A March and April reading recap

So there's been a little lapse in my blogging.

Because I needed that two-month break, you're now getting a two month catch up on what I was reading during that non-blogging time. Get ready.

In March I read six books for a total of 2,247 pages. That's an average of 72 pages a day. It brings my yearly total to 23 books and 8,220 pages. Add another nine books in April for a total of 3,024 pages. It's an average of 101 pages a day and that brings the yearly total to 32 books and 11,244 pages through the first quarter of the year.

What'd I read?

March
Finding Perfect by Susan Mallery
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
Only Mine by Susan Mallery
Only Yours by Susan Mallery
One Wish by Robyn Carr
Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard by Laura Bates
April 
The Look of Love by Sarah Jio
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Only His by Susan Mallery
Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
Summer Days by Susan Mallery
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
Summer Nights by Susan Mallery
All Summer Long by Susan Mallery
I Was Here by Gayle Forman

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

Finding Perfect; Only Mine; Only Yours; Only His; Summer Days; Summer Nights and All Summer Long by Susan Mallery (all ***)
These get thrown into one snippet because they're all part of the same Fool's Gold series. All quick, easy, boy-meets-girl type romances. Yes, they're a little predictable and a little cheesey, but I like them.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty  ***
Not my favorite Liane Moriarty book. It was an interesting idea - woman falls at the gym and loses the last 10 years worth of memories - but the first half really dragged. Second half was more readable.

One Wish by Robyn Carr  **
Flat. Didn't care about the characters. Still wondering how this ended up on my "to read" list. Don't bother.

Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard by Laura Bates  ***
This was a community read thing offered through my library. No waiting list for a book? Sign me up. It was an interesting read, seeing how prison inmates connected with Shakespeare, but it got a little long. Made me want to revisit Shakespeare myself.

The Look of Love by Sarah Jio  ***
Not bad. Nothing really stands out though.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah  *****
Seriously, the best book I've read this year. So different from any other World War II ear book I've read. It was a great story with characters who really came alive. Very hard to put this down. Go to your library or bookstore and get your hands on a copy of this book and start reading it now.

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver  ***
Interesting read. I figured there was a twist, but wasn't quite expecting what that twist ended up being.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami  **
 I write for a living and I enjoy running long distances. So this should have been great. It wasn't. It had bright spots - moments when I went "YES!" - but more often than not I was annoyed with the writer's style and his tendency to repeat things over and over and over again. I think I need to give up on memoirs.

I Was Here by Gayle Forman  ***
I was disappointed. I've really liked other stuff by Gayle Forman (If I Stay and Where She Went), but this just wasn't as good.

So that's what I spent two months reading. And of course, I have a stack of stuff just waiting to be taken off the pile and read this month. I need a job where I'm just paid to read. Too many books. What are you reading?

February reading recap

Let's talk books and the month of February.

It was cold - like the seventh coldest February since 1893 or something crazy like that - so I got a lot of pages read. I mean, when it's that freaking cold, I'd rather not venture outside. So I stayed inside and read. A lot.

I finished nine books in that 28-day month of February. Nine books and 3,057 pages. In other words, an average of 109 pages a day. I told you it was cold. That means I've read 17 books and 5,973 pages so far during the first two months of 2015. Something tells me I should really revamp that 50 book goal I set for myself.

What'd I read?

The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in the Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Be Safe I Love You by Cara Hoffman
On the Rocks by Erin Duffy
Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum   ****
I picked this one up because the author was one of my journalism professors at the University of Wisconsin. She taught my creative non-fiction class and I learned a ton from her. I liked this. It was informative, but didn't read like a piece of straight non-fiction, science writing.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White  *****
What's not to love about a story involving a pig and a spider? Loved it when I was a kid and I still love it as an adult.

Be Safe I Love You by Cara Hoffman  **
I just didn't like this. It was a hard story to get into and it never really grabbed my attention. Come to think of it, I don't think I liked the last book I read by this author.

On the Rocks by Erin Duffy  ***
A quick, easy, chick lit kind of read.

Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery  ***
Cute story. Fast read. Probably my new go to series when I'm looking for an enjoyable, but mindless read. Doesn't hurt that the male lead character was a former pro cyclist.

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion  **
Sigh. I wanted to like this. I really did. I loved The Rosie Project, so I was hoping the follow up would be just as good. It wasn't. I couldn't get into this. I didn't care about the characters (even though they were the same characters from The Rosie Project). The middle was an absolute drag. The end was decent, but by that point, I just wanted to finish the book.

