whatcha readin'? {goal 41::book 7}

I recently joined a book club and
this was our second read
(the first being One Day
which I read before & loved…).

I loved this book!
I could NOT put it down.
It was smart and maddening,
funny and quirky.
I loved it.

Then I watched the series and
have to say that
I did not love it as much.
There were sooooo many changes.
Some changes are to be expected
but for some, the way it happened in the book
felt so much more powerful…
the series felt a little stripped of the
indignation and frustration…

Though I have to wonder
if I hadn’t read the book,
would I have been fine with the series….
not knowing what it could have been.

I did love the intro to the show though.
It was very retro and fun.

⚗️⚗️⚗️⚗️⚗️ out of 5 on this one!

NEXT UP: Fayne - Anne Marie MacDonald

whatcha readin'? {goal 41::book 5 & 6}

I have been reading
but like
literally
everything else
in my life,
it feels scattery and all over the place.

But I do have 2 to add to the
slowly growing list.

{also, dear reader (IYKYK)
i will NOT be continuing with Jane Eyre
as I have decided that I absolutely
LOATHE it and will not be forcing myself
to read it….I learned from my
Frankenstein experience last year
that it’s ok to just say…nope. This is not for me.}

The View Was Exhausting ♥♥♥ out of 5
I did like this book…the characters
were likeable…the story made
me wonder how plausible
yet at the same time, it
was interesting to see how a
public relationship may actually
be a PR diversion tactic
which I guess I knew but
it was interesting to see how it might
play out. I did like Leo’s character a lot
and I am kind of a sucker for
enemies-turned-lovers kinda trope
so there was that.

Protecting Whats Theirs - Tessa Bailey
😈😈😈😈out of 5
I debated even sharing this one but
out of embarrassment but in the end,
it is what it is.
I guiltily read it,
I guiltily enjoyed it.
Heh.
And that’s probably all I will say about it.
It was exactly what it was meant to be.

NEXT UP:: FAYNE - ANN-MARIE MACDONALD

whatcha readin'? {goal 41::book 4}

Wow. Look at me go.
I just finished this book
yesterday
and already I have got
it in the blog.

It’s that leftover
January to February
New Year/New Me fervor….
heh. It’ll pass soon enough.

Anyway…I digress. :)
(which is really what this blog
should be called)

But yes…this book.
If you would have told me
a year ago how much I would
come to LOVE Emily Henry
I would have been doubtful…
uncertain…dubious even.

And wrong. I would have been wrong.

This is my 3rd book by her
and I am enamored.
I just fall in love
with her characters.
And the story line is
interesting.
And the writing is pretty and
sweet which I like.

So yes. I am an Emily Henry fan.
And I say that now
with certainty.

♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5
NEXT UP:: PRIDE & PREJUDICE - JANE AUSTEN
To be fair, I think I likely read this before
but I am trying to incorporate some classics
in this year AND also it’s February
and if you know me, you know I like themes
so I would like February
to be as pink and gushy and ooey-gooey
dripping with love stories
cause….that’s just how I am.

Don’t judge. Heh.

whatcha readin'? {goal 41::book 1-3}

Most of January’s book reading time
was absorbed (happily)
by A Court of Wings & Ruin
but the month isn’t over yet.
:)

I find reading about subjects
that I am currently processing
in my head and my heart
to be helpful.
Not always and not all of it
but I have to admit that there
are always some little kernels of
truth or hope or “oh…that’s me, too!”
that I find helpful.

So I am not going to rate the first book
other than to say
that it was helpful in some ways
and it made me think.

Book 2 was the “Draw Everything” book
which was interesting
and I enjoyed playing with some of the
examples and suggestions.

Book 3. Oh. Book 3.
Which is the 3rd in this series
and SOOOOO good.
It took me a little bit to read cause…
well…pages. Lots of pages.
But it kept me enthralled from start to finish
and surprised me in a couple of
tense hold-your-breath spots.
♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5 for that one!

