Hello everyone! This is my first ever book related blog post, and the start of a new blog here on blogspot! I was always interested in having a blog, but never knew what I could write about that might interest others. I ended up deciding to make a blog for books because I read some really amazing books this year and wanted to make a list of my favorites from this year to share with others. Well, when I scrolled through my Goodreads app to find my highest rated and most enjoyed books, I found more than just 5 or 10 that I wanted to share with you all. To include all the books I wanted to include I needed to expand the list to 15. So fair warning, this blog post won't be a quick read if you really care about what I have to say. But I do think I organized it in a way that you can quickly skim the list and get a taste of what I liked this year.
This year, I adopted a new motto, which is basically to give any book a chance. And stop judging them by their covers. There's so many good books out there with lame covers! I'd be missing so many books if I ignored them just because they didn't do a good job picking covers LOL. I also have continued heavily using the Overdrive app to borrow books from my local library. I have found many books through that app that I really don't think I'd have experienced otherwise. In addition to that, I've learned that sometimes the most fun thing about the book world is interacting with others who read. From following blogs, bookstagrams, getting newsletters from publishers and Goodreads... I've also joined the Book of the Month (click to check out their site!) club this past summer which has become my new obsession. But that's a post for another time. It's definitely due to them that I've come across some of the great books I have in my TBR list now. AND started growing my own personal library again. It's been so much fun!
So anyway, I read a few REALLY good books this year. More than 5 amazing ones, but not quite 10. So when I started building that list, to include more, I couldn't stop at 5 star ratings when I was picking some of my other favorites. There were several that were really good but didn't quite hit amazing status. So now here we are with a pretty collage of the book covers, a little bit about each ones plotline, and why I thought they were amazing and also worth YOUR time. So enjoy! And I'd love any comments on any of the books you've also read or want to read :)
15. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Released: 7/8/14 (My birthday!)
Read from: Dec 14, 2017-Feb 1, 2018
Format: Print (library)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This was a book I had repeatedly picked up in one of the local libraries and read the back of, and then put back on the shelf. I kept coming back to this book because they had it on display, and I had read within the last couple months another book by the same author, which I really liked, and wanted to give another book by the author a chance. The premise was very interesting to me. Georgie, the main character, is a married mother of 2, who is able to speak to a past form of her husband on the landline telephone that still remains in her childhood bedroom at her mother's house.
What made me not want to take the book home was the fact that their marriage was going downhill in the present day and that was too depressing a thought for me to want to read at that time of year. But eventually I just said what the heck and took it home with me. I was reading it around the same time of year as it was taking place in the book, but I had taken out too many other books at the same time and was unable to finish it before I had to return it to the library, so that's why it ended up being a 2018 book.
When I finally got it and held on to it, it definitely held my attention. It was the type of book that would tell you a story that happened many year in the past, but at the same time told you what was happening in the present. Georgie was at her mother's house because her an her husband decided it was best to spend the holiday apart. Georgie did not have the time to make the trip to his parents house because she had obtained a great opportunity at work and was going to need to remain home. So he took the kids and went to the midwest for the holiday. The entire time Georgie is stressing about her marriage. But she gets comfort by being able to speak to her husband from the past, before they had gotten engaged. Knowing how her marriage turned out, and how unfair she felt it was for her husband, she went back and forth about whether she should tweak the past to make it so that they never did get engaged. It's sad, funny and very magical and movie-like at times.
You'll find yourself rooting for Georgie and a happy ending. Once it got going it held my attention well, which is why it got more than an average rating. I ended the book hoping they'd make it a movie one day. Definitely another win from Rainbow Rowell.
14. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Released: 6/7/11
Read from: Jul 8, 2018- Jul 12, 2018
Format: Overdrive app audiobook
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I came across this book series available from my library in the Overdrive app, and because of my new motto, decided to give it a try since I'd been hearing about it a lot lately now that it's been made into a movie. I had no idea what to expect of it. The commercials for it seemed weird. I expected it to be very fantasy themed. But I was pleasantly wrong. Although the theme of the book and the characters itself are very magical, this first installment of the series reminded me a lot of historical fiction. Our main character, Jacob, convinces his parents to take him to Wales so that he could find out more about his beloved Grandpa's past. He winds up on a strange island where he finds a portal that takes him back in time to the same island, but during the time of the Blitz in WWII. A good chunk of the book once he arrives in the past, is spent in one day that repeats itself over and over again. Jacob is determined to find the answers that he is looking for, no matter what danger he may face from the inhabitants of this strange place.
At the end of the book, the historical fiction feeling starts to give way to the fantasy I had been expecting, but it ends on a cliffhanger that guaranteed I would continue on with this series. So far, I've listened to the 2nd and 3rd in audiobook form as well, but my library doesn't have the 4th book in the Overdrive app, so I'll be actually reading the last one. I've heard that the print version of the books includes photographs and that it really adds to the reading experience, so now I wish I had read all of these instead of listened to them, BUT what can you do.