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen  ***
Not a bad book, but a little slow to get into. Apparently this is a second book in a series, but could be read as a stand alone. Maybe if I had read the first one it would have grabbed my attention quicker.

Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery ****
Yup. I still like this series.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige  ***
I guess Dorothy Gale went back to Oz, got power hungry and now the people of Oz are revolting. And another girl from Kansas just happens to be brought to Oz via a tornado. She's supposed to help free Oz of Dorothy's wickedness. This was actually a pretty good read. I'm looking forward to the next book.

January reading recap

After hitting triple digits in books read last year, I thought I told myself I was going to slow down on the reading.

Yup. Didn't happen.

I finished eight books in January. Eight books and 2,916 pages. That means I read an average of 94 pages per day. Like I said, lots of reading.

What'd I read?

The Auschwitz Escape by Joel C. Rosenberg
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Echoes of Scotland Street by Samantha Young
The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros
Gray Mountain by John Grisham
The Reckoning by Jane Casey
All of You by Christina Lee

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

The Auschwitz Escape by Joel C. Rosenberg  *****
Seriously one of the best books I've read in a long time. I've always been fascinated by the Holocaust, so I got sucked into this book, which tells the story of a man trapped in Auschwitz and his escape attempt. Hard to put this one down, even though I had to due to the nature of the story.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman  *****
This was a re-read. I watched the movie version of If I Stay and just had to read this one. By the way, the movie? Good.

Echoes of Scotland Street by Samantha Young  ****
A bit of chick lit. It's the latest in a series that I enjoy.

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness  ****
This one has been sitting on my to read pile since I finished the first two books in the trilogy in early December. Good final book to wrap up what I thought was a pretty fantastic series.

Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros  ***
Kind of cute. The story of how two people fall in love via tweets. Not sure I remember how this ended up on my to read list. 

Gray Mountain by John Grisham  ****
Not quite the kind of John Grisham that I'm used to, but good. Not so much courtroom drama, but a good story wrapped around legal issues.

The Reckoning by Jane Casey  *****
I liked this. A legal thriller/who dunit with lots of twists and turns that kept you guessing. This author reminds me of Tana French's stuff, so if you liked In the Woods, The Likeness or other books in that Dublin Murder Squad series, definitely check out Jane Casey.

All of You by Christina Lee  ****
Pretty sure this came from the GoodReads recommendations list. Quick, easy, enjoyable chick lit.

2014 will be known as the year I read alot

I hit triple digits.

I may never do it again, but I'll always be able to say I read 100+ books in 2014.

First, a look at some stats. I finished 102 books and 33,136 pages. That's a lot. A lot of books. A lot of pages and a lot of trees that are probably dead. Fear not, I'm starting to save a few trees by reading more titles on my Kindle, which I love. Each book averaged 325 pages. I finished an average of 8.5 books and 2,761 pages per month.

Other numbers that jump out?
 
The shortest book I read was Castle Hill by Samantha Young at 97 pages. OK. Maybe it's more of a novella, but it's still on my list and therefore counts as the shortest thing I read. The longest was A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin, which came in at 976 pages. That was a beast, but so so good. There were a couple of authors that showed up on my list multiple times, including Samantha Young (5), Richelle Mead (6), Kiera Cass (3), Tara Sivec (3), Deborah Harkness (2), John Green (2), Jill Shalvis (3), Tara French (2), Rainbow Rowell (2), Janet Evanovich (20), Liane Moriarty (2), Ian Doescher (3), Sylvia Day (4) and  Emma Chase (4).

My takeaways for the year?

A big reason I was able to hit 102 had to do with Janet Evanovich and the Stephanie Plum series. I mean seriously. When I plow through 20 books in the series as quickly as I did, that's a big chunk of my reading totals. That being said, they weren't the most amazing things I read this year.

Absolute favorites for the year include A Feast for Crows, the two Tana French books and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. Two that I would tell people to put down and run far, far away from would be Love in the Time of Algorithms and Someday Maybe.

For 2014's "classic" I read Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms," which wasn't bad.

Throughout the year I did a fairly detailed monthly review of what I read. Check out the links for lists, ratings and a sentence or two about what I thought.

