READING WRAP UP / January 2018

MY PLANNED JANUARY TBR

HOW I GOT ON

I will be posting by TBR for February soon but plan to carry over those that I had not got to in January.  Links to my reviews for all those I have read are below, apart from the Babysitters Books.  I will be doing a series review once I have completed reading all of them. 

WHAT I READ THAT WAS NOT ON MY TBR...

READATHON PARTICIPATION

I also took part in the Winter Biannual Bibliothon this month.  To see the books I chose and read for the challenges, please check out my seperate post (which is the post just before this one).

REVIEW LINKS

The Firm by John Grisham

Origin by Dan Brown

The Song is Rising by Samantha Shannon

$10,000,000 Marriage Proposal

Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F***

The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris

My Readathon Experience / Winter Biannual Bibliothan 2018

As one of my goals this year is to read 150 books (50 more than what I usually do) I thought a good idea to read more would be to take part in readathons (for those who do not know, a readathon is a specific period of time set by a host who either sets tasks or themes of which books to read in that specific time period).  I have only taken part in one readathon in my entire life, which I did enjoy, but because I work a 9-5 Monday to Friday job taking part in a readathon is challenging for me to take part in but I thought I would give it a go.  Here's how I got on:

The Biannual Bibliothon is hosted in the YouTube Link below:

Biannual Bibliothon You Tube Channel Homepage 

READING CHALLENGES

1. Read the Group Book - Otherworld by Jason Segal and Kirsten Miller.
2. Read a Sequel.
3. Read a book you have not heard of before.
4. Read a Mental Illness Book.
5. Read a book found in other media. 
6. Read a book under 200 pages. 
7. Read a backlist title.

WHAT I CHOSE

HOW I GOT ON

I decided to double up on some of the questions, as I knew I would not have a great deal of time during the week to have a separate book for each question. 

1. Otherworlds was the group book, pre-selected.  I loved this book and CANNOT wait until I get my hands on the next one in this trilogy/series.  You can find my review here - Click here.
2. I am currently in the middle of re-reading one of my childhood favourite book series, The Babysitters Club, so why not pick up the next one to continue on?!  I have not yet posted a review of this but am planning to do this once I had read all the books in this special series.  I am really enjoying diving back into this series again.
3. I had not heard of Otherworlds before so chose this one for this task.  
4. For this one I chose Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon.  I am not going to go into why I chose this book because of spoilers but you can find my review here - Click here.
5. This was an interesting challenge.  For this one, I had to actually go and look and try and find something.  One thing I did know for sure was that I wanted to read a classic.  I found Catcher in the Rye which is featured in probably more than the reason I picked it but it was featured in the movie Conspiracy Theory featuring Mel Gibson (love that movie).  I am glad I chose this, I found the story to be intriguing.  You can find my review here - Click here. 
6. I really wanted to carry on with reading the Babysitters Club series and the next one in the series was 209 pages long, so I counted that for this one.   Again, no review up yet but will be once I have finished reading the specials series.  
7. This was another doubling up situation.  For this I choice to include Everything Everything simply because it was a backlist title (published in 2015)  

I really enjoyed this readathon and will most definitely be planning to take part in more throughout the year. 

Book Review / Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

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.






Published:     1st September 2015
Publisher:  Delacorte
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Library

MY REVIEW

 What I liked about this story...  This is a re-read for me.  The first time I read this book I really didn't like it a great deal, particularly because of the twist in the story, which I won't go into here because I don't want to spoil the story for you.  This time, however, since I already knew what the story was all about, there were things that I noticed this time that I hadn't before.  For me, the best part of this story was the romance and friendship.  Although at the beginning it was a a bit 'insta-love' like, when you got past that I enjoyed following their story. 


What I didn't like about this story...  Basically, there is a certain character in this story that I really don't like very much at all and won't go into too much detail because of spoilers. 

