Out East; the book that sparks dreams of summer.

     Every so often, I read a book that sparks a desire and motivation for me to write a blog entry just because of it. This little unexpected gem is the most recent one. I've become very lucky with Goodread's First Reads, which is a section of their website where publisher's can give away advanced reading copies (ARCs) of books that are not yet published. I pretty much enter to win all of them because 1. they're free and 2. you never know what's going to be great until you give it a try. I skim the synopses of the ones that look even slightly appealing, or that aren't the middle of a series that I haven't read, and then enter. To be honest, I almost didn't enter to win this one, but I'm REALLY glad I did. 

Out East: Memoir of a Montauk Summer by John Glynn
     TO BE RELEASED:  May 14, 2019
     Read from: Mar 14, 2019 - Mar 23, 2019
     Format: print (ARC)
     Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

     "We were sun children chasing an eternal summer." I felt like summer while reading this book, so that made me happy. It made me think about the beauty of the forks of Long Island, and how I really am in need of another visit to the south fork; it's been probably 5 or 6 years now since I first experienced it. And it made me really start dreaming about where I might hopefully live one day. So many places I've visited and loved came to mind. Most of them New England or mid-Atlantic because of the setting of this book. 

     I can't really pinpoint what drew me into this book. It was relatable, but new territory all at the same time. The characters were all similar to myself and the people I spend my time around, both in age and place in life, but also how we like to spend our time- to a degree. I wasn't staying in The Hive like John and his friends were, but I could imagine it, and it was fun. 

     John winds up buying into a share house in Montauk in the summer of 2013 with his college from Mike, his co-worker Perrie and a bunch of people he hasn't met yet. Some were there the summer before, others are new. He goes into his summer hoping to have fun, meet new people and maybe finally experience love. Well John, Montauk was a special kind of magic for you, because you got it.

I enjoyed watching this all happen for him. He is a really likable character in a book, as well as real human being. The fact that these people exist in real life, and that these events really happened made it even more enjoyable to me. You got to know all the main ones and care about them. This book was written in such a simple way, but somewhere really draws you in, making it go by fast. It helps that it's also not a very long book.

     The hurdle here is that John starts to realize that he might be gay, and he isn't sure how to handle it. He's never been attracted to a man before and now, at 27, he's fallen in love with one. You know starting the book that the author is gay, but the story starts out before he ever realizes that about himself. So we watch John, a straight man, walk into a house filled with a mixture of both gay and straight girls and guys. And to be honest, I feel overwhelmed for him. 20+ people he hasn't met could be in this house with him at any given time, and a lot of them are not shy. But John is a likable and funny individual and his housemates learn to love him fast. One summer turns a group of strangers into family.

    Once John really comes to terms with the fact that he is in love with one of his house mates, the story really gets going and we wait for him to start telling people. I don't want to give away what happens, and how people react to his news, so you'll have to read and find out, but I can guarantee that most people will enjoy reading this book. It's light, it's fun, summery and fast, you feel like you get to know the people, and you root for the main character. I felt happy while reading this book. What else can you really ask for? When May 14 hits, I suggest you grab this one up!

What I'm Reading Now

1) Winter in Paradise (print: BOTM) by Elin Hilderbrand
     Released: 10/9/18
     Started reading: March 16, 2019

     I got this one in one of my BOTM packages in the fall and wanted to save it for winter. Well, it's spring now, but it fits in with my summer/tropical mood in my anticipation for Hawaii and the sun on my skin. This is a new mini series by a very popular author. I listened to one audiobook from her and it wasn't bad. But she writes summery books in places I love (her home, Nantucket), and this one was very anticipated so I am giving it a try. I'm not too far in right now, but I'm not loving the format right now to be honest. We'll see where this takes us. 

     So far, this book is about a helicopter crash in St. John that killed a man and a woman. The man being a married man with two grown children, and the woman being a single woman with a 12yr old daughter. The family of the man come down to St. John to find out what the heck is going on in his hidden, second life.

2) Sharp Objects (Scribd audiobook) by Gillian Flynn

     Released: 9/26/06

     Started reading: March 23, 2019

     I have no idea what this book is about to be honest. I added it to my TBR because it's a popular author. I watched the movie version of her book "Gone Girl" and liked it. It was a sick and twisted story. As is this one I hear. I hear it's even worse actually. 

