A Look Ahead to My 2018 Reading Challenges

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It’s that time of year again! Time to start thinking about what reading/blogging challenges I want to participate in during 2018.  I love taking part in challenges, but I like to pick challenges that I think won’t overwhelm me and make reading suddenly feel like a chore.  There are so many great challenges out there for the upcoming year though, that it’s easy to find a few that I think will be perfect for me.  So, please consider this my as my sign-up post for the following challenges:

 

1.  GOODREADS READING CHALLENGE

 

It’s not even time to sign up for the 2018 Goodreads Challenge yet, but I already know that I’ll be doing this one.  My reading goal for last year was only 60 books, so this year I’m pretty sure I’ll be increasing that, possibly as high as 90.  I love this challenge because aside from marking the books you’ve read, Goodreads keeps track of everything else. All I have to do is read.  The only stress is self-imposed and that’s if I set my goal too high.

 

2.  2018 BEAT THE BACKLIST CHALLENGE

 

 

I did do a separate sign-up post with all of the rules, etc., for the 2018 Beat the Backlist Challenge here so that I could post my intended TBR. I participated in this one last year and loved it because it helped me to knock 24 backlisted titles off my TBR.  Since I was able to make it through 24 backlisted titles by September last year, I’ve decided to increase my goal to 30 for 2018.  Wish me luck!

 

3.  2018 NEW RELEASE CHALLENGE

 

The rules for the 2018 New Release Challenge are simple:

  • Books have to be released and reviewed in 2018.
  • Other challenges can be used as well, if you are participating in the Netgalley / Edelweiss challenge or in the COYER challenge, books can count towards more than one challenge, as long as the ones you use for the 2018 New Release Reading Challenge qualify to the other rules.
  • The minimum length for a book to qualify is 100 pages, it can be in any format though, physical, e-book, ARC or audiobook.
  • The New Book Release Challenge is open from January 1st through December 31st 2018, and sign-ups are open until September 1st 2018.
  • You don’t have to be a blogger to participate, you can link to your review on Goodreads or Booklikes instead – so don’t be shy!

There are five levels  in the 2018 New Release Challenge:

  1. 1-30 books per year – New Release Newbie
  2. 31-60 books per year – New Release Pro
  3. 61-100 books per year – New Release Veteran
  4. 101-200 books per year – New Release Enthusiast
  5. 200+ books per year – New Release Obsessed

Since I will also be trying to focus on finally reading backlisted titles this year, I will be aiming to read 20 new releases, which would put me firmly in the New Release Newbie level.

 

4.  2018 DEBUT AUTHOR CHALLENGE

 

 

I love to read debut authors so I thought this challenge was a great fit for me, and at a goal of 12, I think it’s going to be quite manageable even with all of the other challenges I’m taking part in .

Challenge Objectives:

  • To introduce readers to this year’s wonderful group of debut authors.
  • To challenge readers to read 12 or more (or less! It’s up to you!) middle grade, young adult, and new adult debuts this year.

Challenge Rules:

  • You must post your thoughts on each debut book you read in order for it to count towards the challenge. You can post anywhere: your blog, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, etc. If you can link it up, it counts!
  • You can join the challenge whenever you want.
  • The debuts must have a publishing date in 2018 and must have been read between January 1, 2018 and January 31, 2019 (this extra month allows readers adequate time to read December debuts) in order to count.
  • Each review gives you an entry into the bi-annual (two times a year) debut book giveaways (you will get to choose the book you win). Make sure you post the links to my bi-annual link-ups. I will post these link-ups on the first day of January and July.
  • This challenge is open internationally, as are the bi-annual debut book giveaways (provided Book Depository ships to you).
  • I don’t care what language you write your reviews in, I just need to know which book you have reviewed so I can verify your entry. When you post your link in the Linky, please include the book title in English.
  • Use the hashtag #DebutAuthorChallenge so we can all see what everyone’s up to!

Which Books Count:

  • The book must be classified as middle grade, young adult, new adult fiction.
  • The book must be a full-length novel and not a novella.
  • The book must be the author’s MG/YA/NA 2018 debut. (If the author has published adult fiction before, but this is their first MG/YA/NA book EVER it still counts. If the author has published a YA book before and this is their first MG or NA book, it does not count. We are reading the author’s first book for young people, excluding picture books.)
  • Self-published books do not count, so if the author has self-published a MG/YA/NA book before and this is their first book published by a traditional publisher it counts toward the challenge.
  • ARCs are fine, but only if you read them the year they are published. (If you read a 2018 debut in 2017, it does not count. If you read a 2019 debut in 2018, it does not count. This way, participants who do not have access to ARCs are not at a disadvantage.)
  • Since this challenge is international, some books will be debuts in some countries and not in others. This can be tricky and put some books into a gray area, so here’s what we will do. If the book came out this year in your country for the first time, even though it was available elsewhere, then you can count it. I’m going to trust you, so please be honest.
  • Please feel free to tweet, email, etc. me if you do not know if a book counts or not. I am happy to help you.

