Books (August? September? October?) lately

I don't remember the last time I posted a bunch of books. Mostly because I don't remember the last time I read a bunch of books. 

Here's what I read since the last time I shared...

Suicide Med by Freida McFadden

This didn't seem super high-interest to me, so I put it off as one of her books to get to on Kindle. I've basically read my way through her backlog at this point. It was good enough. Not my favorite but not a bad book. Kept me wondering what was going on so I finished it relatively quickly. Definitely led to some weird dreams. Suspend your beliefs on this. 

The Gift by Freida McFadden

Novellas count, right? One could say I've started my Christmas reading with this one, as it's a really creepy Christmas novella LOL. 

The Coworker by Freida McFadden

This one actually took me a very long time to finish because I just didn't care. The second half was much better than the first but it was a huge suspension of belief on my part that I didn't care to participate in and go along with.

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

This was really good. Or rather, it was sad and enlightening and explains a lot. I remember the first time I heard Britney on the radio in the fall of 1998. I was a fan. Had all her albums up until maybe 2003. That's when I kind of was over her music because the sound changed and I didn't care for all the collaborations. It was perfect for 12 year old me but not so much for 18 year old me. I used to sit in the library at Penn State and read People magazine every week in 2004. It was always all about Britney. Believe it or not, I used to be really in the pop culture loop. 

Anyway, the family background is fascinating. I think she's likely telling the truth about her parents because she has no reason to lie. They seem to be real crapbags. Britney's the victim of circumstance in a lot of her life but it's hard to call her a victim. I do have deeper thoughts feelings but I do encourage anyone who was a fan to read it. It's all the untold story we probably needed to know 15-20 years ago. 

Third Grade Angels by Jerry Spinelli

I do like Jerry Spinelli but this was just not it. It was dull. I had heard so many amazing things and still might do Fourth Grade Rats at the end of the year but I don't know. Not high-interest. They didn't care that much, I didn't care at all. I couldn't wait for it to be done. 

Lewis and Clark by George Sullivan

I did this as a non-fiction read aloud. It's for 8-12 year olds but it's a fantastic overview of the explorers and the expedition. I would recommend it for anyone who is doing Lewis and Clark as a topic in school or in homeschool. It has lots of primary source photos and maps to go with it. 

Currently reading: 

What Was The First Thanksgiving? I used to read The Mayflower Treasure Hunt to kids in November but I'm pushing toward more nonfiction, long-form books. There's a knowledge gap that wasn't there 10 years ago. 

Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead --I'm planning on this as a read aloud this winter because it looked fascinating for middle-grade.

The New House by Tess Stimson --The tagline gives me the feeling this book written just for me, but we'll see. I'm about 12% in. 

A month ago, I wouldn't have assumed I'd be catching up to my goal, but I actually am still in the chase. I feel like this is totally doable now with 6-7 weeks left in the year if I just keep going. 

June and July (and August so far) Books.

First up, the chapter books Wells and I read:

Sunset of the Sabertooth

Midnight on the Moon

Ghost Town at Sundown

That's nine Magic Treehouse books so far this summer and he has officially lost interest in them. 

He's back into non-fiction fossil and snake books and has a particular interest in the rainforest right now. 

Next, I did not finish:

The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella --quit at 28%

I felt like we got the meat of the story in the first 10%. Like, that was it. It was interesting and I wanted to know more but then it just became a story of unfortunate hijinks (I'm assuming...I quit right when things were getting silly).

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris -- quit at 20%

Meh. I didn't really care. I hate descriptive build-the-setting with your imagination books and since the main character was trapped in a room in the present-day scenes, I skimmed a bunch. But then I also didn't like the backstory that was happening in the past. It just seemed dumb? Something about some very shallow characters? For some reason, it reminded me of The Boxcar Children the way things started falling together and into place in such a shallow way. 

Happy Place by Emily Henry -- quit at about 50 pages

The cover of this book is so gorgeous. I admit, 50 pages is as far as I've ever gotten in an Emily Henry book. I wanted to like it, I really did. 

