January Book Round-Up!

January is typically my hibernation month.  And this year's January was no different!  Every other night I was in bed by 8, with either my book in hand or listening to an audio book.
I think this helped me to really up my book quotient for the month. Because never have I ever read 13 books in a month!!  Crazy!!

13 is a lot to recap so for some you'll get more of a review than others!! That'll probably give you a good indication about how I liked the book too!

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkannn
This book became available to the public on January 9th, but I was lucky enough to receive an advanced readers copy from my library's advanced readers club, where I'm given the book to read and review.  I read this book over the course of two snow days.  I just couldn't put it down.  It was crazy, twisty good!  Not what I expected! Highly recommend!

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult was recommended to me by my bestie Mel, as her favorite read of 2017.  The audio book became available before the print version did at my library so I listen to it.  One of the narrators was stage and television actress Audra MacDonald, so I kind of loved that!  I loved this book, too!  It was a difficult subject matter to tackle, but I really enjoyed the story and the intertwining of characters.  One of my favorites of the month!

The Art of Racing in the Rain
This was another audio book.  And I'm glad I read it this way because the narrator is a dog.  Even though I didn't like the turn the story took in the middle, this book was still wonderful.  So many great insights about life and it's twists and turns.  At the end of the book I bawled...and bawled and bawled!!  I was sad at the turn of events but I was also sad to have it end.

Lilac Girls
Another book with different points of views and narrators was Lilac Girls.  Set in War time and spanning countries and generations, it tells the story of woman brought together by the war.  It took me a little bit to get into, but once I did, I really enjoyed this book.  Another one that brought me to tears!  Clearly, I read a lot of heavy books this month.

The Forever Summer by Jamie Brenner was one I had on hold at the library for quite sometime.  When it became available to me I was excited and read it rather fast.  I can see why it was considered a good beach read.  It was a fun story about a young lawyer, who after losing everything, gets the shock of her life, when she finds out she has a half sister.  From there, lots more family secrets are uncovered!  I liked it a lot!

So after so much heavy, I needed light and fluffy!  Three books fit the bill!

Writer and star of The Office (one of my most favorite shows ever!), Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and Why Not Me? fit the bill!  Her books of essays were thoughtful and funny and I really enjoyed both!  I have had Why Not Me? forever but after realizing it was her second book, I put it back on the shelf.  I'm glad I read the first book and then started her second again.  Both were quick reads (like a matter of hours...ha!) that entertained me!

My library recommended Furiously Happy to me.  It's a memoir by author Jenny Lawson, who was new to me.  She suffers from severe depression, as well as many other symptoms.  The book took a look at her illness in detail and how she deals with humor, because quite simply she needs to and she won't let her illness take over.  Honestly, her story was quite eye-opening to me and I felt myself rooting for her throughout!  Good...

I read two middle school novels this month by author Lynda Mullaly Hunt.  Loved them both.  Every teacher and student should read Fish in a Tree.  It's main character, Ally, is dyslexic and the story shows her navigating it in school.  With an inspiring teacher by her side she is able to make strides and get the help she needs. I loved the story and it's characters so much.  A true portrait of middle school...something I'm now navigating daily!! Gift this one to all your teacher friends!!!

Hunt's other novel, One for the Murphy's was both tough and inspiring!!  It's another one that had me in tears by the end!  I can't say I loved  the end but the story was wonderful.  Main character Carly is a heroine to root for!  Highly recommend.  Oh and I feel like the teacher in me should let you know I think it's best for grades 6 and up!  Some of it is tough to read...heartbreaking but uplifting at the same time...if that makes any sense!  Give it a read.

Not really worth mentioning were a trilogy of books I read called The Deanna Madden Mysteries.  Basically they were fluff.   Easy reads to to listen to while cleaning the house or fall asleep listening to at night... Just OK!  Lots of people on GoodReads seemed to enjoy them more than I did.  HA!!

Find all my January Reads on Good Reads here!!

Whew!  Lots of reading in January!  I don't anticipate reading as much in February.  I'm already behind.  The last book I started in January, I'm still reading, just about a hundred pages in.  But I'd love some recommendations.  Let me know what you're reading this month in the comments below!! 

At the beginning of the year I found this book bucket list for 2018 on author Debbie Macomber's Facebook page.  I saved it to my photos and while looking for pictures for this post, I came across it again.  Turns out, this month alone, I pretty much ticked off more than half this list! LOL  The only thing I need to finish it are:  a book that been made into a movie, read a book that's new this year, and read a book as a family!  #solitary life!  (maybe my sisters and I could all read the same book!!)  Are you a part of any reading challenges this year that I should know about??

