*affiliate links have been used Confession time: I haven't been reading much at all these days. Like, I've read half a book so far for the month of April. January started out really strong, with 4 books read, and then my reading progress just piddled away from there. I can't even really explain it, but I'm just not reaching for a book when I have time to read. Blame it on being too tired, focusing on other hobbies right now, or just lack of interest in reading. Perhaps a combination of all three even, but however you look at it, my reading is severely lacking so far. That being said, the books I have managed to read at least have been really good reads! There's nothing worse than reading bad book after bad book, especially when you aren't reading very much to begin with.
Loved: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikrywas such a charming and lovely book. The writing was beautiful and it hit me with all the feels when I was least expecting it. It's about loss and love and family and how when you least expect it, the right people (both young and old), will find their way into your life. And it's a book about books, so what's not to love?
It Ends With Uswas also a really good read. A little more chick-lit and a lot more sexy times than I was expecting, but I had a hard time putting this book down. I was worried that the ending was going to be too cliche, but I think the author approached a difficult topic really well. I don't want to give anything away, but the message this book sends is really important and be sure to read the author's note at the end!
The last good book I read wasThe Lost Husband. If you've read any of my last book posts, then you know I adored Happiness for Beginners by the same author so I was excited to dig in to one of her other books. I wasn't disappointed in the least! This is a book about loss, moving on, forgiveness, hope, love and self-growth.While I couldn't relate to having lost my husband, I could relate to being a mother, and I just really liked the main character, Libby. She was honest, real, and just trying to live a good life in order to give her children a better life. Currently Reading: I had high hopes that I would read all of the books while on holidays in Florida, but alas, that never happened. I started readingForever, Interruptedby Taylor Jenkins Reid while on the airplane and devoured 150 pages. I was pulled in on page one and crying by page two. But, despite loving it, I haven't been able to bring myself to read anymore (see first paragraph again, haha!). Anyway, my goal is to finish it by the end of the month! Looking Forward To: I feel like this is a trick question, haha! I can't say I'm looking forward to reading anything right now, BUT, I do have two books I recently purchased that I am really interested in reading as soon as I find my reading mojo. Ange highly recommendedUnf*ck Your Habitat: You're Better Than Your Messto me and I think it will be really helpful in learning how to attack clutter and disorganization in my home. The second book I picked up wasThe Rules Do Not Applyby Ariel Levy, a memoir about the adventures and heartbreak of being "a woman who is free to do whatever she chooses". Let's hope the reading bug hits me again soon! Don't forget to head over toBecky's blogto see what she's loved, is currently reading and what she's going to read next! What are you reading right now? Any new releases you're looking forward to?
Happy Valentine's Day! After texting about books one evening, (like all the cool kids do), Becky and I thought it would be fun to put together a Valentine's Day inspired post sharing our favourite books about love! We read a lot of the same books and we've read a lot of really wonderful books with great love stories in them. After much consideration, we each picked our top three, but we both agree that these six books make up our top picks for best love stories out there. You can read about my choices below, and then head on over to Becky's blog to read about hers.
One True Loves: This was one of my favourite reads from 2016, and a book that I recommend to everyone (even if they aren't asking me for book recommendations). This is the story of Emma, and how she must choose between the first love of her life, Jesse, her husband who she thought was dead, and the new love of her life, Sam. It's raw, real, heartbreaking and heartwarming. Your heart will feel torn in two while Emma grieves and tries to figure it all out, but you will feel put back together by the end of the book. The rollercoaster of emotions you will go on while reading this book is more than worth it. Be prepared to want to read this book in one sitting.
The Royal We: The fictional retelling of the love story of Prince William and Kate will have you turning pages long into the night and wishing for more once the last page is turned. It's messy, honest, entertaining and all around a delight to read. Even if you aren't a fan of the real Duke and Duchess, I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this book. And if you're like me and prefer to read the book before the movie, then hurry up, because there's talks of a movie adaptation being made!
Attachments: This is one of the neatest love stories I've ever read. It's charming and sweet without being over the top. Told mainly through email correspondence between Jennifer and Beth, with interspersing chapters from Lincoln, the IT security guy at their company, Lincoln finds himself in a position in which he's often reading Jennifer and Beth's red-flagged emails. It's 1999, and the internet is a relatively new phenomenon in the work place. After awhile, Lincoln finds himself falling in love with one of the women writing the emails. But how can you confront the woman you're falling for when you've never even met in person? Love before sight.
