April Reading Update -

Sorry, this is so late!

In April, I read a total of 9 books. 

Breakdown:

5  audiobooks 

4 kindle books. 

6 library books

1 Audible

 2 ARCs

My Favorite Book This Month

I had an a very good reading month again; even better than last month.  I had 3  5 star books, 3  4 star books, and 3  3 star books. It was a littlr difficult, but I'd have to ay The Blackbird Girls came out on top this month, I couldn't wait to get back to it .  The story was incredibly engaging and informative.  I'm so glad to have read it!

Least Favorite Book

None of my books were under 3 stars, but I think Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons was the lowest-ranked

Books that I'm currently reading

I've ben reading on my kindle and since the audio was available, I decided to listen to it alternately.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Want to Finally Read in 2017

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Ginger Reads Lainey and is hosted by Sam at Thoughts on Tomes, see the Goodreads group for topics!

This week's topic is Books You Want to Finally Read in 2017
These are those books you meant to read in 2016 or 2015 or 2014 and never got around to. Those books that have been sitting on your TBR for a while, and you really want to get to. These aren’t upcoming 2017 releases; these are older books that need your love too!”- Goodreads 

This was actually last's weeks topic, but I got confused and thought it was the following week's topic and what really is this week's topic I thought was for last week and I was not interested in the other topic so I never realized my mistake until the other day, when I went to work on this week's topic.  So, I will just be making this week's post what should have been last week's.



This is a definite read during the first half of 2017.  Rosanne Bittner has been a favorite author since the 90s.  I had re-read Outlaw Hearts earlier this year since it had been over 15 years since I read it the first time.and 20 years after she wrote Outlaw Hearts, she decided to write a sequel and has since followed it up with 2 more books in the series.  Therefore, I need to start reading the rest of this series as soon as possible.


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I finally started this series earlier this year and read the second book, Hollow City in October.  I'm thinking March would be a good time to read this last book.



Of all the unread books on my Kindle, this is the one I have had on it for the longest time, since July of 2011.



This has been on my library TBR for quite some time.  I really want to get to this in 2017.  I try to read one or two books about Fundamentalist Mormons  each year and although I have several on my TBR on my Kindle at home.  I'd like to get this one off my list.



I really would like to read this book in 2017 also.  It has been on my TBR for close to 4 years or more, I think.  It takes place in New Zealand and I don't think I read anything set there.  I know so little about that part of the world.  It is a pretty long book at 666 pages, so maybe the next time Sam at Thoughts on Tomes has her Tome Topple readathon.  She just had one in November, so it'll probably be at least 6 months away or so.

What are your top 5 books that you want to finally read in 2017

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read For The First Time In 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme/original feature created at The Broke and The Bookish this weeks list are Ten New-To-Me Authors you read for the 1st Time in 2016.  For more information check it out here.

These are in no particular order, other than the order I read them this year.

Ransom Riggs

I was a late comer to these books and decided in the spring of this year to finally pick up Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  I really was unsure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised I enjoyed the book and went on to read Hollow City this fall.  I'll tackle the final book in the series, Library of Souls in the spring again.  Hopefully, he will come out with a new book soon!

Annie Rains

I discovered this author through NetGalley and have read the Welcome Home series, she put out this year.  She is starting a new romance series next year and I look forward to it.

Harlan Coben

I had been hearing about him for several years, but never read any of his books. Finally, I decided to listen to one of his books on audio through the Overdrive app from my library, Caught.  I really liked it, but think that next time, I'll read it rather than listen so I won\'t miss any of the details to the story.

Martha Hall Kelly

Ms. Kelly wrote her debut novel, Lilac Girls and it is up for the 2016 Goodreads award for Debut Author and I definitely think she stands a good chance of winning.  It revolves around 3 women during WWII, the only female doctor at Ravensbroucke concentration camp, a young woman interned at Ravensbroucke, and an American debutante involved in the war effort at home.

Kristin Hannah

I've been meaning to read Kristin Hannah and even have had her Firefly Lane on my Kindle for the past few years, but this year I listened to the audiobook, Home Front.  I now need to move Firefly Lane up in my TBR.

