whatcha readin'? {goals 45 - books 21-25}

5 more to add to the list…

21. One Golden Summer - Carley Fortune
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I read this book in May and I have fond memories
of it because I bought this book to read
while staying at a sweet little cottage in Mill River.
It rained the whole weekend but I was
nestled in to this adorable little spot
with soft blankets, lamp light and
chocolate covered strawberries….
and the book was perfect.
Sweet and funny, the dialogue and banter,
the story line, I was fully engaged
and maybe crushing on Charlie a little bit.

22. The Last Letter from your Lover - JoJo Moyes
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
A book that I grabbed off a sale table
and didn’t really have any expectations
but ended up being enthralled in the love story
and bit of a roller coaster mystery…
and I just realized there is a movie now
(adding to my list!)

23. All the Colors of the Dark - Chris Whitaker
❤️❤️
I remember reading a book by this author before
and really liking it (We Begin at the End)
but this one…I didn’t love this one.
at times, I was interested to see where it was going to go
but mostly, I felt like I was forcing myself.
Sometimes, I felt confused or uncertain, like
this seems like it was a pivotal moment
but I am not really sure what happened…
like there was too much going on, trying to cram in too many
subplots and connections and story lines.
I was not a fan.

24. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone - Lori Gottlieb
💙💙💙💙💙
I was fully intrigued by this book.
Found some parts of it hard, but still, loved it.
It was not just a how-to but how-she-did-it
at the same time…

25. Powerless - Lauren Roberts
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I had heard so much about this book
via Booktok and instagram
I wasn’t sure about it at first,
the writing felt young (it is YA so that
totally makes sense)…but once I got into it,
I really loved it. It reminded me a bit
of Hunger Games but not in a bad way.
I will read more of this series.

:) Happy reading!!

whatcha readin'? {goals 45 - books 15-20}

Here are a few more books that
I did finish so far this year…
still trying to get caught up on the posting.

15. Life in the Fasting Lane - Fung, Mayer & Ramos
🔉🔉🔉
I did enjoy this book and got a lot out of it.
I did it as an audio book via Everand.
I found it helpful to have the different point of views.
Now I just need to put it into action.

16. The American Girl - Kate Horsely
❤️❤️❤️
This was a bit of a puzzle…a mystery..
it kept me pretty interested all the way through.
A good fast paced read.

17. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
😍😍😍😍😍
This is a definite re-read for me.
I read this book at least once a year…
and sometimes I go back through
the whole series. It’s a comfort thing for me.
Oh. And this cover. I adore this cover.

The artist is Elly MacKay and I am enamored.

18 & 19 - Fable & Saint - Adrienne Young
4 ❤️’s for Fable; 5 ❤️’s for Saint
These are part of the World of the Narrows series
and I loved them. They are YA but so frigging good.
I can’t wait to read Drift now too
and check out her other titles!

20. Sylvanus Now - Donna Morrisey
❤️❤️❤️
I read Kit’s Law by this author years ago
and remember loving it…I picked up this one
at a book sale and I did enjoy it
though I found it a little heavy on the
fishing and sea for me…I got a little bogged
down in the description…but otherwise,
I liked it.

And here’s a “little free library”
I came across while driving around
Canoe Cover area (to be honest, it may
not even be close to that. I never know
where I am, haha)
I left 2 books and took 2! :)

whatcha readin'? {goal 45 - books 11-14}

It’s like time doesn’t even exist
on a linear level over here
in the big orange house….
the photo taken above was taken
when I was reading this book…
in MARCH.
and is that my Christmas tree in the background?
why yes…why do you ask?

Anyway on to the March reads.

11. HOW TO END A LOVE STORY - YULIN KUANG
MARCH 😍😈😍😈😍

This was a 5 star read for me.
It was sweet and spicy and
I fully enjoyed it.
*and it’s also a Reese pick so that usually means
a yes for me!

12. WOMEN WITH ADD - SARI SOLDEN
March 💛💛💛💛
This was recommended to me by a psychologist
who proclaimed
mid meeting
”OH. You are definitely ADHD…
we can do the tests but you probably don’t have to.
You are.”
Then I read the book and found it informative
and interesting but I don’t really think I am..
or I am completely oblivious to what I really am
which is also a possibility.
Anyway. It was interesting. :)

13. PACHINKO - MIN JIN LEE
March ❤️❤️❤️❤️.5
This book held my attention…it was a bit of
a sad and frustrating story but it made me
feel all kinds of emotions. And I felt strongly
for all the characters…they felt real.
And honestly, the story stuck with me for awhile after
which is not always the case for my control/alt/delete brain.
*oh! and I just realized that this was made
into a series on apple! I am going to check that out!!

14. ILLUNSIONARIUM - HEATHER DIXON
April ❤️❤️❤️
I had read The Enchanted Sonata
before this and I had loved that book…
this one…not quite so much.
To be fair, I think this may have been written
before The Enchanted Sonata
so sometimes that matters as writers mature…
or I was in a different frame of mind…
still a good story with an interesting concept though.

And I realize I went one book into April but whatever…
eventually I’ll get caught up.
But also…LOOK AT ALL THE NEW BOOKS I GOT
at the book sale at work…20.00 went a long way!!! :)

whatcha readin'? {goal 45 - books 7-10}

Time for a little
bookish catch up…
(I am sooo far behind in posting).

7. This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub
❤️❤️❤️ 1/2

Might not be a fair rating.
I didn’t know it was about a daughter
losing her dad.
Or I wouldn’t have read it.

8. Go As A River - Shelley Read
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Notes from my journal:
”the writing was lyrical and
the story was strong…
I liked how she described peaches
and nature and love.

9. The Joy of Sketch - Jen Russell-Smith
❤️❤️❤️
I finished this in March and enjoyed working
my way through it practicing some of exercises.

10. Circus of Wonders - Elizabeth MacNeal
❤️❤️❤️
I really, really wanted to love this.
I had been looking forward to reading it
but I was very frustrated with the writing in the beginning…
it was pretty…but I found it hard to understand
what the importance was of her “oddity”…

This doesn’t catch me up yet…
but getting closer.
Which is good because summer is
reading season for me…
beaches, deck, parks
just plant me in one spot
and give me a book
and maybe a doughnut
and I am a happy girl.

whatcha readin’? :)

whatcha readin'? {goal 45 - books 4-6}

Here are 3 books that I finished…
Also, I am not just at 6 books so far,
but didn’t want to overwhelm myself
writing about so many books at once.
My brain can’t take it.

OUTLIVE - Peter Attia
👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️ this gets a 5 star rating.
It took me a while to read as it was very heavy
in technical/health details
but I kind of love that sort of thing.
I feel like I may need to reread it
in order to really grasp it
and am very interested now in his podcasts
and newsletters, etc.
If you are interested in longevity,
and especially in making sure the quality of your years
matches the number of years you live,
then you might like this one too!

I LET YOU GO - Clare MacIntosh
❤️❤️❤️❤️
The best part of this book is that
I really wasn’t expected to love it.
It kept me drawn in and caught me
by surprise a number of times.
Good quick page turner!

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE - VE Schwab
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I really loved this book.
The idea just kept staying with me for days…
the concept, I just kept mulling it over
and trying to imagine it,
trying to make sense of how it would work.
I will say (& this is not a spoiler)
but I didn’t love the ending and woke
up in the middle of the night after reading it
thinking no…wait…I HATE that ending.
It wasn’t mere dislike.
😆