This is, again, an example of a book I would not have ever gotten my hands on if it weren't for my new motto and the wonders of the Overdrive app. Knowing that this book was turned into a movie, I'll definitely be checking it out!
P.S. A note on audiobooks: I definitely urge you to give them a chance if you haven't yet. I was EXTREMELY against them until I decided to give one a try with the Overdrive app. I realized that I could in fact pay attention to them as long as I'm not trying to read or concentrate on anything that takes too much brain power at the same time. It's been the perfect way to expose myself to new, and MORE books each year. I listen while I am in the car on the way to work, making road trips, doing errands, doing chores around the house, and I've found that I get through books way quicker than I would've if I was reading them. There are the occasional times that sometimes a narrator's voice bothers me enough that it changes the way the story would've been read if I had been physically reading it myself. But most of the time, I still get the same emotional feelings and reactions from the story as I feel I would if I read them myself. So I am definitely an audiobook fan now, and urge you all to give it a try too!
13. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Released: 5/21/07
Read from: Jan 25, 2018- Jan 27, 2018
Format: Overdrive app audiobook
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This one blew me away a little bit, in a way I was absolutely not expecting. This is another on with a synopsis I read multiple times before giving it a try. The Overdrive app had limited availability at the time and I pretty much just selected it at random to listen to since it was available and I needed a new book.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was a coming of age story set on Long Island, NY during the Vietnam War era (1967-1968 school year). This is a war we barely even touched on in my entire grade school career, so we most certainly were not exposed to any literature or knowledge about what it was like to be a regular American citizen at that time.
Holling Hoodhood is our main character here. I didn't know what to think of him or the story at first, and although I loved the book, it didn't pull me in as quickly as it would need to be to be rated as a 5 star book. But it did pull me in once it got going. Holling is your average kid, but he's living during a time where people are very stressed out. His father is a business owner, and a local kid's father is the owner of a competing business. The behavior of Holling and his siblings affects his father's reputation, and conveniently, Holling can't seem to stay out of trouble. He is unhappy because he is forced to spend Wednesday afternoons alone with a teacher who he is convinced hates him, and makes him read Shakespearean plays. He also has to worry about his reputation at school, which is very important when you're a 7th grade boy.
The story really begins to turn when Holling finds himself taking part in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and that he is really good at it. Everyone is depending on him, but MICKEY MANTLE is coming to town the SAME night as the performance, and Holling MUST meet him and get his autograph. He puts his safety at risk trying to get there on his own without missing the baseball player or getting in trouble with his father. This is the real turning point of the novel. By now you've really started to fall in love with this sweet kid who is just trying to make his way in a difficult world. Of course, nothing can work out easily for Holling and you are endlessly feeling a squeeze around your heart for him. When something does go right it's absolutely heart warming. It's funny, and it makes you FEEL something. You will really care for the characters, and you will come away from this book really thinking about what you just experienced.
Don't judge this one by it's cover. Or even its synopsis. This book is so much more than what I can even explain to you. I will probably own this book one day, and I definitely plan to read this one again and revisit it with you.
12. Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin
Released: 12/27/12
Read from: May 15, 2018- May 18, 2018
Format: Overdrive app audiobook
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This was another random checkout from the Overdrive app. Noticing a theme here? The synopsis did sound interesting to me. I like a cute romance here and there for some light reading. Or listening. But I have a problem with a lot of them. I've noticed that to show unbridled passion, a lot of times they make characters, who are either in a relationship already, or pursuing someone in a relationship, cheat on their significant other or convince the other to cheat. To show that they can't hold themselves back because of intense passion perhaps? I don't know. But it bothers me. A lot. To the point where I'll hate the characters, not be able to root for them and wish the worst things on them. I've had a lot of trouble with books like that this year. BUT. This book is NOT one of them.
Our characters are Liam and Josie, high school sweethearts who have been separated for many years because Liam needed to leave town to pursue his dream of a career in music. He becomes very successful, and upon finding himself back in his hometown one day, faced with the fact that he never stopped loving Josie, and she now lives with her boyfriend and has a son. Josie is conflicted of course. One of the biggest troubles she faces is how close her son comes to Liam. I listened to this book just waiting and waiting for Josie to cheat, or for Liam to pull some slime-bag move or five to try to convince her to do so. But neither of them do.
I found myself rooting for the two characters the entire time. It was entertaining, sad and your classic "oh my heart" type of romance. Lovers of Nicholas Sparks will love this one. I was pleasantly surprised after I was done with it to learn that it is a movie, AND the first book in a short series. I definitely want to get my hands on all of those! 4 star rating only because it didn't hook me as quickly as I feel a 5 star read should, but that fact that I finished it in less than 3 days definitely says something about its attention grabbing factor!
11. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Released: 4/19/16
Read from: Dec 3, 2018- Dec 8, 2018
Format: Overdrive app audiobook
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This was my second Ruth Ware book. I had to put this book on hold in October because it looked like a good read for that time of the year. She's a very popular author right now, so it took a while for it to be my turn. But I wasn't excited for it after the first book I'd read by her, after SO many raving reviews, had fallen very short in my eyes. But as you know, seeing that this book is on my 2018 list, it redeemed Ruth Ware for me. It would've been perfect for that time of year if I had got it then. This is definitely a mystery novel with a little suspense thrown in. It's the type of book where you'll have a few solutions pegged early on, and you may even feel extremely confident that you've gotten the characters pegged, like I did, and then find out you were very wrong.
We go back and forth between present day, and the events of the weekend before, as our main character, Nora, tries to piece her memories back together after a horrific accident leaves her either brain damaged, in a state of traumatic amnesia, or both. Her friends may be dead, and the police are guarding her hospital room like sentries.
Nora was on an old friend's (Clare) bachelorette weekend trip (or hen weekend as they call them in England where this story takes place), who she hadn't spoken to in about a decade, along with some of Clare's friends, both new and old. Nora has one ally in a friend that she knew back in her school days. Clare's maid of honor, Flo, is creepily obsessed with Clare and having the best hen weekend ever. The characters are all constantly finding themselves at odds with each other, and uneasy in a lot of circumstances.
As the story goes on, we find out that there is more mystery to this story than just what happened to land Nora in the hospital. Why did Nora suddenly leave school and lose touch with her friends? Why was she invited to this hen weekend in the first place? Why did Nora and her first love break up? With the events going back and forth, there were times I was finding myself almost feeling like I was close to the point of being bored with the story because it had been too long since we'd been fed any new information. And just when I'd start to feel that way, I'd get an answer. It kept me pulled in a very crafty way.
4 star rating because of the occasional mild bits of frustration with getting answers and that again, like a lot of my other 4 star ratings, did not pull me in as early on as a 5 star book would've. But this one was also finished fairly quickly because I just wanted to know what happened.
10. Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Red Bird of the South by Laurence Yep
Released: 9/1/01
Read from: Apr 21, 2018- Apr 24, 2018
Format: Print (library)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Every so often I need to take a break from my sometimes heavier, or longer adult or even young adult aged books and pick up something from my middle grade to early teen years. As you know, I'm a big fan of historical fiction, and I read a lot of diary formatted books as a kid to get my fix in. I had always liked the break up of the story with the stopping and starting of the entries in the diary. It made for a quick, but still educational read. As an adult revisiting this series, the Royal Diaries, I'm trying to read them slow enough that I really absorb the storyline and learn about the time. Something that as a child, I somehow fell short on. There is also a chunk in the back of the book with historical pictures and notes about the time period, which really helps tie together everything you just read. This year I decided to make a list and chronologically order all of the books from any historical fiction series I know of, and read them in order from past to present. When I found myself moving on to AD 531 in China, I was a little apprehensive, remembering how this book was one of my least favorite as a kid. I didn't remember a thing about the storyline, so I'd obviously absorbed nothing, but I did remember that I hadn't liked how much longer each entry in this book was compared to other similar books. As a kid that made the book go slower. But as an adult, I found it to be the complete opposite. It helped the story flow better; read more like your typical prose.
In this installment of the Royal Diaries series we meet the Lady of Ch'iao Kuo, or Princess Redbird. She's around 12-14 in this book. A member of one of the many tribes of the Chinese Great Forest in this time period. She is of royal birth, as are all the other main characters of this series, and she's a born leader. During a very conflicted and violent time in Chinese history, we watch her hunt in the great forest, walk alongside warriors, attend a privileged school in a nearby city and form a close relationship with her teacher, settle conflicts among neighbors, and face death and heartbreak. If you like a strong, wise, clever, but still humble female leader in your stories, you will love this princess. And in my eyes, the story is even better, when you know that this character was REAL. There really was a woman in the 6th century who was looked to for leadership by men and women alike, and fought to protect her family and her people, whether it meant finishing everyday duties to keep them comfortable in difficult times or physically fighting an enemy.
This was a very quick read for me, and I was very enthralled with the lady and searched the internet and my library for more information on her, which sadly is very rare and often not in English. Laurence Yep invested a lot of time and effort into researching this historical figure and putting together a very concise history for us to learn, and a compelling story. The Lady is definitely someone I would invite to my dream dinner party if I could invite anyone, living or dead. This book is great for adults who want to learn a little bit of history without feeling like they're reading a textbook. I honestly got more out of it at age 27 than I did for the middle grade age it was written for. You'll no doubt finish feeling absolute admiration and respect for this remarkable woman from a period of world history you likely knew nothing about.