 

5.  2018 BOOK BLOGGER DISCUSSION CHALLENGE

 

Writing discussion posts continues to be a fear/weakness of mine, so I’m hoping this challenge will push me to write more of them this year.  So as not to stress myself completely out, I’ll be aiming for one post a month, for a total of 12 discussion posts, which would put me firmly in the Creative Conversationalist level.

Here’s All You Have to Do:

  • The 2018 Book Blog Discussion Challenge runs from January 1st until December 31st, 2018.
  • Sign-ups will remain open until December 31st, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. Central. (So, you can sign up all year long! Come join us!)
  • Create a sign-up post announcing your intention to participate and link up below. There is no need to say what your discussion posts will be about – just tell us that you’re joining and let us know what your goal is. (Please note, you may do this in an update post, or a post of other challenges—you’re not required to make a completely separate post—but you can if you’d like!)
  • Please link back to both challenge hosts and include the challenge button in your sign-up posts.
  • There will be a kick-off post on January 1, 2018 on both Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight where you’ll be able to leave your links for any January discussions. At the beginning of every month, a new post will go up on both blogs for that month’s links. Every month, we’ll update this 2018 Book Blog Challenge Page with the links to that month’s Challenge linky—so you’ll always know where to find the latest link-up!
  • Share it! The more people we get to participate in this, the more awesome discussions we can all be a part of and the more fun it will be! So, invite your friends to join us!
  • This challenge is to help get us discussing books and book blogging, so talk about whatever you want as long as it’s relevant to book blogging. Discussions can be book related or book blogging related (or generally blogging related—no discussions about things that are completely off-topic like travel or fashion, etc). Discussions can also be about you personally if it’s a get-to-know-you type post.
  • If you forgot to leave your discussion link in the challenge month in which you posted the discussion or the linky list closed before you had a chance to leave it, you can leave it in a future month. (No duplicates, though.)
  • There will also be monthly giveaways, so make sure you check in each month!
  • Every month, we’ll feature our favorite posts from one randomly chosen participant. There will be extra options in the Rafflecopter for commenting on posts by our featured blogger.
  • Use the hashtag #LetsDiscuss2018 to share your progress and connect with other participants on Twitter.
  • Have questions? Feel free to ask in the comments!

The Levels:

1-10 – Discussion Dabbler
11-20 – Creative Conversationalist
21-30 – Chatty Kathy
31-40 – Terrifically Talkative
41+ – Gift of the Gab

Top Ten Books I Resolve to Read in 2018

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top ten tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward to In 2018 (These could be new releases, or books you resolve to read, ten debuts we are looking forward to, etc.)

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Now that the end of the year is upon us, it’s time to start thinking about those New Year’s resolutions.  Normally I don’t make many because I almost always fail at them, but I’m thinking I might actually have a good chance of succeeding at a bookish-themed resolution.

In that spirit, I’ve come up with a list of Top 10 Books I Resolve to Read in 2018.  These are all books that I have heard nothing but wonderful things about but somehow still have not managed to make the time to read them.  It’s actually embarrassing how long some of them have been on my TBR and how long I’ve talked about how much I’m dying to read them but then never following through.  So now it’s time to make a real effort to do something about it.

 

TOP 10 BOOKS I RESOLVE TO READ IN 2018

 

1. SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo

(Find out what it’s about…)

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2. EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU by Celeste Ng

(Find out what it’s about…)

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3.  NEVERNIGHT by Jay Kristoff

(Find out what it’s about…)

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4. A FEAST FOR CROWS by George R.R. Martin

(Find out what it’s about…)

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5. REBEL OF THE SANDS by Alwyn Hamilton

(Find out what it’s about…)

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6. DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch

(Find out what it’s about…)

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7. INK AND BONE by Rachel Caine

(Find out what it’s about…)

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8. THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater

(Find out what it’s about…)

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9. SALT TO THE SEA by Ruth Sepetys

(Find out what it’s about…)

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10. TO THE BRIGHT EDGE OF THE WORLD by Eowyn Ivey


(Find out what it’s about…)

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Question:  Do you have any books that you are determined to get off your TBR list in 2018?

Top 10 Books I Hope Santa Brings Me This Year

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Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings (If you celebrate a different Winter holiday, adapt this topic to fit it!).  This wee’s topics was pretty easy to complete since I seem to always have an endless list of books that I would love to own but haven’t gotten around to buying for myself yet.  Here are some that I would love to wake up Christmas morning and find under my tree.