My library hold for Spare also came in after 8(!) months. It's. an. ebook. I have no intention of reading it. I just wanted to see how long it would take to get the opportunity to read it through our slightly-worthless Pulaski County library system. (I was in there hoping to find a few picture books the other day...they don't even have a card catalog system for patrons to use. I was *slightly horrified*.)

I DID finish these: 

Raising Emotionally Strong Boys by David Thomas

Someone posted this online and I was reminded that I wanted to read it. #1 because I have a young boy. #2 because I'm about to move back into the world of spending my days with all kinds of 8 and 9 year old boys. I feel like knowing this information might make that easier to navigate. And, yes, I could see exactly where Thomas' ideas could've fit in beautifully to classes I had in the past. 

Unfortunately, this isn't super applicable to Wells. Most of the examples in the book were about adolescents. There's a lot of information about how to lay foundations as parents though, so it's worth a read if you have boys at home!

I really do like David Thomas and Sissy Goff. They're great at what they do so I think this is credible and important information. They do the Raising Boys and Girls podcast together.

Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch

Okay, take back what I said about that above book^. THIS is the book every parent needs to read. It's actually applicable to anyone, parent or not. It hits on our own entitlement as first-world citizens and how we need to focus on ourselves and our kids when it comes to being grateful. It really goes into "main character syndrome". We all think we're the center of the universe and that's just not how it works. 

It's so much more practical than a book by a therapist. It gives the reader real advice, anecdotal stories and experiences, and a-ha moments (for me at least!). 

I listened to the audio and didn't like the narration at all but I was so into the book that I didn't even care once it got going. Seriously, this is the book everyone (parents, grandparents, teachers) needs to read. 

Little Girl Vanished by Denise Grover Swank

I have fallen off the DGS train a bit in the last few years because I wasn't super into some of her books. But I still get her newsletters through email and saw this new series that released this month. 

This was put together well. It was a good story. Sad, of course, with lots of true crime elements thrown in. I like her writing because it's easy to follow. She does add in lots of characters you have to keep straight, especially toward the end. It's worth a read and I'll be getting the next in the series when it releases in January. DGS is pretty easy to follow along with because she does put out multiple books a year. 

It's One of Us by JT Ellison 

This pulled me in right away. It gets weird-ish and kind of predictable kind of quickly but I find that about all JT Ellison books. Suspend your belief. Especially at the end. However, it, I think, exposes so very heard truths about the fertility industry when you really think about what's happening in the book. 

The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams

This author will never let you down. She's the only historical fiction I will even attempt to pick up these days. I burned myself out on HF between 2012-2016 so I tend to stay away from it. But I like that she can write about WWII without actually writing about WWII. All of her books are that way! I actually did this on Audible because I had a credit to spend. Highly recommend. Not as good as Our Woman in Moscow from 2021 (which I read in hardcover) but it's still really good. Go read her backlog if you have an itch for historical fiction. You won't be disappointed. The bonus is that there's a through-line of characters between Our Woman in Moscow and The Summer Wives (if you read that one) but you don't have to have read those to understand this. 

Ward D by Freida McFadden

I read all her books in the last year because they're so quick and enthralling. This is a good one too but I'd say it'd make a better horror movie than a book. The ending was very good. All of her books have a little twist at the end. 

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

I couldn't put this one down. I sat hunched over on a bar stool on a Sunday night just trying to finish it. Seriously very, very good. I can't believe it only has 3.5 stars on Goodreads. It's a suspenseful thriller. That's all you need to know going into it. 

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Half a year into my 50 book goal, I am about two books behind, but I have all of these half finished. 

I am who I am. I just hop from one to another, depending on my mood. 

April and May Books 2023

It's been a slow couple of months for reading. Part of this is a library problem. Part of this is a book problem. I've made the dumb mistake of attempting to read a bunch of nonfiction, which never works out well. I do best with fiction on the Kindle app. 

