Month(s) In Review: June, July 2017

It’s finally August and that means we are one step closer to my favorite season!  I’m so excited for fall.  It’s been an especially hot and humid summer up here in Minnesota so I am beyond ready for a cool and crisp fall.  As I was preparing my July recap, I realized I never posted one for June so today you get a combo.  We have been really busy lately with packing and preparing our townhouse to put up for sale.  We are finally to the point where we’ll be meeting with a realtor next week to go over pricing and officially moving out.  I’m excited but also really stressed out.  So I haven’t had as much free time to read lately but I still am pretty happy with what I was able to read.

In June I read and LOVED Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff.  My review will be releasing early next week so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that!  It was absolutely amazing.  Dark Matter by Blake Crouch was another 5 star read for me.  I’ve been wanting to read it for a long time so I’m glad I was finally able to. And the hype did not disappoint at all!

# Books Read in June:  7

# Pages Read in June: 2,022

Books Read in June:

• The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
• Bad Mommy by Tarryn Fisher
• Here and Gone by Haylen Beck
• Everland by Wendy Spinale
• No Ordinary Star by MC Frank
• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
• Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

 

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In July I ended up reading a lot of ARCs and review copies.  I ended up adding another book to my DNF list but that’s okay.  Little Monsters by Kara Thomas was such a great psychological thriller!  I also loved Tarryn Fisher’s latest release, Atheists Who Kneel And Pray.  I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of Invictus by Ryan Graudin and completely loved it.  Time travel and diverse group of characters including a red panda… Yes!

# Books Read in July:  8 (including 1 DNF)

# Pages Read in July: 2,674

# Books Read in 2017: 62 (including 4 DNF)

# Pages Read in 2017: 24,948 (including audiobooks)

Books Read in July:

• Little Monsters by Kara Thomas
• Into The Water by Paula Hawkins
• The Heirs by Susan Riegler (DNF)
• Atheists Who Kneel And Pray by Tarry Fisher
• The Whole Way Home by Sarah Creech
• Sleep Like A Baby by Charlaine Harris
• Invictus by Ryan Graudin
• Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

  

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As far as book hauls go, I got a ridiculous amount of books over the last couple of months.  I’m sure there are even some that I’ve forgotten about.

• A Million Junes by Emily Henry (BOTM box)
• Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (BOTM box)
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (BOTM box)
• All The Crooked Saints (ARC) by Maggie Stiefvater
• Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen
• Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
• Homecoming (The 100 #3) by Kass Morgan
• Like A River Glorious by Rae Carson
• The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
• The Heirs by Susan Riegler (review copy)
• The Archived by Victoria Schwab (signed)
• The Unbound by Victoria Schwab (signed)
• Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab (signed)
• The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley
• Mariana by Susanna Kearsley
• The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley
• Strange the Dreamer (US ARC) by Laini Taylor
• Queen of Swords by Sara Donati
• Seveneves by Neal Stephensen
• Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis
• The Whole Way Home by Sarah Creech (review copy)
• Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon
• In A Handful Of Dust by Mindy McGinnis
• Down With the Shine by Kate Karyus Quinn
• Midnight In Austenland by Shannon Hale
• Sheltering Rain by Jojo Moyes
• The Furies by Mark Alpert
• The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
• The Shore by Sara Taylor
• The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
• My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
• Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier
• Now I Rise by Kiersten White (signed)
• Little Monsters (ARC) by Kara Thomas
• American Fire by Monica Hesse (BOTM box)
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (BOTM box)
• Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia (signed)
• A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes
• Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
• Dangerous Deception by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
• Devil’s Advocate (The X-Files Origins #2) by Jonathan Maberry
• Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
• Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes
• Unbreakable by Kami Garcia
• Unmarked by Kami Garcia
• Kingsman: Secret Service (graphic novel)
• Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen (graphic novel)
• Tomb Raider: Secrets and Lies (graphic novel)
• Tomb Raider: Season of the Witch (graphic novel)
• The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas
• The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell (LitJoy Crate)
• Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)
• The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy (The Bookish Box)

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What have you been reading lately?

Reading Update

Hey guys! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted so I thought I would do an update post for you today.  I’ve been reading some great stuff lately so I’ve been pretty excited about that.  Lately I have been trrying to get caught up on review copies so I can fully dive in to my Outlander series re-read.

So as you may have seen in my last post, I recently read and reviewed Little Monsters by Kara Thomas.  It was so good!! I preordered it before I was even halfway through because I was hooked.

After that I read and enjoyed Into The Water by Paula Hawkins.  It was a good mystery and I had fun making theories and seeing which ones were right.  The last chapter totally threw me for a loop!

Next up, I started my review copy of The Heirs by Susan Riegler but it was really not my thing so I ended up DNFing it.  It just felt like a dull family history of a wealthy New York family and I just didn’t feel connected in any way to the story or characters.

I then started another review copy I received called The Whole Way Home by Sarah Creech.  I’m a fan of country music so I really liked reading this one.  I love the two main characters and totally shipped them hard.  I just finished it last night before bed and it almost made me cry a few times.

Thursday night I got super excited that Tarryn Fisher’s latest novel, Atheists Who Kneel and Pray, was published!  I snatched that one up instantly and started it on Friday.  It was so good that I ended up staying up super late on Saturday night to finish it.