 

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Top 10 Books I Hope Santa Brings Me This Year

 

HUNTING PRINCE DRACULA by Kerri Maniscalco

THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS: MIDNIGHT TALES & DANGEROUS MAGIC by Leigh Bardugo

SIEGE AND STORM  by Leigh Bardugo

THE FIREMAN  by Joe Hill

THE CHILD FINDER  by Rene Denfeld

GEMINA  by Amie Kaugman, Jay Kristoff, and Marie Lu

GODSGRAVE by Jay Kristoff

BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate

WONDER by R.J. Palacio

HALF A YELLOW SUN  by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

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Question:  What books would you like for Santa to bring you this year?  Happy Holidays, everyone!

Book Review: The Wife Between Us

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Book Review: The Wife Between UsThe Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
Also by this author: An Anonymous Girl, You Are Not Alone
Published by St. Martin's Press on January 9th 2018
Genres: Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

 

 

 

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MY REVIEW:

Okay, so I have to admit I was a little nervous when I started seeing my fellow reviewers compare The Wife Between Us to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl.  Even though I loved Gone Girl, not many of the novels that have been compared to it since its rise to popularity have lived up to the hype.  And boy have there been a lot of them.  I’m thrilled to say that not only does The Wife Between Us live up to the comparison, but I enjoyed The Wife Between Us even more than I enjoyed Gone Girl.  I think we’re looking at what is going to be one of the must-read books of 2018.  I also recently read that there is already a deal in place to make it into a film and I’m really excited about that.

 

 

I know this is the part of my review where I would typically describe the book without giving away spoilers.  In the case of The Wife Between Us, however, I can’t really do that.  To write any kind of description of even the basic plot points and characters would just spoil it. So all I’m going to say is just know based on those Gone Girl comparisons that you’re diving into an addictive psychological thriller filled with twists and turns and complex characters, and that there are also questions regarding narrator reliability.  Most importantly, as the synopsis indicates, assume nothing!

My favorite part of The Wife Between Us is that it really did keep me guessing from beginning to end.  I read the synopsis, which told me to ‘assume nothing’ because everything I assumed would be wrong. And then I proceeded to jump right in and start making assumptions anyway.  The book just lends itself to that and no matter how hard I tried to keep an open mind, I continued to make snap judgments about characters and situations, and yes, as the synopsis warned, I was dead wrong every time.  And that may sound like it should have been a frustrating reading experience, but I LOVED every page of it.  Nothing about the story was predictable and that was just fabulous and refreshing.

There is one plot twist about halfway through that was such a shock to me that it made my head spin.  I actually had to backtrack a few pages to make sure I had read what I thought I had read.  It was truly mind blowing!

The characters in The Wife Between Us are also so well drawn.  They’re complex, flawed, and utterly human, and unlike in many of the Gone Girl-style books, they are actually quite sympathetic in spite of the unreliable narrator issue.  I won’t go so far as to say that I liked any of them, but I did feel tremendous sympathy for what at least one of them was going through.

The book also weeds into some dark territory as we navigate the various plot twists — mental illness, addiction, abuse, jealousy, the struggle to let go and move on after a failed relationship, etc.  All of this dark subject matter weaves together seamlessly into an enthralling tale that you won’t be able to walk away from until you know the whole truth behind ‘the wife between us.’

The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star read for me was that the pacing felt a little inconsistent before that huge plot twist vs. after it.  There wasn’t a huge difference but just enough that it was noticeable in terms of how quickly I moved through each half of the book.

I also can’t say that I was 100% satisfied with the book’s resolution either. I liked it for the most part, but I’ll be curious to see if that is tweaked at all when it is made into a film.

 

The Wife Between Us is a mesmerizing thrill ride that will keep you guessing from beginning to end.  I would definitely say to go into it knowing as little as possible for the most suspenseful reading experience possible.  As the synopsis says, ‘Assume Nothing.’

 

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and of course, authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen for allowing me to read and review this book on my blog in exchange for an honest review.  This in no way impacts my review.

 

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.

You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing.

Discover the next blockbuster novel of suspense, and get ready for the read of your life.

About Greer Hendricks

GREER HENDRICKS spent over two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster. Prior to her tenure in publishing, she worked at Allure Magazine and obtained her Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times and Publishers Weekly. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children, The Wife Between Us is her first novel.

Follow Greer Hendricks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

About Sarah Pekkanen

Internationally bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen’s newest book is THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS. She is also the co-author of the upcoming THE WIFE BETWEEN US (out in January 2018).

