I'm still plugging away at the Book Challenge and still losing to Allison, ha. I read 10 books this month but only 8 of them went to the challenge. So that puts me at 36 out of 50 prompts completed. I've got 5 more at home and 2 more on hold, so just 7 more to figure out! Anyway, let's get to what I read in April.
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - In March, I read Anna and the French Kiss and happily found out it was part of a trilogy. Lola's heart was broken by the boy next door and now he's back! Cute, typical YA story although Lola's character was a wild dresser - think wigs/costumes as her daily outfits - and I had trouble getting past that. It wasn't my favorite of the 3 but if you like the other YA stuff I talk about, you'll like this.
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - The last of the trilogy. This goes back to the French/American high school in Paris of Anna's story and follows 2 minor characters from that book. Another fun but not an especially deep book. But we all need those books now and again!
The Maid's Tale by Rose Plummer with Tom Quinn - Want a look into the life of a girl growing up in the East End of London around the turn of the 20th century who spent a big part of her life in service? If so, this is your book! Rose shared a first-hand account of her life, and I ate it up. Y'all know I'm obsessed with the aristocracy and how their lives/estates ran, and this was a fascinating look at that life.
The Girl Who Takes an Eye For an Eye by David Lagercrantz - The 5th book in the Lisbeth Salander/Mikael Blomkvist series - I can't really think of anything I can say here that doesn't give too much away, ha, but it was another great story with intrigue, scandal, cybermysteries, injustices, etc. Is anyone else still reading these books? They definitely feel different from Stieg Larsson's writing, but this author picked up the stories well, and I'll keep reading them.
Nine Women, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen - Allison suggested this one and I loved it! It's the stories of 9 women who all 'interact' with the season's It dress. The story starts with the designer of the dress who is retiring, then goes to the runway model who wears the dress on the runway, to the department store where it is sold and the different women who buy it. This was an adorable read that warmed my heart. I loved it so much and was sad when it was over.
The Shark Club by Ann Kidd Taylor - Maeve was bitten by a shark as a young girl which started a fascination with sharks. Now an adult who studies sharks, she is back home {she lives in a hotel run by her aunt} between assignments and connects with a young girl on the beach. This started off a little slowly, but it really picked up, and I found myself really invested in the decisions Maeve made. It ended differently than I thought it would which was a neat surprise!
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen - A typical thriller about a woman who can't seem to move on after her husband has left her and is engaged to someone else. Or so we think... The first part drug on a little because Vanessa seems so pathetic as she struggles to get over her ex. But I flew through parts 2 and 3 after some twists made things much more interesting!
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron - Oh man, this was such a sweet story. We follow a dog who is born 4 times - as Toby, Bailey, Ellie, and Buddy - and what happens as he {and one time, she} learns what a dog's purpose is. Very heartwarming and unique, I want to watch the movie now!
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - Eleanor and Park end up as reluctant bus seatmates who bond over comic books and music in 1986. A little bit coming of age, a little bit love story, a little bit difficult life challenges - so good. Some of Rainbow Rowell's books are YA and some are adult. This is technically YA but it was a great story. Sometimes I roll my eyes at stories about high school love and like 'This won't work out' forgetting I am happily married to my high school boyfriend, ha. The ending is a little bit of a cliff-hanger, and I read an interview where she's thinking about writing a sequel, and I would love that!
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - When I finished E&P and realized I only had 1 more Rainbow Rowell book to go before I'd read them all, I went ahead and checked this one out. This one might be my favorite too! Lincoln's job is to read emails that are flagged by his company's email policy and through reading emails between 2 best friends, Beth and Jennifer, he falls in love with Beth. But how do you tell someone you've never met how you feel and the fact that you like her so much because you read all her emails?!?! Very cute/romantic story, and I ate it up.
I am having such a good time with this challenge {#nerdalert}, but I will also be happy when I don't feel all this pressure to READ ALL THE BOOKS and can go back to reading 4-6 books a month, ha! My TV watching is very slacking too. ;)
3 comments:
I read Nine Women One Dress and LOVED it. It was so clever and enjoyable. I also started (and never finished) Attachments. I couldn’t get it and eventually just gave up. I read the first two (three?) books of the Lisbeth / Mikael series and really loved them (the movies were also good although I preferred the old to the new movie on the premise that the new movie girl seemed too “pretty”). I’m really curious about the Maid’s Tale! Will have to check that one out!
you know i love me some YA so I'll have to check out the ones you read. I saw Attachments was checked out in overdrive and i was thinking-why is she reading that, didn't she tell me about that book! but then i forgot it was bc. it had a cute story but i was like OMG get to the point already!! (yes, i'm still reading the girl you left behind-i know, i know!
I am definitely checking out Nine Women, One Dress. And I never got into The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series but I wonder if it's because I was trying to read it when I had severe morning sickness with Rachel and that coloured my feelings on it??? Maybe I should try again...
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