Review: A Hobbit, A Wardrobe and a Great War

This book was put on my radar by Bookstagram and I am so happy it did! I absolutely loved this book. Obsessed. Listened on audio and immediately bought a copy knowing I would re-read many times in the future. The title of this book is slightly misleading as the book talks about but doesn't truly focus on the friendship between JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis but that didn't make me love it any less. It starts with a decent WWI history and moves into how the war affected them and how they viewed the world afterwards and a lot of this came from their faith. 

If You Don't Like These, Then I Have Questions...

One day Hannah and I were talking--shocker--and we got on the topic of how much Goodreads and Instagram reviews have helped shape our TBR and what books we've read. Somebody talking passionately about x,y,z book made me look into and I found I've loved it too because it has certain elements I'm drawn to. Or how a book does not sound like it would be something I'm into but a great review made me rethink my thought on not reading it. So the TL;DR of this conversation is we got to a point where we said, are there any books that if somebody dislikes you kinda side-eye and question it? Thus...this post and photo was born.

The majority of books I've read and loved, I could understand how somebody would not like it or find an aspect too annoying, etc.. I can rationalize somebody's dislike of a book 95% of the time...and yet...there's a small collection of books we both got down to that we love and feel so passionately about that if you don't like said book...I have questions for you.

--Please note, you can 100% dislike my chosen books, this is supposed to be funny and light-hearted and make you think if you have any books you love so much that somebody not liking them feels like a personal attack--

So, my books. Are as follows: 

HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS by Katherine Center--You guys, this book means so much to me. Every element and aspect of the heroine Helen's character speaks to my soul. Her journey to find happiness by way of extreme hiking spoke to my heart. The writing is fantastic. Everything about this book works for me.

SAVING FRANCESCA by Melina Marchetta--This book is a placeholder for all of Marchetta's books because seriously there is not a bad one in the bunch. You can have a favorite but you have to love them all. FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK is really what I wanted to choose but since fantasy can be very tricky for people, I wanted to highlight a contemporary of hers.

MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins--I have heard so many people say they disliked this book of the series and to you good sir, I say, you are wrong. This book and series is perfection in book form and I will not hear a word about any of it.

THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak--This book...oh, this book. Breaks me and builds me back together. Never have I ever felt such a visceral, soul-deep reaction to how an author writes. The cleverness of Death narrating and the observations he makes about humanity never cease to blow me away with its genius.

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor--A bold choice, I'm aware, but there is something so magical yet real about this book and series. I can picture it so vividly in my mind's eye when I'm reading and when I think about it. The unique premise and world that Taylor creates is so interesting and different than anything else I've ever read and she is the only author who makes me fantasize about having doe's legs, antelope horns, and wings. Le sigh.

WHO'S THAT GIRL by Mhairi McFarlane--Like Marchetta, McFarlane is an author I will ride or die for and I have MANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU IF YOU DON'T LIKE HER. Again, you can have a favorite but how can you not love them all?!

There you have it! Now I have to know, what books do you have that you love so much if somebody doesn't like, you have some questions for them??

Review: One to Watch

I was absolutely ecstatic to read ONE TO WATCH because it had so many elements that I love. Body image issues, a plus-size/normal size woman, reality TV; my trash TV heart was just all over it. This book was freaking phenomenal. I loved every minute of it. Bea is a plus-sized fashion influencer and after a drunken online rant of their Bachelor equivalent show, she is asked to be it's star. Obviously anybody that knows the Bachelor franchise knows nobody is on this show that is over a size 2 so there was a lot to develop. 

I loved how the author handled the plus-sized heroine in the public eye. It broke my heart so many times but also lifted it up. I think that it was shown very realistically how brutal it can be. I love books dealing with body image and weight and self-love because I have had—and still struggle with—weight and body image issues, so when I get to read a book that handles this subject realistically I feel like I'm working through my own issues and it almost feels like therapy to me. I almost never wanted this book to end, I loved it so much! 

I was rooting for Bea the entire book; I laughed with her, I cried with her, I was angry with her, I cheered with her. I hated the men who judged her and the trolls who came for her but Bea was such a great blend of realistic human nature, part self-deprecating, part hopeful beyond, part fatalistic, which I think we all have within us depending on the circumstance. 