Heather Burch

I got her book One Lavender Ribbon, a couple years ago as part of Amazon's Kindle First program where a few books that will be released the following month is made available early on Kindle format, but I kept putting the book off until later.  But earlier this year, I finally read it and just loved it.  I have just noticed, a new book by Heather Burch was available on NetGalley as an ARC and was able to get it.  Since it will come out in January, I hope to get to it by then or at least before the end of the  month.

Nicholas Sparks

Surprisingly, I don't think I ever read any of his books until this year and quite recently at that.  I saw a couple of his books that became movies, but never read them.  I listened to The Best of Me on audio at the end of August and really enjoyed it.  I definitely plan to pick up others.

Shelley Shepard Gray

Ms. Gray is a Christian author and writes Amish mystery/romances.  Although I do not mind Christian fiction at all, I am always a bit leery, because I like them more on the lighter side than in the ones where it seems as if the author is preaching to you through the characters.  These books did not have that feel and although the story took place in an Amish community, one did not feel the story was preachy.  I would consider reading or listening to more by Shelley Shepard Gray in the future.

Lee Childs

I've been hearing about the Jack Reacher novels for years and they just never highly appealed to me.  But since they are making it into a movie, my interest kind of was piqued; although I cannot really see Tom Cruise as a convincing Jack Reacher.  Isn't Jack Reacher suppose to be well over 6 feet, while Tom Cruise is about 5 foot 5 or 6?  The first book, Killing Floor while very long, at over 500 pages also kept my interest and I have put the next book on reserve.

Leila Meacham

I very recently listened to her book, Roses on audio and loved it.  I look forward to reading the prequel, Somerset and have an ARC of Crowning Design which is being released.

November Wrap Up

A very good month for books.  I finished reading 4 books and listening to 7,

I listened to this book on audio. I had tried to listen to this book several months ago, but sent it back to the library, but I decided to give it another try. Although, I wouldn't say I thoroughly enjoyed, I did listen to it in its entirety this time and I will try the next book in the series. This series may though be a bit too juvenile for me to read as a 40-omething. I'll be giving this on Goodreads only 2 stars since for me it really was only slightly better than OK, but personally, I'd rat I listened to this book on audio. I had tried to listen to this book several months ago, but sent it back to the library, but I decided to give it another try. Although, I wouldn't say I thoroughly enjoyed, I did listen to it in its entirety this time and I will try the next book in the series. This series may though be a bit too juvenile for me to read as a 40-something. I'll be giving this on Goodreads only 2 stars since for me it really was only slightly better than OK, but personally, I'd rate it 2.25 or even 2.5 stars.

I had this on reserve at my library's e-book website for several months. I had expected that I would thoroughly enjoy it and waited anxiously for it. Unfortunately, I was not as enthralled by it as I hoped to be and actually was not enthralled at all. As more and more reviews were done on it, many people complained about the lack of character development, since primarily each chapter focused on only a few select characters and a particular generation, with the chapters alternating sides of a family tree, one in Ghana and the other although originally from Ghana, the other side of the family tree were taken away to America as slaves. Some of the chapters were better than others, but the lack of character development due to the brevity of time we spent with each generation of characters was a detriment to the book as a whole, at least for me. I did enjoy how the final chapter completed the story. The book did take me longer to read than usual. It has been difficult to decide on a rating for this book, but on Goodreads, after much consideration, I give it 3 stars, but on a personal level, I would give it 2.5 stars or even 2.75 stars.

This is the second book in a trilogy which centers on a mystery in a New Order Amish community of who killed one of the young men. of the community. I read the first book a couple months ago and the second book continues where the first book left off without really reminding us anything that happened in the previous book. Although\, I have read books where nearly half of the new book is a summary of the previous book and those are just too repetitive, but I would have liked a bit of a summary, j This is the second book in a trilogy which centers on a mystery in a New Order Amish community of who killed one of the young men. of the community. I read the first book a couple months ago and the second book continues where the first book left off without really reminding us anything that happened in the previous book. Although\, I have read books where nearly half of the new book is a summary of the previous book and those are just too repetitive, but I would have liked a bit of a summary, just a page or so even dispersed through out the story. At first, I was confused about some of the stories that were going on in the book, although after awhile I did get back into the stories and enjoyed the book. I usually like taking sometime between books in a series, but after feeling like even a couple months between book 1 and book 2 was too long, I am going to listen to book 3 later next week. 3 stars for this book, since I did not enjoy it to the same degree that I did the first book, Missing.