Book Review / The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger

The hero-narrator of The Catcher in the Rye is an ancient child of sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caulfield. Through circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in New York City for three days. The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to make any final comment about him or his story. Perhaps the safest thing we can say about Holden is that he was born in the world not just strongly attracted to beauty but, almost, hopelessly impaled on it. There are many voices in this novel: children's voices, adult voices, underground voices-but Holden's voice is the most eloquent of all. Transcending his own vernacular, yet remaining marvelously faithful to it, he issues a perfectly articulated cry of mixed pain and pleasure. However, like most lovers and clowns and poets of the higher orders, he keeps most of the pain to, and for, himself. The pleasure he gives away, or sets aside, with all his heart. It is there for the reader who can handle it to keep.

J.D. Salinger's classic novel of teenage angst and rebellion was first published in 1951. The novel was included on Time's 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923. It was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. It has been frequently challenged in the court for its liberal use of profanity and portrayal of sexuality and in the 1950's and 60's it was the novel that every teenage boy wants to read.

Published:     First Published 1951
Publisher:  Piatkus Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Library
 

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...   A very interesting read indeed.  We follow Holden at the beginning of the story being kicked out of school, looking unenthused about anything and everything apart from reading and literature.  He leaves school of his own accord and we follow him as he 'wanders' around the city getting drunk and getting into a lot of trouble.  This character intrigued me.  He just didn't seem that interested in much at all and I wondered when was he going to find something that kept his interest long enough.  It seemed as though he has not been given direction in his life or had any help from any teacher or anyone else throughout his life.  It seems such a shame as Holden seems, to me, to be a highly intelligent person. 



What I didn't like about this story...  The ending.  It just, well, ended.  There was no conclusion, we are just left to assume that maybe he cleaned up his act but maybe not.    On reflection, maybe that is not such a bad thing as it leaves the story open to the reader's interpretation...

 

Book Review / Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

The company says Otherworld is amazing—like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They say it’s addictive—that you’ll want to stay forever. They promise Otherworld will make all your dreams come true.

Simon thought Otherworld was a game. Turns out he knew nothing. Otherworld is the next phase of reality. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.

And it’s about to change humanity forever.
Welcome to the Otherworld. No one could have seen it coming.





Published:     31st October 2017
Publisher:  Delacorte Press
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Otherworld
Source:  Library

MY REVIEW

Well this book took me by surprise.  I hadn't heard of this book until I was looking into taking part in the Winter Biannual Bibliothon (which I took part in and loved).  Honestly, this is not one of those books that I would have automatically picked up but as it was part of the readathon I thought I would give it a go.

There are so many things I enjoyed about this book.  Firstly, the sense of humour of the main character Simon.  Despite the fact that he has a lot to contend with in his book he still manages to come out with little comments that just made me chuckle, whether they were intentional or not I don't know.  Next, would have to be the writing.  The writing in this book grabbed me in right from the very first page and I could not stop reading it until the very last page.  It made for a very interesting lazy Sunday!  Even the romance, although brief, I thought was very realistic and can't wait to find out what happens next.

Such an amazing first book in a series, I cannot wait until I can get my hands on the next book...

Book Review / The Firm by John Grisham

When Mitch McDeere signed on with Bendini, Lambert and Locke of Memphis, he thought he and his beautiful wife, Abby, were on their way. The firm leased him a BMW, paid off his school loans, arranged a mortgage, and hired him a decorator. Mitch McDeere should have remembered what his brother Ray-doing fifteen years in a Tennessee jail- already knew. You never get nothing for nothing. Now the FBI has the lowdown on Mitch's firm and needs his help. Mitch is caught between a rock and a hard place, with no choice-- if he wants to live.

Published:     First Published 1991
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  As with all the John Grisham novels I have read so far (and there are many more to go, most of which I plan to read in 2018) this book failed to disappoint.  His writing always draws me in and holds me in his story until the very last page.  I read this book in one day.  I just could not put it down.  I will be honest and say that I have watched the movie many times before reading this book and the movie is one of my favourites of all time but there's just something about reading the actual book that makes the experience so much better.

