Simple Meals + Honest Book Reviews + Practical Living
I have a never ending list of books to read, and with how little time I seem to have these days (we’re knee deep in home renovation quotes, workworkworkworkwork, and #wifelife), it feels nearly impossible to get around to crossing all the books off my list. I was seriously convinced I’d have so much free time now that we’re done with wedding planning. Oh how wrong I was! Anyway, here’s what’s on the reading rotation…
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This book was fantastic. From the very start, I was totally hooked. I immediately want to jump into the summary, and then my thoughts. And of course, why I loved it so much to dub it the very first Bee’s Bookclub Book of 2017. Alright, let’s dive into Ann Patchett’s 7th novel, Commonwealth.…
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a Goodreads lover, right? Why Goodreads? Because you can track the books you’ve read, currently reading, divide them up into lists (I love lists), read reviews, learn the books history, about the author, the genre, number of pages, and everything in between. It’s pretty freaking cool — oh and did I mention that it’s F R E E ? Sign up right now (you can thank me later) and then add me as a friend!
The absolute best part about Goodreads, is their annual Reading Challenge. And of course, at the end of the year you can see your stats — who doesn’t love stats?
I’m thrilled to share with you some of my favorites, some no-no’s, and the books I recommend you add to your list for the upcoming year. Let’s dive in!
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You know what’s better than reading an awesome thriller novel? Having the very next book you read just as suspenseful and enjoyable. And even better than that? Having the third book in a row be just a great. I recently finished three books back to back that were all gripping, suspenseful, and impossible to put down.
If you’re looking for a few novels to curl up with during the relaxing down time in between Christmas and NYE, look no further than these three….
Ahh the latest Liane Moriarty ! I honestly couldn’t wait to get my hands on her new book. I think Moriarty is such a fabulous writer. I first discovered her two years ago, when I read The Husbands Secret — which I gobbled up, it was just so wonderful and juicy. As soon as I finished, I went out and read Big Little Lies (soon-to-be an HBO mini-series, BTW). Loved that too. So I bought another Moriarty book. And the cycle kept continuing. Each book better than her last.
So you can only imagine my glee when her 7th novel, Truly Madly Guilty was released over the Summer, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to read it. Did it live up to the Moriarty standards? Did I love it? Would I recommend it?
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I’ve been plowing away at my fall reading list. So far, I’ve finished four out of the six must reads. I’ve very much enjoyed all of the ones read, so far. Today’s overrated reads includes three recents books that I’ve read in between — the filler books, if I may. All three of the books from todays post — Volume #4 — were borrowed from the library, and we’re picked up on a whim.
I never thought I would see the day where Harlan Coben would make the list of books to skip. In fact, I’m still a little surprised that I have him on here — but this book was so, so, so terrible that I couldn’t even finish it. Like T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E. OK, so I’ve been reading Coben’s novels since high school. I love him and his writing, but he has a formula (for literally every book he’s ever written):
The formula typically works, until this book. I can’t put my finger on it other than it had a ridiculous, unbelievable plot. The main character was unlikeable, arrogant, hot-headed, irrational, and mean. I returned the book to the library after forcing myself to read at least 100 pages. I couldn’t do it any more. Which says a lot, because I usually finish books — even if they are unenjoyable.
Oh man. This is Mary Kubica’s third book. Her other two books are The Good Girl and Pretty Baby. Two thumbs up for The Good Girl and two thumbs down for Pretty Baby. (Blogged about here). I wanted Don’t You Cry to be the tie breaker. The book had two main narrators, I hated them both.Which is never a great start for a book. Both narrators were lazy, annoying, and whiny. It took more than halfway through the book for it to go anywhere, and when the ‘twist’ was finally revealed, I was bored and annoyed at the build up to nothing. I won’t be reading another Kubica book again, two strikes and you’re o-u-t!
This was a recommendation from theSkimm, so I obviously had to read it. Meh. I probably would’ve been better off passing on it. I enjoyed the overall idea of the book, in the grand scheme of the plot, however it wasn’t a great story. It seemed to go down too many roads that led to no where, and weren’t wrapped up by the time the book finished, or didn’t seem relevant for the author to even bother. It’s about a group of high school girlfriends that one by one catch ‘the fever’ that seems to be spreading like wildfire. Again, meh is how I would sum this up. I’d say skip.
Have you read any of these three novels? If so, I want to hear your thoughts! Do you agree with me? Or did you find any of these 3 enjoyable?
PS. HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!