9. Watership Down by Richard Adams
Released: July 1975
Read from: Oct 31, 2017- Jan 14, 2018
Format: Print (library)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I originally started this book on the Overdrive app, but this is a prime example of how a narrator can really ruin a book for you. I could barely get past the introduction. British accents for some
reason make it more difficult for me to pay attention to a story and I just had to stop. So I immediately put it on hold at the library to read myself.
The title is deceiving for us in America if you don't already have any knowledge of the story. I started this audiobook expecting to learn about a war ship that had sunk, LOL, so I was definitely surprised when I started hearing talk of rabbits. If nothing else, I am glad I at least got to listen to the introduction from the author. I learned that this, now over 500 page long book, was originally created as a road trip story for his young daughters. How it morphed from a cute children's story from the point of view of rabbits, to a slightly scary battle story, I have no idea. I sort of hope it was immensely watered down when he was telling this to his children! Definitely more of an adult book, or at least a teen book in my eyes, than a children's story.
I've always been known to love a good animal story, especially from the POV of cats or dogs, but this book taught me that any animal adventure is pretty thrilling. We start in a peaceful warren near the edge of a forest, when suddenly one rabbit has a premonition of great danger and death coming to their home. They must leave NOW to avoid it. With such little information, a very small group of rabbits decides to begin a dangerous journey into an open world of unknown to travel to who knows where to try to settle and rebuild a warren. We meet many different characters along the way, and have no idea who can be trusted. Only half of the story is the actual journey to a new settling location. With a new home, there is shelter, but how will they survive, build a warren and live on with just a small group of males? These rabbits literally risk life and limb as they try to solve these problems, and end up in a fierce war with a nearby warren that is absolutely ruthless when it comes to their battle tactics. I was surprisingly hooked to this 1970's story of prey animals in a remote, barren English countryside. I needed to read it as much as I could to find out what would happen next. There was even some feelings of suspense.
This is my lowest ranked 5 star book on the list. I originally wanted to rate in 4 stars because it took a while to get into, but in the end got 5 stars because once I was hooked, it had me and wasn't letting me go. I ended it in a sort of awe, wishing I could have more. I did have to return this book to the library twice in the middle of trying to read it, because I have a bad habit of taking too many books out at once, so it definitely took me a while to finish. But if I had designated real time to spending time with this book it definitely would've been quicker. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys an animal adventure story.
8. The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
Released: 7/3/18
Read from: Oct 7, 2018- Oct 13, 2018
Format: Print (library)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Now this book was a random pickup at the library. I was wandering around, not quite ready to leave, and looking for something different than what I'd already been reading. As a new member of the
Book of the Month club, and very much in the Halloween mood, I wanted a thriller. A genre I hadn't touched in a long time. I had remembered seeing many people raving about this book when BOTM first released it as one of their summer picks, and continued to see good reviews about it to the point of having the title endlessly stuck in my head. I went right for it in the stacks, grabbed it and promptly began it. As you can tell, I was finished with it in a matter of days. This was a book I kept thinking of throughout the day. I wanted nothing but to get home from work so that I could read it. If I had had more time it would've been finished in half the time. This book thoroughly redeemed the mystery/thriller/suspense genre for me. A genre that I had all but cut out from my TBR because I had previously had trouble believing them, and feeling satisfied from the stories. Thanks to this book, I have purchased multiple thrillers from BOTM since reading it, and added basically all of the ones they recommend to my TBR list.
This book instantly starts out with the mystery. Emma is in her 20's, an artist who has gained success from creepy pictures she creates of the woods that no one knows have layers of paint covering up the image of three girls. In every single one. Emma is haunted by them, and the fact that their sudden random disappearance from Camp Nightingale, a summer camp she attended when she was a preteen over a decade ago, was never solved. These girls had been her roommates and her friends. Who wouldn't be haunted by this? When the owner of the camp suddenly becomes in contact with Emma again and asks her to return to Camp Nightingale as a counselor, Emma ends up taking the position with the hopes that she'll be able to find some information about why the girls disappeared and what had become of them.
It's a creepy story that continuously feeds you information to keep you hooked and wanting more. You may figure out the answer early on, you may not. I was never totally sure myself. But you will never guess how the answer will be uncovered. There are many characters that you feel like you want to trust but can't. Can you even trust Emma? I highly recommend this to anyone that likes a little suspense in their stories. This is the second book from Riley Sager, so I will definitely be checking out his first, "Final Girls." This is not a heavy read at all and not really scary, just more suspenseful. 4 stars instead of 5 because it didn't hook me as early as a 5 star read would've.