I'll just start with the kids' books. I'm teaching Wells the value of a serialized story, so we're reading The Magic Treehouse. I am counting these because I've never read them before. He likes them. He really just wanted to get to the Ninja book so I told him we had to start at the beginning. We're on #6 right now. 

The Knight at Dawn

Mummies in the Morning

Pirates Past Noon

Night of the Ninjas

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

I was given this to read last week. It's a novel study I'm going to be doing this coming school year. I've never read it ...actually I'd never heard of it! The study is already written by the previous teachers, which is GREAT, so I just needed to read the book. 

It's really good. Like, truly a good book. The chapters are short. The characters are relatable. It's about 6th graders but could be suitable for any reader, I think. I'll be doing it with 3rd grade. I, personally, approve this book for your kiddos if you have a middle-grade reader. The summary is that a girl has trouble reading and writing and fakes her way through school. It kind of picks up in the middle of the story without a ton of background and you learn as you go. Seriously a good book. It reminded me of Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You, which I read a few times when I was in school. 

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

The one fiction book I read and loved. On the kindle, from the library. I read it in two days because it was so good! You have to suspend disbelief a bit but I really enjoyed the story. It pulled you into the world and I could picture it all. Sure, it was a rom-com of sorts but it wasn't tropey and dumb like most I come across and never finish. I absolutely recommend this one. 

The Total Classroom Management Makeover by Michael Linsin

He's the best for a refresher when it comes to teaching. He completely transformed the way I did things several years ago so I'm going back to his methods. I have gotten his Saturday email/article in my inbox for the last 6 or 7 years. I still read it every week, even if I'm not teaching. I'm also reading Dream Class right now. I recommended his other books way back when. 

Did not finish: 

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

This was so dumb. Carrie seems to be a spoiled and petulant 7 year old. She is awful. Her dad is slightly more interesting? I don't know. I quit around 20%. There was no one to root for in this story when the main character/title character/picture on the cover is insufferable. 

TJR tries to create these fictional worlds that are mirrored to real-life. She could learn a thing or two from Annabel with Nora Goes Off Script; that story is set in a fictional world with Hollywood A-listers and movies that the author completely made up. But it's not awkward or weird. It all fits nicely. 

Obviously it won a Goodreads award last year:

Anyway, I've been currently struggling through two different fiction hardcovers, I'm reading that classroom management book, I'm still reading M is for Mama, stalled out on Mere Christianity (we won't even talk about how far behind I am on the Bible reading plan I started)...I feel like I have a few more on my nightstand too, so things are not looking great almost mid-way through 2023. 

What are you reading right now? 

March Books 2023

March was a very slow reading month but I've got two good ones for you...

Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering 5 stars

I just read this in 48 hours over the weekend. Clearly I enjoyed it! I don't know why the Goodreads reviews are so low? I mean, I guess I'd call it a 4.5 star book but my rule is that if I can't put it down, it gets 5 stars. 

I didn't find Molly quite as sympathetic as maybe I was supposed to but it was a great story. I loved this author's other book, Too Good to Be True, a couple of years ago, so I think I just really like her style. 

Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne

I am counting this and I don't care. I read it to Wells. I've never read it before. It counts. 

I have no notes.

The Inmate by Freida McFadden 4 stars

I read this way back at the beginning of March. It was good enough for me to give it 4 stars; I do admit that I didn't like the YA portions of the book. Basically it flashes back to 10 years prior or something every few chapters. I don't read YA for a reason...the teenage POVs aren't for me. However, it's on Kindle Unlimited so if you want a reliable thriller of sorts. Just get ready to suspend your disbelief a bit. Especially because the speed at which the legal system moves in this book is truly the stuff of fantasy. 

Currently reading this ARC...

And maybe starting The Knight at Dawn. I'm usually a bit too worn out to dive into a chapter book when I finally convince Wells to go to bed...

February 2023 Books.