January
February
March
April 
May and June
July
August
September
October
November
December

So what kind of reading goals have I set for 2015? Last year it was all about chasing numbers. I know it would be really hard to break 102, so I don't even know if I'm going to try. I'm going to set a reasonable book number, because I want 2015 to be about reading for enjoyment again, not necessarily numbers. I'll aim for 50 again because that's been about average the last few years.

December reading recap

Well. I did it.

I hit triple digits for the number of books I read in a year. It took a lot of reading in December and it was HEAVY on the light, fluffy, vacation-type reads, but I did it.

Sitting at 87 completed books at the beginning of the month, I went into December with the mindset that I'd just read and see how high into the 90s I could get. But somewhere around the middle of the month, I looked at the number of books I'd read, how close I was to 100 and how many days I had left in the month. Suddenly I was shooting for 100. Of course, knowing I had a week of vacation at the end of the year helped sway my decision.

I finished the month with 15 books and 4,012 pages. That brings the year's final total to 102 books and 33,136 pages. Needless to say those are new reading records. More on year-end stats in a future blog post.

For now, what'd I read?

A Discovery of Witches by Deobrah Harkness
The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances by Matthew Inman
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
A Beautiful Wedding by Jamie McGuire
Shame on You by Tara Sivec
Shame on Me by Tara Sivec
Shame on Him by Tara Sivec
Tangled by Emma Chase
Twisted by Emma Chase
Tamed by Emma Chase
Tied by Emma Chase
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins
Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Sense a trend? Lots of series by authors. Fluffy, easy, vacation-type reads. And of interest? Everything except the Matthew Inman book was read on my Kindle. For being someone who really likes the feel of an actual book in my hands, I really enjoy my Kindle.

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness  ****
When I started this, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. The first chapters just didn't draw me in. But I set it down and came back to it a week or so later and let me tell you. Good decision. Somewhere around Chapter 4 I got hooked. I was drawn into the characters of Matthew and Diana, developed so well that at times I sometimes forgot I was reading about vampires and witches.

The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances by Matthew Inman  ****
I run and I like cartoons from The Oatmeal. No brainer that I would pick this one up.

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness  ****
The second book in the All Souls trilogy. More Matthew and Diana and more character development, particularly Matthew. Good stuff. I have the final book in the trilogy, but this was around the time when I decided I was going to hit 100, so I opted for shorter, fluffier reads for the rest of the month.

A Beautiful Wedding by Jamie McGuire  ***
I generally don't read those "between the whole number" books in series, but this had been sitting on my Kindle for a while. Eh. It was OK.

Shame on You  ***, Shame on Me  ***, Shame on Him  *** by Tara Sivec
This three-book series reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series with a bit of chick lit thrown in. Three women form a private investigation company and during the course of their cases fall for some man. Not bad. Entertaining.

Tangled ****, Twisted ***, Tamed ***, and Tied *** by Emma Chase
I really liked Tangled and the other three books were entertaining as well. My biggest beef would be the order. Technically I think Tamed should have been second in the series, not third, since if you're reading it in order you're actually going back in time. The first and final books (Tangled and Tied) are told from the male point of view.

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover  **
No. Just no. I don't remember how this ended up on my list, but if it's on yours, just stay away. Rambly. Repetitive. Parts could have been axed to make it shorter. I didn't like the characters. I just didn't like it.

In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins  ****
Enjoyable. Emmaline needs a date for her ex-fiance's wedding so she takes the town heartthrob Jack. They go just as friends, but you know that's not how it ends. And plus, the puppy on the cover? Adorable.

Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis  ***
This is the third in a series and just like the other two, I liked it. However, I felt this was the weakest.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green  ***
I don't think I should read John Green anymore. After being blown away by The Fault in Our Stars, everything I've read after (this and Paper Towns) has just been, meh. I didn't like the main character Colin, he was whiny and self-centered and the actual plot didn't do much for me either.

November reading recap

I always have good intentions to blog, but apparently I've become a once or twice a month blogger. Eh. Someday that might change.

At least I'm consistent with coming back at the beginning of the month to tell you what I read the month before. In November I read a lot. Like 11 books or 3,758 pages a lot. It brings the yearly total to 87 books and 29,124 pages. Yup. That 77-book goal I set way back in January was crushed. And I'm still reading.

What'd I read?

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young
Dare to You by Katie McGarry
Fall From India Place by Samantha Young
The Burning by Jane Casey
Bared to You by Sylvia Day
Reflected in You by Sylvia Day
Entwined in You by Sylvia Day
Captivated by You by Sylvia Day

Apparently I wanted to read multiple books by single authors this month.

