What I Read: April 2018 Edition

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman- This is the prequel to Practical Magic and I have to say I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than that one. Though I think I would enjoy that one more if I wasn't so in love with the movie. This book focuses on the Aunts and honestly I loved every minute finding out more about them and their lives before Sally and Jillian. This book was so much fun to read and honestly just fascinating. If you are at all into Practical Magic either the movie or the book then you should definitely check this one out. 

One of Us is Lying by Karen M McManus- I heard so many great things about this one and I have to say I was not disappointed. I actually did keep putting it down so that I could take my time finishing and it kept me guessing until the end. Great read. (I want to write so much about this but I don't want to spoil it and honestly that would be super easy to do and I don't want to ruin it!) 

The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth- Another book that showed up on my holds list that I don't remember putting there but I am so happy it did! This was a light and quick read and while at times predictable it was still so very good. The love story was sweet. The story between the 3 generations of women was amazing. Lots of baby stuff and some of it could be tough for those that are squeamish or have never given birth before. Still it's a great read. 

What have you been reading this month? Be sure to join the linkup! 

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What I Read: March 2018

When Dimple Met  Rishi by Sandhya Menon- I so wanted to like this. I love silly romance and I love YA but I just couldn't get into this one. For one I really hated Dimple. She was just this back and forth and back and forth and really judgmental while screaming about being judged and I thought we were going to get more of her as a strong female character but she just fell flat for me. Rishi was likable enough but I felt like he was getting the raw end of the deal because he kept trying and Dimple kept being just meh. I know so many who loved this and honestly am bummed that I didn't. 

I Heart My Little A-Holes by Karen Alpert- I don't know how I stumbled upon this but I did and as a currently very pregnant person I was interested in reading something "mom" related. This book was pretty hilarious and it was nice to see a mom that was okay talking about the less glamorous parts of being a mom. Sometimes it is super hard and while you wouldn't change a thing it isn't Instagram perfection around here like....ever. I enjoyed this one but if you aren't a mom or into reading "mommy blog" style stuff give it a pass.

I want my Epidural Back: Adventures in Mediocre Parenting by Karen Alpert- I picked this one up because I really did enjoy the first however this one was just more repeat of the first one and felt like she just threw some blog posts into a book and published it. It repeated a lot of the first book and just didn't have the humor this time around to keep it going. I actually didn't finish it.

Books on Deck:

One of Us is Lying- I am so hooked but trying to savor this one! So far it's amazing.
The Rules of Magic- Again trying to savor it.
Thunderhead- Audio book that I'm trying to listen to but am kind of saving for my road trip next week!

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What I Read: April 2017

The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick- Another Kendrick book and another fairly predictable love story. I actually liked this one a lot even though it wasn't set in the Black Dog Bay series. The characters were enjoyable but I did get slightly annoyed at the main character's complete devotion to following everyone's wishes but her own. Sure I know people just like that and that is absolutely a thing but it was so frustrating. I would say if you are a fan of Kendrick you will love this and if you are just looking for a light summer read you will also probably really enjoy this one. 

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney- This book has me feeling some type of way. I was hooked pretty early on and the characters had me intrigued even though it was really hard at times to keep them straight since the story flashes from past to present throughout the entire thing but by the end I was just left with this sense of meh....followed quickly by undeniable anger and then eye rolling frustration at the author for having trapped me in a book with a lackluster ending. Honestly I don't even know what I think now. I gave it a three star rating but I am really considering dropping it to two now that I have thought about it a little longer. I'm just not sure. Also some SERIOUS trigger warnings: rape, infant loss, physical abuse. Just to warn you ahead of time if you are considering this book because I wish I would have known so I could have avoided it. 

That was all I finished this past month but I have about 5 that I am currently reading included Neil Gaiman's American Gods which I am listening to on audio book and am constantly trying to sneak off and listen to on my own so I can fully appreciate it. So far it is really good! 

So what have you been reading? Be sure to link up! 

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What I Read: January 2017

So happy that it is the BEST DAY of the month Book Linkup Day! Also Happy Valentine's Day.

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf- This book was simply awesome. Suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Seriously this book was so surprising and totally different from anything that I have read before. It can be a pretty graphic at times so if you are particularly squeamish when it comes to murder you might give this one a pass. However if , like myself, you are intrigued by murder mysteries and a sometimes slasher-esque feel then you will really enjoy this book. I would love to write more about it but I don't want to give any spoilers! 

The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike- I really wanted to like this one but honestly I just never got into it. The suspense was okay but I felt like it just kept dragging on and on and found myself putting it down a lot. That is never a good sign and it is worse when the book is supposed to be a horror book. Something might have been lost in translation with this one but for me it just was a no go.

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate- I have loved Applegate's work since I was a kid and I was really excited when I saw she had some new books out while I was browsing at Target. I immediately put two of them on hold and this was the first of the two that came in. I really liked this story and it deals with some tough subject matter for kids. Now I find kid narrators can be a little irritating but this book is very fast paced and I never got bored or tired of the narrator. I love the whimsical style that this book has and I even found myself crying at the end. If you are into Juvenile Fiction or if you have kiddos that are that age this is a great read!

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate- I am so glad that I got this one AFTER Crenshaw. Not because it was bad,actually  just the opposite. I feel like I would have liked Crenshaw less after reading this one but only because this one was BRILLIANT. This book made me laugh out loud, cry, and feel ALL THE FEELS. The narrator is a gorilla named Ivan who lives in a shopping mall that doubles as a circus. Ivan is one of the most wonderful narrators that I have ever read. Actually I listened to this one an audio book and then immediately bought it on Audible so I could have it to listen to again and again. I can't wait for Kyra to be old enough to listen along with me some day. Yes this book is that good. I would recommend it to everyone but again if you like juvenile fiction or have kids...this book is a MUST.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman - Another horror novel and it was GOOD. This book did a great job of making me feel uncomfortable and worried pretty much the entire time. At times it felt like watching an episode of the Walking Dead (no there are no zombies so don't let that put you off) because I just felt so helpless and I really wanted to help the characters. I was so nervous the entire time that I couldn't put the book down, a really great read and a pleasant surprise since I was not sure going in what to expect at all! I recommend for anyone that loves a good horror/ghost story! 