Last week I received a review copy of Sleep Like A Baby (book 10 of the Aurora Teagarden mysteries series) by Charlaine Harris.  I read the entire series (books 1-9) last year and was super excited when the publisher approached me about reading book 10.  I started reading that one this morning on my commute in to work.

     

Next up I have two more review copies and then I should be free and clear to start my Outlander series re-read.  I was so excited when Invictus by Ryan Graudin was available as read now on NetGalley for the first 500 people.  I’m looking forward to starting that one next.  Then I will be reading Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang.

With my Outlander series re-read, I’m really hoping I will be able to read through Voyager (book 3) before season 3 starts in September.  Yesterday I saw the new cover of the TV tie-in and it’s my new favorite new image of Jamie and Claire so I had to preorder a copy from Diana Gabaldon’s local bookshop down in AZ.  The new tie-in edition releases August 15th.

I’m also planning on joining in on the Plenty of Hobb readalong that starts August 1st.  I’ve never read any books by Robin Hobb but have heard so many great things about them so I’m excited to join in.  If you’re interested in joining, click the above link to check out the readalong schedule.  The readalong follows The Realm of the Elderlings as shown above, one book per month.  So starting with Assassin’s Apprentice on August 1st.  I’m going to do my best to keep up with this readalong but I’m not going to push myself too hard.

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So that’s what I’ve been reading lately!

WWW Wednesday – June 28, 2017

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words.
Each week we answer the following three questions:
-What have you recently finished reading?
-What are you currently reading?
-What are you reading next?

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For the past week I have been savoring Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff.  Easily my most anticipated novel of the year, I didn’t want to rush through it.  I’m almost finished with it now and I don’t want it to end.  If you didn’t already have The Nevernight Chronicles on your radar, get it there now and start reading Nevernight so you’re ready for Godsgrave when it publishes in September.  I am also part way into No Plain Rebel by M.C. Frank, the sequel to No Ordinary Star.  I love the two main characters in this story and am really looking forward to where this book goes.

     

Up next I have two review copies that I will be reading.  I am excited for both!  First off will be The Heirs by Susan Rieger.  It sounds like a really interesting family drama novel.  After that I will be reading The Whole Way Home by Sarah Creech.  It’s been a little while since I’ve read a contemporary romance.  This one reminds me of Nicholas Sparks mixed with the movie Country Strong.

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What have you been reading lately?

Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week there is a new topic and this week’s topic is: Best Books You’ve Read In 2017 So Far.

I have read some pretty great books so far this year!  A few have really stuck with me and have been added to my all-time favorites list.  Here are the top ten books that I have read this year!

• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor – I mean, obviously this one is going to be on this list.  I fell so hard for this book!  I loved everything about it and can’t wait to read the sequel next year.
• Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff – Okay so technically I haven’t even finished this one yet but I’m almost done with it and it is AWESOME! I can’t wait to get my finished copies when it publishes later this year.
• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch – This book was worth all the hype and more! Masterful writing and so full of suspense.
• A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – I finally started this trilogy this year since the final book was releasing.  Such awesome world building and super cool magic system.  The second and third books were completely amazing as well so all around fantastic trilogy.
• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon – I really don’t know why I waited so long to read this book.  I was almost immediately hooked on this story and characters.  I’ve read the first three books this year and am dying for the rest of the series to be published.

• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden – I got a review copy of this book and ended up loving it way more than I thought I would.  It was such a beautifully written retelling.
• Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner – This book wrecked me.  Jeff Zentner is officially on my list of favorite authors after writing my favorite book of 2016 (The Serpent King) and this one.  I can’t wait to see what he brings to the table next.
• F*ck Love by Tarryn Fisher – This was my first book by Tarryn Fisher and I am so glad I picked it up because I fell in love with this book.  I loved the characters, story, and Harry Potter references.
• Renegade Red by Lauren Bird Horowitz – This sequel to Shattered Blue was so much more intense!  So much action, twists and turns… And that cliffhanger!  I can’t wait to see how this trilogy wraps up in book 3.
• A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas – This book was so intense it had me on the edge of my seat nearly 100% of the time AND my Fitbit registered my reading time as active minutes because it had my heart pounding.  I’m sad this portion of the series is over.  I need more Rhysand!

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What are some of your top reads this year so far?

Reading Update

Hey everyone!  Just thought I would pop in for a quick reading update.  I haven’t had a lot of spare time for reading lately so I’m pretty behind on my 20 Books of Summer TBR.  So I’ve decided that any book I read during the challenge timeline will count towards my 20 books.  I have some ARCs I need to read this summer and we are in the process of boxing things up and getting our house ready to sell.  So lots going on this summer.  So even though I’ve only read 4 books from my TBR, I’ve read 6 books total.

I recently finished reading No Ordinary Stars by M.C. Frank and it was really great!  It’s a scifi dystopian world taking place on the cusp of the year 2525.  Check out my review here in case you missed it!  I also finished Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and the hype did not let me down at all.  That was an incredible book!  I posted my review yesterday which you can check out here.

  

Last night I started my ARC of Godsgrave, which is the sequel to Nevernight by Jay Kristoff.  If you’ve been following me since last year, you’ll know how much I loved Nevernight.  I am so stoked to get to read Godsgrave early.  We’re taking a mini getaway this weekend to go up north and spend the weekend with my parents at their condo on Lake Superior so I’m hoping I’ll have plenty of reading time.

In other news, I joined Litsy yesterday!!  I am having a lot of fun with it.  Feel free to follow me there and I will follow back!

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How is your summer of reading going?