October Wrap-Up!

It's been far too long (again). I don't know what it is about this time of year, but I seem to go through a bit of a slow reading phase. I had computer problems at the beginning of the month, which left me without a computer for about a week. I also got sick, and didn't read or do much other than work that week.

This month I read 6 novels and 1 graphic novel, which is definitely less than usual for me.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy - This was a great book, and had an important message, but I did have some problems with the main character, Dumplin'. At times, she seemed very judgemental for someone who is aware of being judged for most of her life. She was flawed for sure, which made her more relatable, but I did find myself a little annoyed at her at times. Her relationship with her mother made me a bit sad, too.  I gave it 4 stars because despite my issues, I really enjoyed it.

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson - I loved this book. Jenny Lawson is the face behind the massively popular The Bloggess. She openly suffers from mental illness and is not ashamed of it. She is an important advocate, and I think more people need to be aware of who she is. Her book was hilarious. I actually had tears running down my face at times, and read a few passages to my husband (who thought I was nuts, but laughed). While it's hilarious, it's also important and sad, and an eye-opener for those who perhaps don't suffer in the same way. 5 out of 5 stars.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl - I read this book in two days. Partly because my computer was dead at that point, and I was on vacation from work with not much else to do, but partly because I couldn't put it down. I really loved the format. There were articles, webpages, photos, police reports, and other random things scattered throughout, and that's honestly one of my favourite things to find in books. I did find that it dragged a little at times, which is why I gave it four stars, but this story gets into your head and does not leave until after you're finished.

What a Girl Wants by Lindsey Kelk - This is book two in her A Girl series (the final book comes out November 10th), and I liked it a lot. Tess is most definitely flawed, but I find obviously flawed characters relatable. She's hilarious and crass, and is torn between two men. This takes place mostly in Milan and should be read in the sun with a drink in your hand. 4 stars.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 2: Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson - I liked this volume more than volume 1 because more was revealed about her powers and how she came to have them. Also, Wolverine! 3 stars.

Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain - This was pretty good, but not my favourite Chamberlain book. I think I would have liked it better had I not figured out the ending within the first few pages. Molly believes her mother murdered her father when she was a child and hasn't spoken to her since. She and her husband are in the process of adopting a child, which brings up her past. I did like how it was told, alternating between the past and present, but I had a hard time connecting with Molly, and like I said, I'd already figured it out. 3.5 stars.

Hold Tight by Harlan Coben - This was a quick read, and one I enjoyed, but it was a little unbelievable at times. I like Coben's ability to take suburban life and make it terrifying, because let's be honest, real life can be quite scary at times. 3 stars.

I'm currently reading Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine, which is pretty good so far. I'm still not in a huge reading mood, so who knows how long it will take me to finish.

Like I mentioned, this was a slow month. Tomorrow brings November, which already has me super excited to start reading Christmas books. I've been excited since, like, August. My TBR for the next two months will be full of fun Christmas reads. Do you have any favourite Christmas books? I always love recommendations.

Since today is Halloween, I'll end with a photo montage of my cats as pretty princesses last year, including our very male cat, Ollie. This year, they're a shark but they're even less co-operative and I value having fingers.

 

 

It's time for another edition of 'holy crap, another month has gone by!' otherwise known as my August wrap-up. This month I read a total of nine books, which is a little less than I had been reading lately, but I'm okay with that because I took my time with two of the books I read.

 

A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay - This was a 3 star read for me. It wasn't really anything spectacular, but I did enjoy reading it. There were twists and turns, and I always like a good mystery/thriller. Barclay has a way of drawing you completely into the story.

 

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh - Ooh, this book. I was very hesitant about reading this when I first heard about it because it didn't really sound all that appealing to me. Then one day this month I got it into my head that I absolutely HAD to read it, so I picked it up. I should have listened to my gut. It was just okay. I had a few issues with it, mostly with the romance, which made reading it difficult. I just did not like the way the romance played out. Also, I was horrible at pronouncing the names, which was kind of frustrating. I struggled to get through the first half, but it did pick up during the second half. I didn't HATE it, but I really didn't love it. I don't know if I'll continue with this series. Actual rating for this is probably 2.5 stars. A lot of people absolutely love this book, so don't let my thoughts stop you from reading it.

 

A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes - If you've been reading my blog the last month or so, you'll know that I've fallen for the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes. I've devoured the three books in that series so far, and I can't wait for the fourth to come out in December. A Book of Spirits and Thieves is a spin-off series, so I picked it up this month. While I didn't enjoy this as much as the Falling Kingdoms books, it was still interesting and I'll be reading the rest of the series. It takes place in modern day Toronto, as well as the land in Falling Kindoms, Mytica. I love Mytica, which is why I think I didn't like this one as much, because I just wanted more Mytica scenes.