January ended up being a pretty good reading month, considering I wasn't sure how reading was going to fit into my life with a newborn and a toddler. Of course, fitting in reading often means I'm staying up way too late to get in a few chapters, but some habits never die. Once a night owl, always a night owl!
I read four books in January and really enjoyed three of them. I probably should have DNF'd the one I didn't like (Girl Runner), but I just couldn't do it. While I'm not too happy I spent time slugging through it, I am glad I finished it since it's a book I've owned for a few years and had been wanting to read. Now I can happily donate it to my neighbourhood's Little Free Library!
Here's what I read:
1. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi: This was a hard book for me to put my thoughts about in writing. How do you judge a book written by a man while he was dying? A man who was intelligent beyond belief and who would have continued to make enormous contributions in the field of medicine had he not left this Earth too soon? I have nothing but tremendous respect for Kalanithi. And I can't even begin to pretend I know what he or his family went through during those last years of his life. That being said, while I found the first part of his book interesting from a clinical/medical viewpoint (having been a nurse myself), it wasn't until the epilogue that I was truly moved and brought to tears.A poignant read, it is really only the epilogue that has stuck with me since I finished this book. (4/5 stars) 2. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: I adored this book! It's been sitting on my shelf for ages and I'm so glad I finally picked it up. It's one of those subtle, charming and lovely books that just hits you with all the feels when you least expect it. It's about loss and love and family and how when you least expect it, the right people (both young and old), will find their way into your life. It's also a book about books and bookstores and book lovers and it was truly a wonderful read. I can't imagine anyone (especially a fellow book lover) not loving this one! (5/5 stars) 3. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty: This is a story about secrets. One's we tell and one's we take to our grave. It's also a story about relationships: husband and wife, mother and daughter, mother and son, as well as other various relationships within one's own family. It was complex, but not confusing, although it did take me several chapters to really get into. At first, there's not a lot that seems to tie these different characters together, but as the book progresses, so does Morality's gift of storytelling. I love how her characters start to come together and how even the littlest of decisions effects their future. When John-Paul's wife, Cecelia, finds a letter written to her by her husband years ago, on the birth date of their first daughter, he asks her not to open it. When she realizes how distraught John-Paul is over the idea of her reading the letter, Cecelia knows she needs to read it. What possible secret could he be keeping from her? The contents of the letter changes everything.
This book made me think of the butterfly effect; how every little decision we make, both intentional or not, alters our future. We think we know our closest family and friends, but in truth, we all have secrets, big and small. My favourite part of this book was the epilogue. It really illustrated how if we knew the secrets our family kept, it would change everything. It was really powerful and it gave a unique way to wrap up loose ends, something that is rarely done in books (but that I appreciate when done right). This was my third Moriarty book, and while it was my least favourite of the three, I still really enjoyed it. (4/5 stars)
4. Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder: This is the book I should have DNF'd. It took me forever to get into as the story really jumps around and with no dates or anything to tie into the timeline, I found it so confusing trying to figure out where we were. I found none of the characters that interesting which is saying a lot since the main character, Aggie, is one of the first women to compete in the Olympics in running. I mean, this SHOULD be a fascinating story. What I thought was going to be a story about running, and Aggie's Olympic experience, I found that to be too small a part of the book. Overall, it was a sad story, but not a very compelling, sad story. I was so glad when I finally read the last page. (2/5 stars).
2016 was my best year of reading since I joined Goodreads back in 2012 and started tracking my reading. In fact, that's also when I started this blog. Anyway, I think it's safe to say that 2016 has been the best reading year of my entire life. When I first started logging the books I was reading, I was encouraged to do so when I caught wind of the 50 Book Pledge: read 50 books in 52 weeks. Seemed easy! Except for me, it wasn't. I never was able to read that many books in one year, until now.
I know it's not about the number of books you read in any given year. And I definitely don't go out of my way to read short books or "easy" books just to get my numbers up. I think what changed (or helped) me last year to read 53 books was choosing to read in my spare time over other things. I could write a whole post about that, but long story short, I made it a priority to read. There are so many books I want to read and so little time.