Her prior novels are: THINGS YOU WON’T SAY, CATCHING AIR, THE BEST OF US, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THESE GIRLS.

Sarah’s linked free short estories, published by Simon&Schuster exclusively for ereaders, are titled “All is Bright,” and “Love, Accidentally.”

Sarah is the mother of three young boys, which explains why she writes part of her novels at Chuck E. Cheese. Sarah penned her first book, Miscellaneous Tales and Poems, at the age of 10. When publishers failed to jump upon this literary masterpiece (hey, all the poems rhymed!) Sarah followed up by sending them a sternly-worded letter on Raggedy Ann stationery. Sarah still has that letter, and carries it to New York every time she has meetings with her publisher, as a reminder that dreams do come true.

Her website is www.sarahpekkanen.com and please find her on Facebook Instagram and Twitter @sarahpekkanen!

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Book Review: RENEGADES

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Book Review: RENEGADESRenegades by Marissa Meyer
Also by this author: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2), Heartless
three-stars
Published by Feiwel & Friends on November 7th 2017
Pages: 552
Source: Goodreads
Amazon
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Goodreads. All opinions are my own.

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MY REVIEW:

Is there anything worse that having one of your most anticipated reads of the year not live up to expectations?  Because that’s what happened to me with Marissa Meyer’s Renegades.  Generally speaking, I LOVE Meyer’s books.  The Lunar Chronicles and Heartless have been some of my favorite reads from recent years, so when I heard she was coming out with another new series and that it was filled with superheroes and villains, my expectations were sky high.  Perhaps, too high.  I don’t know if I just built up expectations in my mind that were unrealistic or what, but for me, Renegades was just an average good read.  It wasn’t bad by any stretch – I definitely still enjoyed it and am interested in continuing the series – but it just didn’t blow me away like every other Meyer book I’ve read thus far.  So yeah, I was a little disappointed.

The premise behind Renegades is that it focuses on a group called Prodigies.  Prodigies are humans who have some kind of super powers.  Some of the prodigies become Anarchists, which are basically villains, while others join the Renegades, which are the heroes.  Needless to say, these two groups do no play well together.  The story itself is set during a time when society as we know it has basically come apart at the seams.  The Anarchists, who thrive on chaos, have taken advantage of the situation and deemed themselves in charge, thus creating even more instability and chaos as they run roughshod over those without powers.  That is, until they are challenged and defeated by the Renegades.  The Renegades restore some semblance of law and order and become a symbol of hope for the people.

When the novel opens, the Renegades are firmly in charge and are actually being celebrated with a parade through the city, while the Anarchists have been relegated to living in abandoned subway tunnels.  The Anarchists are not finished, however, and are actively planning how to get vengeance on their enemies.  At the crux of their plan is a young woman named Nova.  Nova, known in Anarchist circles as Nightmare, has been tasked with infiltrating the Renegades as a new recruit.  Why?  So as to learn as much about the Renegades’ inside operations as possible, which should in turn make it easier to take them down.  Nova is not only up to the task, but she is highly motivated to defeat the Renegades because she holds the Renegades responsible for the murders of everyone in her family.

Once Nova infiltrates the Renegades, however, she meets Adrian, a fellow Renegade who immediately takes a liking to her.  And as if that doesn’t put enough of a kink into Nova’s plan,  Adrian is also on a mission of his own that could potentially put them at odds.  Adrian is seeking justice for his mother, who was murdered by an Anarchist, and he, ironically enough, is actively searching for the Anarchist Nightmare (a.k.a. Nova) because he believes she holds the key to the murderer’s identity.

Will Adrian realize that Nightmare is basically hiding right under his nose posing as a Renegade or will Nova be able to maintain her secret identity?

Marissa Meyer has brought to life two fascinating main characters in Nova and Adrian.  Nova is an Anarchist, while Adrian is a Renegade.  However, even though they are at opposite ends of the hero-villain spectrum, they still have a lot in common, namely that they are both living double lives and keeping secrets from those around them.  I loved the complexity that the double lives added to each of these characters.

In addition to enjoying watching Nova and Adrian attempt to pull off these secret lives without revealing themselves, I also just found both of these characters extremely likeable and was therefore very sympathetic to both of their plights.  Adrian’s mother was murdered by an Anarchist and he desperately wants justice for her even if he has to work outside of the confines of being a Renegade to do so.  Nova’s entire family was killed right in front of her when she was a child and she feels betrayed by the Renegades who she had believed would show up and save them all but who didn’t show up at all until it was too late.  Even though I might not agree with the idea of seeking vengeance, I can understand why Nova feels the way she does, just as I can understand why Adrian is so determined to track down any leads he can when it come to his mother’s murder.