The reality TV component fed the petty dragon inside me. I am an only slightly ashamed lover of The Bachelor franchise because I just love trash TV. I loved the nods and parallels to the real-life Bachelor show--Reality Stefan, anyone?--and I'm always a fan of behind the scenes of how these shows actually run and how people are manipulated. 

And finally, I loved the clothes. I loved reading about the clothes. I loved imagining the clothes. I loved thinking about shopping for the clothes. ALL OF IT! The fashion, Bea, the trash TV show, the discussion of maturity and adulthood measured by romantic relationships is also another theme I loved and related to, the different men and relationships, EVERYTHING! If you've stayed with me, read this book!

Rating: 5 Stars | Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: Dial Press | Source; Format: Bought from BOTM subscription

Goodreads | Instagram

Review: What I Like About You

This book had Kelly's heart written all over it, book blogging, Instagram'ing, and baking. There were other elements that really resonated with me as well but I'll get to those. Halle is living with her grandfather for her senior year and has a very successful blog and Instagram called One True Pastry where she pairs books with cupcakes--hello, amazing!--but she uses an alias for her online persona for many reasons. Anxiety, her grandmother's infamous name in the book world, privacy; but when she comes face to face with her online bestie Nash, she freezes and doesn't tell him his online BFF is Halle is real life...eep!

 

I don't mind a good miscommunication in a storyline...if it isn't dragged out unnecessarily. I have so many things I loved about this book but I like to start with the negative and end with the positive. Two things really bothered me with this book and held it back from being almost 5 stars for me. One of those things is a moderate spoiler--stop reading now if you don't want to know--and that is how long she keeps her identity a secret. Oh. My Lanta. WAY too freaking long! It got to the point of ridiculous and I was not happy about it, this could have been a much tighter and shorter book and honestly, should have been. 

Modern Love Series Review

After Hannah raved about this audiobook from Hoopla and seeing it everywhere on Instagram, I was SO excited to read it! A woman who creates a dating app and the foibles of online dating? Sign me up! From the start, I was enchanted. I fell right into the story and loved Rhiannon's thoughts and way of thinking. I thought Sampson was charming and definitely a diamond in the rough in regards to single men in this world, fictional or non. Their banter and snark had me laughing out loud while listening.

Review: Marry in Scarlet

I have read and adored all of Anne Gracie's series and I was ecstatic to receive George's book MARRY IN SCARLET--the latest in the Marriage in Convenience series--for review! I’ve loved all of Anne Gracie’s books and thinks she is Historical Romance’s most underrated author. Everyone who loves HR should be reading Anne Gracie!

BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES

As a diehard fan of THE HUNGER GAMES I was both excited and apprehensive about another book in this world, especially a book through the eyes of our resident monster, Coriolanus Snow. As I reread THG in anticipation, I got more hyped about it and while I don't mind, and even enjoy, a villain origin story, that's not really what this book is. I went  into this book wanting to like it because of my deep love for the other books. This book focused on the 10th Hunger Games, what the Games were like then, the aftermath of war, and foreshadowed how we get to The Hunger Games as we know them in Katniss and Peeta's story.

What I Picked Up at the Library This Week

I am absolutely ecstatic that my local libraries have started curbside pick-up and phoning or e-mailing in 'orders.' My new favorite game is to stalk their website to see what books I want are at libraries close to me. This week I picked up a few books that were lingering on my TBR.

Beware the Outback

I'm always on the lookout for a great page-turning mystery/thriller and it's not a genre I read often enough. I rarely blind read this type of book so it's great when a trusted friend recommends a book or series to me. Hannah read Force of Nature earlier this year and told me it was so interesting to read and the premise was creepy so I gave it a try. I read the first book of Jane Harper's Aaron Falk series, The Dry, first and then moved on to Force of Nature. I had such a fun time reading these books, they were so easy to get into, the right amount of eerie/creepy to me without being scary, and I loved following the same detective! Here are my thoughts!

Light Up the Darkness | What Throne of Glass Means to Me

Welcome to the final day of the Light Up the Darkness | A Throne of Glass Celebration! This week is so exciting! The final book of the Throne of Glass series, Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas, released this week and it was...epic. Everything I wanted from the finale of this series and more.

