I’m learning my lesson with these. I should probably get in the habit of doing them once a month.
I have been cruising on my reading goal for 2016. I have finished 10 books this year. I have a goal of 40 books this year and I’m just a tiny bit behind that right now.
Looking at my list for the year so far, I feel like I’ve read a bunch of beach reads, but I’ll fill you in on what I loved and what was just OK.
3 Stars – which means it was good, but not anything to write home about.
The Charlaine Harris book – I’ve had these on my bookshelf for years and I kind of just got over it. I watched the show True Blood for a few seasons and just got bored of it all. Now that it’s been a while, I’m going to finally read the rest of them and give them away. If vampires and other fantasy creatures are your thing, these may be your thing.
Star Island by Carl Hiaasen – I loved Skinny Dip. This book wasn’t as great for me. It was entertaining, but a little too odd for me. It’s like a tabloid magazine blown up into one long book. I will for sure give him another shot.
4 Stars – which means I liked the book a lot and would probably recommend it.
The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty – I liked this story. It was another story that switches view points throughout. It was an interesting story to follow. I’ve read many of her books and they all have a similar style and it doesn’t disappoint for me. It wasn’t my favorite of Moriarty’s books, but I liked it.
A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams – This would be a great beach read. It is a story of friends from the early 1900’s that find themselves in a love triangle with lots of interesting turns. It is set in a little beach town in New England and you feel like you can picture every detail of the quiet town as you’re reading it.
How to be Single by Liz Tuccillo – This was very Eat, Pray, Love for the single girls. It was interesting to read the sections in different countries, but a lot of it was really unbelievable for me. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I’ll netflix it when it’s on DVD for sure.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – So I love this book, but it’s not a five star book for me. It is a very well written story, but the ending seemed rushed for me. I wanted to cry like a baby at the end, but it didn’t happen, so I just feel like there could have been something more. Tell me what you think. My husband gave this five stars and I think maybe I was expecting too much??
After You by JoJo Moyes – I love that this story has characters from Me Before You, but it was different. Sometimes sequels can just be milking the original wonderful stories, but I thought this was a great transition to a new story line with the same characters that I loved from the first book.
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff – This book made me think lots. It was a book for me that I didn’t know how I felt about it the entire time I was reading it. I’m still thinking about it over a month later. It wasn’t a story that made me feel happy or warm, but just emotional in a way that is hard to describe. Who else has read this??
5 Stars – which means I loved the book and I would read again and send it off to others
#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso – I could probably write a separate post about this book. I love “self-help” books that are real people just telling you their stories. I also live in the real world and understand that sometimes people get extremely lucky doing something awesome. I loved reading her story because it was a simple version of the happenings in life that got her where she is. It’s a book I will read again and one that I have shared with coworkers. Lots of people have mixed reviews, but I went in with little expectations and felt like the book gave me a little boost of happy and a bigger boost of inspiration.
So that’s what I’ve got for the great reading link up from Steph and Jana. Go see all the people that link up and find some new books to read.
Tell me your favorite Carl Hiaasen book or your favorite how to be awesome book. Maybe I’ll read all suggestions and then share the best ones. I love that shit.
Jana and I did a podcast about Fates. I liked the second half of the book but do not understand why it was one of the year's best. Groff is a tremendous writer but that did not hit the mark for me.
Loved The Book Thief and Summers. I think I told everyone I know to read that book for like a year.
I really liked the beginning of the Sookie series but the last few books…meh. I love Harris's Harper Connolly series.
I listened to How to be Single last month and felt ehh about it. I think the movie will be better oddly enough. The cast is pretty good. I still haven't read anything by Liane Moriarty but everyone raves about her.
See Steph's comment re: Fates and Furies. I feel the same way.
I loved The Book Thief as well. Not so much After You. As for #Girlboss, I'm on the fence about reading it. I've heard good things but I HATE the title. I feel like that would bias me.
You are definitely on a roll with your books for the year so far! I wanted to like Fates & Furies so much more than I did, but I couldn't get past how much I hated the first half of the book. BUT I did think the author did an incredible job with all of the little details and piecing things together in the second half if that makes sense.
I started reading the True Blood books before the show came out, and enjoyed them- think I made it maybe 6-8 into the series? But I hated the TV show more than I've hated any book adaptation ever…so I kind of gave up on the whole thing.
Loved the book thief, soooooo gooooood! I've heard great things about Me Before you.
A lot of these books are on my never ending to-read list, glad so many of them got 4+ stars! 🙂 I've been ONLY reading childbirth/pregnancy books haha so my 'fun' reading has been put on hold for a bit.
i loved the book thief. i read it years ago, before i even knew what goodreads was, i just picked it up because it had book in the title. it is one of my faves still and i regularly re-read it. i tried to get KC to read it and he couldn't get more than a chapter in, so… haha. the hyptonist's love story is on my list! so is a hundred summers. i loved the sookie stackhouse series, but i am with Steph… though my feelings are more hatred than meh haha.
I have After You and The Hypnotist's Love Story on my list. I have tried more than once to read The Book Thief and I haven't been able to get into it. I don't know what's wrong with me!
I thought The Book Thief was so special. It was a 5 star for me. I think I enjoyed it so much because of writing through death's eyes–I don't think I've ever read a book like it. The audiobook was AMAZING.
I love Liane Moriarty, and totally agree with you about liking The Hypnotist's Love Story, but it not being my favorite book by her. Charlaine Harris's books always did keep my attention, but they were just weren't my favorite books. I still read a lot of them though!
I"m with Steph and Kristen on Sookie Stackhouse. It started out so great and was one of my favorite series but then went to hell. Harris either grew to hate the characters or gave up. I'm torn on #GirlBoss. Part of me would likely enjoy parts of it, but I read some of the negative reviews and the things they didn't like are things that would also likely bother me.
The Book Thief was one of my all-time favorite books. I didn't cry at the end, but then again, I don't cry often, and I don't believe a book has ever made me cry. I think I need to hop aboard the JoJo Moyes train. I've heard nothing but good things about the books. So far I've only read one novel by Liane Moriarty, but I like the style so I'll be adding this one to my TBR too.
A Hundred Summers is the only Beatriz Williams book I haven't read yet, so it sounds like I need to do it ASAP! If you haven't read the Schulyer sister series, you should look it up and see if it sounds like something you would like!
I read Fates and definitely feel the same way you did. I really liked it. My real life book club is reading The Book Thief this month so I'm excited to get into it. I meant to read A Hundred Summers last summer and never did. Maybe I'll wait for a sunny day. Ha!
The Book Thief…I did love it so much. It was just so interesting to me to have Death as a narrator. I saw Markus Zusak in a speaking engagement and wrote a blog post. If you and/or your husband are interested in reading it, let me know. I'll send you the link. He told some interesting stories from his parent's lives that become part of The Book Thief.
I just read Me Before You, and I'm #21 on my library wait list for After You…so I'll be revisiting that story, but not anytime soon unfortunately.
I loved #Girlboss!
I didn't LOVE the Book Thief either…I found it hard to get into and a bit confusing. I think I had built it up too though. The movie on the other hand was amazing, and one of those rare occurrences where I strongly feel the movie is better than the book.
I read How to Be Single years ago and cannot recall one thing about it lol, but I did see the movie and it was one of the best "chick flicks" I've seen in years, so definitely watch it when you can! I was worried it would be too much Rebel Wilson (I like her in small doses) and thankfully she's a secondary character, not the main focus.
I still need to read After You!