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  ****
I honestly can't remember how this ended up on my "to read" list. I didn't know a whole lot about it going in, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was different. And I liked it.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin  ****
I had heard some good reviews of this one and I liked the cover. It was a good, quick read

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks  ****
A typical Nicholas Sparks book. I think it's really a 3.5, but I was feeling generous and rounded up. Always a good option when you want quick and mindless.

Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young  ****
I like the series and while they all have followed the same basic plot, they're different enough that they're still enjoyable.

Dare to You by Katie McGarry  ***
Still trying to remember why I even bothered. Kind of predictable and honestly, a bit too long.

Fall From India Place by Samantha Young  ***
As much as I like this author and this series, this was just kind of "meh."

The Burning by Jane Casey  ****
Another one that I don't remember how it ended up on my list, but I'm glad it did. If you like Tana French, chances are you'll like this. It's a murder with a female detective trying to figure out what's going on. Good stuff.

Bared to You  ****, Reflected in You ****, Entwined With You  **** and Captivated by You  **** by Sylvia Day
I've read the first three, but I read them one to two years ago. When the newest installment came out earlier this fall, I knew I would have to reread the first three in order to refresh my memory about what's going on with Eva and Gideon. I still say while similar, this is far better series than 50 Shades of Grey.

With one month to go, I'm still going with the goal to "read as many books as possible" before the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve. While I think it would be cool to hit triple digits, that would require a lot of reading and I know December will be a busy month. I'd be happy to finish somewhere in the 90s though.

What have you got on your "to read" list before 2014 is done?

October reading recap

Another month, another round of books that I read.

In October I finished seven books for a total of 2,456 pages. That brings the yearly total to 76 books and 25,366 pages. Yup. I'm definitely going to hit that 77-book goal for the year. With two months to go, maybe I should consider revising it. One hundred seems like a scary number and that would mean I'd have to read 12 books a month for the last two months. Maybe I'll just aim for the "read as many as you can" kind of goal. Although it would be pretty cool to hit triple digits.

So what'd I read?

Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich
Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis
Instant Gratification by Jill Shalvis
The Vacationers by Emma Straub
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes
The Secret Place by Tana French

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich  ****
Not going to lie. I'm glad to be done with this series. Well, at least for now. It was OK. A typical Stephanie Plum book.

Instant Attraction  **** and Instant Gratification  *** by Jill Shalvis
Total chick lit. Girl meets boy in remote mountain village. Fast and enjoyable reading. I did enjoy the first one more though. I've got a request in at the library for the final book in the trilogy.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub  ***
I'm not sure why I picked this up. Or kept reading it. It was a fairly short book, but it dragged. I didn't really get where it was going. My recommendation? Pass.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty  *****
One of my favorites this month. Think chick lit with a murder thrown in. I liked this one even more than The Husband's Secret, which a lot of people raved over. A must read.

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes  ****
I didn't have any intention of reading this, but I saw it was offered through a program at the library for everyone (as in, no holds necessary). Plus a few friends were also reading it at the same time. I struggled for a bit with this book, wondering where it was going. But I definitely had one of those "a-ha" moments during the last quarter of the book and everything finally made sense.

The Secret Place by Tana French  *****
I really, really like this author. I had been waiting to get my hands on this so I was excited when I finally did. It's your typical French book. A murder to be solved full of twists and turns throughout the investigation that keeps you guessing up until the very last pages. A definite must read.

September reading recap

Another month, another recap of what I read. Which, let's be honest. That seems to be the only blog posts I actually write anymore. That may change someday, but for now. Let's talk about books.

I finished eight books in September for a total of 2,051 pages. That brings the yearly numbers to 69 books and 22,910 pages. I'd say I'm well on my way towards hitting the yearly goal of 77 books. Heck, at this point, there's a little piece of me that kin of wants to try for triple digits, but at this point it might turn into a "read as many books as you can" kind of goal.

What'd I read? Take a look:

Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Until Fountain Bridge by Samantha Young
Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
Castle Hill by Samantha Young
So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Going Somewhere: A Bicycle Journey Across America by Brian Benson
Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell   ****
I didn't even leave a review on GoodReads about this book. While I gave it four stars, I think it was more of a 3.5 and I rounded up. It was decent, but definitely not my favorite book by this author.