Be sure to share your reads in the linkup! 

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What I Read: July 2016

The Ritual by Adam Nevill- I am still kinda pissed at this book honestly. The first 3/4 were scary as all hell. 4 men lost in the wilderness being hunted by a monster that can also attack their dreams. Seriously it was thrilling and had me going...then suddenly....the whole story changed. I won't give spoilers but the last bit of the book was slow and pretty much stupid. I gave the book 2 stars only because the first bit was awesome. Disappointing.

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics- I did not know this was a YA book when I checked it out. I had seen it on a list of scary books (which is kind of the theme this month. I was in a mood apparently.) and just picked it up. This book was weird. Creepy sure...but weird. It might be because it was trying really hard to be a disturbing horror book while still keeping the YA rating. I liked the overall story but it felt really rushed at the end and when it did reach the end it was pretty predictable. Just okay in my opinion.

The Killing Lessons by Saul Black- This book has me torn as well. The story was gripping and had me intent on finishing but at times the book was also sluggish and I found myself skimming a lot. Usually I was skimming during Valerie's sections where she laments about LOVE and LOST LOVE and how she KILLED LOVE....she was a bit pathetic in that respect. However the killers and the story of Nell and Claudia had me gripped tightly. I HAD TO KNOW what was going to happen and stayed up late finishing this one. It's creepy and also pretty graphic so fair warning if you are going to check this one out.  

Be sure to join in the linkup for more awesome reads! Best Linkup EVER.

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What I Read: April 2016 Edtion

It's the best linkup of the month! 

Time to see what I read last month! 

A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic's Wild Ride to the Edge and Back by Kevin Hazzard- I confess I picked this book up purely based on the title. I mean how can you pass a title like that up? This book was as a promised a wild ride. It is the true account of Mr. Hazzard's years spent as a paramedic and just a few of the cases he worked while on the job. Stories of overdoses, burnt out medics, crazy ambulance rides, and the apparently thrilling, Cardiac Arrest. From the moment he made his decision to become a paramedic and the less than a year training it took to get him prepared I was hooked. Mr. Hazzard writes with a dry humor that I can relate to and even writes the most gruesome stories with a humor that still made me laugh out loud even when I felt truly horrible for those that it affected. I learned a lot from this book and some of the stories will haunt me though definitely not as much as they haunt the author himself. I will say that if you have a weak stomach or are not into the medical field or weird medical cases then you might give this one a miss. However if you, like myself, are curious to know just what goes on during a paramedic call without having to actually go on one...pick this up!

How to be An American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway-  This story follows two women. Shoko who left her family when she married an American soldier and her daughter Sue. Shoko left her family when she married and American soldier after WWII, causing her brother to disown her. However when she becomes sick she sends her daughter on a mission to Japan to find her brother and tell him how much she misses him. This trip is eye opening for Sue who has always felt very distant from her mother feeling that she never lived up to her mother's expectations.  I loved reading about Shoko's life before she got married and left for America and how she when she arrived she tried to be the perfect American Housewife drawing her knowledge from a book of the same name despite the differences in her own upbringing. I also enjoyed learning more about Sue but it took a bit for me to really get into her character. Thankfully toward the second half of the book Sue really got to narrate and I appreciated her story line a lot more. A great read if you are like me and love Asian Culture or if you simply want to see what was expected of the "American Housewives" from the past.

I hope to get a lot more reading done this month as this was a pretty slow one (there were 3 books I just could not finish)  and I can't wait to see what you all read to make my reading list expand again! 

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What I Read: Kyra's Favorites

Good Morning Everyone, 

I know that one of my favorite monthly posts is the Show Us Your Books Linkup. It's awesome getting to see what other people have read to get new books for your own list. I also love seeing books that I've already read and getting a different perspective! 

Today I thought I would share with you some of Kyra's favorite books! Maybe you have little ones and need some new books or maybe you are like me and are happy to read any book even if it is in the Children's Section! 

Here we go: 

Bunnies- This is a recent favorite but Kyra really loves the different bunnies and likes to point out what each one is doing ("Sleeping!" she will yell.) She also likes to tell me the colors. Very cute little book.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear- This one is a lot of fun because Kyra likes to tell me all the different animals. She is also STELLAR at telling me all the colors of each one. This is a great learning book as well as fun when read in a sing song type voice!

Ferdinand the Bull- Kyra likes this one mostly because she likes to point out the flowers that Ferdinand smells and she likes when I make the cow sounds. It's also a very sweet story of a gentle bull who keeps his sweetness no matter what but I think she is still too little to understand that part!  Either way she keeps coming back to this one!

There's A Monster at the End of this Book- This is a classic in my humble opinion. Kyra loves how dramatic I act when we read this one, making each page SUPER hard to turn and exclaiming loudly. Who says books have to be a quiet activity?

The Little Black Pony- Okay so to be fair this story is actually one that my mom told us when we were little and we don't have a book for it. She says it is from a second grade primer when she was little and the story stayed with her. I have never been able to find the story in its' original form but it is a favorite of mine and I love that Kyra loves it when I tell it to her. It's a tradition now!

These are just her top five at the moment and they are ones that we have read MULTIPLE times! I love that I get to pass on my love of reading to her and our nightly bedtime stories are one of my favorite times of the day.

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

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