To honor this exciting moment in one of my favorite series, Hannah from So Obsessed With, Alexa from Alexa Loves Books, Rachel from hello, chelly and I are doing a blog event to celebrate the series! This series means so much to me in so many ways and I know it does to the other ladies, too. We have had so much fun putting together these posts and talking about the series. Fun but also painful having to make some difficult choices as to favorites!

Today we are each sharing what the Throne of Glass series mean to us and I have been looking forward to writing this post since we decided to do this event even if I'm about to struggle and get real inarticulate.

Light Up the Darkness | 20 Questions

Welcome to the second day of the Light Up the Darkness | A Throne of Glass Celebration! This week is so exciting! The final book of the Throne of Glass series, Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas, released yesterday and I spent all day reading because that is what you do when a new SJM book comes out!

To honor this exciting moment in one of my favorite series, Hannah from So Obsessed With, Alexa from Alexa Loves Books, Rachel from hello, chelly and I are doing a blog event to celebrate the series! This series means so much to me in so many ways and I know it does to the other ladies, too. We have had so much fun putting together these posts and talking about the series. Fun but also painful having to make some difficult choices as to favorites!

Today we are doing 20 Questions about the series. Each blog will feature one discussion question and an additional 4 quick fire questions about the books. Be sure to check out the other posts because they will have all different questions for you to see and think about as well.

Light Up the Darkness | Series Roulette

Welcome to the first day of the Light Up the Darkness | A Throne of Glass Celebration! This week is so exciting! The final book of the Throne of Glass series, Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas, releases tomorrow and I am so.excited.I.cannot.wait.I.have.been.waiting.for.this.book.for.years.!. I cannot wait to see what happens to all my babies and what they do and what happens to them and how they all end up and everything!

To honor this exciting moment in one of my favorite series, Hannah from So Obsessed With, Alexa from Alexa Loves Books, Rachel from hello, chelly and I are doing a blog event to celebrate the series! This series means so much to me in so many ways and I know it does to the other ladies, too. We have had so much fun putting together these posts and talking about the series. Fun but also painful having to make some difficult choices as to favorites!

Today we are doing series roulette--a play on our previous collaboration of Book Boyfriend Roulette. We're each choosing our favorite female character, male character, and book to share. And then on my blog, I'll share our choices for favorite Member of the Cadre/Thirteen. The other ladies are featuring one other favorite category unique to their blog, so don't forget to check out theirs, too! AND feel free to share your choices and picks in the comments below!

I'm Fine, You're Fine, We're All Fine...Right?

"These days, loneliness is the new cancer – a shameful, embarrassing thing, brought upon yourself in some obscure way. A fearful, incurable thing, so horrifying that you dare not mention it; other people don’t want to hear the word spoken aloud for fear that they might too be afflicted, or that it might tempt fate into visiting a similar horror upon them."

--Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

My Thoughts

The Belle

Wow. This book. This book is one of those magical books that makes me remember why I love reading. It made me feel to the deepest part of my heart how characters and their stories can change you. This book is about Eleanor who is quite different than the average bear. She lives alone, has zero friends, is awkward in her social interactions, and the only people she talks to her coworkers who aren’t very kind to her and her mother who calls once a week. Her voice sounds very traditional in it’s viewpoint, stuffy, if you will which makes it sound like it would be difficult to connect to her as a reader but I found the exact opposite to be true.

Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {7}

I know it's been quiet on the blog recently but I'm trying to get some motivation to cross post my mini-reviews from Instagram and write longer reviews for the books I have more to say about. I've got a few reviews and ideas in the wings so stay tuned if you're still here! I've been reading so many incredible books lately so here's a roundup of mini-reviews of the books I've been reading and loving lately!

DEAR MRS BIRD by AJ Pearce | A few weeks ago I read DEAR MRS BIRD because Hannah had read and loved. She definitely nailed it with a historical Bridget Jones vibe and I had such a great time reading this book. A woman with goals to be a Female War Correspondent accidentally finds herself instead being an assistant to a crotchety, set-in-her-archaic-views advice columnist. I loved this book! It was so fun to read, I loved the heroine Emmy and her ambitions and her relationship with her best friend. While there are many moments of humor, there also was a surprising level of emotional depth that I wasn’t expecting. War time does not come without its costs and how Emmy navigated her own choices and the advice she gave was fantastic to read about. READ THIS IF...you love historical fiction, WWII London, and females with Ambition.