There are a lot of differences between the book and the movie, some good and some not so good.  The not so good I will cover below.  The good is the fact that we get more information, on the characters, the situations and the background.  With the book, I felt that the bad characters definitely were bad characters whereas in the movie I still felt kind of bad for feeling bad about the bad characters - if that makes sense?!

What I didn't like about this story...  Well, where do I start?  This is a book that I should have definitely read many years ago when it first came out.  That is when I would have truly appreciated it.  Reading it now, in this time and age it just felt out of place.  It was disparaging against women, in terms of the 'the pretty ones' get nice houses and rich husbands whereas the 'not so pretty ones' get put as 'grumpy secretaries'.  That was the main point that bugged be throughout the whole book. 

Waiting on Wednesday / Interlude by Chantele Sedgwick

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme started by Breaking the Spine blog to spotlight exciting new releases.

When eighteen-year-old Mia Cox finds out she's not a match to donate a kidney to save her younger sister's life, she jumps on a plane to New York, convinced she can talk their estranged birth mother into donating hers instead. After an embarrassing conversation with the cute boy sitting next to her for the flight, she realizes he's the one and only Jaxton Scott, the troubled lead singer of a famous rock band she hates--and he's running away from his rock star life. As the hours pass and they get to know each other, she finds herself opening up to him like she never has to anyone, even though he's a total stranger. Which is fine, since she'll never see him again. But when her trip to New York doesn't go as planned, and a phone call from her sister changes everything she had planned, Mia knows she must put her trust in fate and her new friend, even though she's lost all reason to hope.

Goodreads Link:  Click Here

Book Review / The Song is Rising by Samantha Shannon

To avoid spoilers, below is the description for book 1, The Bone Season:

The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.

It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine and also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.

Published:     7th March 2017
Publisher:  Bloomsbury
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 3, The Bone Season
Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

I loved this book.  As this is book 3 in The Bone Season series there is a lot that I can't talk about because I don't want to spoil this for you but what I can say is that this book is action packed.  Annoyingly, this book gave me a lot more questions than answers but that was what I expected being that this is not a last book in a series. 

The first half of this book was very slow paced and I did wonder whether that was going to pick up and it did, which I was glad of.  If this book had not have picked up pace I would not have given it the star rating that I did.  I was also surprised by how much I remembered from the first two books in this series.  This series has many characters and parts to it I thought I would find it hard to pick it up but it wasn't.

The only part of this book that I was slightly disappointed with was the fact that this book was approximately 200 pages less than its previous two in the series.  I am not sure whether this was deliberate or just circumstances made it smaller but I would have loved a bit more to this story.  I am hoping the next book in the series is longer...

Book Review / The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris

From beloved award-winning actor, Neil Patrick Harris, comes the magical first book in a new series with plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

When street magician Carter runs away, he never expects to find friends and magic in a sleepy New England town. But like any good trick, things change instantly as greedy B.B. Bosso and his crew of crooked carnies arrive to steal anything and everything they can get their sticky fingers on.

After a fateful encounter with the local purveyor of illusion, Dante Vernon, Carter teams up with five other like-minded kids. Together, using both teamwork and magic, they'll set out to save the town of Mineral Wells from Bosso's villainous clutches. These six Magic Misfits will soon discover adventure, friendship, and their own self-worth in this delightful new series.


  

Published:     21st November 2017
Publisher:  Little Brown
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Magic Misfits
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

I am and have always been a very big believer in every book is for everyone.  Just because a book is classified as middle grade doesn't mean that only middle graders can read it.  I will be honest and say that the main reason I picked this up was because it was written by Neil Patrick Harris, a celebrity that I respect highly and always make a point to try and watch whatever he is in whenever I can.   The second reason is because of what the book was about, magic.  I have always loved watching and reading about magic since I was a young child.  This book was so much fun to read.  We follow street magician Carter as he leaves his past behind and comes across a 'gang' of characters that are up to no good, using magic to commit crimes.   He meets up with a few misfits who work against this gang to help restore good in the community.  What gave this an added level of fun was the 'hidden' magic lessons in between - such great fun to have a go at!  I listened to the audio book and would highly recommend that, particularly as Neil Patrick Harris reads his book himself.

