Books I Got For Christmas...

   

How is Christmas over already?! *looks around, bewildered* *sighs* On the bright side, I have a whole lot more books than I did before the holidays! Including...

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
If You Follow Me by Malena Watrous
Literary Listography: My Reading Life in Lists by Lisa Nola (thanks to my friend back in BC for this one!)
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth
Jewel of the Thames by Angela Misri
In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

Thanks very much to my parents for getting so many of the top priority books on my wishlist!

Death Sworn by Leah Cypess

Banner of the Damned by Sherwood Smith

What Goes Around by Courtney Summers (this is a 2-book compilation of Some Girls Are and Cracked Up to Be)

Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons

A signed copy of The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell

The first four books I ordered for myself from BookOutlet (I couldn't pass up a $10-off Black Friday deal they had going on) and the last one the author herself generously sent to me, after I'd featured it as an All I Want for Christmas pick! 

Thank you so much, Hannah — I'm looking forward to reading it! :)

All I Want for Christmas... (8)

Every year my mom asks me to send her my book wishlist for Christmas, since it just isn't Christmas without books. In the hopes of getting some content onto this blog more regularly, I'll be posting my book wishlist picks on here.

If anyone would like to join in with picks from their own wishlist, please feel free to add your link in the comments :) And if you've read any of the books on my list, let me know what you thought of them (good, bad, or otherwise!)

This week's pick:

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

From Goodreads:

"Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal. . .
  A murder… . . . a tragic accident… . . . or just parents behaving badly?
What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.   But who did what?
  Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:   Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).
Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.   New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.
  Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive."

I've read two of Liane Moriarty's previous novels — The Husband's Secret and What Alice Forgot — and particularly loved the latter. Moriarty does such a wonderful job of creating characters who feel real. Big Little Lies sounds like a bit more of a mystery than some of her other books but from what I've seen it's been getting good reviews, and I'm eager to check it out for myself!

What books are you hoping to find in your stocking this Christmas?

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Every year my mom asks me to send her my book wishlist for Christmas, since it just isn't Christmas without books. In the hopes of getting some content onto this blog more regularly, I'll be posting my book wishlist picks on here.

If anyone would like to join in with picks from their own wishlist, please feel free to add your link in the comments :) And if you've read any of the books on my list, let me know what you thought of them (good, bad, or otherwise!)

This week's pick:

  The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

From Goodreads:

"An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges."

Okay, so it feels like pretty much everybody else has read this book already. My mom's read it. My roommate's read it. I'm pretty sure my sister's read it. How have I not read it yet? I do not know, because it sounds really adorable and everyone seems to love it.

If you are not like me and have read this book, let me know what you thought of it! If somehow, like me, you have been living under a rock for the past year been too darn busy with school to read anything, even this book, let me know that too, and then we can commiserate together.

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Every year my mom asks me to send her my book wishlist for Christmas, since it just isn't Christmas without books. In the hopes of getting some content onto this blog more regularly, I'll be posting my book wishlist picks on here.

If anyone would like to join in with picks from their own wishlist, please feel free to add your link in the comments :) And if you've read any of the books on my list, let me know what you thought of them (good, bad, or otherwise!)

This week's pick:

The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell

From Goodreads:

"On a sultry summer’s day in 1980, five friends stumble upon an abandoned lakeside cottage hidden deep in the English countryside. For Kat and her friends, it offers an escape; a chance to drop out for a while, with lazy summer days by the lake and intimate winter evenings around the fire. But as the seasons change, tensions begin to rise and when an unexpected visitor appears at their door, nothing will be the same again.

Three decades later, Lila arrives at the same remote cottage. With her marriage in crisis, she finds solace in renovating the tumbledown house. Little by little she wonders about the previous inhabitants. How did they manage in such isolation? Why did they leave in such a hurry, with their belongings still strewn about? Most disturbing of all, why can't she shake the feeling that someone might be watching her?

The Shadow Year is a story of secrets, tragedy, lies and betrayal. It’s a tale that explores the light and dark of human relationships and the potential the past has to not only touch our present, but also to alter our future."

YA is still my comfort zone, but I've been branching out a bit more in the last year into adult fiction, and this is one of a few adult books that made it onto my wishlist. It just sounds mysterious and intriguing and a little creepy... Also, it sounds like it might be written in interweaving timelines (past and present), which can be a neat format if done well.

Has anyone else read this one, and if so what did you think? And what books are you hoping Santa brings you this year?

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Every year my mom asks me to send her my book wishlist for Christmas, since it just isn't Christmas without books. In the hopes of getting some content onto this blog more regularly, I'll be posting my book wishlist picks on here.

If anyone would like to join in with picks from their own wishlist, please feel free to add your link in the comments :) And if you've read any of the books on my list, let me know what you thought of them (good, bad, or otherwise!)