Until Fountain Bridge by Samantha Young  ***
Castle Hill by Samantha Young ***
As general rule, I don't read those "in-between" numbered books when it comes to series. I kind of think if it isn't an important enough storyline to include in the main books of the series, why bother? That being said, I did read these. Filler. Eh.

Notorious Nineteen *** Takedown Twenty *** by Janet Evanovich
Good, light, mindless reading. That being said, I'm glad I'm nearing the end of what's been published in this series.

So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffmann ***
This is been on my "to read" list forever and I'm not sure how it got there. It was really, really hard to get into. The last 80 pages or so were pretty good, but I'm not sure they were worth the struggle it took to get into this book. Probably wouldn't recommend it.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway  ****
This counts as my classic this year. I decided to read it since you hear the title tossed around a lot and I was in Key West and walked by Hemingway's house earlier this year.

Going Somewhere: A Bicycle Journey Across America by Brian Benson ****
I stumbled across this one as a giveaway on GoodReads. I didn't win the giveaway, but I still put in the request at the library. It was decent, probably a 3.5 but I was feeling generous. Let's just say reading this left me thinking I'd probably NEVER ride my bike across North Dakota, but some areas sounded pretty gorgeous.

So that was September. Spoiler alert. It's five days into October and I've already finished the last Stephanie Plum book. Well, the last one that's been published. I'm sure there will be more since there's been no nice, wrapped up conclusion to the series.

What's on your to read pile for October?

August Reading Recap

OK. I may have been on vacation for a week in August, but even I have to admit. My reading totals? Kind of out of control.

I finished 13 books in August for a total of 3,859 pages. That brings the yearly total to 61 books and 20,859 pages. The average length of a book I read last month? 297 pages. Needless to say, with 61 books already read, I'm well on my way of meeting my goal of 77 books for the year.

I admit, it's not like the books I read last month were very taxing on my brain. I mean, seriously. They were the definition of mindless, summer vacation reading. So what'd I read? Take a look:

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich
4:09:43: Boston 2013 Through the Eyes of Runners by Hal Higdon
Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher
Down London Road by Samantha Young
Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

Yes. Yes. A lot of Stephanie Plum. The good news? I've only got three more left in the series. And honestly, I'm kind of glad. While they're quick, fun, entertaining reads, I'm a little Stephanie Plum-ed out at this point. But I need to finish them.

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart  ****
I liked this. It was different and kind of kept me guessing until the end.

Twelve Sharp ****, Lean Mean Thirteen  ***, Fearless Fourteen  ****, Finger Lickin' Fifteen  ****, Sizzling Sixteen  ***, Smokin' Seventeen  ****, Explosive Eighteen  **** by Janet Evanovich
Short, fun, entertaining reads. Perfect for summer vacation. Which is why I really should have finished the last three of the series before September started.

4:09:43 Boston 2013 Through the Eyes of Runners by Hal Higdon  ***
Not bad. Of course I know the story of Boston 2013, but it was kind of interesting to read it through the minds of those who were actually out on the course that day.

William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher  ****
The final installment of the Star Wars trilogy written in the style of Shakespeare. How can you possibly go wrong with Shakespeare speaking Ewoks?

Down London Road by Samantha Young  ****
I liked this. A good friendship into lovers kind of story.

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith  ***
It was OK. At least it was a fast read. I read a lot of young adult stuff, but this kind of felt young adultish.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty  ****
This took a bit to get into and to figure out how the characters connected, but once it did. Man. It was one of those books that I didn't want to put down until I finished. I definitely recommend this.

So, yeah. I was a bit out of control in terms of reading last month. Now wonder my running and biking numbers were so freaking low. I always had my nose in a book apparently. Oh well. It was worth it.

What are you reading this month?

July reading recap

I may  have binged on Stephanie Plum last month. Why do I say that? Well, just keep reading and you'll find out.

I finished eight books in July that totaled 2,530 pages. That brings the yearly total to 48 books and 17,000 pages. I'm not kidding. It comes out to exactly 17,000 pages. For giggles, that means the average length of a book I read has been 354 pages. Anyway. Safe to say I'm well on my way to finishing my goal of 77 books in a year. Four more months to read 29 books. I think I can do it.

So what'd I read?

Hot Six by Janet Evanovich
Seven Up by Janet Evanovich
Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich
To the Nines by Janet Evanovich
Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich
Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich
Paper Towns by John Green
Stronger by Jeff Bauman

I told ya I went on a Stephanie Plum binge. I can't help it. Those are fun, easy reads. Notice I did take a time out from Stephanie after I finished up No. 11. That's called restraint. I have it.

