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. 

Review: code name hélène

Female spies is all you really have to say to get me interested in a book. And that's really all I needed to hear when it came to me seeing CODE NAME HÉLÈNE around the book world. The fictionalized version of the true story of Australian born Nancy Wake, this book grabbed me from the first. The writing was both stark and emotive, bringing me close to tears at multiple points while reading. Nancy was a force to be reckoned with on the war front but was still a woman. What I mean by that is she didn't feel the need to compromise her a woman and her vulnerabilities, many times playing them up for a purpose—red lipstick anyone? 

 Her wit, bravery, and willingness to do whatever needed to be done to help people in need was incredibly inspiring. That she made so many personal sacrifices along the way only made her story that much more meaningful and heartbreaking. I was gripping this book white-knuckled I was so invested in her story and what happened to her. I also absolutely loved the two timelines of before and during the war and how we eventually met in the middle to make it come full circle.? Read this book if you love female spies, inspiring stories, and womens’ moments in history.? 

 Rating: 4.5 Stars | Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Doubleday books  | Source; Format: physical borrowed from library

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review: I was told it would get easier by abbi waxman

I absolutely love Abbi Waxman’s books and was so excited to get I WAS TOLD IT WOULD GET EASIER for review—thanks @berkleypub! This book focused on the mother-daughter relationship shop between Jessica and Emily while they are on a group tour of colleges on the East Coast.

review: why not me? by mindy kaling

I binged The Mindy Project a few years ago and adored Kaling and her comedic take on an OB/GYN practice. Hannah recommend her books and I enjoyed her first book and was excited to read the second. Kaling is my kind of funny. She’s that great amount of real, self-aware, and self-deprecating. I find her musings hilarious and I laugh out loud when she goes on with self-inflated fake comments about herself.

review: Head over Heels by Hannah Orenstein

I spent eight years of my naive young life convinced I was going to be an Olympic gymnast. The only two snags were 1. I was just not that good and 2. I had way too much of that dreaded 'F' word...Fear. I found my strength in dance and the rest of my adolescence was spent in that world competing. Reading HEAD OVER HEELS was nostalgia for me in both good ways and bad.

review: Always the last to know

I have read and loved every single one of Kristan Higgins’ books and that collection of work is not short. ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW started off rough for me. There are three main characters, Sadie, her sister Juliet, and their mom Barb. I reeeeeally struggled with empathizing with Juliet and Barb. They seemed harsh, not compassionate, and clueless to the blessing of their lives. If you know me, you’ll know one of my life pet peeves is people who have zero self-awareness. These two lacked it in spades.

Review: the boyfriend project

When I saw BOTM was going to have THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT as one of their picks I knew I had to get it. Three women figure out they’re dating the same scumbag and become friends? Yes, please. While the friendship, oddly, was the weakest part of the story for me, I still enjoyed how much they supported each other, lifted each other up, and hyped each other for their individual endeavors. Samiah is a tech genius who wants to start her own app and Daniel is a new employee at the company she works for...or is he? The added element of a mystery and why Daniel has this job elevated the story for me and gave it another layer of plot I wasn’t expecting but really enjoyed.

Review: If I'm being honest

Because Hannah and I are freaks of nature and essentially tied in our Bookish March Madness bracket this year, we both chose a book the other person had to read. Her choice for me was IF I’M BEING HONEST by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka because YA Contemporary and I don’t usually vibe. But when Hannah recs a book in this lesser read genre by me, I know it’s gonna be good…and it was! She pitched it to as a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew with 10 Things I Hate About You vibes—she had me at hello, that’s one of my favorite movies ever. Plus as somebody who is sometimes described as too blunt and honest, I feel for this type of character.

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.

Farewell, Belle of the Literati

I'm baaaaack! If you've been around here awhile you know this blog has been quiet for about a year. I found more passion with Instagram and writing shorter reviews and this spot that was home for so long became silent. I've recently got inspiration back and the first thing I wanted to do was give this space a fresh, clean look. I'm biased but I'm obsessed with this new look. Along with a fresh look I debated and then decided to change the name to xoxo, Kelly Nina to match all my social media handles. It was such a hard decision to make because now I must bid adieu to my original blog name, Belle of the Literati. The name was inspired by the phrase Belle of the ball and my favorite and beloved Disney character who is me in cartoon form. It was a tough decision to say goodbye to the name but it also felt like it was time.

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!