I am very intrigued to find out what is going to happen next...

Book Review / The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving A F*ck by Sarah Knight

THE "GENIUS" (Cosmopolitan) NATIONAL BESTSELLER
ON THE ART OF CARING LESS AND GETTING MORE
Are you stressed out, overbooked, and underwhelmed by life? Fed up with pleasing everyone else before you please yourself? It's time to stop giving a f*ck.

This brilliant, hilarious, and practical parody of Marie Kondo's bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up explains how to rid yourself of unwanted obligations, shame, and guilt--and give your f*cks instead to people and things that make you happy.

The easy-to-use, two-step NotSorry Method for mental decluttering will help you unleash the power of not giving a f*ck about:

Family drama
Having a "bikini body"
Iceland
Co-workers' opinions, pets, and children
And other bullsh*t! And it will free you to spend your time, energy, and money on the things that really matter. So what are you waiting for? Stop giving a f*ck and start living your best life today!

Published:     29th December 2015
Publisher:  Little Brown
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Library

MY REVIEW

I picked up this book purely because the title of it made me laugh.   I am often found guilty of taking things too seriously and not being able to relax and have a laugh so I thought this would be a bit of fun and it was.  I have to admit that the author tended to use the word f*ck far too much in this book (I know the heading gives the game away that this is what it is about but didn't think that there was any need for overuse of the word - I got the point).  Basically, this book goes through many many ways in which you need to choose whether you care or not for a certain thing or person, choose what makes you happy and if something or someone doesn't they have to go.  To be honest, a lot of this was just plain common sense but  I found it fun following this book and seeing how I could apply this to my day to day life. 

Book Review / Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

#1 bestselling author John Green returns with his first new novel since The Fault in Our Stars!

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

Published:    10th October 2017
Publisher:  Dutton Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Library

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  Despite what the description (found on Goodreads) says, this story is more about Aza.  Seeing her for most of the story struggling with her OCD and trying to overcome this time and time again, that was the most interesting part of this story for me.  For the majority of this book Aza is consumed by her thoughts of illness and disease and whether she is going to catch anything from whatever she does.  Not to the same extreme extent but I can relate to having those thoughts and can see how easy it might be for that to escalate into a bigger problem that Aza is now facing.  This book was more of a learning experience from me, learning all about OCD and how it affects the individual person. 

What I didn't like about this story...   I would have loved to have had more of the story line focus on the actual mystery of what happened to Russell Pickett and also Aza's newly found friendship with Davis, Russell Pickett's son.  Both of those stories are what caught my attention and made me want to read this book but neither of these story lines featured a great deal. 

Book Review / Origin by Dan Brown

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence.


As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.

Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself... and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery... and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us.


Published:     3rd October 2017
Publisher:  Doubleday
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 5, Robert Langdon
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

Dan Brown is one of my favourite authors of all time so it is not a surprise to me that I loved this book.  His writing style always draws me in each and every time (but, to be honest, the image of Tom Hanks as the Robert Langton character pictured in my head certainly helps me connect to this character even more because Tom Hanks is just brilliant!).  Also, Dan Brown is one of those authors for me that I really like the fact that he writes similar stories (not the same but has the same theme of conspiracy and mystery) so I know that when I want to read that type of book I know to pick up a Dan Brown book.  I love that about an author.  I always find it confusing when authors change what they write and I don't know what to expect (sometimes it is good and sometimes not).