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - This was my 4th/5th? time re-reading this, and I just loved it again. I bought the new Bloomsbury paperback edition because I absolutely love the covers. I have all the original first edition hardbacks, but I could not resist this cover. I want to get the rest of them asap. This was one of the books that I took my time reading this month. I just wanted to take it slow and enjoy it.

 

 

 

All The Rage by Courtney Summers - This book was fantastic, but also infuriating and sad. Basically, a girl is raped by a popular, rich boy and no one believes her and makes her life hell. Then, a popular girl goes missing and people start opening their eyes. This book was hard to read at times because of how real it truly was. Countless rapes go unreported every year because the victim thinks that no one will believe her/him. This needs to change. More people need to read this book, and look at the consequences of victims keeping quiet.

 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - My awesome husband came home one day and surprised me with the next book in the lovely new Bloomsbury covers, so of course I had to read it. I've been on a huge Harry Potter kick this month. We re-watched the first movie, I bought a shirt, and I've been playing the Lego Harry Potter game for the Wii. I will never stop loving this world. I also took my time re-reading this book.

 

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center - I loved this book. I have a full review here, so I won't say much, but it was a great read if you're looking to read about self-discovery in an awesome wilderness adventure setting.

Always the Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk - I plan to do a proper review for this book, so I'll just say that I loved it! It was hilarious, and real, and might be my new favourite Lindsey Kelk book.

 

Other things:

This month went by way too quickly! I really didn't do anything, except work and hang out with my husband and our cats. I'm ready for the weather to cool down a bit, but am definitely never ready for snow. Below are a few photos of Ollie because he's cute, and the only one of our three cats that somewhat tolerates photos.



 

I love this face.

All stretched out for a Sunday nap.

 We bought a new bed, and Ollie had to test the mattress to see if it was safe for us.

July Wrap-Up!

Somehow it's the end of July already. Summer is flying by, which is definitely not a good thing. Where I live, it seems to be cold and snowing from November (sometimes October) to March/April, which is so NOT a good thing.

This month I read 11 books, and 1 comic. I didn't actually think that I read all that much, but I guess I had.

The Blue by Lucy Clarke - I started this June 30th, but read the majority of it on July 1st. It was so good! Full review here.

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes - I really like this series! It's fantasy, but a little lighter on the fantasy side, which I appreciate. It's told from four different perspectives and I liked all the voices. There are some Game of Thrones comparisons for this series, which I really didn't find accurate. They're completely different in my eyes.

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson - This is such an important comic, and one that is really well done. Kamala is an American Muslim teenager struggling with her overly strict parents. I think the comic showed the struggle that all teens go through really well. I was a little confused about how she got her powers, but other than that, I enjoyed it. The art was beautiful, and I'm excited to see where the story goes.  

Safe With Me by Amy Hatvany - This was a good read, nothing exceptional. I liked the character of Maddie. She was a sweet girl with a hard life.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella - Really enjoyed this one. I wasn't that into the romance because I find it a little distressing that a boy was able to make her start feeling better. It was funny, and cute, and everything I needed it to be at the time.

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes - I read this in one sitting, if that's any indication to how much I enjoyed it.

Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes - This is a very character driven series, and one I'm really enjoying. It's a fun series, but one that's also pretty dark. I really like the magical elements, and all the things that are slowly being revealed about the world and the characters. The beginning of this one was a little slower, but it picked up eventually.

Those Girls by Chevy Stevens - My favourite thriller this year so far! I cannot rave about Stevens' work enough. Full, gushy review here.

I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk - After the intensity of Those Girls, I needed something light and Kelk is one of my favourites for light (but awesome) reads. I've been wanting to read it for ages. This book is my (former) dream. Take off to New York and start completely over. I had such a good time reading this and I want to be friends with everyone, minus Tyler (Team Alex!). I effing love Jenny Lopez. Can't wait to dive into the others.

Virtue Falls by Christina Dodd - This book was, unfortunately, a bit of a miss for me. It dragged on, and I got to the point where I was basically skimming it just to finish. I did not understand the whole frog god thing and how that fit into the story. I'm sure it'll pop up in the next book, but I won't be reading. The writing was good, and the story itself was interesting, but it dragged. I would probably try another book by the author, but not from this series.

Caught by Harlan Coben - I don't know what it was about this book, but it completely sucked me in. It was pure entertainment, which is exactly what I was looking for.

In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume - This one was a 3.5 star read for me. I didn't hate it, I liked it quite a bit, but I wasn't enthralled with it. It was a little slow, but I love Blume's writing style. There's a lot of characters, and I don't know if it's just the heat (it's like Hades outside right now), but I was having a slight problem keeping track of them all. I did enjoy how they were all linked in some way, and kind of crossed paths at different times.