Aside from Nova and Adrian themselves, what I enjoyed most about Renegades were the superpowers that Meyer has envisioned for all of the Prodigies in the novel.  The powers themselves were unique and so exciting to watch in action.  The action sequences as each character was called on to unleash their powers were some of my favorite moments of the book.  If you’re a fan of Marvel, the X-Men, and other similar superhero stories, you would probably really enjoy this aspect of Renegades as well.  I thought it was especially brilliant that Adrian can use his power, the ability to sketch something and then somehow bring it to life, to actually draw additional powers for his secret super hero identity.  It’s almost as though he’s able to give himself an upgrade via ink.

My biggest issues with Renegades were the uneven pacing and what felt like too much filler information.  While I did fly through some sections of the book, there were many other places where I felt that the descriptions were just heavy handed and filled with unnecessary details that bogged the story down.  One slow area that comes to mind was when Nova first infiltrates Renegade Headquarters as a new recruit.  She is given a lengthy, in-depth tour of the facilities.  After the tour, we are then given a surprisingly long description of Nova being presented with and trying on her new uniform, followed by a discussion about how it fits and how it will be sent off to a tailor for a better fit.  I just kept thinking the entire time I was reading that what took pages and pages could have been wrapped up easily in a few paragraphs.  Because the book itself is so huge, I was very tuned in to descriptive passages like that one.  At over 500 pages, I’m always going to be one who begins to question what feels like extraneous information.

I also didn’t feel like I really got to know the secondary characters very well.  While I thought all of the superpowers of both the Renegades and the Anarchists were unique and very impressive, I just felt like the characters themselves fell kind of flat.  Most of the time I couldn’t even remember the names of Nova’s Renegades teammates or her fellow Anarchists.

As much as I enjoyed the overall storyline, I think if some of the descriptions had been pared down a bit and the secondary characters had been better fleshed out, this would have been a 4 star read for me.

Even though Renegades fell short of my expectations, I still think it’s a solid read that fans of superhero/villain stories would definitely enjoy.  The superhero powers are amazing, the action scenes are fun and exciting, and the two main characters are just so easy to find yourself rooting for.  While I would have liked more character development for the secondary characters and less wordy descriptions throughout, Renegades has still enticed me enough that I want to follow the series and see what happens to Nova and Adrian.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone…except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

three-stars

About Marissa Meyer

meyer

“One of my first spoken words was “story” (right along with “bath” and “cookie”), my favorite toy as an infant was a soft, squishable book, and I’ve wanted to be a writer since I first realized such a job existed.

When I was fourteen my best friend introduced me to anime and fanfiction—over the years I would complete over forty Sailor Moon fanfics under the penname Alicia Blade. Those so inclined can still find my first stories at fanfiction.net. Writing fanfic turned out to be awesome fun and brought me in contact with an amazing group of fanfiction readers and writers. As Alicia Blade, I also had a novelette, “The Phantom of Linkshire Manor,” published in the gothic romance anthology Bound in Skin (CatsCurious Press, 2007).

When I was sixteen I worked at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Tacoma, Washington, affectionately termed “The Spag.” (Random factoid: This is also the restaurant where my parents met some 25 years before.) I attended Pacific Lutheran University where I sorted mail that came to the dorm, carted tables and chairs around campus, and took writing classes, eventually earning a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Children’s Literature. Knowing I wanted a career in books, I would also go on to receive a Master’s degree in Publishing from Pace University (which you can learn more about here). After graduation, I worked as an editor in Seattle for a while before becoming a freelance typesetter and proofreader.

Then, day of days, someone thought it would be a good idea to give me a book deal, so I became a full-time writer. CINDER was my first completed novel, though I have an adorable collection of unfinished ones lying around, too.

I married my husband in 2011, two months before the release of Cinder, and we adopted our two beautiful twin daughters, Sloane and Delaney, in 2015. Reading lots and lots of bedtime stories is most definitely a new favorite pastime.”

Marissa Meyer in her own words, from www.marissameyer.com

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The Bookish Libra’s Top 10 Favorite Books of 2017

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Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Favorite Books of 2017, which gives us all a chance to share the reads that really blew us away this year.

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Overall I’ve had a fantastic reading year so it was hard to pick just ten favorites.  Here are ten books that really resonated with me, books that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about in the weeks and months since I read them.