I'm doing shockingly well on my reading goals (do I have goals? just a number, really). I learned long ago that boxing myself into a certain TBR that I had to get through or certain genres I needed to cover was just a failure waiting to happen. I did have a lull at the beginning of February because there was nothing I felt like reading and I prefer Kindle reading. Speaking of! Let's see what those library ebook holds look like...

:) :) :)

I don't even want to read Spare. I'm just taking up space on the list because I want to see how long it takes. 

Same with Part of Your World. I own it and I read it. But I want to see if this takes a full year to get the ebook. 

As always, the best place to follow is on Instagram for in-real-time updates!

This was a great book. I read it during a very snowy week/weekend and it was perfect. It releases May 2nd but this is a wintertime read, for sure. 

Not great. Joshilyn Jackson is very hit or miss for me. I maybe have only actually enjoyed one of her books?

The first half was much better than the second half. 

This was a good one. Definitely hard to put down because the point of view shifts a lot and I wanted to remember where I was in the story. It reminded me of Big Little Lies mostly, but it takes place in NYC within a private school community. 

Read this in two or three days. I cannot say enough good things about The Housemaid and this was an enjoyable follow-up. 

Also, did you know Freida McFadden is a practicing physician who specializes in brain injuries?? Not only does she have time to write more than one new release a year, but she had time to like my story on Instagram. 

What are you reading? 

January books.

I set my goal for 50 books this year. That's roughly one a week. Since I read, generally, more than one book at a time, some weeks I don't finish any and some weeks I'll finish three. If you follow me on Goodreads or on my book highlights on Instagram, you may notice this. In January, I read 5 books and started a 6th. 

1. Faithfully Different by Natasha Crain (audio from Audible)

This was a fantastic read on apologetics. I really do like her writing and her podcast/interview presence. Highly recommend as a way to educate yourself on why Christianity is different and set apart from other religions. 

2. Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro (hardcover from BOTM)

This was a good book. It's literary fiction and pretty short at 220 pages. It was just really sad. There was a lot of pandemic-filler toward the end which was annoying but it time-jumped from the 1970s to present day. My only complaint was that there were no headings or labels about when something was happening, so you had to put it together in your head. That's happening in the book I'm reading now too and it just takes some effort. The end didn't blow me away and I just felt depressed after reading it. 

3. All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham (hardcover from BOTM)

I feel that we've hit a wall with the thriller genre. This one had every trope and plot point available on the thriller bingo card. She packed everything possible into this book. She did the same with A Flicker in the Dark, though, so I'm not shocked. I found it hard to emphasize with the main character because she was so over-the-top. 

It was okay. Lots of triggers, if you're worried about that kind of thing. Very timely when it comes to current events in many ways so just proceed with caution. 

4. Dark Corners by Megan Goldin (ARC from Netgalley, release date August 2023)

Ugh. This book. I did a whole series of videos on Instagram about why I didn't like it. I find Rachel Krall to be insufferable. There is no other word for it. And because the main character is so hard to be around as a reader, I was annoyed by the whole book. I don't even think Megan Goldin is a bad writer. I find this series to just be terrible because this Sarah Koenig/Ashley Flowers hybrid she's created as her lead is just terrible. I could go into all the nit-picky things I didn't enjoy or just didn't make sense but I won't. Bottom line: if you liked The Night Swim, you'll probably at least feel the pull to read this follow-up. I really liked her book Stay Awake, which was released in August 2022. 

5. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (paperback)

This was kind of a sweet, good story. A little deeper than typical rom-com books but not so much so that you take the problems of the characters too seriously. It's not really a spoiler to say that there was a bit too much of a happy little bow tied around the end. I kind of predicted the ending from about 1/3 of the way in. Very Hallmark movie-ish, if you ask me. (And that's my rom-com for the year. I read maybe 1 every 6 months. The fact that I finished it actually makes it worthy of 3 stars. My cousin sent me this one for Christmas and it was on my TBR and my library holds list so I did think it sounded like a good story.)

Currently reading:

From Netgalley, comes out May 2nd