Even at 461 pages, with smallish font, I didn't envisage reading this in one day, but I did!  It was a quiet Sunday and all I wanted to do was read so I did.  I started reading when I got up in the morning at about 7am and only really stopped for breakfast and dinner and the obligatory bathroom breaks!  I finished it just after 8pm.  I wasn't rush reading or anything like that, I just read at my normal pace but I just could not put it down!  I had to know what was happening.

I was very surprised by the ending of this book and the various twists and turns that come up as well.  There's more than one 'reveal' in the story line that I was not expecting and I loved that!  This is also a book that does make you think about the consequences afterwards.  If you haven't picked this up yet you need to!!!

Waiting on Wednesday / All We Can Do is Wait by Richard Lawson

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme started by Breaking the Spine blog to spotlight new releases.

In the hours after a bridge collapse rocks their city, a group of Boston teenagers meet in the waiting room of Massachusetts General Hospital:

Siblings Jason and Alexa have already experienced enough grief for a lifetime, so in this moment of confusion and despair, Alexa hopes that she can look to her brother for support. But a secret Jason has been keeping from his sister threatens to tear the siblings apart…right when they need each other most.

Scott is waiting to hear about his girlfriend, Aimee, who was on a bus with her theater group when the bridge went down. Their relationship has been rocky, but Scott knows that if he can just see Aimee one more time, if she can just make it through this ordeal and he can tell her he loves her, everything will be all right.

And then there’s Skyler, whose sister Kate—the sister who is more like a mother, the sister who is basically Skyler’s everything—was crossing the bridge when it collapsed. As the minutes tick by without a word from the hospital staff, Skyler is left to wonder how she can possibly move through life without the one person who makes her feel strong when she’s at her weakest.

In his riveting, achingly beautiful debut, Richard Lawson guides readers through an emotional and life-changing night as these teens are forced to face the reality of their pasts…and the prospect of very different futures.

Goodreads Link:  Click Here

Series Review / The Diviners Series by Libba Bray (Books 1 to 3)

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

Published:     2012
Publisher:  Little Brown
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Books 1, 2 and 3, The Diviners
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

This has seriously been on my TBR pile for years!  I can't believe that I have left it so long before picking it up!  I loved this series and so happy that it is not yet finished.  You will see that I have given this a four star rating even though I am saying I loved this series and that is because it is not yet finished.  There are so many questions and unfinished story lines that are going on at the moment, I just can't give it a 5 star rating until I have seen that play out and I can see where the story is headed.  I can see that this is one of those series that will be a 5 star read, hopefully, when I get to the end based on what I have read so far.

Each of these books obviously has the same characters and there is one larger story line that runs right through each of them but each book then has its own mysteries and problems to solve.  I suppose that you could pick these up as individual reads but I would recommend reading them in order to get the full picture of what is going on and where the story is headed.

In terms of characters and story lines, this book really surprised me with a lot of the topics that it covers.  As it is based in the 1920s you have the issues that you would expect to see in that era such as racial prejudices and LGBT themes and, to me, those issues were dealt with very well in this series.  In fact, one of my favourite romantic plot lines in this book has a LGBT theme but I won't say too much more about that because of spoilers.

What an addicting series that I can't wait to dig into when the next book in the series comes out...

Book Review / $10,000,000 Marriage Proposal by James Paterson and Hilary Liftin

Will you marry me for $10,000,000?

I am a creative, open-minded businessman with limited time and desire to play the field. This is a serious proposal.

A mysterious billboard intrigues three single women in LA. But who is this Mr. Right? And is he the perfect match for the lucky winner?












Published:     20th October 2016
Publisher:  Book Shots
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned, Audiobook

MY REVIEW

Where to start...  I honestly picked this up because it was the start of the year and I thought this would be a quick read to get through to get the reading ball rolling.  How could you go wrong with a cute little romance?  Well,  as you can see I didn't really enjoy this one and this is why.  Firstly, it was predictable.  Everything that you would expect to happen happened.  No surprises whatsoever.  Next, you have the main character who you see at the beginning as being a fairly smart individual, capable of making her own decisions but as the story goes on that changes.  She applies for this 'competition' at the insistence of her mother (given the incentive of if you go ahead with this I will give you $500) and carries on from what we are told is curiosity and not for the money, which I found very hard to believe.  Why would you enter a competition like this to marry a man you don't know and not want to win the money?!