 

TOP 10 FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2017

 

1. THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas

Read my review…

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2. A CONJURING OF LIGHT by V.E. Schwab

Read my review…

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3.  THE GIRL IN THE TOWER by Katherine Arden

Read my review…

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4. THE RULES OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman

Read my review…

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5. DEAR MARTIN by Nic Stone

Read my review…

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6. STARFISH by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Read my review…

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7. THE ALICE NETWORK by Kate Quinn

Read my review…

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8. STRANGE THE DREAMER by Laini Taylor

Read my review…

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9. MR. DICKENS AND HIS CAROL by Samantha Silva

Read my review…

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10. WHAT HAPPENED by Hillary Rodham Clinton

(Find out what it’s about…)

Hillary’s book was the only one of my favorite reads that I didn’t review on my blog.  As most of my blog readers know, I’m a huge Hillary fan so I knew any review I wrote would be very biased. I’ll just say that as a Hillary fan, this book was everything I needed it to be.

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Question:  What were some of your favorite 2017 reads?  Did any of my favorites make your list?

Gift Ideas for the Book Lover on Your Holiday Shopping List

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So you’ve got a book lover on your holiday shopping list and have no idea what to get them?  First of all, let me just say that we book lovers are actually pretty easy to shop for, well, unless you’re trying to actually buy us books, that is.  Since we buy so many books ourselves and, at least in my case, are way too impatient to wait for someone else to buy them for me, it can be challenging to find me a book that I don’t already own and haven’t already read.  So, yeah, unless your book lover has given you a wish list of books, you might not want to go the actual book route.

Never fear though because there are literally endless other fantastic bookish-themed gift ideas out there for you to choose from that are sure to please even the pickiest book lovers.  I’ve rounded up a few items that I know I wouldn’t mind receiving as gifts this year.  (And a little hint for you shoppers out there –  Society6.com and etsy.com are gold mines for book-themed gifts, so even if you don’t like my suggested gift items, be sure to check them out!)

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Gift Ideas for the Book Lover on Your Holiday Shopping List

 

1. JEWELRY

There are endless options out there when it comes to jewelry for book lovers. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and even keychains make great gifts.

 

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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2. MUGS

Mugs are one of my favorite bookish gifts to receive and I can never have too many of them either, especially since I’m nearly always drinking a hot beverage when I’m reading.

 

Sold at malaprops.com. Click to purchase.

 

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3. TOTE BAGS

Who wouldn’t love a super cute tote bag to haul around all their books?

 

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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4. T SHIRTS

Help the book lover in your life make a fashion statement with a cute bookish-themed t shirt.

 

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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5. BOOKMARKS

Not only do I use numerous bookmarks as placeholders in my books, but there are so many cute ones out there that I’ve found myself just collecting them as keepsakes too.  These John Green bookmarks caught my eye while I was browsing for gift ideas this week.

 

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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6. MINI BOOK LIGHT

I actually have one of these and I love it.  It has saved many arguments between my husband and me when he wants to go to sleep and I want to stay up late reading.  It’s lightweight, will clip right on to your book, and gives off the perfect amount of light for reading so you can read until your heart’s content without disturbing anyone else.

 

Sold on amazon. Click to purchase.

 

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7. CANDLES

Wonderful smelling candles inspired by our favorite books and characters?  Yes, please!  There are lots of them available on etsy.com.  If you’re lucky, you might even find one inspired by your book lover’s favorite book.

 

Sold on etsy.com Click to purchase.

 

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8. PILLOWS

It’s pretty much a guarantee that your book lover enjoys curling up with a good book and reading for hours, so anything that enhances their comfort so that they can read longer is always a winner.  You can find pillows and even blankets that are book-themed.  I loved the simplicity of this one.

 

Sold on amazon. Click to purchase.

 

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9. BOOK-THEMED COVERS FOR PHONES & E-READERS

As a book lover, I like to proudly display my love of books in pretty much any way I can, and yes, that can include placing book-themed covers on all of my electronics.  I saw this cute one while browsing on etsy and almost bought it for myself.

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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10.  BOOKENDS

Most book lovers can always use more bookends to help organize and display their ever-growing piles of books.  There are plenty of fun and decorative ones to choose from.

 

Sold on etsy.com. Click to purchase.

 

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11. GIFT CARDS TO BOOKSTORES

Okay, so maybe it’s not as creative as some of the other gift ideas on my list, but seriously, you cannot go wrong with a gift card to a bookstore.  Why?  Because it’s a reason for a book lover to visit the bookstore!  Not that we need another reason, but hell, we’ll take it!  Amazon is great since you can get more bang for your buck there when it comes to books, but a lot of us love to support our Indie Bookstores too so keep those in mind as well.

Click to see Amazon Gift Card Options.

Click to see Amazon Gift Card Options.

 

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Question:  Do any of my gift ideas for book lovers appeal to you?  What would you add to my list?  I know my list is filled with items that women would probably enjoy more than men, so do you have any more “manly” suggestions?

