June 2018 Bookish Wrap-Up + Book Haul

As we are already 10 days into July, I figured that I should probably get around to posting my June Wrap-Up before it’s too late…

How is everyone’s July going thus far?  The majority of my July has been spent up in northern Ohio at Lake Erie with family.  We spend the week of July 4th every year this way.  We had a great week relaxing, going to the pool, playing pickleball, going to Cedar Point, and visiting Kelley’s Island.  It was a wonderful trip.

And of course I had to add a picture of my family in our 4th of July gear…

 

Now that we have completed the last of our summer vacations, it’s time to get back to reality!  And I am hoping that that reality includes more blogging.  Confession: I have not been a very good book blogger over this past year, and it breaks my heart.  I really need to find some balance that allows me to dedicate more time to this blog & the community.  When I fist started book blogging, I read 85-ish books the first year and had plenty of time for blogging & being active in the community.  In 2017 I had some major life changes in the second half of the year but I still managed to read 120 books.  I basically took a 5 month hiatus while we were in the process of renovating a new home & moving.  Since the beginning of 2018, we are finished with the bulk of the renovations, and are all moved in.  Unfortunaly my blogging has not gone back to being regular.  It is sporadic at best.   I’ve been evaluating where all of my free time goes, and to no surprise it goes to reading.  I am on track to hit 120 books again this year, but what’s the point if I am not dedicating the time to a hobby that brings me so much joy?  At the end of the day I’d rather only read 100 books in a year, and have more time for the bookish community.  Fingers crossed that I can pull it together for the second half of 2018!

 

» The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown

Feelings in a few thoughts:

• Some of the elements in the story were a little cliché
• Despite the fact that I wanted to smack Madeleine for putting up with her ass-hat of a husband, I enjoyed Madeleine’s growth throughout the book.
• I really enjoyed Margie’s storyline the most – a young woman discovering herself in Paris in the 1920s.
• I’m a sucker for stories where a descendant learns about a long ago ancestor & unravels family secrets.
• A lighter read, but with enough depth to keep me satisfied.

» The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

*4.5 Stars*

Feelings in a few thoughts:

• The audiobook version is very well done!  With such beautiful writing and an excellent narration, I’d recommend going this route.
• It took me a little bit to get into this one, but once I did I was hooked.
• I’d recommend this book to Greek Mythology fans.  I wasn’t very familiar with Achilles’ story going into this book (aside from the fact that his heel was his weakness – which doesn’t make an appearance in this book) but now I want to research some of the original tales to see how similar or different they are.
• I don’t think it’s a spoiler to mention that this book includes a M/M romance.  I’d probably venture to say it would be one of my favorite M/M relationships in a book.  This isn’t to say the relationship was perfect by any means, but it was flawed and realistic.
• This book really does have it all: action, adventure, love, tragedy, friendship, political intrigue, etc.

» The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Feelings in a few thoughts:

• I was NOT expecting to love this book as much as I did!
• Despite the fact that Evelyn wasn’t exactly an endearing character, I definitely admired her ambition, drive, independence, and strength.  I really enjoy reading books where the main character walks that grey line between “good” and “bad.”
• There were two big plot twists.  One I didn’t see coming at all.  The other I did guess shortly before it was revealed.
• What a fascinating look at “Hollywood culture”… I wonder if a few of the happenings in this book are not as farfetched as you would think.

» Neverland by Margot McGovern

Feelings in a few thoughts:

• Content/Trigger warnings: mental illness (general), depression, suicide, self harm, etc.
• Margot’s writing is absolutely stunning!  On one hand, I am not surprised, but on the other I am highly impressed.
• I personally would not consider this a Peter Pan retelling.  If you go into this expecting one, you may find yourself disappointed.  I’d think of it more as a book inspired by Peter Pan & sprinkled with Peter Pan references.
• This is not an uplifting book by any means.  It is dark, raw, & gritty.  It was even a tad unsettling at times.
• I was engrossed in this story & found myself needing to know what was going to happen next.
• I only had a few minor issues with the book *highlight between arrows to see spoilers ⇒ Kit & Rohan’s relationship felt instalove-ish at first, but after finishing I understand why it was written this way.  It still annoyed me for a big part of the book, but it did get better.  Another issue I had was that the “monster” turned out to be Kit’s mother wo suffered from bi-polar disorder.  It just didn’t sit right with me & felt counterproductive for a book with mental illness representation. ⇐

» An Ember in the Ashes (Ember Quartet #1) by Sabaa Tahir

Feelings in a few thoughts:

• I’m going to venture to say this will be one of my favorite books of 2018 – I’m kicking myself for not starting this series sooner!  It is definitely worth the hype.
• This book is full of action & adventure and mixed with just the right amount of romance.
• Holy crap Tahir is ruthless!  She must be a George R. R. Martin fan lol
• Fast paced from beginning to end.

» A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Gray

Feelings in a few thoughts:

• I think we can all agree that the covers for this series are absolutely stunning.
• I really liked the concept behind this one: the idea that there are multiple parallel universes existing simultaneously & the ability to travel between them.  I also really liked the focus on science in a YA book.
• The romance was too central to the plotline.  For me, a YA sci-fi book needs to be a sci-fi book first, and the romantic elements need to be secondary.  This isn’t to say the romance wasn’t well done, it was, just that I wanted more sci-fi elements.
• The travel between parallel universes was well done.
• Overall, this one was just OK.  I was expecting more from it.  I will give the second book a go though.

» A Torch Against the Night (Ember Quartet #2) by Sabaa Tahir

Feelings in a few thoughts: 

• Just as awesome as the first book.
• Starts off with a bang and continues to be fast paced & action packed throughout the novel.
• This is a journey book.  I’m a sucker for a good journey.
• I cannot wait to read the 3rd book!

» Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Garber

*2.5 Stars*

Feelings in a few thoughts: 

• I’m sad to say that this one came up way short, which is a shame since I enjoyed Caraval.  Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think Caraval was perfect by any means, but I saw the potential and was hoping that Garber was going to develop further in her second novel.
• Much like Caraval, Garber’s writing is too forced throughout the book.  I found it even more so in this one.
• I was excited when I found out that this book would be narrated by Tella, which COULD have worked, but unfortunately didn’t.  This book didn’t really feel like a sequel.  I didn’t feel any connections to the first book.  Legendary felt more like a spin off than a continuation.
• This series supposedly focuses on the bond between two sisters, but they hardly ever spend any time together in either book… How am I supposed to believe they would die for each other?
• I do not think I am going to continue on with this series.

 

May 2018 Bookish Wrap-Up + Book Haul

June 2018 TBR

Book Review: Nora & Kettle (Paper Stars #1) by Lauren Nicole Taylor

Book Review: The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

Physical Books:

» A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3) by Sabaa Tahir

*Copy signed by the author*

 

I find that I’ve been buying less and less books and utilizing my local library more and more these days.  In reality, the only books I have been buying are at author & book events.  My wallet & book shelves approve of this new Amanda.

Which books did you read this month?

Have you read any of the books I read or hauled this month?  If so, what did you think?

Did you buy any books?  If so, which ones?

Comment below & let me know 🙂