This week's pick:

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

From Goodreads:

"It's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations.

As Anna sets out to find her friend's killer; she discovers hard truths about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone around her thinks she is not just guilty, but dangerous. When the truth comes out, it is more shocking than one could ever imagine..."

When this book first starting floating around the blogosphere, I kinda dismissed it as a sort of fluffy, 'mystery-lite' read in the vein of Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars, which isn't really my style. And let's face it, that title and cover don't exactly exude a serious vibe.

But then I saw that Racquel over at The Book Barbies was raving about it, and we chatted on Twitter and she persuaded me that it is indeed a well-plotted, intense read worthy of my time. So it made its way onto my Christmas list! 

What books are you hoping to find under the tree?

All I Want for Christmas... (4)

Every year my mom asks me to send her my book wishlist for Christmas, since it just isn't Christmas without books. In the hopes of getting some content onto this blog more regularly, I'll be posting my book wishlist picks on here.

If anyone would like to join in with picks from their own wishlist, please feel free to add your link in the comments :) And if you've read any of the books on my list, let me know what you thought of them (good, bad, or otherwise!)

This week's pick:

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

From Goodreads:

"You think you know the story of Rapunzel...
Charlotte-Rose de la Force, exiled from the court of the Sun King Louis XIV, has always been a great teller of tales.
Selena Leonelli, once the exquisite muse of the great Venetian artist Titian, is terrified of time.
Margherita, trapped in a doorless tower and burdened by tangles of her red-gold hair, must find a way to escape.
Three women, three lives, three stories, braided together in a compelling tale of desire, obsession and the redemptive power of love."

I'm a sucker for fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, and I've seen lots of glowing praise for this adult historical retelling of Rapunzel. If you've read it, let me know what you thought!

What books are you hoping to find under the tree?

All I Want for Christmas... (3)

Every year my mom asks me to send her my book wishlist for Christmas, since it just isn't Christmas without books. In the hopes of getting some content onto this blog more regularly, I'll be posting my book wishlist picks on here.

If anyone would like to join in with picks from their own wishlist, please feel free to add your link in the comments :) And if you've read any of the books on my list, let me know what you thought of them (good, bad, or otherwise!)

This week's pick:

Pre-order of Rivals in the City by Y.S. Lee

From Goodreads:

"In a tale steeped in action, romance, and the gaslit intrigue of Victorian London, Mary Quinn’s detective skills are pitted against a cunning and desperate opponent. Mary Quinn has a lot on her mind. James Easton, her longtime love interest, wants to marry her; but despite her feelings, independent-minded Mary hesitates. Meanwhile, the Agency has asked Mary to take on a dangerous case: convicted fraudster Henry Thorold is dying in prison, and Mary must watch for the return of his estranged wife, an accomplished criminal herself who has a potentially deadly grudge against James. Finally, a Chinese prizefighter has arrived in town, and Mary can’t shake a feeling that he is somehow familiar. With the stakes higher than ever, can Mary balance family secrets, conflicting loyalties, and professional expertise to bring a criminal to justice and find her own happiness?"

This is the final book in the Agency series and one that I can't wait to get my hot little hands on! I've read and own all 3 other books in the series, and I know this one is already out in the UK but I want the US edition to match my others :D Can't wait to read about Mary's (and James's) last adventure, but it will be sad knowing it's the last book! :'(

What books are you hoping Santa brings?

All I Want for Christmas... (2)

Every year my mom asks me to send her my book wishlist for Christmas, since it just isn't Christmas without books. In the hopes of getting some content onto this blog more regularly, I'll be posting my book wishlist picks on here.

If anyone would like to join in with picks from their own wishlist, please feel free to add your link in the comments :) And if you've read any of the books on my list, let me know what you thought of them (good, bad, or otherwise!)

This week's pick:

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

From Goodreads:

"In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time."

From what I can tell, this is a quiet historical novel that isn't flashy but is so well-written it's been getting good reviews from pretty much every corner of the blogosphere. If you've read it, let me know what you thought!

What books are you hoping Santa brings?

All I Want for Christmas... (1)

Since my blog's had a 2-month-long-and-counting break since the last time I posted...why yes, I *am* still alive! (Somewhere underneath this massive pile of grad school assignments, that is...)

Every year my mom asks me to send her my book wishlist for Christmas, since it just isn't Christmas without books. In the hopes of getting some content onto this blog more regularly, I'll be posting my book wishlist picks on here.

If anyone would like to join in with picks from their own wishlist, please feel free to add your link in the comments :) And if you've read any of the books on my list, let me know what you thought of them (good, bad, or otherwise!)

First pick:

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

From Goodreads:

"Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart."

I think pretty much everything I've read about this one has been glowing. I've got high hopes here (please tell me this book will live up to them!)

What books are you hoping to find under the tree this year?