Book Review: Depth of Lies by E.C. Diskin

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Book Review: Depth of Lies by E.C. DiskinDepth of Lies by E.C. Diskin
Also by this author: Desperate Paths
four-stars
Published by Thomas & Mercer on September 26th 2017
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 288
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

MY REVIEW:

E.C. Diskin’s Depth of Lies is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that will not only keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time you’re reading, but it will also make you question how much you really know about the people that you consider yourself closest to.

The story opens with a mysterious death.  Shea Walker, a happy, easy going mom, who is beloved by all around her, is found dead in a bathtub at a B&B.  An empty pill bottle is found in her room so everyone believes that she has unexpectedly ended her own life.  All of Shea’s friends are of course distraught because they have lost their friend and because they simply cannot fathom how Shea could have possibly killed herself without any of them realizing she was at such a low point in her life.

One of Shea’s oldest and closest friends, Kat Burrows, takes it a step further.  She absolutely refuses to believe that Shea killed herself and suspects foul play.  She decides to do a little amateur sleuthing on her own, along with their mutual friend Tori.  Kat is also wracked with guilt because on the night she died, Shea had tried to call Kat but Kat chose not to answer the phone.

Once Kat starts digging, she begins to uncover lie after lie, and seemingly endless secrets and betrayals.  More and more details emerge that make Kat realize she didn’t know Shea nearly as well as she thought she did.  Nor did she really know anyone in their circle of friends, for that matter.  What she finds not only makes her question the truth about what happened to Shea that night, but it also makes her take a hard look at everyone around her.

The aptly named Depth of Lies explores the questions of not only what really happened to Shea Walker but also the thought provoking question of ‘Do we ever really know everything about anyone?’

 

I thought the author very effectively used the structure of the novel to unravel the mystery of what happened to Shea.  The story is presented to the reader in alternating chapters from the point of view of both Shea and Kat.  We get to follow the last few months of Shea’s life and see what is really going on with her, while at the same time, we follow Kat as she is investigating Shea’s death.  The two storylines parallel each other until they ultimately merge into one as both Kat and the reader learn the truth about Shea’s death.

I also thought the pacing was fantastic.  I got hooked immediately and with each clue Kat and her friend uncovered, the suspense just kept building and building.  I also liked the added tension of having Kat’s spouse as well as all of her friends start to get agitated because she keeps asking so many questions and won’t let anything go.  Wanting to know if any of them were hiding anything made the story that much more compelling for me and I devoured the novel in less than two days because I just had to know the truth.

Not only is Depth of Lies a well-crafted mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but it also does a wonderfully realistic job of portraying the different relationships between the characters.  We get to see all of the lingering guilt between the friends because they feel like they weren’t there for Shea, but then on top of it, the more the friends talk after her death, the more we start to see little bits of resentment and anger toward Shea come to the surface.  They might be mourning her loss, but a few of them clearly have emotional baggage when it comes to the impact Shea had on their lives.

I also found the relationships realistic in terms of the novel’s central question of how well we really know someone.  I found this idea especially believable and relatable.  Don’t we all tend to keep certain things to ourselves?  I know as much as I love my friends and family, I still don’t tell them everything.  I think it’s normal to keep secrets, especially if those secrets are things that could be really embarrassing if they were to become known.  This aspect of the novel left me with a lot to think about in terms of my own little secrets and in terms of what my friends and loved ones might be keeping from me.

 

The only real issue I had with Depth of Lies was that I would have liked to have felt more connected to the main characters.  I was glued to the book to find out the truth about Shea and whether or not Kat would alienate her entire friend group because she just wouldn’t let it go, but otherwise, I didn’t really feel all that attached to any of the characters.  I usually like to feel some kind of connection to at least one character but instead I just felt like an outsider observing the lives of these women and their spouses.  It definitely didn’t impede my enjoyment of the story, which I thought was fantastic, but I think that’s what makes it a 4 star instead of a 5 star read for me.

 

If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing until the end, I’d definitely recommend Depth of Lies.  I enjoyed it so much that I can’t wait to read more from E.C. Diskin.

 

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

When Shea Walker, a sunny, easygoing mom, is found dead in a bathtub with a stomach full of booze and pills, the shocking discovery shatters the complacency of her comfortable suburban community.

Kat Burrows, Shea’s longtime friend and former neighbor, is hit hardest. How could a woman she thought she knew so well come to such a sordid end? What could lead happy, well-adjusted, responsible Shea to accidentally overdose on alcohol and narcotics? Or, worse, drive her to suicide?