With that being said, I'm happy I had such a successful reading year. Yes, I read more than one book a week, but I also read some really great books too! Of course, I read a handful of really awful books, but such is the life of an avid reader. This year, I'm setting a realistic goal of hopefully reading 24 books. That's just two books a month, and given my situation (a newborn and an active toddler), I think this is doable. Last year, I actually only set out to read 30 books, and when I hit that goal about half way through the year, I just kept on going to see how far I could get (without resetting the goal higher). I'll treat this years goal in the same way.
I don't make any specific goals when it comes to choosing which books to read, meaning, I don't seek out female authors, or Canadian authors, etc. Last year I said I wanted to read more non-fiction books, more specifically, personal-growth books, but I read zero of those. While I will get to them one day, it's not a major priority of mine right now. What I do want to mindful of this year though is trying to choose books that I really want to read. And by that I mean, choosing books that sound amazing, and will most likely be a good read. I know this is a hard thing to guarantee as everyone's reading experience is different, but often there are books on my wish-list or to-be-read list that I'm dying to read, but for some reason, I'll keep choosing lesser known books, or books I'm not all that interested in but think I should read out of obligation. Basically, what I'm saying is, I'm going to be more picky about the books I read. And I'm also going to work on abandoning a book when it's just not working for me.
Ok! And because no book round-up post would be complete with out some stats, here you go!
Number of books read: 53! (up 15 from last year)
Number of pages read: 17,487 (up 4800 from last year)
Percentage of female authors read: 79% (up 8% from last year)
Percentage of Canadian authors read: 17% (up 9% from last year)
Percentage of non-fiction read: 9% (down 2% from last year)
5-star reviews: 8 books (15% - down 6% from last year, but the same number of 5-star books as 2016)
I loved all 8 of these books for very different reasons. Me Before You was a re-read for me, but I loved it just as much the second time around.
4-star reviews: 16 books (30% - down 7% from last year)
3-star reviews: 16 books (30% - up 4% from last year)
2-star reviews: 11 books (21% - up 10% from last year)
1-star reviews: 2 books (4% - down 1% from last year, but the same number of 1-star books as 2016)
One book from 2016 that I think everyone should read:
It's a tie between One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid (my review) and Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center. Out of all my 5-star reads of last year, these are the two that stick out of my mind the most and that I recommend to pretty much everyone. Seriously, if you haven't read them yet, add them to your list for this year!
One book from 2016 that I think everyone should skip:
This was the last book of A Slice of Brie Book Club last year and it was humorously terrible! I had fun writing my thoughts about it though, which you can check out here if you like.
What was the best book you read last year? Worst? Do you make reading goals for the year?
Since I missed doing this post last month, I'll be talking about the books I read in November and December. Two out of the seven books I read were complete duds, but the other five more than made up for them. December was a slow reading month. Once I finished, on December 16, what would be my last book for the year, I just didn't have the time or the energy to read anything else. I started When Breath Becomes Air, but my heart just wasn't in it, so I put it aside until it was. I picked it back up once I was home from the hospital and it's the first book I read of 2017, but I'll be talking about it in next months post.
I plan to talk about my bookish goals (and recap my 2016 year of reading - spoiler: it's been my best year since starting this blog 5 years ago!) in another post, including my expectations on what my reading will look like this year.
In the meantime, here's what I read to round out 2016!