Happy Reading!

Until next time...

*all books are linked to amazon, just because...I'm not an amazon affiliate!  :)

The Magnolia Story: A Review

Today I'm linking up with The Blended Blog's Virtual Book Club to share a review of one of our May picks, The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines.  As a fan of the HGTV show Fixer Upper, I was excited to read this book.  And was even more excited to find out that one of our book clubbers, Valerie, picked it!  Especially since I actually read it!

I had been seeing this book around the blogs for awhile and finally requested it at my library.  When it came in, I read the first chapter right off the bat and was instantly drawn into the story of Chip and Joanna.  Joanna's primarily the one telling the stories of their life together and all of Chips antics!
It was recommended to me that I also pick up the audio version of this since the two stars tell the story themselves.  I did and think for me, this added to the fun of the story.

Without giving too much away, I will say that it's the story of the couple's humble beginnings and their rise to fame, how they overcome the obstacles they faced, leaning on each other and their strong faith in God.

The book is billed and categorized under the Christian/Faith window, which I didn't really realize when I got it but was able to recognize as I read.  Because of what I read in the story, I examined my own faith.  Chip and Joanna were constantly hitting snags in their plans but getting big breaks.  Was this luck, as I thought, or the work of God, as they believed? It got me to thinking and praying on things in my own life.

Reviews of this were mixed in the club's Slack discussions but I will say that because I was a fan of the show, I liked this story that much more. Are you a big Fixer Upper fan?  Have you read the book? I want to hear your thoughts!  Let me know in the comments below.

What did you read in May?  Head to The Blended Blog and link up your book reviews with us HERE!  And it's never to late to join the fun that is the TBB Book Club.  Register here and read with us this summer!

Looking for more good reads?  Check out my reviews of past book club picks here!

It's a Bestie Blog Takeover

Happy Thursday Morning Ya'll!
Today you are in for a super special treat!  My bestie, Mel is taking over!  You might remember meeting her here!  Mel's an awesome supporter of my blog and an avid reader, so when I mentioned The Blended Blog's Virtual Book Club to her she hopped on board.

Each month, club members are chosen to pick what's going to be read.  In April, Melanie was asked to share a book.  She thought her most favorite book, The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah was one that the book clubbers would enjoy.  And since it was her pick, I thought it'd be fun to have Mel takeover the blog today to share her review of the book with you!

Here's Mel!

March Book Reviews with TBB's Virtual Book Club

Today the girls of the TBB Virtual Book Club are sharing their book reviews for March.  This month's discussions in the Slack group are going strong and are super lively.

I hate to admit this but I'm behind.  Like still reading a February pick, behind!

Sadly, I've been reading  All the Missing Girls since February.  I just can't get to the end.  And I've heard that the end is AMAZING...so I want to get there!  I feel like the end for me will be this weekend, but I just couldn't finish it in time for posting!!

And I am really excited to read a few of the March books!  I have Behind Closed Doors on hold at my local library....looks super freaky but interesting.  Can't wait to read the reviews of it today!!


Still working on All the Missing Girls though doesn't mean I didn't read at all this month!! I actually read two whole books...each in one sitting!

The first was And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer.  This is a small novella by author Fredrik Backman, who also wrote TBB Book Club's February pick,  A Man Called Ove.  I have this too, and have yet to read it (shocking I know!).  But I ended up picking up this little book one day and reading it in about an hour!  I loved it.

It is about a young boy and his grandpa, who sadly, is falling into Alzheimer's.  But he's trying his best to hold on to his precious memories! Told on what I'd call a bridge between this life and heaven...where he goes and "visits" his wife,   It was a touching read that made me laugh and cry....more crying than laughing for sure!  This is a story I highly recommend and will read again and again.  Lots of take-a-ways and beautifully written.


Another book I read in one sitting was titled Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. It is her debut. Told in poetry and prose, the book is divided into 4 sections and deals with the authors life of abuse, loss, and ultimately the healing that makes her whole again....or just as whole as she can be after such heartache.

Very well done, and not my typical read but I enjoyed it. As a reader, I was vividly immersed in the author's world, however difficult that was. I found myself flagging the poems that spoke to me and those whose words I wanted to remember.   Though difficult it's subject matter, many poems are filled with hope... I was happy I purchased this book rather than borrowed it from the library, because it's another one I'll read again.

