Top Ten Tuesday – Reading Fails: 10 Books I Totally Planned to Read This Year But Probably Won’t
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is another Freebie. Since we’re fast approaching the end of the year, I’ve been reflecting on the books I’ve read this year, and even more so, on the books I had every intention of reading this year but somehow still didn’t get to. I know I still have a few weeks left to try to make this list happen but with the holidays and the January 2020 ARCs I’m starting to work my way through, I just don’t think these reads are going to happen before the end of 2019. I definitely still plan to read all of them though so I’m sure these titles will end up as part of my backlist challenge next year. While I was compiling this list, I also did a little “spring” cleaning and purged about 40 titles from my Goodreads “Want to Read” Shelf because I’ve just completely lost interest in them. I’m sure it won’t be long before I find 40 more to add in their places, but it felt good to finally get rid of some titles that I’ve been scrolling past for 4-5 years.
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10 Books I Totally Planned to Read This Year But Probably Won’t
1. AURORA RISING by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
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2. SORCERY OF THORNS by Margaret Rogerson
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3. CIRCE by Madeline Miller
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4. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS by George R.R. Martin
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5. UPROOTED by Naomi Novik
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6. NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo
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7. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor
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8. THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET by Becky Chambers
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9. ALL SYSTEMS RED by Martha Wells
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10. GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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Question: Do you have any books you were determined to read this year but somehow still haven’t?
Mini Reviews for Reputation, Meg & Jo, and The Dead Girls Club
It’s time for a new batch of mini reviews and this time it’s December ARCs! I initially hadn’t planned to request any December ARCs so that I could focus all of my attention on my backlist, but these three novels caught my eye so my plans changed.
Reputation Goodreads Author: Sara Shepard
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
Publisher: Dutton
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Even though I loved the TV series Pretty Little Liars, which was inspired by the Sara Shepard book series of the same name, I had never actually read one of Shepard’s books prior to requesting her latest novel, Reputation. I went into Reputation hoping for a fast-paced read filled with all of the elements I loved in the Pretty Little Liars series and that’s exactly what I got. The story is centered on a prestigious university that gets turned up on its end when a hacker infiltrates the university network and uploads all of the university’s emails into an easily searchable database. From students to faculty and staff, lives are turned upside down as the emails are leaked publicly exposing juicy secrets, extramarital affairs, and so much more. Then while everyone is busy dealing with the fallout from all of the exposed emails, a popular doctor is murdered. Who would have wanted him dead? Is his murder somehow connected to something that came out as a result of the hack? In typical Shepard fashion, the reader is taken on a wild ride that is jam-packed with shocking twists and turns as we watch the fallout from the hack, try to figure out who is responsible for the hack, and of course, who killed the doctor and why. My only real complaint about the novel is that I didn’t feel any real connection to the characters. The story is told from the perspectives of five different women, and while each woman was very well developed and had a compelling storyline, I just didn’t find any of them especially relatable. It didn’t hamper my overall enjoyment of the read at the time, but now sitting down to write this review, I can barely remember their names. Even with that lack of connection though, Reputation is still a fast and fun read, especially if you’re into scandalous soap opera-style drama. 3.5 STARS
Meg and Jo Goodreads Author: Virginia Kantra
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
Publisher: Berkley
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra is a charming story that is actually a contemporary retelling of one of my favorite literary classics, Little Women. As the title suggests, sisters Meg and Jo are the focus of this story. Jo is still a writer, but in this version of the classic, she’s a food blogger trying to make it in New York City, while Meg has a background in accounting but is a stay-at-home mom with twins living in North Carolina. What I liked most about Meg & Jo is that Kantra does a wonderful job of paying homage to Little Women while still creating a fully original story in its own right. I honestly don’t even think you need to be familiar with Little Women to enjoy Meg & Jo. It features heartwarming sisterly interactions (including younger sisters Beth and Amy who put in appearances as well), compelling family drama involving a sick parent, and even a little romance with a sexy chef to keep things entertaining. I also loved that it was set around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, which made it the perfect read to help get me into the holiday spirit. I will say to those who are huge fans of Little Women – don’t go into this read expecting something as emotionally weighty as Little Women. I’d consider this more of a Hallmark movie version of the original classic. If you go in with that expectation, I think you’ll find it a delightful read. 4 STARS
The Dead Girls Club Goodreads Author: Damien Angelica Walters
Publication Date: December 10, 2019