Mad for Marchetta

My Thoughts
I am well aware that I may be the last person in the bookish world to read Melina Marchetta. I am self-aware enough to realize this but I am not above proclaiming her as an instant favorite author. After my binge of Finnikin I knew I had to try her other books and I knew from Hannah that she write a variety of genres which I was SO EXCITED about! I was not disappointed with any of them! It was SUCH an incredible treat to find an author who writes so many different kinds of stories. I was obsessed with each and every one for different reasons. Here are those reasons.

Consumed: The Wedding from Hell Blog Tour by JR Ward

Anybody that knows me knows how deep my love for all things JR Ward goes. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is lifeblood. The Fallen Angels series was inspiring. The Bourbon Kings was scandalous and exciting. I AM SO EXCITED for her next series about firefighters! Oh, my word who doesn't love a man in uniform, especially a firefighter?!

To prep for this new series, JR Ward is writing a free--yes, you heard right FREE--three part novella to help give you some background about this setting and world and characters. I am personally ridiculously here for anything and everything she writes and you should be, too! Today on this blog tour, the publisher and JR Ward are sharing an exclusive look at the series with a summary, excerpt, AND a video from JR Ward herself! All the info and good stuff is below, so pull a Dory and just keep reading! 

An Open Love Letter to My Best Friends

While taking to Hannah one day, okay one of the several times that day, and she told me about a book called TEXT ME WHEN YOU GET HOME by Kayleen Schaefer that she heard was about female friendships and how important they are and I knew right then I had to read it. Let me start with the book review. 

Adventures in the the Great Wide Somewhere // Travel Books That Aren't Travel Books

When Hannah mentioned that this week's Top Ten Tuesday was about travel books, I knew I needed to write a post about books that inspire me to travel. Then I thought a little more about it and wanted to do a little different twist to the topic. My informal title of this would probably be 'Books You Wouldn't Expect that Inspire Me to Travel' OR 'Books Whose Settings are a Character on Their Own' OR 'Unconventional Books That Make Me Want to Pack My Bags' What do I mean by this? I mean, I've read books where the setting of the story is such a big part of the story it feels like a character and/or while the book itself isn't about travel, it still made me want to go to that place immediately.

View from St Mary's in Oxford, England

Not Your Typical Rockstar

I'm not gonna lie. For the longest time I really had no interest in this series. I am very anti-celebrity, royalty, anything having to do with being famous. I don't like reading about. I don't care. I don't like the theme of 'he's a prince or he's a famous actor what's he doing with me' because it's all bullshit to me. Nobody is better than anybody else and because of my opinion on that, I stay away from royalty and celebrity-based romances. HOWEVER. If something comes highly recommended enough by a very trusted friend, I'll usually at least give it a college try. When I saw these on my library's Overdrive for audio, I thought I'd give it a try...and I am so glad I did!

UK Recap Fit for a Queen // Back at Home • Mug Life 5

Mug Life is a periodic feature on the blog where I talk about what
I'm reading, wearing, drinking out of, and wanderlust dreaming about.

If you've been following on the blog or Instagram, you know that Hannah and I were traveling in the UK--but kind of don't bring it up or I'll cry all the tears of sadness that 1. I'm no longer with her 2. I'm not in the UK anymore and 3. I'm no longer with Hannah. I didn't think it was possible to love her more but it was! I am mourning the loss of this trip still today but I digress. While we were there, we did a UK Recs series for books, TV/Movies, and places we love; we thought we would do a parallel 3 day recap talking about books, what we did, and a back home mug life!

On Monday, we talked about the books we read while traveling; Wednesday was our trip recap, and today is our Mug Life featuring the book we read when we got home. The fates aligned and Hannah and I had a parallel with the first books we read after our trip together. She read something I rec'd to her and I read something she rec'd to me! We both fell in love with our respective books AND the London mugs we bought so, of course, a Mug Life was born!