7. One Day in December by Josie Silver
Released: 10/16/18
Read from: Dec 10, 2018- Dec 17, 2018
Format: Print (library)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This book was long anticipated for me. It came out this past fall, and I knew I wanted to read it in
Book of the Month pick so I became very determined after all the raving reviews I saw. Little did I know, I should've just read it in the fall because this book took place over a ten year period. Definitely not a holiday themed book, despite the title.
December, so I put it on hold at the library early since it was new and popular. I ended up with it in the beginning of November and ended up having to return it. Perfect timing came around Thanksgiving when I got it in my hands again and was successful in my December reading. It was also selected as a December
The reviews I read said it was predictable, but you still couldn't put it down. Personally, I didn't find it as predictable as other people did. I knew what would ultimately happen in the end, but how we arrived at that ending was nothing anyone would ever guess. And neither were the events of the ten year period in between the first and last pages of this awesome book.
Laurie, Sarah and bus boy are our main characters. The iconic "one day in December" is the day that sparks the events of the next ten years. Laurie looks out a bus window and catches the eye of a good looking man who she refers to as bus boy. She and Sarah spend an entire year looking out for him, hoping one day they'll find him for Laurie because of the in. Now Laurie has a secret she has to keep from her best friend, and a lot of pain she needs to keep on the inside. You'll root for Laurie for the entire book. You'll love Sarah too and you'll grow to love, hate and the love bus boy again. You'll want nothing but a sweet happy ending for them all, but how can that happen?
This book is so much more than a "romance", and it will hook you about 1/4 of the way in, and will keep you until the very end. I was almost at tears, sitting in my car reading the last few pages before I had to rush into work so that I could know the ending. These are characters that will stick with you long after you've put this book aside. If you like a book that really brings out the emotions you have inside, this is the one for you. I spent the rest of the day still thinking about the characters and the amazement I felt about the feelings this book brought out of me. 4 star rating just because if I needed to I wasn't too upset about having to put it down. I was very interested, but not quite "Couldn't put it down, read it in one or two sittings" like a lot of reviewers were. It's also called a romance, which I don't think is quite fitting. Yes there is some romance, but the entire book definitely is not, so if you are typically one to shy away from romances, but still interested in giving this book a try, this might be a good one for you because the "romance" theme does not dominate the book at all.
6. Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson
Released: 4/2/14
Read from: Nov 16, 2018- Nov 18, 2018
Format: Print (library)
Rating 5 out of 5 stars
I totally judge this book by its cover but I'm not ashamed by it. I literally walked by the stacks in one aisle of the library, and the colors on the spine, along with the title stood out to me. I looked at the cover (amazing) read the synopsis and was like yup, you're coming with me. I stayed up late to finish this one because I did not want to put it down. This was in the children's section of the library actually, but I think it's goo for any age, even adults, if at the time you want a quick easy read. And if you have interest in dogs or Alaska you'll definitely love what you'll learn from the main character of this book too, adults and children alike.
Victoria has a dog sled team and she's a damn good musher and survivalist thanks to her late father. She's still having trouble coping with her loss, and maintaining a relationship with her mother. When she decides she needs to get across the Alaskan wilderness to meet up with a family friend about new dogs for her team, she doesn't tell her mother because she knows she'll protest, and she'll be back in time for dinner anyway. Trouble first strikes when she decides to take a shortcut off the main trail and she doesn't exactly pay attention to where she is. And then she finds a boy her age on the ground after a snowmobile accident. Second mistake is made when she follows his directions back to his house. Before they know it they're lost, with only Victoria's dog sled and the supplies she was smart enough to bring to help them survive.
This is the type of book that could easily be unbelievable, but being that the author is a musher herself, she uses legitimate knowledge to formulate a very realistic story. Because of this, I had now added all of the author's other books to my TBR. If Victoria wasn't written to have so much knowledge retained from time with her father, they probably would've died the first night. Only problem is, she didn't pack enough supplies to keep them alive for as long as they end up being out in the wilderness for. As hunger, exhaustion and dehydration set in, she needs to try to rely on her own knowledge and reasoning, while fighting for both of their lives.
This book is riveting. I could've easily read this book in one sitting. If this sounds even remotely interesting to you, I HIGHLY recommend picking this one up. I think I will need to add a copy of this book to my personal library.
5. #famous by Jilly Gagnon
Released: 2/14/17
Read from: Apr 28, 2018- May 2, 2018
Format: Scribd app audiobook
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This audiobook was a random pick during my most recent free trial from the Scribd app. Amazing app by the way. If you ever plan to spend money on audiobooks I recommend no other audiobook app. For only $8 a month you get one audiobook credit and 3 ebook credits, versus the $15 you spend for audible for only one audiobook a month. But I digress.