I've been trying to get into fantasy, but I finally after listening to over 60%, I had to just DNF it. It was just too confusing and strange. I could not stand the writing, much too descriptive and I just could not follow the story. I was intrigued by the fact that the narrator was Bronson Pinchot, who I remember as Balki in Perfect Strangers in the 80s; as a narrator, he was fine, quite good in fact. It was the story itself that turned me off.

I enjoyed the first book in the series very much, the second book was not as good as the first, but this the 3rd book in the series, was another very enjoyable and engaging story. 4 stars

I absolutely loved this book. Annie Rains is my favorite newly-discovered author of 2016. The stories are always good, the characters likeable, and the chemistry between the 2 main characters red-hot! Definitely a 5-star book for me! I can't wait for her new series next year; although I will miss this series. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars



I was not quite sure what to expect from this one before I listened to this. I enjoyed it quite a bit, though; it was full of various stories over the years when he was a practicing pediatrician. First in Russia and later in the Chicago area. I enjoyed the fact that much of his stories took place in the Chicagoland area. The book is narrated by the author himself and although he is not the best narrator, there was a certain charm to the fact that he narrated it himself.  4 stars.


What an extremely brave woman. I'm having difficulty deciding if I should give this 4 or 5 stars. It's definitely a 4.5 in my eyes. This was an extremely well-done biography of Irena Sendler and the saving of thousands of Jewish children and babies from the Warsaw Ghetto. I had not realized how bad things were in Poland, which is where my paternal ancestors came from; although they came to America in the early 20th century.

3.5 stars for this one. This is one of the better books about dogs that I read (listened to) Jessica Vogelsang is a veterinarian and in this book she talks about her life mainly with 3 dogs she had during her life and her choice to become a veterinarian.

Very cute pictures of dogs accompanied by 50 fact about them. There's only 50 of them, so it is a short 50 pages though. I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.  3 stars,



Originally, I started reading this a couple months ago and sent it back to the library. Found the writing too simplistic. I was going to retry it in audio and requested the book on Overdrive both in audio and as an e-book, both with a long waiting list. The e-book came available first, so I tried reading it again. At first the I didn't care for the writing, but I kept reading and it grew on me. I plan on reading the next book sometime next year.  3 stars.

I listened to this book yesterday and although, it is a good story of a young woman who defected from North Korea, I find the book The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Storyby Hyoenseo Lee much better. One can't judge too severely, as pretty much any story told by someone who defected from North Korea is personally their own, but I feel the other book is told better and was just more engaging as a whole. What this family went through is harrowing as is any story of people escaping from North Korea. I find EunSun and in fact her entire family very brave and wish them the best.  4 stars


All in all, this was a very well-rounded month. I had at least book in each rating, except for one-star and that happens rarely that I give a book one star, because I usually quit reading the book if it is that bad.  If I quit reading a book I then do not rate it, since I did not read it from beginning to end.  My favorite book was Welcome Home for Christmas, but Irena's Children was a close second

October Wrap Up

Compared to some of my previous months, I didn't read as much as I have, but really not a bad month.  Mainly, it was just that I did not listen to as many audiobooks.  In fact, I only listened to one book and even then, I ended up switching to the hardcover version and ended up enjoying the book more.





These 2 books have excerpts (the first chapter or two) of several books that will be released.  Some have already been released due to the date I read this.  I only read a few stories from these books - the ones that appealed to me and weren't in the middle of a series.  I got both of these books through NetGalley from the publisher.  It's a great idea to have these available for preview.  Buzz Books 2016 Romance is available for free on Amazon for the Kindle, so download it to your Kindle e-reader, Kindle Fire or use the Kindle app to download it to your phone, tablet or computer.

