Hi everyone! It’s been too long I know but I have to say I very much needed this blogging break. I’ve spent time reading whatever I’ve wanted these past few weeks and I’m officially OUT of my dreaded reading slump!! I suspect all the ARCS I tried to read but couldn’t get into in early Oct. led to my slump which has led me to rethink the books I’ll be requesting and accepting for review in the future. As all booklovers know, there’s nothing worse than not having a great read to look forward to at the end of the day…or the beginning or middle for that matter:) I decided to scour my backlist on my kindle as well as the library and I found some AMAZING reads over the last few weeks. In fact, I have several 5 star reads of books that have been sitting on my tbr for far too long! That makes me SO happy. Where the Advanced Copies have fallen short, my backlist has come through for me. I continue to kick myself for not having read them sooner. Read on to find out what I’ve been reading and listening to!
MY RECENT 5 STAR READS….
Inside the O’Briens was the book that jolted me out of my reading slump. I read this in a day and I just loved everything about the story and Lisa Genova’s writing. I liked this even better than Still Alice. I’ll be honest though, I was initially mad at the author over the ending but the more I thought about it and talked with friends who’d read it, I can see why she did what she did. Will review soon
The Life We Bury was one I’d picked up long ago, read a few pages and put it down never to pick up again. Until a couple weeks ago. I usually love books that have been Edgar nominated or won so I decided to give this another try and I was immediately pulled into the story. There’s family drama, intrigue, an engaging mystery and characters I really connected with. Loved it! Look for this on a TBT soon.
The Nightingale What can I say about this beautiful, unputdownable novel that hasn’t already been said? This had been sitting on my kindle since it came out and for some reason I kept telling myself it probably wasn’t as good as others were saying, I wasn’t in the mood for historical fiction etc. I resisted it. I’m so happy I took a leap and gave it a try because I was captivated by this story. I stayed up until 2:00am to finish it and oh the tiredness and tears were so worth it.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is another I’ve passed by since it’s publication in early summer and one I LOVED so much. There’s nothing I didn’t like about this book but what I especially loved was that it wasn’t the story I assumed it would be. And it made me cry which I didn’t expect. Will review soon!
RECENTLY LISTENED TO….
The Stranger in the Woods was a quirky, super interesting story about Chris Knight, a man who spent 27 years living in the woods of Maine. This was a perfect audiobook. The narrator was fantastic and I couldn’t wait to walk or drive and find out more about how he possibly lived for so long without companionship, comforts of home etc.
The Wisdom of Sundays was a rare book that I actually preordered in print and then bought on audible to listen to as well. I love listening to Oprah’s Super Soul podcast and I couldn’t wait for this book. The audiobook is actually very different than the print which made me happy I have both. Oprah narrates and picks 1 Super Soul person to share the topic she discusses. It’s the perfect book to listen to for inspiration, grounding, and enlightenment. I learned a lot, highly recommended!
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO….
Dirty John is an Apple podcast I just started listening to yesterday. This is true crime and it starts with a bang…or rather a murder! This seems to be one of those true stories that’s so unbelievable I keep forgetting it’s true. I can’t wait to keep listening!
UPCOMING READING POSSIBILITIES….
I really have no idea but I might dive into a 2018 read or continue with my backlist, so possibly…
OR
Have a Wonderful Reading Week!