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

Hot Six ***, Seven Up ****, Hard Eight ****, To the Nines ****, Ten Big Ones *** and Eleven on Top *** by Janet Evanovich
These are short, fun and easy reads. They take me an average of three days to read.

 Paper Towns by John Green  ***
I like John Green's stuff, but I have to admit. This was not one of my favorites. Don't get me wrong. It was still good, but I've just read better.

Stronger by Jeff Bauman  ****
This is the story of the guy everyone remembers from the Boston Marathon bombing. We all saw the photo: The guy in the wheelchair with no legs being pushed away from the scene with the guy in the cowboy hat running alongside him. Jeff Bauman was the guy in the wheelchair and this tells his story, from the time leading up to the bombing to his recovery.

Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm on vacation this week and I've got a stack of books just waiting to be read. And yes, a few of them may feature Stephanie Plum. What are you reading?

Double the reading recaps!

Yup. I disappeared for a month.

Let's just say when you're working long hours to make up for missed time at work for chiropractor appointments, coming home at night and sitting in front of a computer to blog isn't on the top of my list of things I want to do.

So I didn't.

Which means you get a double dose of a reading recap today. Go grab yourself a drink, because this is going to be long.

I read 13 books in May and June. I finished six in May and seven in June. I read 2,633 pages in May and 2,266 pages in June. That brings the yearly total to 40 books and 14,470 pages. Remember, I'm aiming for 77 books for the year and after six months, I've read 51.9 percent of my goal. I'd say I'm on track.

So what'd I read?

May
Inferno by Dan Brown
Love in the Time of Algorithms: How Online Dating Shapes Our Relationships by Dan Slater
Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich
Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
The Selection by Kiera Cass
June
The Elite by Kiera Cass
The One by Kiera Cass
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Four to Score by Janet Evanovich
High Five by  Janet Evanovich
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Where You Are by Tammara Webber

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

Inferno by Dan Brown  ****
Dan Brown puts lots of twists and turns into his stuff, so even when you think you know what's happening, you get surprised. The end did drag a little bit.

Love in the Time of Algorithms by Dan Slater  **
It's about online dating. Parts were interesting, parts were just boring. Jumped around a lot.

Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich  ***
These are just good summer reads. A few parts had me chuckling out loud.

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin  *****
Game of Thrones. I love these.

The Selection and The Elite by Kiera Cass  ****
These were a re-read in preparation for the final installment.

The One by Kiera Cass  ****
Nice way to wrap up the series.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson  **
I'd heard mixed reviews about this one. Once I started reading it, I almost quit. But I didn't because I had a policy where I don't give up. It had potential, but it got confusing at times skipping around to the different versions of Ursala. Just didn't enjoy it much.

Four to Score and High Five by Janet Evanovich  ****
Still like these

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent  ***
Interesting read. A decent story about an Icelandic woman sentenced to die and her last days. Dragged a bit in the beginning, but it picked up over the second half.

Where You Are by Tammara Webber  ***
Eh, it was OK. I didn't have high expectations. I generally don't have a problem with YA, but this was really young adult-y in my taste.

And there we go. I've caught you up on my reading progress. I have no worries about finding stuff to read right now. In true library fashion, about a million holds came in all at once, so I've got quite the stack sitting on my table. And that doesn't even include all the unread goodies that are sitting on my Kindle. So many books. So little time.

What are you reading?

April reading recap

One-third of the year is done. That's kind of crazy.

The weather remained pretty cruddy in April. Cold. Windy. An entire weekend where it was a monsoon. Perfect reading weather. Which would be great if I could come here and tell you about the amazing books I read last month.

Except my April reading books? Kind of eh. Nothing spectacular.

I did finish seven books last month for a total of 2,334 pages. That brings the yearly total to 27 books and 9,571 pages. Remember my goal is 77 books this year, so with 27 done, I'm at 35 percent, which is ahead of schedule. Yay!

So what'd I read?

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee
Defending Jacob by William Landay
William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo
Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand
The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin

I guess you could say it was also the month of extremely long titles.

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand  ****
This has been made into a movie and World War II history has always been pretty interesting. Plus I'd been hearing rave reviews about the book. So I picked it up. Not going to lie, there was some heavy stuff in this book, but it was a fascinating read.