Has anyone else ever read this?  I would love to know what you thought in the comments below.







With my spring break coming up in two weeks I have high hopes that I can read a few more books in April.  Looking forward to doing nothing and have the time...like hours...to veg and read for a week and a half!

Hop on by the link-up at TBB today to post your book reviews! No blog? No problem!  Hashtag the books you read this month across all social media with #TBBReads #TBBVirtualBookClub , so we can check them out.

 And it's never too late to join us in the Virtual book club!!  Get all the details here!

Until Next Time!

Big Little Lies: A Review

I'm taking a little break from my Throwback Thursday posts today to participate in The Blended Blog's Book Review Blog Hop!

YES, you read that right!  I actually read a book!

Earlier this year I joined The Blended Blog's Virtual Book Club.  A bunch of fun ladies who read, chat, and discuss books via the Slack app!  It has been a lot of fun.  And I am loving that it keeps me accountable!  Not only did I read my own book club selection, but I started another one!

So many great books were chosen by the ladies of the Blended Blog in last month as we kicked off this new virtual adventure!!  If you are visiting from Deena's blog, sincere thanks for hopping on over today to visit.

My book club pick for February was Big Little Lies by Lane Moriarty.  I am a fan of hers.  I read The Husband's Secret and What Alice Forgot, both great novels!  So I was excited to read this one as well.

I'll be completely honest here, I picked this book because I've had it for almost 2 years and never read it. In fact, I think it was one of the Reads on my Summer 2015 Reading List that I blogged about here. It might have even made a return appearance in Summer 2016's list, still to go unread!

I chose this book, in part, too because I knew the Book Club would keep me reading it and since I had seen that this book was being made into a series for HBO I knew I wanted to finish it before the premiere date of February 19th.  {Of course a TV show would finally get me reading!!}

Well, that was a success because I finished it..on the 18th!

Big Little Lies centers around the friendship of three woman who all have first grade students attending the same elementary school in a ritzy beach side town in Australia.

A fun element of the story is that it's told backwards.  As it begins we know that a murder has occurred at the school's Trivia Night and is now being investigated.  As the murder mystery unfolds, the lives of each of the women are explored.  Could one of them perhaps be the murderer?

Of the three main characters,  Madeline, Celeste and Jane, I didn't really have a favorite.  But I can tell you this....I loved them each at some points in the story and found myself absolutely hating them during others.  But I suppose, this is what authors do to help us really connect with the characters. And connect I did.  I even found that I compared myself to each of the characters at different points. Finding myself in each of them.

I even found myself yelling at the book..."How could she do that?", "or "what the heck lady?...fight!" #solitarylifeprobs

I think as I'm writing this, it's getting more difficult because I want to talk so much about the book, but don't want to give anything away!! So...

On to what you really came for.  My honest review of the book!

It took me a few chapters to get into it, but as soon as I did, I kind of couldn't put it down.  I really did love it.  It's a murder mystery, story of friendship...fierce lady friendships...and family, all rolled into one!!  And I guess I can tell you that there's a pretty big twist in the story, that I really didn't see coming, so I enjoyed that element of surprise!

  It's no lie...I highly recommend reading Big Little Lies.
Watching the show on HBO-jury's still out.  But we all know the book is ALWAYS better than the movie/show!!  :)

Have you read Big Little Lies?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!!


Now that you've made it through our hop, head on back to The blended Blog and link up your own book reviews with us here!!

A February full of reading!!

Hard to believe this month is already coming to an end!!  That's just crazy!!  But it was a whirlwind!  Filled with lots to do and still, due to the bone-chilling temps and cold weather, lots of downtime, too! Which I used to read!  Linking up with my bloggy buddy, Alison for Reading Lately, to share my February reads! {Find my January book review here!}


If I have to sum up my February reading, I guess it would be a lot of single girl, solitary life reads!  I suppose these are all under the category of self-help!  So I'm sure you can just imagine what my Amazon recommendations look like now!  HA!

I started the month reading Maybe He's Just an Asshole!  Ha!  It was a kinda like a parody of He's Just Not that into You.  It was really funny and filled with lots of good tips.  I actually highlighted a lot...LOL.  Super simple read.  I was able to read it over two days, but it was probably just hours worth!  I took it with a grain of salt, nothing set in stone, obviously, and just laughed a lot. Unfortunately in one or two of the scenarios I did she myself...(wah!!)  But I do know there are a bunch of assholes out there, so you win some, you lose some!