Honestly, I lost interest in this story about halfway through but I have to admit that I was intrigued to find out what would happen at the end.  The end was meh.  I wasn't thrilled by it but wasn't surprised by it either.

Overall, this was predictable and not very interesting to me at all.  I don't think I will be picking up any more bookshots based on this (unless someone can persuade me otherwise...)

Waiting on Wednesday / The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme started by Breaking the Spine blog to spotlight exciting new releases.

Alaska, 1974.
Untamed.
Unpredictable.
And for a family in crisis, the ultimate test of the human spirit.
From the author who brought you the phenomenon of The Nightingale.

Goodreads Link:  Click Here

Book Review / The House at the Bottom of the Lake by Josh Malerman

Both seventeen. Both afraid. But both saying yes.

It sounded like the perfect first date: canoeing across a chain of lakes, sandwiches and beer in the cooler. But teenagers Amelia and James discover something below the water’s surface that changes their lives forever.

It’s got two stories.

It’s got a garden.

And the front door is open.

It’s a house at the bottom of a lake.

For the teens, there is only one rule: no questions. And yet, how could a place so spectacular come with no price tag? While the duo plays house beneath the waves, one reality remains:

Just because a house is empty, doesn’t mean nobody’s home.

Published:     30th October 2016
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source: Owned

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this book...  Well, this was an interesting read!  Basically, this story is what it says on the title.  There's a house at the bottom of a lake.  What I really enjoyed about this story was actually the two main characters who meet at the beginning of the story and are attracted to each other.  They go on a date but instead of going for dinner or going to watch a movie they take a canoe and go for a trip around the lake.  This is where they discover a cave that they can just about get through which leads them to a 'third lake'.  That is when the wierdness begins.  I was fascinated to find out what they do next and what they discover.  Truly creepy.

What I didn't like about this book...  Basically, the ending.  After all that build up and suspense to end the way it did I was left wanting more than what I was given.  I won't say too much because of spoilers but I will say that to me it appeared to be a very open ended finish, left up to the reader to decide.  Although that is great, I was just left feeling like I wanted more.  I wanted an explanation that I didn't get. 

In summary... A very weird and spooky read with an open ended finale but definitely worth a read if you like spooky reads...

Book Review / A Time to Kill by John Grisham

Before The Firm and The Pelican Brief made him a superstar, John Grisham wrote this riveting story of retribution and justice -- at last it's available in a Doubleday hardcover edition. In this searing courtroom drama, best-selling author John Grisham probes the savage depths of racial violence...as he delivers a compelling tale of uncertain justice in a small southern town...Clanton, Mississippi.

The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. Until her black father acquires an assault rifle and takes matters into his hands.

For ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life...and then his own.


Published:     1989
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

John Grisham is an author I have loved since my teenage years but I have only ever read a few of his books.  This is one of those that falls into the category of I really want to read all his books but never get around to it and is something I am going to change this year. Of course, John Grisham has to be the first author I catch up with, starting with his first book.

This was a very uncomfortable read but one that I enjoyed reading, if you could possibly mix those two words together in one sentence - uncomfortable and enjoyable.  This story explores racial justice but not just that it explores the dynamics of a small town, how they all interact and how they deal with a case like this.  There so many twists and turns, back hand deals and if you know the right person you never know what you can do.

If I had to pick my favourite character in this book it has to be Jake.  Jake is the lawyer who is representing the victim's father who has been arrested and faces trial for shooting his daughter's attackers.  He obviously knows what he is doing and how to play the game.  I enjoyed following him as he works his way through the hurdles he has to face. 

