My Best Books of 2016

I didn't get as much reading done this year as I would have liked and some books I wish I would have skipped but here in no particular order are my top picks for 2016! 

A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic's Wild Ride to the Edge and Back by Kevin Hazzard-A book I picked up on a whim simply because the title struck me. Some amazing stories from the authors time as a paramedic. Some things are just to real and this book has some really wild stories. However it was a really awesome and fast read! Maybe not for the squeamish though!

You by Caroline Kepnes This book was creeped me out for WEEKS afterward. It sticks with you in a way that I cannot describe but I still find myself recommending it to friends who don't mind feeling completely uncomfortable and maybe even a little terrified. Disturbing is taken to a whole other level in this one.

Tampa by Alissa Nutting- This book was MESSED UP. I still feel weird about putting it in my top books but the fact is the writing was brilliant and the story, while completely awful and horrifying, is something that you will not forget. Again this one is not for the squeamish or for those that might be triggered by sexual abuse. It's intense.

Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly- This book was so different from what I expected. I loved the main character Kymera and while the story had some predictability to it, it still didn't end the way that I expected. A really wonderful YA book and the start of a promising series of books.

 

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King-I am a Stephen King fan for the most part. I can't say that I love all his work but I still love how he can really terrify me. This set of stories had it's moments that were slow but I still find myself thinking about the really scary ones ever so often. Some ghost stories just can't be shaken I guess. And since I can't seem to let it go this one had to make my top list.

 
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton- I had no idea how much I was going to enjoy this book. It is so different from the films and normally when the film and book are so different I get pretty annoyed. However I like the film for what it is and I liked the book for what it is. The narrator was really amazing for this one on Audible and I am really glad I purchased it so I can listen again and again.

Elite by Mercedes Lackey- The second book in a series that I am just in love with. I really enjoy Lackey's books and this new series is amazing. I love the characters and this whole new world that she has created. HIGHLY recommend if you love fantasy and distopian type books! I want to gush more about what I love but I don't want to spoil it for anyone!

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick- I adore Anna Kendrick. I find her very relate-able. I would recommend this book be listened to as apposed to read. She narrates it herself and I think that adds to the book immensely. I laughed out loud many many times and I really enjoy her quirky nature. If you are a fan of hers then it is a must read! 

Be sure to join the linkup and share your best reads of 2016!

Read More

What I Read- June 2016

It's time for the best linkup of the month again! Let's see those books!

American Housewife: Stories by Helen Ellis- This set of short stories was just hit and miss for me. Some were dark and really funny and others were just downright boring or insulting. As you can see by the title it is a set of short stories about housewives and their lives in the home...or just their lives in general.  I listened to this one on audio book and I have to say that the voice acting was really enjoyable even when the stories weren't. It was a really short set of stories so if you are into that kind of thing you might enjoy it but I wouldn't go out and pick it up right away or anything.

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King- I really enjoy Stephen King's writing most of the time and I was excited to read his short stories. (well in this case listen to them) I have to say that I enjoyed all but like two of them. I actually think I preferred his short stories to a lot of his longer novels simply because he didn't go off on tangents with with most of them. I enjoy his writing but I can see how many are thrown off if you aren't used to his style. These stories were dark, creepy, and pretty much awesome. I think I loved the very first story the most but all in all it was a great set of scary tales to keep you up at night.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld- This was one that I read for Erin's Read Your Own Books Challenge. I have gotten this whole trilogy via the thrift store and yet had not gotten a chance to read any of them. Finally I did and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I am kind of over the whole distopian society thing because it has been done and done well several times before. (Divergent, Hunger Games, Maze Runner...etc) This one however actually had me concerned for my priorities. I actually thought it would be lovely to turn 16 and they instantly make you pretty....no more body issues....just...pretty. THAT is DISTURBING. I have always struggled with body image but now that I am older I am learning to love the woman that I am and all the parts of her...so this was a trip to send me right back to that place of wanting to be PRETTY. If you are into YA fiction, Distopian Futures, and all that jazz I would highly recommend this book. I am halfway through the next one and it is just a enjoyable!

Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman- Another of the books on my list from Erin's Challenge. This audio book has been in my Audible account for about forever so I thought I would give it a go. I loved listening to Nick Offerman's voice as I think it is pretty amazing and the book itself was good. It wasn't my favorite and it had moments where it was a bit dry for me but overall I really liked it. It is a VERY opinionated book but I liked that about it. Also if you check out the title you can tell that it is going to be that sort of book. Sure there is some humor but mostly it was just Nick and his tell it like I see it point of view. I didn't always agree with him but I liked listening to his take on things and he made good arguments. All in all I am glad that I finally gave this one a chance!

You are a Badass by Jen Sincero - I saw this book on an instagram post and immediately I was drawn to it. The title for sure sucked me in and I had to know what this book was about. Basically this is a "self help" book. Sure it has a lot of Whoo Whoo moments but I have to say....I kinda loved this book. I have been working on getting to a place where I feel comfortable in who I am and also learning what direction I want to take in my life in order to become who I want to be in the future. This book is really inspiring and frankly really honest about getting things together and taking charge of your life. It happened to just come along at the right time for me and I actually think that I will be purchasing it in the very near future. This was another one that I listened to on audio book and I think this one is for sure one that is better on audio book verses reading it on your own. 



So there are my books for June! Be sure to join the linkup for more books to add to your reading list!

Read More

What I Read: May 2016 Edtion

May was a rough month and basically I only got two books done. I started lots but just couldn't focus enough to finish them. However June has been a great month for reading (it's just too hot to do much else) so next month's linkup should be more exciting. 

The Creativity Challenge: Design, Experiment, Test, Innovate, Build, Create, Inspire, and Unleash Your Genius by Tanner Christensen

I picked this book up because I had seen a YouTuber post about it. I thought it might be a bit of a self help book on sparking your creativity or finding your passion (I'm on a bit of a self help kick at the moment.) I should have read the description before picking it up because what it turned out to be was a bit disappointing. It was more along the vein of Wreck This Journal in that it was just little exercises. Now these might have been fun to some but to me they felt more like homework you get when you are in creative writing classes in school. They can be helpful and that is why I gave this book 3 of 5 but for me it just wasn't what I needed. 

 

 Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour by Dita Von Teese, Rose Apodaca

I will start this off by saying that I really admire Dita Von Teese. I love her look and am a big fan of burlesque in general. So yeah when I saw this book I knew I would be picking it up. This book is a bit of a memoir and a bit of a beauty bible. I really enjoyed reading about Dita's life and her reasoning behind her look. I love that she does her makeup on her own and that she learned to perfect her style through lots of trail and error. While I could never walk around all dolled up and in heels EVERY DAY I do admire those that can and are completely comfortable in themselves to do so. Dita has a passion for more retro glam and I love that style. I have mentioned before that I adore the look of a corset and own two of my own. I realize that some would view them as torture devices and I won't lie and say that they are comfortable but something about wearing one is empowering and makes me feel more feminine. So I understand when she embraces that particular facet of beauty.  

Overall I love that Dita is undeniably herself and that is something I can get behind. Sure I don't agree with her on all points but she is who she is and that is what will always draw me in. 


Not a long list of books this time around but there are so many others in the linkup I am sure you will find lots to fill your To Read list!  Be sure to join in on the fun! Yay Books! 

 

 

Read More

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! 

Read More