I'm currently reading A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay. I've really been into mystery/thrillers for the past little while.

Aside from reading and working, I got up to a few fun things this month. July 5th was our one year wedding anniversary, so we decided to go wander around the conservation area where we got married.

This is the beautiful bridge we were married on.

 

We also kept the top tier of our wedding cake and ate it on our anniversary. Any traditions involving cake I am down for!

 

And, an Ollie photo because he's cute. I sent my husband to buy litter one day and instead, I came home to find a 5ft tall cat tree. They all love it, though, so it was worth it. Except that he forgot to buy the litter.

 

Happy August!

June Wrap-Up!

June will probably be my favourite month of this entire year, but not because of what I read (not that I didn't read anything great). This was the month my husband and I returned to the east coast of Canada!

Before I get into that, I will talk about the books I read this month:

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley: This was my favourite book this month! I really loved it and need more. It's going to be a series of seven books with each book featuring a different sister trying to track down where she came from. The seven sisters were all adopted by the same man, and after his death, the girls are each left clues to where they came from. This book featured Maia's story, with her roots tracing back to Brazil. There is an alternate story in this as well, from Maia's Brazilian relative. SO good. I loved it!

Cocktails at Le Carmen by Isabelle Andover: I was offered this book for review, and was happy that I accepted it. It was a really fun book that is perfect for summer reading. I did a full review here if you're interested.

The next three books are audiobooks. Our trip to the east coast was a road trip, and we wanted something other than the radio to listen to (plus, we went through Quebec (French speaking province) and trying to find an English radio station is impossible!). Before we left, I'd downloaded Serial and we listened to that on the way (it was awesome!) Before we left PEI to head to Nova Scotia, we stopped at a Chapters and picked up an audiobook.

King and Maxwell by David Baldacci: We needed something that would hold both of our attentions, so we decided on this. We didn't know it was the sixth book in a series at the time, but that really didn't affect us. It was really good and definitely held our attention. It was so interesting that I actually found the first book at a used bookstore we went to and bought it.

Leaving Nova Scotia for home, we stopped at another Chapters and picked up two more audiobooks.

The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry: This one had such potential, but fell short for both of us. We both like historical things, but this was just too much. We may have been more captivated by it had we not started listening to it at, like, 7am. It was okay, though. It was interesting, but there were a lot of repeated historical data, which got a little tedious. Perhaps it would have been better to actually read this one.

The Confession by John Grisham: I actually started reading this years ago, but put it down because reading the dialogue was tedious. I saw this and thought it'd be better as an audiobook, and we wanted something Serial-ish. I'm definitely glad we chose this one because it was really good. Of the three audiobooks we listened to, this one was my favourite. The ending became a little dragged out, but it definitely held our attention through a long drive. I kind of want to try another Grisham book now.

The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango: This book left me confused, which seems to be the general consensus. I enjoyed it and it was really short, but I can't decide if I truly liked it or not. I reviewed it here.

Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson: I really enjoyed this historical novel. It's about a young woman who, against her parent's wishes, decides to join the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps as an ambulance driver during WW1. She eventually ends up at the same hospital where her brother's best friend works as a surgeon, and they just happen to be in love with each other. There is a companion novel which I'm super excited to get to because I liked this one a lot.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - I HAD to read some Harry Potter because summer = Harry Potter. I've read the first three more than the others, so I decided to re-read the fourth. I got just as sucked into the story as I always do. Lovelovelove.

In total, that's eight books for June. Not too bad considering I was away for ten days and, other than the audiobooks, only spent about an hour actually reading. This month I also hit my goal of reading 50 books! I'm thinking of upping it to 100, but that seems a bit intimidating. I'm sure I could do it, but I know I'm in for a reading slump eventually.

As I mentioned, my husband and I went on a week-long road trip to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. We went to NS last year for our honeymoon, and I loved it so much that I just had to go back. While there, we went to a few used bookstores AND we went to Anne of Green Gables in PEI. In one of the stores I found a copy of Anne of Avonlea from 1956, which was very cool.

We had such a fantastic time! Nova Scotia is definitely my favourite province. I just feel at home when we're there, and I've only been twice. Some photos I took there:

We were exploring the house, and I happened to look outside and there was Anne hangin' out on a bench.

Inside Anne's room.

Lilacs outside the house.

Hiking the Skyline Trail on the Cabot Trail.

The views along the Cabot trail were spectacular!

Peggy's Cove!

The village of Peggy's Cove is one of my most favourite places.

Lobster traps and dandelions.