     I just started this, so I'm not far in. Right now, it's about a woman named Camille who is a journalist in Chicago. She heads to her hometown to talk to people and learn more about the cases of a murdered girl and a missing girl. The girl who was killed had all her teeth removed. The funeral was closed casket. Whoever is killing and kidnapping young girls is messed up. 

     

February 2019 Overview and SCRIBD

   

     For being such a short month, February was actually a big reading month. Even though I didn't read all of the books I had planned to try to read this month, I read plenty of others. Between both print and audiobooks...I'm going to take a short diversion here to talk about the Scribd app that you guys have probably seen me mention a lot through out this blog so far. The Scribd app is AWESOME. If you want to try out audiobooks or ebooks, or already are a lover of them. This is the ONLY app I've discovered (and I've looked at a few) that is worth your money and space on your device. They've made a lot of improvement to this app over the years since I discovered it. It's better for ebooks, as far as variety and new releases, but the audiobooks have substantially improved as well. I have a pretty long wishlist on the app now. Comparing to other apps like Audible, which I know is so heavily advertised because it's Amazon, this app blows them out of the water. Audible is what, $15 a month and you get one audiobook? In the scribd app, you pay $8.99 a month and get unlimited ebooks and audiobooks. So why the heck would you NOT want to have this app? And you can also try it for FREE for a month with my link here, so why not give it a try??

     So anyway, here is success from February! I read a few popular newish releases, some historical fiction, and my first early review copies this month, as well as a fun memoir and I've been doing A LOT of Hawaii travel guide reading :) Definitely learning which travel guides are best too! So if you ever want travel guides (which I HIGHLY suggest you invest in before going to new destinations for an extended period of time if you enjoy exploring), I definitely am able to recommend which travel guide series are the best too!

Compared to last month, I read/listened to 11 books. I think I read more print books last month though than I did this month. I have been taking a reading break lately from novels because I've been focusing so much on the Hawaii travel guides, so a lot of the books for February are audiobooks. This months total came to 14, with two DNF's (Did Not Finish).

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
     Released 5/6/14
     Read from: Started in January, gave up in February
     Format: CD audiobook 
     Rating: DNF

    I had to give up on this book after realizing how much of it I was spacing out during. CD audiobooks don't work well for me unless the story is completely enthralling, because I can only listen to them in the car (which I am not in a lot. My commute is 10mins lol). I was excited for this book too because I like historical fiction and people seemed excited about this one. It had good reviews as well. But I just couldn't get into it. I decided to return it to the library before it was due, and get it as a physical book where I'll be able to pay attention better. The ONLY reason I'm revisiting this is because of how much other people liked it. I also recently learned that my co worker had trouble with it for the same reasons. It was hard to get into, and she had the print version. So we'll see. I just need to give myself a little bit of a break before I dive back into this one.

Wish You Were Italian... by Kristin Rae  
     Released 5/6/14 (yes, the same as the book above! lol)
     Read from: Jan 27, 2019 - Feb 2, 2019
     Format: Print (library)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     This is why this blog thing has been great! I go through so many books that I sort of forget what I read, even just over one month. I really enjoyed reading this book and it's fun thinking about my experience with this one again! This was about a high school girl named Pippa who was sent to Florence, Italy to attend a summer art program. Well, she was not into that idea and decided to take her life into her own hands for once, and made the spontaneous decision to travel Italy on her own. Of course she met some people along the way to spend her time with, and thanks to a list of goals prompted by her best friend back home, her adventures were plentiful. One goal, however, to fall in love with an Italian, was definitely far fetched, and sort of the one that fueled the story. WHO she falls in love with though, is what you won't find out until the end. Goodreads review: "This was a cute, fun, quick read. Perfect for a beach or pool day. Pippa was likable and someone you could root for and I fell in love with Darren too. The ending was a mix of expected and corny but unexpected at the same time. I didn’t see a few of the things coming.

I particularly liked the different places in Italy she went. I’ve been to all of them so I could fully picture what she was seeing. I only wish she traveled around more!"

     Anyone that doesnt mind some light YA here and there, or who wants a palate refresher, this is a great choice! 

Shadows in the Glasshouse by Megan McDonald
     Released 9/1/00
     Read from: Feb 3, 2019- Feb 5, 2019
     Format: Print (library)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     This book is a historical fiction for middle grade readers. It fits into my chronologically ordered historical fiction light reading right now. I'm still in the early colonial era. This book took place in Jamestown, VA in 1621. It was about a girl named Merry who came over to the colonies on a ship, alone, without her family, to work. She winds up working in a glasshouse, and living with people she hates. But she loves working at the glasshouse, and the people she has met there because of it. When they are giving a huge assignment for a rich man who will soon be coming to the colonies, things begin to go wrong, and the people she loves are being blamed for it. So she decides to take things into her own hands, despite the danger it may pose for her.