The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee  ***
It was a fluffy piece of chick lit. A former debutante comes back home for family reasons and ends up organizing the debutante ball. And of course there's a love story involved too.

Defending Jacob by William Landay  ***
I read a lot of legal thrillers, which isn't surprising since I write about crime for my day job. This one? Not my favorite. A prosecutor finds himself seated at the other table when his son is charged with murder. Like I said, not my favorite. It was OK though.

William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher  ****
You really can't go wrong with hearing words of wisdom from Yoda in the style of Shakespeare. Seriously, this book and the first book (Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope) are pretty fantastic.

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo  ***
I think this is the first book in a long time that I didn't write a short sentence or two on GoodReads about what I thought. It was kind of preachy. Kind of unbelievable. And just a bit too much religion for me. Another one that was made into a movie. I will not be watching it.

Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand  ***
I didn't have high expectations for this, I think I picked it up off the new release shelf at the library. But it was fluffy chick lit, which is exactly what I was looking for. Would make a good beach or vacation read.

The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin  ***
I liked parts of this, but then there were other parts that I completely lost interest. In my opinion, there were sections where she quoted too many blog comments from the blog she was writing during this year, but I guess it's her book, she can do what she wants. By the end of it, I was doing a lot of skimming.

So what'd you read last month? Any suggestions?

March Reading Recap

How is it already April? Seriously. The days are just flying by this year.

Maybe it's because the weather is crap, but I read a fair amount in March. I finished eight books in March for a total of 3,120 pages. That brings the yearly total to 20 books and 7,237 pages. I'd say that's a pretty good start on my 77 book goal for the year.

So what'd I read?

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Living Proof: A Novel of Key West by Kevin May
Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson
The Game Changer by J. Sterling
Broken Harbor by Tana French
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

Definitely a mix

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead  ****
Go read last month's reading recap for a full review of the series. This was a decent ending to a six-book series, it tied stuff together.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion  *****
I had no idea what to expect when I picked this up. I put it on my to-read list because it was a catchy title. Turned out to a fun story.

Living Proof: A Novel of Key West by Kevin May  ***
I picked this up after seeing it on a counter in a little off the beaten path restaurant (with amazing quesadillas) I ate at in Key West. It was a quick read.

Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson  ****
This was cute. A fun read.

The Game Changer by J. Sterling  ***
A decent read, but it was kind of annoying that it seemed like every other word out of the male main character's mouth was profanity.

Broken Harbor by Tara French  *****
One of my favorite books this month. I really, really like this author. She creates a story that leaves you guessing until the very end.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell  *****
Another one of my favorites. There was something about this story that just sucked me in. I seriously devoured this book in 24 hours, and that included taking breaks for sleeping and watching a lot of NCAA basketball.

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh  ***
I don't read this blog, so I'm not sure exactly how it ended up on my to-read list. It was OK. The chapters about the dogs were the best. That and the one about the goose.

So that was March. In what might be a first, I actually don't have a stack of books sitting on my table waiting to be read and my hold list at the library is non-existent. Guess I better starting sifting through my somewhat lengthy to-read list and try to find some titles. Anyone have any suggestions?

February Reading Recap

The theme of February's reading choices is vacation mode. As in, I wanted quick, mindless entertaining books to read while in Key West. Because who wants to read books that actually require thought while on vacation? Not me.

So I finished six books in February 2,478 pages. That brings the yearly total to 12 books and 4,117 pages. I'd say I have a decent start on my 77 book goal. Only 65 more to go.

So what'd I read?

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

See the theme? Yup. I started in on the six-book Vampire Academy series. Nothing like YA books and vampires to keep me entertained while on vacation. And since I had all six in my possession, I had to keep reading them once I got home. I mean, it only makes sense.

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood  ****
A psychological thriller. I'm not sure where I first heard of this title, but it was definitely a good read. Kind of kept you thinking throughout.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead  ***
Frostbite by Richelle Mead  ***
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead  ****
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead  ****
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead  ***
These all get lumped together because, well, vacation read. Mindless and entertaining. Pretty quick reads. Although I am kind of getting to the point where I'm wondering if this really needed to be a six-book series. But of course I kept reading, because I need to find out what happens.

So I've got one more of the Vampire Academy books left to read and then it's returning to some non-vampire books this month. And of course the library has come through with about a million of my requests at once. So it looks like I'll be doing some reading and probably collecting a few late fees at the library in the process.

What are you all reading?