Tag: reading

What I Read in August (2018)

Books Read in August: 19

Books Read for the Year: 119/150

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Fresh Air: the Holy Spirit for an Inspired Life (spiritual book). Nicely written, inspiring read.

The Big Fat Surprise (from the TBR pile). This was about the keto diet, and was full of interesting facts and studies. Food for thought.

Our Endless Numbered Days (cultural book). I have no words for this.

An Acceptable Time (classic). The final book in the Wrinkle in Time quintet. Loved it!

For Review
(Confession: normally I keep up with this as I read. This month I didn’t, so this will be…sparsely worded.)

the dark beneath the ice

The Dark Beneath the Ice. Creepy.

someone i used to know

Someone I Used to Know. This was a fantastic book about a teenage girl who’s been raped, and how she and her family struggle to heal and work to combat rape culture.

murdertrending_LowRes

#murdertrending. Odd book about a reality TV show where serial killers hunt down and kill convicted murders in flamboyant fashion.

thatsecretyoukeep

That Secret You Keep. Good read.

how to grow

How to Grow. Found this spiritual book compelling and conversational.

brave enough

Brave Enough. Lovely read about a teenager who gets cancer, and how that changes her life as a dancer, as she gets to know a boy who survived cancer and drug abuse.

To Be Honest

To Be Honest. I’m all about the body-positivity message of this book.

the phantom tree

The Phantom Tree. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about time travel where the travel comes forward in time, but this is it. Enjoyed this.

7 deaths

7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I read this entire book without having any idea what was going on…but I was intrigued the whole time. A guy wakes up in the forest with no idea who he is, where he is, how he got there, or what he’s doing there…and the mystery only deepens from there.

The Matrimonial Advertisement (review forthcoming). Occasionally, I just love a good historical romance novel. Like this one! Fantastic characters, and a lot of things going on here.

plague land

Plague Land: Reborn. Sometimes I can get away with not reading the previous book in a serious, sometimes I can’t. This was one of those times.

Just Because

The Outsider. I used to read everything Stephen King wrote, but it’s been years since I’ve read anything of his. No idea why. Found this creepy and fascinating, and full of fantastically-realized characters, as always.

For School

The Question of God. A surprisingly interesting book about the differences between C.S. Lewis and Freud.

Communicating for Life.

Who’s Afraid of Post-modernism?

Linking up With Modern Mrs. Darcy for Quick Lit.

Book Review: The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle,by Stuart Turton

Title: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Author: Stuart Turton
Genre: Mystery, murder mystery
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

When he wakes up in the forest, he has no idea where he is, how he got there, or what he’s doing there. He doesn’t even know who he is. Minutes later, he sees a woman murdered, and her killer hands him a compass and a cryptic direction. How desperate do you have to be to listen to a murderer? About that desperate. But soon he has a name: Aiden Bishop.

The Hardcastles are hosting a house party to mark the anniversary of their son’s death. All the guests are there, but no one has seen the hosts, only their remaining son and daughter. Aiden discovers that nothing is as it seems—and no one.

When he wakes up the second day in the body of a different guest, he realizes he must re-live the same day over and over until he solves the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, who kills herself at the ball that night. He doesn’t know what’s going on. He doesn’t know who to trust. He only knows that someone is trying to stop him from solving the crime—and that person will kill all his bodies to stop him.

This book has one of the most unique premises I’ve ever read. The opening chapter has Aiden with no idea what is going on—and I felt like that the rest of the book. The writing is solid, and the author does a great job of contrasting Aiden’s personality with his host’s. I was intrigued from the very beginning, and I never did figure out what was going on!

Stuart Turton lives in London with his wife. The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is his debut novel.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Phantom Tree, by Nicola Cornick

Title: The Phantom Tree
Author: Nicola Cornick
Genre: Fiction, fantasy, historical
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

When Alison Bannister stumbles across an old painting while browsing in an antique shop, she knows the subject isn’t Anne Boleyn, as it claims. Instead, the painting is of Mary Seymour, taken to Wolf Hall as a child in 1557, and later presumed dead. Alison knows the painting is of Mary—a friend from her own childhood in 1557.

Alison has spent years in the present searching for clues to Mary’s disappearance, hints of the son Alison never knew, and a way to return to her own time and find him. The painting might just be the clue she needs.