#famous interested me from the synopsis. A picture posted on social media goes viral and two high schoolers gain unexpected local fame. A topic that will interest the young social media age for sure. I think the reason I loved this book so much was because the main character reminded me so much of myself and my best friend in high school. I could totally see the exact same events happening to us. Being that I saw myself in the main character, I of course was rooting for her happy ending. This book will make you laugh, cry, smile and feel heart swelling warmth. The main characters were all people you will like, no matter what position they're in in the story. This would make a fantastic teenage feel good rom com movie. It's another book that will have you rooting for everyone's happiness in the end, even though you have no idea how there won't at least be someone hurt at the expense of someone else's happiness.
Rachel is our shy and quiet main character who has a huge crush on Kyle who works at a fast food restaurant in their local mall. Rachel takes a picture of him working with a witty comment about how she thought he was hot, and posts it to a social media site she uses with her best friend. With basically no followers, Rachel doesn't expect anyone will see it. But of course, someone does, and before the end of the night, the entire school has shared the post, and everyone knows who posted it. Kyle has a girlfriend named Emma, but they are decent human beings and still want to be nice to Rachel, despite the entire school mercilessly bullying her. When the local news picks up the story of this viral post, a national television show wants to get Kyle and Rachel on their show, and film a multiple night segment about Kyle asking her to and taking her to their school prom. They both agree to go along with this charade even though they'd be acting. Only too bad Rachel really does have feelings for Kyle. How can this story possible work out a happy ending for all?
This is a really great, cute light read for any rom com lover. I was absolutely hooked from the very start. 5 out of 5 star ratings for me are special because I am not a book re-reader and I own very few books because I don't like to spend money on books I'd only read once, but a 5 star read means I would re-read it so why not own it? I instantly searched for more books by Jilly Gagnon but she's a new author so I can't get my fix yet, but I definitely will get my hands on her next one!
4. Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Released: 4/5/11
Read from: Mar 8, 2018- Mar 11, 2018
Format: Overdrive app audiobook
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Okay, now that we're at the top of my list, I found it much harder to rank my most favorite books of the year. I feel like this one needed to be higher up because I felt SO much emotion when listening to this audiobook. This book absolutely blew me away and I was really hoping for another book about Doug Swieteck, who we first meet in The Wednesday Wars. After both of these books, this is officially one of my most favorite authors. The talent he has in spinning a story to make you REALLY care about his characters is absolutely amazing. This is another coming of age book, and it takes place the summer after The Wednesday Wars. It follows The Swieteck family as they move to a small, nowhereville town in upstate NY when the family is forced to move for the father's job. If you liked the Wednesday Wars, you'll love this book. The Wednesday Wars, however, is a light read compared to this one. Holling's problems are nothing compared to Doug's. His father is abusive, his older brother is a bully, his mother is powerless, and his oldest brother is away in Vietnam. Doug is judged by people who judge books by their covers. Every time Doug is given something good, it's taken away. But this book teaches you that people can be so much more than what their family seems to allow them to be.
Doug is very upset when he moves to this town. His house is hot and uncomfortable, he can't do anything right in his father's eyes, and since he doesn't know anyone in town, he has no one to talk to. He winds up befriending a local library worker when he becomes entranced by a book of birds. Little do any of us know, Doug is an amazing artist, and he learns this by drawing birds. (You'll see these drawings in the print version, so even more reason to add this book to my own personal library) The relationship he forms with the library worker is the first of the many heartwarming relationships he'll form as he begins to meet people around town, thanks to his new, and very difficult deli delivery job. One particularly elderly company makes his job very difficult by being nitpicky and trying to get away with not paying him, and the annoyingly persistent daughter of the deli owner make him really doubt himself as a human being. But like most people in real life, what you see on the outside is rarely even a fraction of what you get when you give people a chance.
The emotion and tears really came out for me when his oldest brother returns home from Vietnam to the most disgusting American solider homecoming in history. HOW people could treat others the way they treated these returning soldiers is mind-blowing to me. I think the fact that my own father was one of these people really made this hit home for me. But to make it worse, his oldest brother returns home with no legs. He's been through hell and he hasn't escaped it even though he's back home in the good old USA.
What sets this book apart from your typical teen issue drama, the one where the happy ending his helped along by a sudden interest in art, you know that usual cliché? Is the fact that this author is absolutely brilliant in his talent in making every character matter. Every character has so many more layers and depth to get through than you thought. And when you think you might know something about a person or a situation, you quickly find out that you're wrong. Just when you think you have everyone pegged, and think you know what kind of story you're reading and where it's going, you find out you're wrong. To be able to introduce so many characters, and give them all depth and purpose without taking away from the story is amazing, and is really what gave Schmidt the ability to climb into the hearts of all his readers and cement himself as one of their favorite authors. There are ENDLESS reviews on Goodreads that do an amazing job at really trying to portray the types of emotions you will feel reading this book and how pretty much absolutely everyone needs to read it for themselves, because we can only put so much into words. You know when you start feeling emotion writing a REVIEW about a book that you read MONTHS ago, that you found a book that really will never leave your heart. If that doesn't tell you how 10 stars out of 5 this book is, I don't know what will. I don't really know what more to say other than YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK. Seriously, this book belongs at the top of every list, and if this hadn't been such a great year of 5 star reads, this would have no question been my number 1.