The lighthouse in Louisbourg, NS.

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians!

May Wrap-Up

I keep thinking I'll do a wrap-up post each month, but it never happens. So here's what I hope will not be a one time thing!

Books I read in May:
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir - I started this on the last day in April, but finished in May. LOVED this book. Can't wait for the next one!

Finding Paris by Joy Preble - This was absolutely not what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. I was expecting a nice summery road trip story, but there was much more.

The Start of Me & You by Emery Lord - This was the summery contemporary story I was looking for. I really enjoy Lord's writing style and that she celebrates female friendship.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen - LOVED. I will be reading Sarah Dessen when I'm 50.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover - This wasn't my favourite (favourite so far is Maybe Someday), but it was still a good read. I can understand why so many people do love it, though.

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover -  I read this entire book in a day, as Hoover's writing is very addictive. This started out really good, but the ending was a little too dramatic and unbelievable for my tastes.

A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas - Absolutely loved this book, too. I think I will enjoy this series even more than the Throne of Glass series.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - Not as good as City of Bones, but still interesting. I'm going to finish this series and then finally read City of Heavenly Fire.

Before The Storm by Diane Chamberlain - Really loved this book and (most) of its characters. If you want a multi-layered story, then check this out.

Secrets She Left Behind by Diane Chamberlain - This is a sequel to Before The Storm, and while it wasn't as good as the first, it was still really good. I just had a harder time liking one of the main characters in this book.

10 books read this month! Not bad at all. I'm at 43 books for the year, which is further than I was this time last year. To be fair, this time last year I was knee-deep in wedding preparations.

Currently reading:
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley - I am really enjoying this so far! It's a really interesting story about seven sisters who after their adopted father dies, he leaves them clues about where they came from. This will be a seven book series and each book is one sister's story. This book is about Maia's story, who was the first one adopted and whose roots trace back to Rio. I'm only about 160 pages in, but it's really great so far.

I'm also reading Cocktails at Le Carmen by Isabelle Andover, which is a book I got for review. Look out for a cocktail post on June 19th, and a review during the week of the 22nd!

It's been a very good reading month for me, but my reading will be pushed to the side from the 12th to about the 20th as my husband and I are heading back to Nova Scotia for a week! We went there last year for our honeymoon and I absolutely fell in love with the province. We are also going to be heading to Prince Edward Island for the first time, where I'm determined to buy a copy of Anne of Green Gables. I'm SO freaking excited to go!

Other than that, all I've been doing is working. Husband and I did have a day off together (doesn't happen very often), so we went exploring and happened upon a waterfall!

That's all for now. Hopefully I can do this next month, too!

January Wrap-Up

In an effort to make this blog more active, I've decided to do a monthly wrap-up at the end of each month. It will be all the books I've read that month, and anything else I deem interesting enough to go up. Maybe a quote from a book from that month, or my favourite photo I've taken. Anything is pretty much fair game!

The Books
Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding
Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgmery
Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
One Summer by David Baldacci
Roomies by Sara Zarr (review here)
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (review here)

I really liked all of the books I read this month. My favourite was Roomies by Sara Zarr. I loved the overlap between the two characters, and the emails back and forth between the two. Definitely check it out!

Least favourite was Mad About the Boy. I meant to write a full review, but never got around to it. I knew the big spoiler that leaked before its release, but I don't feel that took anything away from my reading experience. Bridget's kids were adorable, but I felt like it lacked something. I did re-read the first two books before reading this one, so it's possible that I was just on Bridget overload. I think I would have liked it better if there was more discussion about Mark. I felt like those parts were few and far between. I would definitely recommend reading it, especially if you've read the first two books.

My favourite quote from this month comes from my favourite character this month. Anne (the 'e' is important, you know) Shirley from Anne of Green Gables:

 

The entire book was quotable, but this was my favourite. Anne was just lovely to read about. It may be classified as a children's book, but I think it has something for everyone, no matter how old you may be. The descriptions in this book were most definitely my favourite. I've always dreamed of visiting Prince Edward Island, but this book made that wanderlust even stronger. I need to see all of the beautiful landscapes that Montgomery painted with her words.

Doesn't that just make you want to pack your bags and wander away?

Favourite Photo
I love to take pictures. Of anything and absolutely everything. With my phone, but my favourite way to take photos is with my real camera.

This is Ollie, our almost 8 month old kitten. He is absolutely crazy, lovable, and has the biggest, fluffiest tail ever. We have two other cats, Itty Bitty our 5 year old princess, and Boo our age unknown black beauty. We are cat people, through and through. I would be a crazy cat lady if it weren't for my almost-husband. Instead, we are crazy cat people and I wouldn't have it any other way!