My TBR / January 2018

It's 2018, already!  I can't wait to start my year of reading big.  When I first started blogging (and booktubing on YouTube for a while) I read a lot.  Over the past few years although I have come close to 100 books and in 2017 getting to 100 I wanted to push myself again to read more like I used to do.  I have become a very relaxed reader, read when I want and only when I am in the mood to do it but sometimes I have irritated myself my not reading as much as I wanted to simply because I wasn't in the mood.  Adding a little pressure (not you read this or you die type of pressure) but by setting goals and looking to meet them I hope to read a lot more.

I have decided to set a TBR (To Be Read) pile for each month, which I will post like this one, and then I'm going to bring back the monthly wrap ups.  My hope is that this will kick my reading gear up a notch.  Let's see!

As you will see above and below, I am being a little ambitious for January with several larger books along with quite a few littler books but why not start as I mean to carry on.  All those in the first picture above are ones that I have bought new and have been 'meaning to get to' but haven't yet.  That's another habit I am hoping to break in 2018.  If I intend to read a book, I will.  The books in the second picture below are the Babysitter Club Specials collection, a series that I read when I was younger and I wanted to re-read them this year simply because I want to.

Let's see how I get on!

Happy reading!

Debs:-)

Waiting on Wednesday / The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme started by Breaking the Spine blog to spotlight exciting new releases.

A swashbuckling, smart novel based on the true story of a girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to sail with the infamous pirates Anne Bonny and Calico Jack.

There’s no place for a girl in Mary’s world. Not in the home of her mother, desperately drunk and poor. Not in the household of her wealthy granny, where a girl could never be named an heir. And certainly not in the arms of Nat, her childhood love who never knew her for who she was. As a hired sailor aboard a Caribbean merchant ship, Mary’s profession—and her safety—depend on her ability to disguise the fact that she’s a girl.

Leastways, that’s what she thinks is true. But then pirates attack the ship, and right in the middle of the swashbuckling crowd of bloodthirsty pirates, Mary spots something she never could have imagined: a girl pirate. The sight of a girl standing unafraid upon the deck, gun and sword in hand, changes everything. In a split-second decision, Mary turns her gun on her own captain and earns herself a spot among the pirates’ crew.

For the first time, Mary has a shot at freedom. But imagining living life as her true self is easier, it seems, than actually doing it. And when Mary finds herself falling for the captain’s mistress, she risks everything—her childhood love, her place among the crew, and even her life.

Goodreads Link:  Click Here 

 

Reading Challenges 2017 and 2018

Its been a bit of a roller coaster this year for me in reading.  I have gone through periods where I can't get enough of reading and periods where I just didn't want to read at all.  I am so pleased with myself to be able reach my goal of over 100 books this year as my plans for next year are even bigger!

I hope you have all had a wonderful reading year and looking forward to all the fantastic new and reading in 2018.

Goodreads 100 Book Challenge - Done it!  I can't actually believe I achieved this one as I really didn't think I would.  So pleased!

Read Your Own Book Challenge - I read a total of 35 of my own books this year which is good but I plan on doing better next year.

Big Book Challenge -  26 books on this list and I wasn't even trying, to be honest.  I just picked books I wanted to read and they just happened to be big books. 

Jodi Picoult Challenge - Failed on this one I am afraid. I read one of hers but the problem I have is that I love her writing but they are always very slow reads and I just wasn't in the mood for that this year. 

Read 5 Classics Challenge - Nope, failed on this one too.  I don't think I even read one classic.  That's really bad of me...

2018 Reading Challenge Goals

Goodreads 150 Book Challenge - Yes, this one is on my list again but I have upped my game.  I have never read that many books before so I am intrigued to find out how I do.

Read Your Own Book Challenge - Always a goal of mine to make sure that I read from my own shelf and not review books or books that I have only just bought..

Big Book Challenge -  A true staple in my challenges that can often get forgotten.


As you can see, I am keeping it simple this year.  There may be one or two other challenges I set myself along the way but as I intend to read 150 books I thought it was best to keep it simple!