And thank you for reading probably the longest "blurb" in this post.
3. The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams
Released: 7/10/18
Read from: Aug 27, 2018- Sept 9, 2018
Format: Print (BOTM)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This was a very complex books, with a lot of characters from different times that connect to each
other and create one big storyline, but this doesn't all unfold completely until you've finished the book. It goes back and forth between 3 different decades (1930's, '50's and '60's), and two different characters, which for a long time, show no visible connection whatsoever. It was a little hard to follow at first and I did have to go back and re-read sections because I was pretty busy at the time and didn't get to designate as much time to reading this book as I wanted to. But the joy of the book was uncovering all the mysteries that connect all the different people and stories together.
The book begins shrouded in mystery. Miranda is returning to Winthrop Island for the first time in 18yrs, but we don't know why. And we don't know why she was kept away for so long. We meet characters from her past amongst the elite crowd, after her mother married into the powerful Fisher family, and people from her past in the working class. Two entirely different worlds that are tied together by a dark secret. Joseph Vargas, the son of a Portuguese fisherman and lighthouse keeper, was Miranda's love interest in the story that takes place in the 50's. But her stepsister also seems to have a special relationship with him too. Suddenly, Miranda's new stepfather is murdered, and Joseph is taken to jail because of it. But did he really do it? Now that Miranda is back in 1969, she has reason to believe that Joseph has escaped prison and is on the island with them. She's determined to keep him safe, but also needs to find out exactly what happened that summer so long ago.
And at the same time, we're still brought back to 1930, where Bianca, a member of a working class Island family who seems to be very degrading of herself, but is very much in love with someone who isn't good for her. For a very long time, this is an entirely different story within the book, but you will eventually find the connection, and the answers to some very shocking secrets.
This is definitely only for an adult audience. Not so much a murder mystery, not so much a love story, but both are important elements of all the storylines within this book. It's about uncovering secrets hidden by the wealthy and the working class, and how the veins of the island are connecting people that no one ever expected to be connected. I highly recommend this book, but definitely give yourself time to focus on it. It can get confusing and lose some of its draw if you only have time to read it for 5 or ten minutes every few days. This is complex and riveting story that will have you tearing through it if you have the time to donate to it.
2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Released: 7/15/14
Read from: Nov 5, 2018- Nov 8, 2018
Format: Overdrive app audiobook
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Two books ABSOLUTELY blew me away this year. If I had not read the other one the same year as this one, it would hands down have been number one. I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I definitely wasn't expecting to be in tears. I figured it might be mildly humorous. All I really understood was that Ove was a grumpy old man, and somehow he was going to make some friends. What they would do to make an actual story that pulls you in, I had no idea. But my God did Fredrik Backman do it. Literally ended this audiobook in tears, searched the internet to see if there was a movie, found one in SWEDISH that we had to watch with American subtitles, and even while watching that I found myself in tears, and my husband very much enjoyed the movie as well. After further research I found out that an American movie is in the making and I am SO excited. So ready to find myself bawling too.
So anyway, Ove is an old, bitter, grumpy widower who has been through a lot in his life. We go back and forth between present day and his life growing up, watching him work hard to become something out of nothing, become an orphan, build his own house, meet the love of his life, almost lose the love of his life, fight for help for his wife for years, and then ultimately end up losing her anyway. You are always brought back to the present day bitter old man, but the more you get to know him as a human being, see how difficult life growing up, your heart can't help but break for him.
The sadness is broken up by the interactions Ove has with a young family that moves into his neighborhood and a local high school boy who he also meets in his neighborhood. Despite his bitterness he still manages to find people that love him anyway. He's the type of negative, bitter, grumpy, skeptical old man that you should hate but can't help but grow to love because he is hilarious and has a lot of specialness deep down inside. Backman brings you on an absolute emotional rollercoaster as you go from hating Ove to loving him like your own beloved grandfather. The ending is incredibly happy, heartwarming, and absolutely tear jerking and heart wrenching all at the same time.
This is another book where you FEEL something. It's more than feeling it it's being smacked in the face with it and beaten up with your emotions. It's amazing in a very strange way. Again, I'm getting tearful just writing this review and remembering this INCREDIBLE story of unexpected friendship at a time when you don't even realize you need it most. I have very little words to explain how amazing this book is. Again. You HAVE to read this book. It has an 4.3 average rating on Goodreads for a reason.