1. You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness by Julie Klam: I had such high hopes for this book, but it was one of the worst books I think I've ever read. The story telling was disjointed, it was boring, and I have no idea how this got published. I was horrified by the lack of control and training Klam exhibited upon her own rescue dogs. Peeing and pooping all over her apartment, biting not only her and her husband, but her toddler!!!?, not trained to walk on leashes, snapping and barking at every person they walked by. I just don't get it. What did this book bring to readers other than frustration and annoyance? You can read my full rant HERE. (1/5 stars)
2. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Carter: This was one of the best books I read in 2016. Like, it's right up there with One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It was fun and easy to read, but it also had depth and a lot of food for thought. It was funny and witty, hopeful, sad and left me wanting more, but in a good way. Just a delightful book, not one you would expect to love so much. I highly recommend this one if you haven't read it yet. (5/5 stars)
3/4/5. Winter Street/Winter Stroll/Winter Storms (Winter Trilogy) by Elin Hilderbrand: A lovely, really cute series that I had fun reading. Perfect books to fill that need of wanting to read something wintery/Christmassy. They're short, but full of characters and details, and you will find yourself wanting to visit Nantucket in December when you're done. I read them back to back to back, which I recommend doing if you haven't read any of them yet since the first two in the series do end abruptly and with a bit of a cliff hanger. (3/5 stars)
6. Wrapped Up in You by Carole Matthews: Oh man, this was the other flop of the bunch. Unfortunately, this was also my last A Slice of Brie Book Club for the time being, and instead of going out with a bang, we all suffered through 400+ pages of a boring, annoying and ridiculous storyline. This book was SO cheesy and just totally unbelievable. Full book club review/rant HERE. (1/5 stars)
7. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris: I read this mystery/thriller in one day and really enjoyed it. It's creepy, intense at times, and I couldn't put it down as I needed to know how the story was going to unfold and how it was all going to wrap up. One of the best endings in a mystery/thriller I've read in a long time! (4/5 stars).
What have you been reading lately? What books are you looking forward to reading in 2017?
Hello Book Clubbers! I can't believe this is the final book club of the year. As I also mentioned in the last book club post, this will also be the last book club for the next few months. With baby arriving in two weeks, I don't want to over commit myself until I get into the groove of managing my time with a toddler and a newborn. I like to think I'll still find time to read, but who knows! Hopefully we can pick back up in the spring though! I want to thank each and every one of you who has supported this little online book club. It means the world to me that you wanted to be a part of this and participated in the discussions. The only thing I love more than actually reading, is sharing that love of reading with other people. So thank you, thank you!
On that note, I also feel like I need to apologize for ending this book club with such a bust of a book! All I wanted was to read something light and fun and Christmassy, and this book was none of those things for me. (Maybe I also need to apologize right now to those that read this but loved it!) I know when it comes to a book club it's often a gamble on whether the book will be good or not, but I do take responsibility for this since I put a lot of work into selecting what I think will be good books to vote on. This book has pretty darn good reviews on Goodreads and was listed under several different "Christmas Themed Books" book lists, so I'm not sure what happened. Oh well, as much as I would have loved to end this with a bang, I'm hoping we can all have a good laugh at it instead!
OK quick reminder: if you're new to book club, this is a place for discussion, more than a review, so spoilers are aplenty. But, with that being said, I don't think this book can really be spoiled, haha. I also want to say, I don't take pleasure in rating a book poorly or bashing it, but there are so many things I disliked about this book that I can't help myself. Please forgive me.
Quick synopsis: Wrapped Up in You is the story of Janie, a 35 year old single hairdresser who lives alone with her cat. She's recently split up with her long term boyfriend whom she's pretty sure she wasn't actually ever in love with. She's given up on ever meeting anyone and is completely oblivious to the fact that her handsome and kind neighbour, Mike, is totally smitten for her. Janie is then set up on a blind date from hell by her best friend (and co-worker), Nina. Except this guy won't take no for an answer and continues to stalk Janie. Around the same time, Janie's ex tells her he's getting married and having a baby. So Janie does what any sane woman would do, and blows all her life savings on a week long trip on an African Safari after a client of hers leaves her a brochure on it. Oh, and this trip takes place over Christmas. In Africa, Janie falls in love with her "Maasai Warrior/safari guide", and when she returns to England, she is hell-bent on doing whatever it takes to be with him. Forever.
Here's what drove me nuts about this book:
Janie's complete obliviousness to the fact that her neighbour and good friend, Mike, liked her. And that she used him whenever she was feeling lonely or needed something done for her.
The whole bit with the bad blind date. I don't believe for a minute that Lewis, the most self-centred, annoying man I have ever read about, would continue to beat down Janie's door to try to convince her that they were meant to be together. But OK, let's say she happened to go on a date with the one crazy guy in her small town. Am I really supposed to believe that Janie believed her going to Africa for a week was what he needed to finally get the picture that she wasn't interested?