It has been several days since I read this, but I did not have the time to give it a review. This book, like the first in the series is not in a genre I typically read. Other than these 2 books, I can't think of the last time that I read fantasy. Probably back in high school or even grade school and then most likely, it was required reading, a so-called classic as well as a book I did not really enjoy. But I am really enjoying this series and I find Ransom Riggs a very interesting author (that is said in a most positive way.) He's got a great imagination and writes in a way that someone who usually only reads and enjoys realistic fiction or nonfiction will enjoy the story. I read this particular book on my Kindle, unlike the first which I read in hardcover. Reading it in hardcover, I was able to see the pictures more clearly than I was in Kindle format, where the pictures were somewhat smaller. I look forward to reading the 3rd book, Library of Souls in hardcover early next year.

This is an okay short story, which is a prequel to Jodi Picoult's Small Great Things. Small Great Things is a fantastic book. This one is only about 30 or so pages and really is not necessary to read. It is nowhere as good and thought-provoking as Small Great Things.



I very much enjoyed this book. I started out listening to this book, but one did not have much time to listen and wasn't crazy about the narrator and felt somewhat confused at times. I ended up switching to the hardcover from the library since there was a wait for the Kindle version. I ended up enjoying it a lot more in the written form. It was not the typical Grisham that I read in the 90s, but learning about coal mining, Appalachia, etc was quite interesting. It was nice not to read just about corporate lawyers and the corporate world, but a story that revolves about a formerly corporate lawyer, having the chance to finally do work that effects the so-called "little people" and learn about law from a civil perspective and finally see the inside of a courtroom. The ending was somewhat disappointing in that things didn't totally get resolved, but hopefully the author wrote it that way, so that there can be an eventual sequel.



I am still reading this book and should finish it in the next couple days. I had been on the waiting list for several months and unfortunately not enjoying it quite as much as I hoped to.  You'll find out my final view in the November wrap-up.

Let me know if you read any of these or if you are planning to start some holiday reading in November. Also in November, I plan to read a couple holiday books and listen to some audiobooks. 

Books in my Future - The First Half of September

Most of the books I got the 1st part of September were ARCs from NetGalley. 

ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies)

Another Day in the Death of America by Gary Younge



This sounds really interesting and relevant about all the gun violence in America and the loss of lives of so many children on one particular day in America. 

You Can't Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson



An essay collection about race, gender, and pop culture from celebrated stand-up comedian and WNYC podcaster Phoebe Robinson.  I look forward to reading this it sounds like it could be funny, while also discussing relevant topics.

The Chibok Girls by Helon Habila



In April 2014, over 200 Nigerian school girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram.  Helon Habila, an author and journalist born in Nigeria tells the story of the girls and their parents and the background of BokoHaram.  This is a short book of about 128 pages, so I think I will be reading this sooner rather than later.

Substitute: Going to School With a Thousand Kids by Nicholson Baker



This is about the experiences of the author, who appears to be a best-selling author  of non-fiction, as a substitute teacher in Maine.  After getting approved to read this ARC, I' ve noticed a couple things on Goodreads.  The reviews on this are mixed with more 1 and 2 star ratings and reviews than 4 and 5 star reviews and ratings.  Also it shows the page count as over 700 pages!!Hopefully, this is an error; I can't imagine that a book on this subject is worthy of this length.  Because of this, I don't think I'll be in much of a rush to read this in the immediate future.

The Most Wonderful Time by Fern Michael, Stacy Finz, Sarah Title and Shirlee McCoy



Christmas will be here before we know it and Novenber is a perfect time to start your holiday reading.  I wanted to read this mainly for the story by Stacy Finz, which is suppose to launch her new series.  This book comes out near the end of October, so I may be starting my holiday reading early.

Welcome Home for Christmas by Annie Rains



Another ARC for the holiday season  by my newest favorite author and also the last book in her Hero's Welcome series, which I am very excited to read.


Christmas In Eternity Springs by Emily March



I've been reading and review Emily March's Eternity Spring series for the past 3 years or so.  Recently, I've been asked to participate in the Christmas in Eternity Springs blog tour.  I'll be participating on Sunday, October 2nd on this blog.  I'll be reading this as soon as I finish my current book.  Guess that means my holiday reading will start real early this year!


