if you don’t think you can get through the text, get the audio!

The Boys, Volume 1: The Name of the Game

My husband and I started watching the show on Amazon Prime, and I immediately put myself on the list for the first set of comics. And after reading this I came away with a few takes.

  1. Casting Simon Pegg as Hughie’s Dad makes A LOT of sense
  2. They changed quite a bit between book and screen.
  3. Homelander is still a giant ass.

If you’re like me, and you’re enjoying the show, definitely check out the comics. Don’t be surprised if you see more on my list before the year is out.

August Reads

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The Vanishing Half

This was our book club pick for the month of August, and I had it read in two days. Not having power for a week due to a land hurricane called a derecho barreling through Iowa may have been a helping factor, but the book was so good.

The Vanishing Half tells the story of two identical twin sisters who leave their small home town. The sisters are Black, but they can pass for White, which is what one sister does. The two go their separate ways, and live separate lives, until their daughters cross paths.

The story is a wonderful journey in the lives of four women, the twins and their daughters, and I love how rich the story is. I became very invested in their stories, and could only hope things would work out for the women.

I highly recommend this story to everyone. (BOTM)

You Are Not Alone

I borrowed this book from a friend, and I have to say, out of all the books I’ve read so far in 2020, this is definitely near the bottom of my list.

Billed as a thriller, I never really felt like the main character was in any danger. Throughout the book the authors made it feel as if the socialites had some big secret society thing going on, and when everything is revealed, it felt like a bit of a let down.

If you’re going to try to read one book a month for the rest of the year, skip this one, it’s not worth trying to fit in. (BOTM)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I really wanted to like this one. I really did. And It was okay. I liked parts of it. However, there are a few things that made me frustrated, and things that I would have wanted to change.

The story is basically President Snow’s origin story, so it is expected to show how he became the sadistic man we met in The Hunger Games Trilogy. However, because we knew he would become evil, there really wasn’t anything too shocking.

The things I felt were interesting in the book were the 10th Hunger Games which helped show us how the games had evolved, and President Snow’s ties to District 12, which allowed us insight into why Snow did the things he did with Katniss.

Things I felt could have been better: I really, really, really wanted there to be an LGBTQ+ relationship between Snow and his rival. I wanted there to be some tragic story of loss and class difference between the two of them, and I wanted that to propel Snow into the man he became in the Trilogy.

That said, I think everyone should read it, especially if you’re a fan of the Trilogy, and I’m actually looking forward to the film.

The Jackal

I don’t have much to say about this one. I love basically everything J.R. Ward publishes. If you’re a fan, I recommend this book. I loved the love story, I loved the characters, and I’m interested to see where the story goes, since this is touted as Prison Camp Book 1, and seeing how this book ended, I wonder how there will be more.

March Reads

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Red, White, and Royal Blue

Red, White and Royal Blue is easily my favorite book I’ve read in 2020, so far. I went into it skeptically, like I do most books that have been overhyped, and then read it all in one day.

The book follows Alex, the son of the first female President of the United States, and Henry, a literal Prince of England. They start off at odds with one another, a feud if you will. But then it becomes very obvious that they are in love, and the book quickly becomes one of the most realistic, love stories I have read.

The book is achingly romantic, and I found myself rooting for the success of Alex and Henry’s relationship. I borrowed this book from the library, but I will probably end up purchasing it so I can re-read it over and over again. (BOTM)

The Alice Network

This month’s book club pick was The Alice Network. I listened to this book on audio, and I ended up strapping the blue tooth speaker to the waist belt of the baby carrier and spending four hours one day listening to the book while I cleaned. For perspective I normally just listen to audiobooks in the car. This book was that good.

The book follows two different women in two different times. Eve, a British spy in France during World War I, and Charlie, a pregnant nineteen year old American, who seeks out Eve to search for her missing French cousin, post World War II.

The book flips between both timelines and you get to see how strong both women are as they face different obstacles, while also watching the two form an amazing relationship with one another. Along for the ride in post WWII is Finn, Eve’s Scottish driver.

Each story has heartbreaking revelations, and the author really shines a light on PTSD following fighting in a war.

If you enjoy historical fiction, definitely check this one out.

Things in Jars

For Christmas this year, my sisters gifted me with three months of a Book of the Month Club subscription. Things in Jars was my pick for January.

This book was, different. I don’t know if I would have chosen it if it hadn’t been offered up to me in a curated pick of five choices, but it was right up my alley. Victorian London, supernatural aspects. Maybe? Ever since finishing the book, I’ve had a hard time figuring out if everything that happened was real, or if it was in Bridie’s head.

The book follows Bridie, a private investigator as she tries to solve the case of a missing child. She is joined by a handsome ghost, Ruby. As they solve the case, it becomes more and more surreal. I’m about a week out from finishing the book, and I’m still trying to figure out the ending. I will be passing the book to a friend so I can talk to someone about what it was exactly that we just read. (BOTM)

Time of Contempt

At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this installment of The Witcher Series. The first half of the book is a lot of explaining about politics and movement in the universe. A lot. It’s pretty tedious.

And then about half way through the book, everyone converges together for the first time, and everyone is happy! And then everything happens. There is an epic battle, and for the first time the tide has turned against our heroes, and the book ends sort of on the morose note.

I currently have the next book on hold. It’ll be available in a month. It’s going to be a long month.

The Huntress

After reading The Alice Network I had high hopes for The Huntress, and I was not disappointed. The book had engaging characters and a plot that caused me to not want to put the book down.

The book follows three people: Jordan, an aspiring photograph, Ian, a former war reporter turned Nazi hunter, and Nina, a Russian fighter pilot. They are all affected by a woman who is known as The Huntress, and when you find out how each one is affected, really is the heart of the story.

Like in The Alice Network the second the storylines of these people converge, the story becomes even more interesting, and the plot moves even quicker.

If you enjoy World War II stories, or just historical fiction in general, I highly suggest you pick this book up.

The Sinner

The eighteenth installment of The Blackdagger Brotherhood series. While I didn’t completely fall in love with Syn like I normally do with any of the Brothers who is featured, I loved Jo, who we have been following for several books now. That and the conclusion of the Dhestroyer prophecy really made the book nearly impossible to set down.

Butch has always been one of my favorite Brothers, and his relationship with Vishous has been one of my favorites of the series. The focus on Butch and Vishous and their role in the war against the lessers, was touching and enthralling all at once.

Syn is flawed, and it took me a while to feel any sympathy for him. I was more in love with Jo, a half-breed waiting for her transition, even though she didn’t know she was a half breed. Once Jo was brought into the secret world, the book got infinitely better and I started enjoying her and Syn together. Maybe it’s because the last two romances of the series were so intense, but Syn is definitely no Muhrder.