I definitely can buy that Janie was attracted to and lusted after Dominic, the Maasai Warrior she meets in Africa. I even buy that she would sleep with him. I mean, what happens on vacation stays on vacation, right? Wrong! This isn't just a little holiday fling. Janie AND Dominic both profess their love to each other at the end of the week. OK, so I can see a woman getting a little wrapped up in such a lust, but I don't buy that Dominic would be so quick to fall in love. He's built and spent his whole like in a tiny village in Africa as a warrior and has standards and beliefs he follows to a T. He spends his time working on these safari's and this is the first time he's fallen head over heals with one of his clients?
Oh but wait! Dominic has Facebook! He only has to walk 10 miles to get to the nearest computer though, so Janie and Dominic can totally continue their long distance romance. Easy peasy.
How does someone as primitive as Dominic (I mean, he only needs a few hours of sleep at a time, has wrestled lions in the flesh, survives on only fermented milk mixed with the blood of his cattle, and lives in a small village), also be somewhat educated (he speaks pretty darn good English and clearly knows his way around a computer)?!
I just can't accept that Dominic would so willingly jump on an airplane and leave his family and life behind to be with Janie. What do they talk about?! Love is one thing, but is that enough to sustain a relationship especially when one person is being completely removed from their life as they know it?
I found their whole relationship uncomfortable. Dominic was just portrayed as her protector and lover, and all he ever asked her was "are you happy?"
And for the love of god, if I had a dollar for every time Janie referred to Dominic as "her lover" I would have more than enough money to pay Becky back for actually having to purchase this book. Gag me.
I honestly didn't like any of the characters except for Mike. He was the only normal one, but I felt bad that he was wasting all his time and energy on Janie.
Dominic was a pro-snowboarder his first time ever on one. Riiiiiight.
When Dominic runs away at the end of the book, he becomes a hero and everyone likes him now because he attacked a mugger to get an old woman's purse back. Would this story really make headline news?!
Why oh why did this book need to be over 400 pages long?! What was even the plot?
I feel so duped by this book. The cover is so misleading...with the wintery landscape and the caption "Will Janie bring home true love this Christmas?" Nope, nope, nope. Not a Christmas (or wintery) book AT ALL.
OK, phew! I needed to get those things off my chest. I know I left some things out. You guys can remind me of what I missed in the comments, haha! Or maybe you liked this book (sorry for dissing it in that case) and you can let me know why!
No questions this go around. I just want to hear what you thought about it...if you agree with my bullet points...if I missed any major issues with the book...and/or what did/didn't work for you with this book.
Again, thanks to every one who has participated in book club this past year! Even thought we didn't go out with a bang, I hope there will still be interest to pick this back up in the spring some time. In the event that you have a post on this book you want to link up, I've included a link up below. Happy reading!
Hey friends! It's been two months since Allison, Becky, and I shared our most favourite reads with you all, so grab your notepads/phones/open up Goodreads, because this post is full of great book recommendations for yourself and for your loved ones on your Christmas shopping lists! We've been reading up a storm and as a result, have read some really wonderful books.
*****
BRIE
I’ve read a good chunk of books in the last two months – 10 to be
exact, but barely a handful stand out as really great reads. Such is the life
of a reader though! Thankfully, the books I loved, I really, really loved.
Favourites: When we last caught up, I mentioned I had just started One True
Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and you guys, what an amazing book! I pretty much
recommend it to everyone I talk to (and I even made my mom read it while she
was visiting), so if you haven’t yet, this is one bandwagon you need to hop on
ASAP. Immediately after One True Loves, I read After I Do by the same author
and while it’s completely different, I loved it too. Now I’m on a mission to
read the rest of her books. Happiness for Beginners was my most recent read and
it’s now competing with One True Loves for my favourite book of the year.
Another feel-good, easy read, but deeper than your average chick-lit. And if
you’re in the mood for a twisted, psychological mystery, then All is Not
Forgotten is a great read, but fair warning that the content is pretty graphic.
Looking
Forward To: My reading has slowed down considerably
the past few weeks, most likely because my energy is pretty low as I prepare
for baby to make its debut in just over a month. I’ve made it my mission to try
and finish off the year with light, easy, Christmas themed reads. I never read
seasonal books, but I felt it was time, and after Alison recommended the Winter
Street trilogy by Elin Hilderbrand, I put them all on hold at the library. I’m halfway
through the first book and it’s exactly what I was hoping to read to round out
the year.