Tudor Rose by W.H. Doyle
     Releases 4/9/19
     Read from: Feb 6 , 2019- Feb 7, 2019
     Format: eBook (Kindle)

     Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

     

     This book was my first ever early review book and I didn't love it :/ Follow this link to my blog post about it to learn why.

A Seer's Daughter by B.C. Marine
     Released 2/10/19
     Read from: Feb 7, 2019- Feb 10, 2019
     Format: eBook (Kindle)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

     This was my second early review book. I liked it much better than the first one, but I didn't love this one either. Follow this link to my blog post about it to learn why!

Jahanara: Princess of Princesses by Kathryn Lasky
     Released 9/1/02
     Read from: Feb 5, 2019- Feb 11, 2019
     Format: Print (library)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     This is a middle grade/YA historical fiction from the Royal Diaries series and it was a good one! Taking place in India in the 1620's, we get to see what was going on in one important royal family's lives while America was trying to become something across the world. I really like my Goodreads review for this one so follow this link to check it out!

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
     Released 7/19/16
     Read from: Jan29, 2019- Feb 11, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)

     Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

     I was excited for this one. People love Ruth Ware, and the synopsis of this one sounded exciting. It didn't live up to my expectations though. But don't let that stop YOU from trying it out. Ruth Ware's books are very popular, and there's gotta be a reason for that! I just must be missing the point, LOL.

     So this book is about Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a week on a luxury cruise ship (the Aurora), in order to report back on it for her magazine. While on the trip, she's supposed to be making connections with other people in the travel media world, as well as with the rich owner of the ship and his wife. Her first night there, while she's getting ready, she realizes she forgot to bring her mascara, so she runs next door to borrow one from her neighbor. A pink tube of Maybelline. Later, she wakes up to a scream, runs out to her balcony, and sees what she thinks is a hand disappearing below the water, and blood smeared on the partition between her balcony and the neighbor's that she borrowed the mascara from. When she reports this problem, they do some investigating and find out there NO ONE, not a passenger, not a crew or staff member that is missing. Of course Lo can't drop it and continues digging, soon putting her life in danger as well. 

     Check out my Goodreads Review here. Keep in mind that I DIDN'T like this book, and the review briefly tells you why.

Follow Me by Sara Sheppard
     Released 11/7/17
     Read from: Feb 11, 2019- Feb 15, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     This book is the 2nd installment in the Ameteurs series that I started last month. I'm not going to post the review link here because if you haven't read the first book, it'll give away some of the answers you want to wait to uncover in the first book! Again, still recommending this series to Sara Sheppard lovers. I have read Pretty Little Liars, The Lying Game and the Perfectionists series and loved them all. This one will be right up your alley if you liked those. I will say I don't LOVE this series like the others, but I am enjoying it. 

     Seneca is back, and she's working with her buddies to help find a missing Instagram star, Chelsea Dawson who disappeared after a party at the Jersey Shore. When they started looking into the case, they are shook when they realize how much Chelsea looks like Aerin's sister Helena, who was murdered years earlier. Can the person behind Chelsea's disappearance by responsible for Helena's murder as well? Has this person also killed others? You'll have to read to find out!

Last Seen by Sara Sheppard
     Released 10/4/18
     Read from: Feb 16, 2019- Feb 20, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     I ran right the to third installment of the series, because I needed to know what happened next while the previous story was still fresh. Again, I'm not posting this review either, since it'll give stuff away if you haven't read the first two books. 

     At this point, they're pretty sure they know who is behind all the murders, and now they're in contact with this suspect, and have been tasked with finding a missing child that seems to have nothing to do with the other cases they've been working on. But while working on this they learn the killer's background, and what brought this person to be the way they are. Can they bring this person to justice?

     I didn't like this one quite as much as the first two, and started to get annoyed with certain characters. I also didn't love the ending. Can't quite tell if this is going to be the end of the series or not! 

The Winter Sister by Megan Collins
     Released 2/5/19
     Read from: Feb 11, 2019- Feb 20, 2019
     Format: Print (BOTM)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     I was very excited for this book. It was very anticipated in the social media world, by a debut author, who also happens to be very friendly. We've interacted on Instagram a few times! I didn't LOVE the book, but I did enjoy my time with it. And being a newbie to the suspense/thriller/mystery world, I feel that I would recommend this to others.