But the man who discovered the painting stands in Alison’s way, and she must deal with her past—both in 1557 and now—if she’s ever to find the answers she seeks.

Time travel novels aren’t too uncommon, but this is the first time I’ve read one about someone who comes forward in time and makes a life. Alison is an interesting character, and I loved the dual timelines for her, as well as the dual narrators, with she and Mary both speaking. The mystery of what happened was both sad and compelling, and I enjoyed every page.

Nicola Cornick is a writer and historian with a master’s degree in history from Oxford. The Phantom Tree is her newest novel.

(Galley provided by in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: To Be Honest, by Maggie Ann Martin

Title: To Be Honest
Author: Maggie Ann Martin
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Savannah’s sister is her best friend, but she’s going away to college and leaving Savannah alone with their mom, who’s become overbearing and food-and-exercise-obsessed since her stint on an extreme weight-loss reality show. She’s especially obsessed with Savannah’s food choices and weight, but Savannah just wants to get through her senior year and join her sister at college.

Savvy isn’t worried about her weight. She’s worried about her classes, the journalistic expose she’s working on about some questionable athletic recruiting practices at school, and George.

George is the cute new guy who has some problems of his own. As Savvy tries to help him, they grow closer, and George stands by her even when her mom’s helicoptering gets out of control. But more than their families stand in the way of George and Savvy, and they’ll have to figure things out on their own if they stand a chance together.

I enjoyed the body positivity message of To Be Honest. It’s great that Savvy is happy in her own skin and sees the dangers in her mom’s “health” obsession. George’s cute-but-dorky persona is charming and lovable, but the misunderstandings these two go through! Really enjoyed reading this.

Maggie Ann Martin is from Iowa but lives in New York. To Be Honest is her new book.

(Galley provided by Macmillan/Swoon Reads in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Brave Enough, by Kati Gardner

Title: Brave Enough
Author: Kati Gardner
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Cason Martin is the youngest dancer at the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory. She’s driven and determined, and she’s never really even considered if she wanted to dance. She never had a choice: her mother is the demanding artistic director at the conservatory and will not accept Cason being anything less than the best.

On the day of Cason’s injury, that ceases to matter, as an injury she’s been hiding turns out to be cancer. Now she finds herself in a children’s cancer ward, fighting to live and to come to terms with her new normal. Davis Channing knows how that feels. He survived cancer, and then beat drug addiction, although he lives with the temptation to use again every day. Volunteering at the cancer ward is his way to give back.

Cason and Davis’s friendship is tenuous, but what they both need, until his ex-girlfriend appears in his life, eager to lure him down old roads again, while the unthinkable happens to Cason. Turning their backs on each other is easiest, but is it what they really need?

Let me first say that I’ve never read The Fault in Our Stars, so I can’t make any comparisons to that novel (and I have no intention of reading it, because almost never will I choose to read a book that I know will make me cry. #sorrynotsorry). I found Brave Enough to be one of the most touching and inspiring books I’ve read this year. I felt for Cason on a deep level, and truly experienced her grief and other emotions along with her. Davis’s struggle was so well-done and brought an addict’s struggle to gut-wrenching life. Highly recommend!

Katie Gardner is a childhood cancer survivor, amputee, and a recovering actor. Brave Enough is her debut novel.

(Galley provided by North Star Editions/Flux in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: That Secret You Keep, by Brenda Benny

Title: That Secret You Keep
Author: Brenda Benny
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Max is seventeen, taller than everyone else, and trying to keep a few secrets from his dads. Like the fact that he wants to seek out his biological parents. And he’s not gay. But sometimes it’s easier to just keep secrets…secret. Like his longtime crush on Serena.

Serena was a shining star at their performing arts high school, until her famous mother died tragically. Now she sits in the back of the chorus, wrestling with her debilitating anxiety and panic attacks, avoiding the spotlight.

But together, Max and Serena find both happiness and understanding. They can tell each other anything. Except the one secret Serena has kept from Max, a secret that might tear them apart.

I really enjoyed That Secret You Keep. Max is awkward and adorable, and his struggles are so realistically portrayed. Serena is deeply scarred from her loss and doesn’t think she’ll ever get better, but in Max she finds hope. A wonderful story of healing and love.