LIBRARY BOOKS

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Njikamp



I had waited on the reserve list for so long for this book and finally got the book on Kindle from Overdrive.  Well, I had seen so many mixed reviews and wanted to decide for myself.  You'll need to check my September wrap-up to see what I thought.

Hillbilly Effigy by J.D. Vance



I am currently reading this for #DiverseAThon, which is a read-a-thon to encourage reading diverse books.  I did not think I was going to be able to participate in #DiverseAThon, since I knew I had to read this book before the library loan ended  and I had requested this awhile ago , but the wait list is even longer now than it was when I first got on it.  I did not think this book would be considered diverse, but after watching someone's video discussing what #DiverseAThon is, I decided that since this book talks about a sub-culture of America and the lower socioeconomic class, it could actually be included in this readathon.  I am only 20% into it and it is quite interesting, but you'll have to wait for my September Wrap-Up post to find out what I think of it.  Here is the Goodreads link if you want more info about it.  Maybe it's not the most diverse book I could have read for #Diverse AThon, but one I read a goodvariety of diverse books and this was where I had to read this or lose the oppiortunity to read this book anytime in the near future.


AMAZON

The Key by Jennifer Anne Davis (True Reign #1)



I was watching a Booktube video by one of my favorite Booktubers at Sarah's Nightstand.  She had just read the entire trilogy and really enjoyed it.  The first book was free as of the other day (it still may be, but I'm not sure).  I've been wanting to try fantasy, since I can't really think of any that I have read (unless you count Miss Perregrine's Home for Peculiar Children) and since she recommended it and the first book was free, I thought why not

Hopefully, I won't get anymore books this month.  I'm getting close on a couple reserves, but I think it will be more like next month.  I suspended a couple holds for a couple weeks, so I think i'll be okay.  My biggest problem, if you really consider it a problem, is requesting and being approved for more ARCs on NetGalley.

#T5W Books That You Want to Read Before the End of the Year

Top 5 Wednesdays were created by Ginger Reads Lainey and now is hosted by Sam of Thought on Tomes and you can find the Goodreads page here for more information. 

This week's topic is Top 5 Books That You Want to Read Before the End of the Year.

I really enjoyed the first book, Miss Perregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which I definitely did not expect to enjoy as much I actually did.  I am thinking September or October to read this.  Once it starts to become cooler seems to be a perfect time to curl up and enjoy this book.




I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley and the publisher.  Originally, I believe it was being released in early 2017, now the release date has been moved to October of this year.  hope to read it in September.



Every year for the holidays for the past several year I have read one book in the series that came out the previous holiday.  I get them through the library and will be getting this one hopefully in November or December to read.  I am excited to see that a 6th one in the series is coming out later in the year that I will be reading next year during the holidays.



I recently heard about this book a couple weeks ago.  It also has just been added to Oprah's Book Club.  I actually wanted to read this book before Oprah chose it for her book club and really hope to get to read this before the end of the year.  I'm waiting for it to be added to my library system's Overdrive application.



This book is the 2nd in a series by my favorite author of all time, Rosanne Bittner.  I have been reading her books since the late 90s.  The 1st book in the series, I read in 2000, a few years ago, Rosanne Bittner decided to write a sequel which this one is.  She has since I believe written an additional 2 more sequels, of which the 3rd one is coming out either later this month or in September and the fourth and final book sometime next year. 

March Wrap Up

I had a very good reading month.4 books read, including 1 ARC and 5 books that I listened to on audio.  My favorite book was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Wild: Lost and Found on the Pacific Crest Trail was the one I liked least.  In fact, it is rare for me to finish a book that I disliked so much that is why you will not find too many books that I rate with only one star.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult       3.5 stars

Jodi Picoult's books are often about very timely and controversial issues.  This particular book is about a school shooting and  had me guessing until the very end how it would end.