NEXT UP:: BEACH READ - EMILY HENRY
cause I need a little lightness…and I love her books.

and part of the bookmark project! :)

What are YOU reading?? :)

whatcha readin'? {goal 40:: MISSION COMPLETE}

It’s no surprise that I
totally did not keep on top
of updating the blog
with all the books
I read in 2023
but I DID hit my goal of
forty
just by the skin of my teeth
but I did it
so that is all that matters in
the big orange house.

Here is what I read…in list form…
cause it’s 2024 and, frankly,
I’m over it.

1. Frankenstein - hated. Literally HATED this book

2. House in the Pines - Ana Reyes
   ♥♥♥♥

3. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
   ♥♥♥♥♥

4. Love & Gelato - Jenna Evans Welch
   ♥♥♥♥

5. Life after Life - Kate Atkinson (this book was a struggle but beautiful but also made me want to hurl it into the ocean)
   ♥♥♥

6. She Who Became the Sun - Shelly Parker Chan
   ♥♥♥♥♥

7. Whiskey in a Teacup - The Adorable Reese Witherspoon
   ♥♥♥♥

8. Slammed - Colleen Hoover
   ♥♥♥

9. The Book of Goethel - Mary McMyne
   ♥♥♥♥♥

10. Bone Black - bell hooks
    ♥♥♥

11. The End of Her - Shari Lapegna
    ♥♥♥

12. Call Me Zelda - Erika Robuck
    ♥♥♥♥

13. Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur {audio book}
    ♥♥♥

14. Really Good Actually - Monica Heisey
    ♥♥♥♥

15. Molly’s Game - Molly Bloom
    ♥♥♥♥♥

16. Demon Copperfield - Barbara Kingsolver
    ♥♥♥♥

17. A Court of Thorns & Roses - Sarah J Maas
    ♥♥♥♥♥

18. I’m Glad My Mom Died - Jeannette McCurdy
    ♥♥♥♥

19. The Whole Body Reset - Stephen Perinne
    ♥♥♥♥

20. Happy Place - Emily Henry
    ♥♥♥♥

21. A Court of Mist & Fury - Sarah J Maas
♥♥♥♥♥

22. I Carried You Home -
♥♥♥

23. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
♥♥♥

24. New Boy - Tracy Chevalier
♥♥♥♥

25. Homecoming - Kate Morton
♥♥♥♥♥

26. Breaking the Girl - Kim Corum
♥♥♥♥

27. Hello Beautiful Ann Napolitano
♥♥♥♥♥

28. A Homemade Life - Molly Wizenburg
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

29. Expected Loss; Anticipatory Grief - Alan Woolfelt
♥♥♥♥♥

30. From Scratch - Tembi Locke
♥♥♥♥

31. Did you hear about Kitty Karr - Crystal Smith Paul
♥♥♥♥

32. The 5 am Rule - Robin Sharma
{i hated this with ALL my heart.
if i could give negative hearts, i would.}

33. It’s OK to Laugh - Nora McInerney Puemon
♥♥♥♥ .5

34. Book Lovers - Emily Henry
♥♥♥♥♥

35. How to Pronounce Knife - Souvankham Thammavongsa
♥♥♥.5 {mainly because I don’t love short stories}

36. Self Care for Grief -Nneka M Okona
♥♥♥♥

37. One Day in December - Josie Silver
♥♥♥♥♥ {this one surprised me that i would
love it so much}

38. Surviving the Holidays with you - Gary Roe
♥♥♥

39. Ugly Love - Colleen Hoover
♥♥♥♥

40. Inside Out - Demi Moore
♥♥♥♥

41. Evidence of the Affair - Taylor Jenkins Reid
♥♥♥

Note: I realized as I was typing
these out that I had miscounted
in my list so I actually read
forty ONE books this year. :)

and took a LOT of photos of
my books as I was reading them…
this was just a few of them.
:D