I wanted to finish the book because I wanted to start meynext one, so I brought it to school to read on my preps and during lunch.  But that required some creativeness!!

I follow The Single Woman Mandy Hale on Social Media and read her first book The Single Woman last year! I really enjoyed it!  It is filled with lots of great stories and faith!  My favorite quote from The Single Woman is this one....

I knew her third book was coming out this month and wanted to read her second, I've Never Been to Vegas, but My Luggage Has before it did!  I liked Vegas a lot.  It was filled with more stories of her life and dating and basically focused on a relationship that she had for many years, that she found it hard to let go off.  At times, I rooted for her, but at other times I found myself wanting to yell at Like...please don't go back to him again!!  But I really liked this!! And it made me excited for her next book!!

Beautiful Uncertainty (also by Mandy Hale) pretty much picked up where Vegas left off!  This one was really faith-filled and focused on helping the reader be a better you.  Wanting to embrace the uncertainty of life and give it all up to God!  I am really trying to do that.  Sometimes I lose my way in my faith, and in the past have found it difficult to give it all to God.  Mandy is so strong in her faith and the signs she gets from God are unbelievable to me.  I want to be as strong in my own faith and relationship with God.

To help me with this, I have been participating in the  Best Lent Ever.{I've talked about it here and here on the blog!}  It is an email  program created by author Matthew Kelly and is based on his book, Rediscovering Jesus.  Each day participants receive daily emails and videos filled with insights from Matthew based on a chapter of the book.  40 chapters, one for each of the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter.  I am loving it and getting so much out of it.  I am really reflecting on the questions and spending time each day in the classroom of silence.  The book is not a requirement, but I am reading it too!  I'm learning that there's nothing that I can do that Jesus won't be willing to forgive me for...even reading a book with asshole in the title this month!! :)


I am in the middle of another book right now that I really hope to finish this weekend! It's the first pick in my brand new book club and the book club is getting together next Friday!!  I will post a review and let you know how our first meeting went, next month!!

Have a great weekend and Happy Reading!!!

I'm actually reading!

Linking up today with my bloggy buddy, Alison for her first book link up, and I'm really excited because I've been reading!  Knowing about this link-up and wanting to participate is really keeping me accountable and reading.

Today I'm going to share with you a review of The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans.  I received this book from a friend at work for Christmas.  She and I have very similar tastes when it comes to books, movies and TV, so she thought I would like this one.  I had never read this author before but he is sort of the Christmas Book guy!  He has a number of Christmas titles and new novels come out each year around Christmastime.

I did enjoy this.  It was an easy read!  And though some parts were less than realistic, I like that I was transported to someplace else for awhile, as any good book will do. I thought that plot was different, being about a struggling writer attending a writing conference,  Certainly I had never read a similar storyline.  I figured "it" out pretty early on but there was another little twist in the story, that I didn't really see coming and I liked that about it.  I would read this author again!  And might even pick up his other Christmas novels throughout the year!  Who wouldn't love a little Christmas in July!!

I'll be back in February with a few more reads!  Until then, check out the links at Reading Lately Here! and link up any books you've read this month.

I love NPH!

But, I won't lie...his book? Notsomuch!

Why was it so difficult for me to get through?  I have had this book a little less than a year now, (my second Blogging for Books book) and picked it up and put it down at least a dozen times.  I received the e-book to review from Blogging for Books and thought maybe because the book was written in the Choose Your Own Adventure style I LOVED as a kid, that I would love it.  But it was tough.  I thought I might have been confused because I was reading the ebook and it was a lot of page turning, so I picked up the book from the library instead, in hopes that that would be easier.  But I was still confused.  And basically, even though you turn back and go forward, I felt like I still read the whole book.  That is not to say I didn't enjoy some parts.

I obviously loved reading about his Dougie days and some of his old stories of "clubbing" made me laugh out loud!  As well as hearing about his time on How I Met Your Mother! (a show I will always love, even though, that ending kinda stunk!!)  

I enjoyed his kind words for his family and their support of him, and of course the sweet family he has now created with his husband.  And seeing the pictures made me smile. And as I was reading it, I heard HIM, I heard his voice!  Which made me like it...a lil...ha!

But all in all, I think I'll stick with Neil Patrick Harris, the Actor and funny man, rather than the author!!



*FTC Disclaimer- I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  All opinions are my own.*

Find my first Blogging for Books review here!