reading round up no. 6

I haven't posted a reading round up since December! I've read a lot since then, here's a quick review of everything.

The books with *asterisks* are on book of the month subscription website and you can get them at a discount by joining with this link . Or wait to join, because sometimes the first book is only $5! Book of the month is a subscription service, but you can skip any time or every month and won't get charged for the months you skip.

The Giver of Stars 5/5 *

This excellent book is full of grit, adventure, southern ladies, hillbillies, and drama. I loved the characters and felt deeply connected. This is one of those books everyone can enjoy. This is for sure going to be a favorite read of 2020.

11/22/63 5/5

My second Stephen King novel (after The Shining, which I finally finished - way better than the movie btw) and this was great!! I listened to the audio book and was transported instantly into the story each time I turned it on. This book is about a 35 year old English teacher who learns one of his students witnessed the murder of his entire family by his father. Shortly after this, he learns his favorite diner owner discovered a time warp where he can transport himself back into time. The diner owner convinces the English teacher to help stop an event that could change history, the assassination of JFK. He does more than just attempt to stop JFK, he starts his life over in the past and gets himself into many sticky situations. Plus, the past does not like to be changed!! For time travel books, this one was extremely easy to follow. Loved this book!

Pretty Things 5/5

I am a sucker for books about con artists. This delightful read is about a woman who tries to con a wealthy heiress turned instagram influenser. It's hard to describe without giving it away, but as you could predict everything does not go as planned. I loved learning about the two characters, how they were different, how they had things in common as well. I empathized with them both and enjoyed the story. Highly recommend! Nicole Kidman is starring in this film adaptation.

The Devil in the White City 4.5/5 *

I had never read much about the Chicago World's Fair before this book. Larson classifies this book as nonfiction and studied extensively to put this work together. I loved it, it's a wealth of information! It's labeled as nonfiction, but reads as a fiction novel. The story bounces back and forth between the stories of the leading architect in charge of the fair, and the life of the "first modern serial killer." It was extremely fascinating to read about the splendor and also all the problems associated with the world's fair (and Nebraska is mentioned a lot too!). On the flipside, reading about the psychologically disturbed doctor/pharmacist serial killer was also unbelievable.

The Boy from the Woods 4.5 / 5

I'm a fan of Harlan Coben. He writes immersive stories that transport you inside of the storyline, and this was no exception. This is why I rated the book so highly. It's an easy, breezy read about a missing girl. No one takes her disappearance seriously. The missing girl has been bullied at school, and has an unstable home life. This "boy from the woods" makes it his mission to find her. Along the way he uncovers political drama and secrets that could destroy the nation.

In Five Years 4/5

This is a story about a woman who has her life all planned out, but one night she is transported into the future and it's not what she pictured at all. The story follows her journey as she struggles to make sense of this and tries to discover what she wants from her life. It's also a story about friendship and love. A good feel good fiction piece.

Long Bright River 4/5 *

A female police officer's sister goes missing in this book. The main character knows her sister has struggled with opioid addiction and even though they are estranged, she will stop at nothing to find her. She makes a lot of sacrifices, putting her life in danger to get to the bottom of what happened. This story talks about drug addiction, family values, friendship, and the importance of community. It's a deep book, but very enjoyable.

Such a Fun Age 4/5

This book made me feel very uncomfortable (not "Normal People" book* uncomfortable, but still). It's about an African American nanny who works for a white family and is accused on camera of kidnapping their child. Multiple other struggles end up coming her way. The mother of the daughter she works for tries hard to make connections with her but their differences are ever present. It's a book that dives into what it means to grow up, and explores issues of race and class.

You Are Not Alone 4/5 *

Hendricks and Pekkanen have wrote two other best selling psychological thrillers that I've enjoyed, so I was excited to get my hands on this one.

In this story Shay, a shy outcast who wants more from her life and job, witnesses a suicide and is befriended by two sisters who have huge ulterior motives. They cater to Shay and ultimately con her. I can't give any more away, but if you like this genre this is a great one to read.

The Wives 4/5 *

This is a psychological thriller about a polygamist. I honestly can not say anymore without giving it away, but trust me it's a page turner! Another good one to read if you love psychological thrillers.

Something She's Not Telling Us 3/5

Better than average, but this story was no A Simple Favor. This is Bell's second novel, and it starts out with a kidnapping by a mysterious woman dating the mother's brother. She is full of secrets and you are constantly wondering what the truth actually is.

Definitely a lot of psychological issues in this book, and you as the reader have trouble deciding who to trust too! I had a fun ride reading this one, and don't regret it.

Dear Edward 3/5 *

If you want to be sad, read this book. A boy is on a plane and everyone dies except him, the rest of the book is him learning how to recover from this. Or at least move forward. It earns three stars from me because it's a well written story about seasons of life and the difficulties people face, but it was sort of repetitive, slow in spots, and generally had a depressing vibe.

The Sundown Motel 3/5 *

Simone St. James wrote an awesome book called The Broken Girls. I was so excited to read this book about a run down hotel that is likely haunted. In this story a woman travels to a small town to discover the truth behind her aunt's disappearance. There turn out to be more women who disappeared and so she works to solve this mystery. She uncovers a lot of secrets and it's fun to follow along.

Eight Perfect Murders 3/5

Peter Swanson wrote one of my favorite creepy thrillers called The Kind Worth Killing so I had been waiting impatiently to read this book! In this story, a bookstore owner posts a blog post titled Eight Perfect Murders from murder mystery books. The FBI contacts him because a killer seems to be recreating the murders from the books. The bookstore owner is tangled up in this mess more than he lets on to the FBI. Exciting read!

The Dutch House 2.5/5

This book is still on the bestsellers list I think. I was really sad to discover I didn't like it more. A family drama about two children who can't leave their past behind them. I'm not sure why, it's not that interesting. In my opinion, they are spoiled and complained most of the book when they were fortunate. I did give it 2.5 stars because I was intrigued throughout the book to see if the ending would offer a satisfying conclusion. In my opinion it didn't, but it does explore family issues and bonds which are fun to read about.

The Night Circus 2/5

I've had this book on my "to be read" list for a long time and finally picked it up. The night circus is a magical story about two magicians who pick young magicians to face off in a contest. Along the journey, a night circus becomes a thing that appears and disappears at unexpected times with all sorts of magical acts. The two young magicians work there and their story evolves at the night circus. I found it to be interesting enough to get a few star ratings from me, but to wordy and sort of boring to get the full five stores.

The Jetsetters 2/5

I read this book based on Reese Witherspoon's bookclub recommendation. I gave it two stars because it was comedic and interesting to see what life was like on a cruise ship. The adventures and activities were painted nicely for me to imagine. I pretended I was with the characters as they set sail on their European cruise. A family that's estranged meets up and travels together, obviously this is a bad idea. I felt uncomfortable as the family interacted and annoyed each other. I actually disliked all of the characters. It was good to see how their story played out though.

The Return 1.5/5

I'm surprised I finished this book. A group of four best friends loses one of their members. They mourn and move forward, but two years later the friend reappears with no memory of what happened. They plan a getaway to a hotel and try to talk to their friend who went missing and bond. Then the story turns into a gruesome horror story (I didn't see this coming).