*****
BECKY
I think the last couple months were a reading record for me. I read eight, almost nine, books since we last caught up two months ago. My grand total for the year is sitting at 32! I've read some pretty great books but some were just meh, like The Girls and Miss Peregrine's. What is it about over-hyped books being totally mediocre?
Favourites: It's so hard to choose my favourite but I'm going to have to say Forever, Interrupted. I think Taylor Jenkins Reid has become my new favourite author. However, you should know by now that I can't say no to a good memoir written by a strong female which is why I also really loved both Amy Schumer's and Bif Naked's memoirs. I'm just on the last few pages of Bif's book but knew I'd love it to the end based on her recent book tour where she read some passages with such animation. I'm reading the book with her voice in my head which makes it even more fantastic.
Looking Forward To: I was thrilled when I found both Forever, Interrupted and another TJR book, After I Do at the used bookstore. I've heard After I Do is even better than Forever, Interrupted and I can't wait to devour it. I also can't wait to get my hands on Anna Kendrick's new book Scrappy Little Nobody and Lauren Graham's book, Talking As Fast As I Can, because it's Gilmore Girls month!
*****
ALLISON
12 books in 2 months? Whoa. I've been adverse to reading lately (hello all the made-for-tv holiday movies!) so I was a bit surprised to see the tally at 12. The good news, for me, is that I didn't dislike anything I've read recently. Some were just ok but unlike the summer, none were bad. You can follow along with everything I'm reading and what's on my list on Goodreads.
Favourites: surprise, surprise; I can't pick just one favourite. I had written a sentence stating that It Ends With Us was my favourite (and it was REALLY good) but I also loved The Velvet Hours. You know how much I adore historical fiction. The Velvet Hours is based on the real life story of coutesan Marthe de Florian who deserted her Paris apartment in World War Two and its contents discovered, completely untouched for decades, in 2010. This is a fascinating story, easy to follow, and very captivating. I didn't like how abruptly it ended but after some research I understand why. It Ends With Us: I didn't love how young the main character was but other than that, I really enjoyed the story line that featured a strong-willed female lead.
Looking forward to: the third book in Elin Hilderbrand's Winter series: Winter Storms. This is last book in the series (the first two, which came out in 2014 and 2015, were great) and I'm equally looking forward to reading about how the Quinn family's story ends and sad there won't be another one next year. With my overwhelming adoration of made-for-tv Christmas movies I'm not-so-secretly hoping the trio of novels is made into a trio of movies. If you're looking for something light-hearted and seasonally appropriate I would recommend Hilderbrand's Winter Street Triology.
I dedicated October to reading just thrillers/mysteries and now that I have that genre out of my system, I'm ready for some more fun, lighter reads to finish off the year! I read 5 books last month and while two fell a bit short, it was a pretty good reading month. I'm also well on my way to possibly hitting 52 books read this year (has never happened!) which pleases me to no end since my original goal was 30. I know it's not about the number of books you read in a given period of time, but ever since I joined Goodreads back in 2012, it's always been a goal of mine to hit 52 books at least one year! Right now I've read 47 books, so I'm confident I will succeed this year.