     This book is about Sylvie, who's sister Persephone disappeared without a trace 16yrs ago, later to be found dead. Last everyone knew, she has been with her boyfriend Ben. The murder of course becomes a cold case, and Sylvie is still haunted by it, and a secret she's kept to herself all these years. In the present day, Sylvie ends up coming home to take care of her mother, who is undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer. They haven't spoken for nearly the entire last 16yrs, even though they were closer to each other than Persephone ever was to their mother. Persephone's mother absolutely fell apart after the murder, and already emotionally unstable, goes off the deep end. Of course, Ben is now a nurse at the cancer treatment center where Sylvie's mom is being treated. They are convinced he is behind the murder and Sylvie doesn't want him anywhere near her mother, for fear that it'll send her over the edge. As you have probably figured out, this book is about trying to solve this cold case.

     Check out my review for this one the blog post I wrote for it here.

Unqualified by Ana Farris 
     Released 10/24/17
     Read from: Feb 20, 2019- Feb 23, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     This is Ana Farris's memoir, sort of based off of her podcast, also called Unqualified, where she tries to give advice and spread humor. I like Ana Farris. And I find her funny and sweet, and I do enjoy memoirs about famous people, especially when I do like them. I also liked that this audiobook was read by her! Check our my Goodreads review for this one here.

Lonely Planet's Discover Hawaii
     2017 Edition
     Read from: Feb 21, 2019- Feb 27, 2019
     Format: Print 
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     Lonely Planet's Discover series was always my top guidebook line, because of the focus on colored maps and pictures. For someone that needs to visualize things, especially since traveling is about seeing things. I want to SEE what is there that this book is telling me I absolutely need to see. This edition was good, and as far as Hawaii guides go, if you're ever in the market for those, this particular one was good because I already did know about a lot of the top sights in Hawaii, as well as history and culture, and wanted to read this one sort of to show me what another book would consider as some of the top sights. It's a more summarized book than others. It's also good for people that want just one resource for their pre-travel research. It ties everything together pretty well and shows you the highlights.

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
     Released 1/8/19
     Read from: Feb 23, 2019- Mar 1, 2019
     Format: Audiobook (Scribd)
     Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

     I finished this one in March technically, but it was mostly read in February so I'm gonna highlight it here. I didn't like this book. Was very disappointed actually. Other people have rates it 5 stars. LOVED it. It fell short for me. Read my Goodreads review here to find out why.

What I'm Reading Now

1) Insight Guides: Hawaii
     Released 9/1/14
     Started reading: Jan 27, 2019

   

     Because I'm going to Hawaii for my honeymoon in May and need to learn about its history and what kinds of things we get to do there!! :) Still holding on to this one. I've finished the parts about the islands I'm going to be on, but I do plan to read the other sections so I can mark the entire thing as read! I'm reading it slowly now, small amounts before bed almost every night.

2) Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook (print book) By Andrew Doughty

     2018 Edition

     Started Reading: March 5, 2019

     This book line has officially become by top go to guidebook series. I love these books. I've already finished the Kauai one, and am halfway through with this one. I love it because reading these is like talking to a close, honest friend who's been to your destination extensively or who lives there. From where to stay, eat, what to do, how to get to each place, and what is really worth skipping. You'll even learn about some hidden places on the island that locals don't go to or know about. The author used to live on the mainland, and moved to Kauai because he couldn't get enough of the state. (I'm right there with you, and I haven't even been there yet! LOL) You really don't need to have much prior knowledge about the islands when you're reading this book, but it is a little bit helpful to keep you from getting TOO overwhelmed because you get A LOT of information here. You could really travel without reading any other information on the islands but these books. I'm definitely bringing mine along on our trip. Less than two months now!!!!

3) The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Audiobook: Overdrive) by Aimee Bender

     Released: June 1, 2010

     Started listening: March 7, 2019

     I found this book on the Overdrive app and because the cover was pretty, the title was weird, and the synopsis was intriguing, I added it to my wish list. This was at least a year or two ago. I've been going through my wish lists from the bottom, getting through the books that have bene on there the longest. And this was the oldest one that was available so here I am. 

     It's about a girl who can taste in food, the feelings the baker/chef/assembly line workers were feeling when they made that food. Interesting huh? So far though, it's not delivering. I'm 79% through right now. I'm hoping it can turn around in the next 21%.