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters is a psychological thriller tinged with a hint of the supernatural that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. It features a very effective dual time line that follows Heather Cole and her friends both as children and then later as adults. The first time line follows Heather and her friends as they create a club called The Dead Girls Club, where they would secretly meet to discuss and share stories about serial killers and other morbid topics. A favorite topic of theirs, and especially of Heather’s best friend Becca, was the Red Lady, the spirit of a witch who was murdered centuries ago. Becca spends so many hours telling elaborate stories about the Red Lady that she and the other girls become convinced that the Red Lady is real. Their belief takes a tragic turn when Becca turns up dead. As the second timeline shows, what happened to Becca the night of her death has remained a secret for nearly 30 years until someone starts sending a now grown up Heather subtle hints that they know what really happened that night and that they plan to make her pay for it. My favorite part about this novel is the Red Lady. I loved the stories about her and how she comes across as an urban legend. She definitely adds an ultra-creepy supernatural layer to what is otherwise a pretty straightforward psychological thriller as this unknown person basically stalks Heather with these threats of exposure. For me though, Heather was actually the weakest part of the story. I really enjoyed her character in the child timeline, but found her frustrating and infuriating in the adult timeline. Her paranoia about being tied to Becca’s death leads her to make some downright awful decisions, which made her not as likable as I prefer my protagonists to be. Even though I didn’t find Heather to be overly likable, I still thought The Dead Girls Club was a very solid read. The author does a wonderful job of creating plenty of suspense in both timelines and I was engaged from start to finish (and, of course, looking over my shoulder to make sure the Red Lady wasn’t lurking behind me). If you like a good creepy thriller with a supernatural twist, The Dead Girls Club is a great choice. 3.5 STARS
Top Ten Tuesday – My Ten Favorite Movies to Watch During the Holiday Season
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is actually Holiday Reads (Books you love reading during the holiday season.). I really did try to do this week’s topic, but I honestly couldn’t think of ten books that I like to read during the holiday season. I’m not a big re-reader anyway so A Christmas Carol is the only book that really came to mind aside from children’s books, which I haven’t read since my son outgrew most of my favorites. So yeah, I ended up going rogue this week because even though I’m not a big re-reader, it has always been a tradition in my family to watch lots of Christmas movies together every year and I have a list of perennial favorites. The holidays just aren’t complete if we haven’t watched all of these. Some are childhood favorites that I just can’t resist watching every year and some are newer favorites, basically movies that my son loves that have been incorporated into our yearly tradition.
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10 Favorite Movies to Watch During the Holiday Season
1. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION
I’m sure there are some that find this movie tacky and appalling and completely inappropriate for Christmas, but I’m not one of them. This is my all-time favorite Christmas movie. I’ve watched it every year since it came out in 1989, practically have the entire movie memorized, and I still laugh at it just as much now as I did when I first watched it all those years ago.
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2. MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
I enjoy the original version of this film too, but this one from 1994 starring Richard Attenborough, Mara Wilson, and Elizabeth Perkins is the one my family watches every year. I’ve always loved the premise of this story, where a lawyer and a six-year old girl must prove that a man claiming to be Santa Claus is the real thing, and we all love Mara Wilson from Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda, so this film is a great fit for us.
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3. HOME ALONE
Like Christmas Vacation, Home Alone is a movie that I’ve watched every year since it first came out and it’s still just as funny now as it was the first time I saw it. Both Home Alone and Home Alone 2 (mainly because of my obsession with NYC) are staples in my family’s holiday movie lineup.
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4. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Now I have to confess that until I got married, I had never watched this film. It’s my husband’s favorite though so he introduced me to it and we have watched it together every year since. It truly is a classic.
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5. A CHRISTMAS STORY
Talk about your timeless classics. It never gets old watching poor little Ralphie trying to convince everyone that a Red Ryder BB gun is the perfect Christmas gift for him. “I triple dog dare you” to watch it!
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6. THE SANTA CLAUSE
This is another of my son’s favorites that has made it into our holiday viewing every year. He loves all three of the movies, but the first one is my favorite.
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7. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
This is yet another of my son’s favorites (He loves Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie) and Tim Burton’s films always fascinate me anyway, so I’m game to watch it every year, especially because the animation is so impressive.
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8. A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Several versions of the classic Dickens tale get a lot of play in my house every year at Christmas. I have a soft spot for Mickey’s Christmas Carol and the Disney version pictured above, but I also really like the version where Patrick Stewart plays Scrooge.
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9. CHILDHOOD FAVORITES
I know these aren’t actually movies, but it’s my list so whatever. Anyway, I don’t know about you guys, but I still love to watch all of my old childhood favorites. Charlie Brown and the Grinch are my favorites, but I also love Rudolph and Frosty. Sometimes I’m the only one in my house who watches these, but they just give me such nostalgia which is a huge part of the holiday season for me.
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10. ALL THE HALLMARK CHANNEL MOVIES!
Yeah, this one is all me too and it’s a recent obsession going back just a couple of years. I pretty much have the Hallmark Channel on in the background every day from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. My husband just rolls his eyes at me, but I love the warm fuzzy vibe that all of the Hallmark holiday films have. Plus it’s fun when some of my favorite actors pop up in the occasional film. So far this season I’ve seen Liz Mitchell from Lost, Elizabeth Henstridge from Marvel: Agents of SHIELD, and Lacy Chabert from Party of Five.
Question: Do you have any favorite holiday films that you watch every year?