1. Still Mine by Amy Stuart: This is one of the books that fell short for me. Once again, we have a bit of an unreliable narrator since Clare is running from her past and demons, is a recovering drug and alcohol abuser, and as the reader, we have no idea why she's "on the job" in some small, remote town. But she's there and she's determined to find out what happened to the local girl who has recently gone missing. Overall, this was a pretty "meh" read. I did read it quickly though because there's still an element of "I need to know what happens", but it definitely wasn't suspenseful, at least not until the last few pages. The whole storyline felt weak, and the ending was kind of lame. (2.5/5 stars)
2. Always Watching by Chevy Stevens: This is the story of Nadine, a psychiatrist at a psychiatric hospital, whose past has finally caught up with her. Having spent 8 or so months at the age of 13, living in a spiritual commune (ie. a cult) with her mother and older brother, Nadine has never been able to recall certain events of that time. That is, until she meets patient Heather, a young woman who has recently left the same commune, run by the same man it was back when Nadine was a girl. Treating Heather leads to Nadine finally uncovering truths about her own past on the commune, events she couldn't even recall under intense hypnotherapy sessions years ago. As Nadine starts to put the pieces together, and discovers that the commune has grown larger and more successful, she becomes determined to do anything to stop them from hurting even more innocent victims. I was expecting more of a thriller because this IS Chevy Stevens after all, but I'd say this was more of a psychological mystery...still really good and a page turner, just not as intense as her other books I've read. (3.5/5 stars)
3. All is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker:I really liked this book, despite it's graphic content. The premise: what if you could be given a drug immediately following a traumatic event that would erase your memories of it? Would you take it? You'd still know what happened, but you wouldn't be able to remember the actual event. This is the story of a 16 year old girl who is brutally raped in the woods during a party and her parents decide to give her the drug. They feel confident that they don't want their baby girl to have any recollection of this horrible crime and hope by not remembering, she can continue to live her life as a teenager. But maybe not remembering isn't as peaceful as you would hope it would be. How do you get closure then? How do you heal, recover and move on? Does not remembering the actual emotions associated with the event make it easier to accept such a thing happened? And then of course there's the whole question of: if you can't remember what happened, how is that person ever going to be caught and brought to justice? This story is told entirely from the perspective of the psychiatrist treating not just the 16 year old girl, but of her parents too. It was a unique point of view and I felt it worked well in this situation since so much of the story was able to be told through the dialogue of the therapy sessions. Also, the "retired" psych nurse in me enjoyed the memory/memory recovery aspect of the book. The topic is tough though, and revisited over and over so fair warning to those who don't want to read about such a topic. (4/5 stars)
4. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: This was the pick for last month's A Slice of Brie Book Club, and while I've been wanting to read it for years now, I was left feeling pretty underwhelmed by it. It's a beautiful book, physically, and well written, but the characters and the story really didn't do much for me. I wanted it to be more creepy - I feel like it had all the elements to be so, but it really wasn't. Parts of the story I found confusing (the time-loops and the hallowgasts) and other parts just boring. I really can't see myself finishing off this series, but I will still see the movie once it's out of theatres! (3/5 stars).
5. The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain: I really enjoyed this book and I devoured it in a few sittings. 25 year old Riley has always believed that her older sister committed suicide when she was a teenager and Riley was only 2. But when her father dies and she is faced with the task of going through his stuff, she discovers that her sister has been alive all this time and is living under a new identity. Riley, desperate to seek out the whole truth and find her sister, also risks exposing family secrets and putting people at risk.
What a crazy situation to be in: both your parents are now dead, and your brother wants nothing to do with the past. And then you find out something that will rock your world: just when you feel like you have almost no family left, you find out that your sister is indeed still alive. Why? How? And where is she? Once we know for sure that Riley's sister, Lisa, is still alive, we get periodic chapters from her point of view, dating back to the time she staged her own suicide. I really enjoyed these chapters and getting to know Lisa and what was going on in her life and how she was dealing with everything that was happening. I was often feeling scared for Lisa and while I hoped that Riley could be reunited with her, I also didn't want anything to jeopardize Lisa's life (or Riley's).
While predictable at times, this was a definite page turner as I needed to know how everything turned out. It wrapped up a bit too neatly, but then again, not everything in life has to be messy, does it? (3.5/5 stars)
Hey there book clubbers! Sorry again for the delay! I hope everyone was able to get through this book and is ready to talk about it...or at the very least, has seen the movie. Ha - just kidding! You should always read the book before the movie. I remember a time when this was an easier thing to do, but now a days, it feels like every movie is based on a book. Anyway, I digress.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (which from here on out will be referred to as Miss Peregrine's), has been sitting on my bookshelves for years. Five years to be exact. I remember purchasing it when I was working at a bookstore and it was just released. I was intrigued by the cover and the eeriness of it. Of course, as is the fate of many books that come home with me, it sat there on my shelves, unread. So I was pleased it was picked for book club as it meant I was finally going to read it...and just in time to see the movie! Which I think looks really good.