Brenda Benny lives in Canada with her family. That Secret You Keep is her new novel.

(Galley provided by Liddle Book Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: #murdertrending, by Gretchen McNeil

murdertrending_LowRes — Image belongs to Disney/Freeform.

Title: #murdertrending
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Genre: YA/horror
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

In a near-future where society is obsessed with social media, followers, and apps, The Postman app is the newest big thing. Alcatraz 2.0 takes convicted killers and puts them in a suburbia setting on Alcatraz, where serial killers hunt them down and kill them in graphic, theatrical detail for those watching on the app.

Dee’s sister, Monica, was obsessed with the app, so when Dee wakes up in a deserted warehouse, she knows immediately she’s been sent to Alcatraz 2.0 for the murder of her sister. With social media buzzing with bets on the quickness of her demise, Dee decides she’s not going to just roll over and die.

Instead, Dee takes on the notorious serial killers, determined that this princess is going to rescue herself—and prove her innocence. She just has to survive the worst the island has to offer.

#murdertrending was, to me, a scary look at a future that wouldn’t surprise me at all if it came true, considering how our culture is changing. The characters were a bit underdeveloped, and the identity of The Postman didn’t surprise me at all—the foreshadowing was a little heavy-handed—but it was a quick, easy read. If you’re squeamish, you might want to give this a pass, as it’s pretty graphic.

Gretchen McNeil is a trained opera singer, former circus performer and voice over artist, and current author. Her newest novel is #murdertrending.

(Galley provided by Disney/Freeform in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: How to Grow: Applying the Gospel to All Your Life, by Darryl Dash

Title: How to Grow: Applying the Gospel to All of Your Life
Author: Darryl Dash
Genre: Christian
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I want to call you to do ordinary things that will make an extraordinary difference, not just in your life but in the lives of others.

This quotation sums up the entire book in one simple sentence. This isn’t a complex book, full of convoluted to-do lists. Instead, the author offers simple, basic tenets of faith—praying, reading the Bible, involvement in a church—to build a foundation on, followed by “extra” things that can be added on after the basics are mastered. (Hint: the basics are never completely mastered.) The conversational tone and examples from the author’s life make this easy to read and apply. I highly recommend it.

Darryl Dash is an author, pastor, and church planter in Toronto. How to Grow is his new book.

(Galley provided by Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Dark Beneath the Ice, by Amelinda Berube

Title: The Dark Beneath the Ice
Author: Amelinda Berube
Genre: YA, thriller
Rating: 3 out of 5

Marianne’s parents have split up—she doesn’t know why—and her mother won’t stop crying before dropping her off to stay with her aunt. Her aunt won’t say, either. So, Marianne tries to make sense of the world, which hasn’t felt right since she stopped dancing.

But Marianne’s losing time. She does things but doesn’t remember doing them. Her mom is in the hospital because of something that happened on a night Marianna can’t remember. Things break around her, and she’s drawn to the cold, dark, icy river that threatens to overflow its banks.

Something is after her, and now she has its full attention—and its rage. It wants back what she stole from it, but Marianna has no idea what that is.

This book creeped me out a bit—in a bad-horror-movie-way (Why yes, I know something is chasing me, but I think I’ll go out into the night all alone!)—but that was its strong point. I wasn’t too invested in any of the characters, or what was going on. It was a decent read, but not something I’d pick up again. (I don’t really read horror much anymore, though, so my reaction could have been linked to that.)

Amelinda Berube lives and writes in Canada. The Dark Beneath the Ice is her new novel.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Impossibility of Us, by Katy Upperman

Title: The Impossibility of Us
Author: Katy Upperman
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Elise doesn’t want to leave the city and start over in a new town, but since the death of her brother in Afghanistan, her mom has checked out, and her sister-in-law and niece need help. So, they move to a small coastal town, but Elise just longs to get back to the city.

Until she meets Mati on the beach one day. He’s Afghan, and Elise must put that aside and get to know him. She discovers a kind, quiet, caring boy who she has so much in common with.

But his religion and culture—and both their families—are huge obstacles. Not to mention the looming date of Mati’s return home. Is there any way to make things work out?

Katy Upperman is a YA author. The Impossibility of Us is her newest novel.

(Galley provided by Swoon Reads in exchange for an honest review.)

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