Weekly Wrap-Up: 3/6 – 3/12/17

Happy Sunday bookworms!

Whew! Am I glad that weekend is over.  It was jam packed with a 5k race (which I ran in 27:33 in case anyone was curious), a bridal shower for a childhood friend, the Thomas Rhett concert, then my weekend concluded with 4 hours at the lacrosse fields today.

Side note – I would just like to state that if lacrosse would have been offered when I was young, I would have totally played.  It is like a mash up of soccer, hockey, and rugby.  It is so much fun to watch!

Enough about my lame personal life, let’s get down to bookish business…

*Weekly Wrap-Up is a weekly post where I feature what posts were published on the blog for the past week, any bookish/blog happenings, noteworthy posts around the bookish blogosphere, what I recently finished reading, what I am currently reading, and what I will be reading next.

This week on the blog:

Wednesday 3/8

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Fantasy Books

Thursday 3/9

Book Event: V.E. Schwab’s A Conjuring of Light Book Tour

Around the book blogosphere:

» Caitlin & Cynthia @Shelfie! are hosting a huge giveaway (U.S. Only – Ends 3/17) → Shelfie’s 500 Follower Giveaway!

*If you like Sarah J. Maas I suggest checking it out

» Fadwa @Word Wonders shares how to spot problematic books → Problematic books: What are they and How to Approach them?

*Absolutely brilliant post.  I learned so much!

» Stephanie @TeacherOfYA shares a very personal poem → A Poem – Challenge Accepted!

» Casey @Adoptabookaus shares some of her favorite childhood books → Childhood Favourites – Because am I even an adult?

» Resh Susan @The Book Satchel lists books that talk about marriage → Lists: Twelve Books that Talk About Marriage

» Marie @drizzle & hurricane Books breaks it down and shares how much time she dedicates to blogging → How Much Time Do I Spend Blogging?

» Jackie @Death by Tsundoku shares another “Building Better Book Clubs” feature → Building Better Book Clubs: Types of Book Clubs to Join

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Interesting Bookish Articles:

*I decided to add this section to my weekly wrap-up post to highlight random articles that pop up in my inbox throughout the week…

» When Did Romance Get So Creepy?

» 5 Books Described in One Sentence

» 10 Women to Watch in 2017 (Authors)

» 17 Best Books to Read This Spring

» Young Adult Books You Need to Read

» Eight Writers on Their Favorite Female Characters in Literature

» Quiz: Which Fictional Planet Do You Belong On?

*I got Narnia 🙂

» Top 8 Female Literary Heroines

» How to Set Your Reading Goals and Keep Them

What have I been reading?

*Book titles link to Goodreads

Recently finished reading:

» My Father, the Pornographer by Chris Offutt

*3.5 Stars

My Father, the Pornographer is more about the author Chris Offutt, then it really is about his father, Andrew J. Offutt (the pornographer).  While many parts of the book were slow going and mundane, I found parts of this book absolutely fascinating.  It definitely was darker than I was anticipating.  If you are interested in psychology at all, you would find parts of this book very appealing.

*Part of my SOKY Book Fest TBR

» Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

*4.5 Stars

Echo was a beautiful middle grade book that blended fairytale, history, and music together.  I did not realize when I started this book that it was going to start off as a fairytale, but eventually turn into a WWII historical fiction.  I thought the way the author took multiple story lines and  wove them together was very clever.  I also liked how each story ends on a cliffhanger, but you don’t really find out how they all end until the end of the book.   I cannot stress enough that if you are able, audiobook is definitely the way to go with this one.  Not only is each section of this book narrated by a new narrator, but the music is also played out.  I would recommend this one to any music lovers, and especially any of you that are musicians yourselves.  I think the author really captured the essence of the love that musicians have for creating music.

» Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

*3.5 Stars

Now I don’t typically reach for thrillers, but I do enjoy throwing them into the mix every once in a while.  Behind Closed Doors was selected as my book club’s March book.   If I am being honest, I have yet to read a thriller that has knocked me off my feet.  I don’t know if I am just not reading the right books, or if my reading tastes just do not include thrillers… Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this book, but would I want to read it again or recommend it to others?  Probably not.  I did like how everything panned out in the end.

Maybe I am alone in this, but did anyone else get rubbed the wrong way with how the author handled the character with Down’s syndrome?  I mean I swore at one point Grace referred to Millie as “mentally retarded,” which I thought was very offensive?  I know this used to be a medical term, but I thought they changed it a long time ago because it was considered offensive… Something about it just felt off to me.

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Currently reading:

» The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

C.J. Redwine is one of the confirmed authors for the  SOKY Book Fest that I am attending in April.  I really debated on if I was going to read this, but the audiobook was available on my library’s digital database, so I went ahead and downloaded it.  What the heck right?   I don’t think it is going to be a homerun by any means, but I am not hating it, so that is always a plus.  I am about 30% in but have yet to really connect with any of the characters, which may be a problem down the line.  I am enjoying how the author is crafting the Snow White retelling though…

» A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

You are probably going to be seeing this one on my currently reading list for a little while.  This is because I am going to slowly savor this book over time.  I am dreading the day when I will close this book and this story will be over.  I am not ready to let go 😦

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On deck:

» The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa

What are you currently reading?

What will you read next?

Have a wonderful week, and happy reading