Although I enjoyed this book and others that have read by Jodi Picoult, one of my biggest complaints are how long her chapters almost always are. I am a person, who usually likes to finish the chapter in one sitting, but that is rarely possible with the length of her chapters. I'd probably get through her books quicker, if she had shorter chapters and I could say just one more chapter...

This particular book had me guessing until the very end. I did not guess the ending until it was just about to happen and even then I did not figure it all out. That is how I enjoy most of my books; not knowing the ending until the end.

Harbor Lights by Sherryl Woods                 3 stars

Book 3 in the Chesapeake Shores series.

This book was better than the 2nd book in the series, Flowers on Main, but not as good as the first one, The Inn at Eagle Point. I found the O'Brien's particularly meddlesome, to a point where it was almost infuriating. On the contrary though, without some of their meddling, Kevin and Shanna probably would not have gotten back together. I plan to continue with this series and see where it goes.

Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned From Eighties Movies (And Why We Don't Learn Them From Movies Anymore) by Hadley Freeeman   2 stars

I really had high hopes for this book. I love the eighties and 80s movies, so I though this book would be a great stroll down memory lane and some of it was. Much it as the book went on was boring with too much discussion of feminist views and talk of what is wrong with the film industry nowadays. Also, the book and chapters were way too long with some of it feeling almost duplicative. I found myself skimming way too much of the book after the first several chapters and being anxious for it to be over. I really wish I could have rated it higher, but I just can't.

I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Here Comes Trouble by Michael Moore   3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. It was interesting to hear the stories of Michael Moore's life before we had heard of him once Roger & Me came out. Hard to believe that he was thinking of becoming a priest and went to a seminary boarding school for his 1st year of high school. 

The Last Juror by John Grisham   3 stars

I enjoyed this. Somewhat disappointed in the end with who did it, but don't want to say anything else about it or else it would be a spoiler. Having the story be from a newspaper owners viewpoint was interesting and not the same attorney point of view as one expects from Grisham.

33 Men by Jonathon Franklin    2 stars

Although this was an interesting event in which 33 miners were trapped in a copper mine for 69 days, it could have been much better, in that the book seemed not to flow as well as it could have. Also, it was confusing trying to keep the men straight. I listened to the audio version and I did enjoy the narrator.

American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle     3.5 stars

I enjoyed listening to this. The narrator was very good and since Chris Kyle is from Texas having a narrator who has southern accent makes the narration of the story more enjoyable and realistic.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs   4.5 stars

This book is totally not my usual genre, but I finally decided to try it and was pleasantly surprised that I very much enjoyed it. It really difficult to decide exactly what genre it is; it's seems to be a combination: partly contemporary fiction, partly historical fiction and partly fantasy. I'll definitely go on to the next book in the series later this year.

Wild: Lost and Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed    1 star.

I really did not like this book. It is about the author's trek on the Pacific Coast Trail, along with stories about her life. I did not like the person she was and every time the story seemed to improve, it went downhill again, reminding me how much I truly disliked it. I had doubts about it before I started but I decided to take a chance and listen to it on audio. I can understand her being depressed after her mother died at 45 of lung cancer, even though she had never smoked. But she was married to a decent guy and ran off to Oregon and had at least one affair and got involved in drugs, heroin. 

When she decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which goes from Northern Mexico to southern Canada, she was totally ill-prepared, having never backpacked before. Also at one point in the story she was talking about how her her 33 yr. old family horse needed to be put down, but since she could not afford a vet, she was going to do it the old-fashioned way and shoot the horse. Her brother stepped in and ended up doing it for her, but she describes it and describes the suffering the horse endured. This was totally unnecessary to have in this book and was quite macabre. Why she felt this was necessary to include in this book is beyond me, except to solidify my great dislike for this book and for the author. I gave this book 1 star. I had hoped the story would get better and it never did; if anything it almost got consistently worse. What a wasted 13+ hours of listening time. I later found out this was an Oprah Book Club 2.0 pick, if I had known I probably would not have read this. Most of the Oprah's book club selections that I have read, I did not enjoy. In fact, I usually will not read a book that she has recommended, since I never enjoy those books.


I'd love to hear if you read any of these books, what you thought of them or what your favorite books were that you read in March