1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Released: 2/10/09
Read from: Jul 24, 2018- Jul 30, 2018
Format: Overdrive app audiobook
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This book was another one that left me feeling very emotional when I finished it. Not o
nly did the
author do a fantastic job creating characters with depth, but it was also historical fiction :) The story is told from the point of view of three women. Two are hired housemaids in a small town in Mississippi, and the third is a privileged white girl nicknamed Skeeter who grew up in the same town. She returns home after earning her college degree and is pursuing a career in writing. She is in touch with an editor who wants to her to write something that means something. That's when her story really begins to intermingle with the two maids; Aibileen and Minny. These two are friends, but very different individuals. Minny has children and an abusive husband. She's also very sassy and outspoken and has trouble holding a job. Aibileen and quiet and meek, respectful, and very mothering to the children in her care. She lost her own son while his bosses stood by and didn't bat an eye. She's caring for her 17th white child now, who has a mother that has no place being a mother (Elizabeth). She also happens to be one of Skeeter's childhood friends. Minny used to work for the mother of Skeeter's best friend, Hilly, but was fired. Desperately looking for work, she ends up being hired by a newcomer to town named Celia. A very oblivious, but kind hearted newcomer who desperately wants to join the women's club, but Hilly won't allow it.
The three characters link when Skeeter decides she wants to write a book with stories told by the hired help in her town. To open up people's eyes to the terrible treatment of these individuals. Minny, Aibileen and many other maids in town wind up pitching in to share their stories, at risk of losing their own jobs and losing what little they have. They need some sort of insurance, of ensuring that no one reading the book that happens to recognize any of these stories, will reveal who the contributing maids were. That's when Minny comes up with an unspeakable and entirely humiliating story about Hilly. When she reads it, she'll know. But she never will be able to live down admitting that it happened to her, so they are very confident that she won't reveal them as the contributors.
There is nothing like the way that Kathryn Stockett is able to spin these characters into people that you'll feel like you know and have incredible empathy for. It's sad and incredibly heartwarming and I definitely ended this book in tears, and then immediately paid for the movie and watched it with my husband. It was just as much of a tear jerker, although there is no way it could include all the incredibly important events that are in the book without making the movie 5 hours long. The movie is no substitute for reading the book, so I definitely recommend reading the book before seeing the movie.
I loved that we looked at a well known time in American history, but from a very different point of view, and from a very different place, than we are used to hearing about this time. I personally went on a civil rights trip down in Alabama. We even had a documentary made of our trip. It was a very emotional experience. So I've been there. I've met some of the people who were there during that time. And I've of course learned about it over and over again in history classes. But never before was I ever exposed to the entitlement of the upper class in the south, or the people working inside their houses. This book is exactly what was needed to really give me a well rounded knowledge and emotional attachment to the time in addition to all my other experiences with learning about it already.
Everyone in this country needs to read this book. Everyone. And I guarantee you will get a lot out of it. Way beyond just from the action of reading a story. You'll think about this book afterwards forever. Ever since I read this book I knew it would be one of my favorite of all time. I don't know what can top it! Between experiencing all the feelings, deep characters AND the historical fiction genre, this is basically everything I need in a book. And that is why it's on the top of my list for this year.
What I'm reading now:
No Exit by Taylor Adams (BOTM print version)
Release Date: 1/15/19
This book has rave reviews. It was my December
Book of the Month pick. I know it just came up,
but people are literally raving about it. I'm about halfway through now. The only reason I'm not done with it by now is because I wanted to finish this post today!
I was told I wouldn't be able to put it down, and after the time I spent reading it last night, they were right. I literally couldn't stop reading it. I was terrified, and completely glued to this story. Wide awake. If it wasn't late in the night I would've finished this book in legit one sitting.
So far, it's about a college sophomore driving through a snowstorm in Colorado trying to get home for the holidays. She stops at a rest stop and sees a little girl locked in a dog crate in the back of a van in the parking lot. Now she's stranded there with 4 strangers, and one of the is a psychopath kidnapper. She finds out who it is pretty early on in the book and that's when it starts to get terrifying. How is she possibly going to escape this place and save that girl? Pretty sure this book will be finished in a day or so and I'll wish I had waited a little longer to compile this list because I'm pretty sure it'll have earned a spot on it.
On my TBR for the remainder of the year:
The Line That Held Us by David Joy (print: library book)
Released: 8/14/18
This was one of the 5 books selected by
Book of the Month in August. I didn't end up choosing
any books that month, just paid to have the credit added to my account for a future month. But for some reason this book has kept coming up in the social media book world, and people seemed to like it pretty well, so I ended up getting it from the library. Not my typical genre. It's categorized as "Appalachian Noir" and is some sort of murder mystery about a hunter who accidentally kills someone. So I'll be giving this one a chance in a few days probably, since "No Exit" will definitely be completed soon.