Anyway, just a few reminders here before we get into the book...if this is your first time here, this is your warning that this post will have spoilers (what would a book club discussion be otherwise?!) At the end of the post, I will have a few questions to get the discussion going which you can answer in the comments section if you like. And lastly, if you have a blog post about the book, you can link up at the end of this post! Also - if you aren't here to discuss Miss Peregrine's, but would like to participate in the next book club, then be sure to jump to the end of this post to vote on the book you'd like to read for November/December! If you're new to A Slice of Brie Book Club, in a nutshell, it's an online book club for fellow book lovers. A place to talk about a chosen book from the comfort of your own home/computer! Everyone is welcome (so tell your friends!), and you definitely do not have to have a blog to participate. Every month, we vote on which book to read for the following month. The poll will stay open until Monday night and I will announce the book next Wednesday. No commitment to join, but if you've ever wanted to join a book club, this is a great place to start!
*****
Before I get into what I thought about the book, here's a quick summary of it: 16-year old Jacob finds himself traveling to a small island off the coast of Wales, with his father, after the traumatic death of his grandfather. Jacob's grandfather lived a pretty secret life, and while he tried to share things with Jacob, it was all too unbelievable and Jacob assumed it was all just "stories". But the clues his grandfather left behind, had Jacob wondering the impossible, and so he travels to the island to find out the truth and is led to the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
I will admit, I haven't been looking forward to writing about this book. Fantasy isn't really my genre of choice, and while I can enjoy it, I find it difficult to talk about. This book was well written, and my favourite part about it was the physical beauty of the book itself - from the thickness of the pages, to the inclusion of the (real) vintage photographs, to the pretty pages dedicated to each chapter - it's really a work of art. That being said, I wasn't completely enthralled with the story. Some bits I was confused (like trying to wrap my head around how all the time-loops worked), and who the hallowgasts were and their role. Again, fantasy and my brain don't always mix well together, haha.
I wasn't sure how I felt about the romance developing between Jacob and Emma either...it seemed a little wrong, given both her actual age and the fact that she still seemed to be in love with Jacob's grandfather. I just don't think it was really necessary. Unless the author thought there needed to be a love interest in order to make it seem believable that Jacob would stay behind? Who knows...even Jacob as a character was pretty flat for me. There wasn't really anything likeable about him or had me "rooting" for him, or hoping for one ending over another. I felt pretty "meh" the whole time I was reading this.
I definitely think I expected this to be a creepier read. The setting is right, the endorsements on the book lead you to believe so, and the pictures should add an eerie element. But, it's not. There wasn't one part where I felt creeped out, or on the edge of my seat. Which is fine, but I think the cover and synopsis are misleading.
And the ending? I have a big pet peeve when it comes to cliff-hangers in a series. Thankfully, this wasn't a huge one, but it's obvious that it was written with the intent for their to be another book (or two in this case). I'm undecided if I will finish the series off....part of me always wants to know what happens, but I also wasn't invested enough in this book to want to run out and read the next one. I'm also not even sure I fully understand what happened at the end of this book, or where these kids are hoping to row out to. That's right - row! How far can you get in the ocean in row boats?! With no food, water, shelter or supplies, not to mention "a silent procession of battleships punctuated the horizon"! Ya, a weak ending in my opinion.
Overall, I didn't hate the book, but I didn't love it. I might just not be the right audience. Or maybe I just went in with the wrong expectations? Like I said above, it's well written and I didn't have any issues with that, I just wasn't as sucked into the story as I was hoping I would be!
So this is usually where I would have some discussion questions for you...but I'm having a hard time coming up with any! Instead:
Tell me what you thought of the book: did you like it, love it, hate it?
Do you usually enjoy fantasy books?
Were you expecting the book to be more creepy?
How did you feel about the romance developing between Jacob and Emma?
How did you feel about the ending?
*****
NEXT MONTH'S BOOK PICK
So there's only going to be one more book club for the rest of the year. Seeing as how we are already getting into November, and since December is historically a busy month for almost everyone, it makes sense to only do one more. That being said, I want to read something light, fun and a bit romantic to finish the year off! So I've picked three Christmas themed chick-lit fiction books to choose from. Cast your vote and I will announce the last book club book of 2016 next Wednesday!