Compelled to uncover the truth of Shea’s final months, Kat delves beneath the orderly surface of her familiar world to discover a web of thwarted desire, shameful secrets, and shocking betrayal that suggests a scarier explanation for what happened to Shea. As her carefully constructed reality begins to crumble, Kat must question every reassuring assumption her life is built upon to solve the mystery…and summon the courage and resourcefulness to survive it.

four-stars

About E.C. Diskin

E.C. Diskin studied Radio/TV/Film and English in Texas (TCU), moved to New York to dance with a tap dance company in Soho, and finally became “an adult” when she moved to Chicago for law school. But after several years behind a desk, a drawer full of story ideas, and two little ones at home, she took a break from the law and began writing fiction. Fortunately, the fantasy of living a creative life became reality with the success of her debut legal thriller, The Green Line. Her second, Broken Grace, ventured into psych thrillers, and her latest, Depth of Lies, dives into the veneers and secrets behind the closed doors of suburbia. When she’s not reading, writing, binge-watching Netflix, chauffeuring kids, or at the movies, she likes to play with power tools and build stuff.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Top 10 Bookish Settings I’d Love to Visit

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top ten tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR List, which gives us all a chance to share what we’re planning to read for the next few months.   

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This week’s topic really gave me a major case of nostalgia because as soon as I started thinking about bookish settings I’d love to visit, mainly what came to mind were settings from my favorite childhood books.  There are a few more recent favorites on my list, but by and large, my inner child won out.

I’d love to visit and take classes at Hogwarts, and I’d love to walk through a wardrobe and find myself in the magical snowy world of Narnia.  Or maybe spend a day in the Hundred Acre Woods playing Pooh Sticks with Winnie the Pooh, flying around with Peter Pan in Neverland, or visiting Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and sampling some of his delectable chocolaty treats?

And while I can’t say I’d ever want to live in Middle Earth, Red London, Themyscira, or the Courts of Prythian, how wonderful would it be to just visit them and see them up close and personal?

Finally, I’d love to visit one of those magical traveling carnivals like the ones featured in Caraval and The Night Circus.  I selected the one from The Night Circus because I loved that it was set in Victorian London, but either would be truly magical.

 

TOP 10 BOOKISH SETTINGS I’D LOVE TO VISIT

 

1. HOGWARTS from the Harry Potter Series

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2. NARNIA from The Chronicles of Narnia

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3.  WILLY WONKA’S CHOCOLATE FACTORY from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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4. THE HUNDRED ACRE WOODS from Winnie the Pooh

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5. NEVERLAND from Peter Pan

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6. RED LONDON from A Darker Shade of Magic

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7. MIDDLE EARTH from the Lord of the Rings series

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8. THEMYSCIRA (Paradise Island) from Wonder Woman: Warbringer

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9. THE WANDERING MAGICAL CIRCUS from The Night Circus

Wallpaper created by thedreamerbelow from deviantart.com

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10. PRYTHIAN (ALL OF THE COURTS) from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series


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Question:  What bookish settings would you like to visit?  Would any of mine make your list?

2018 BEAT THE BACKLIST GOALS & TBR

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The Beat the Backlist Challenge is hosted by Austine at NovelKnight.com and its focus is to encourage readers to finally get through some titles that have been on your TBR for a while, or even those that have gotten pushed aside for new releases.  The primary guideline for the challenge is that the books you choose must have been published prior to 2018.  Also, this challenge  runs from January 1st to December 31st, 2018 so you have a whole year to work on that TBR.  Post updates throughout the year with #beatthebacklist.  The complete details about the 2018 Beat the Backlist Challenge can be found HERE.

I was able to knock 24 titles off my backlist through this challenge last year, so I’m excited to see if I can beat that number in 2018. My TBR is of course still out of control so I’m going to up my goal to 30 backlist books this year and see how that shakes out.  I’m going for a mix of Kindle reads and physical books in hopes of making a dent in both areas.  I’ve made a tentative Backlist TBR list below but I’m a terrible mood reader so this list is subject to change as my moods dictate.

 

  1. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
  2. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
  3. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
  4. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
  5. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
  6. Timekeeper by Tara Sim
  7. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
  8. Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab
  9. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
  10. Winter by Marissa Meyer
  11. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
  12. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
  13. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
  14. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
  15. Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
  16. Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer
  17. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
  18. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
  19. Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
  20. Nemesis by Anna Banks
  21. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
  22. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
  23. Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello
  24. Salt to the Sea by Ruth Sepetys
  25. Hunted by Meagan Spooner
  26. History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
  27. How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
  28. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
  29. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
  30. The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman

I’ll also be participating as a member of the Dewey Dragons BTB Team.  Let me know if you’re a fellow Dragon!

Are you planning to join the Beat the Backlist challenge in 2018?