My book picks for March started off not so good. It was bad book after bad book for me and I just wasn’t feeling it. Finally by the end of the month things had turned around with a few good ones such as Fangirl, Reality Boy, and All the Bright Places. Now, onto what I read last month!
What I Read: March 2015
Wake by Anna Hope – ★★ – Honestly, I’m not sure what I expected from this book, but I just could not get into it. Every time I tried to listen to it, even when I was just folding laundry, I couldn’t focus on it. It just was… boring. I gave up.
Mercy Snow by Tiffany Baker – ★★ – There wasn’t anything particularly bad about this book, but there wasn’t anything remarkable either. A tragic bus crash starts the novel out with a bang, and the new family in town, The Snows, are blamed. The eldest son’s car is found totaled near the wreck, and he escapes to the woods until his name is cleared. The “savior” of the town is the McAllisters who own the local paper mill and employ many of the townspeople. A lot of boring and unremarkable things happen, and then it comes to light whom the real perpetrator was.
c/o NetGalley
Miss Buncle’s Book (Miss Buncle #1) by D.E. Stevenson -★★ – Apparently I am the only one in the world who did not enjoy this. Perhaps I should have known better than to pick this up – it just doesn’t even sound appealing to me. however I chose this for a challenge, and I couldn’t finish it.
The Good Boy by Teresa Schewegel – ★★ – A mystery, a thriller, a crime novel… and totally not my cup of tea. I tried to get into this one, I really did, but it was just a snooze. I have so many books on my TBR list that if I can’t connect with something at 25% or more of the way through, I give up. This was one of those.
The Last Winter of Dani Lancing by Phil Viner – ★ – Oh my. Don’t get me started. Okay, fine: For the love of all that is sacred, do NOT purchase the audio version of this. It is absolutely the worst “performance” I’ve ever listened to. I finally had to turn it off after the third time of the female performers “wailing” which really sounded like animals dying. Nope, not worth it.
All Is Bright by Sarah Pekkanen – ★★★ – This was a short story centered around a relationship “Ghost of Christmas Past” if you will. It was short and sweet, but not particularly riveting.
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult – ★★★ – Honestly this book was a little hard to follow for me, which I don’t find typical of Picoult’s writing. Maybe this was just a bad one for me, but I got a lot of information about elephants, psychics, and a girl on a quest to find her mom and not a lot else. Based on other reviews, it seems most either loved it or were like me, left confused.
Bingo’s Run by James A. Levine – ★★★ – I’m going to be honest – I picked this one for the cover, and wow, it was a surprise. Bingo is a drug runner in Africa who is notorious for his fast pace and his quick fingers… in the wallets of unsuspecting tourists, that is. While it wasn’t what I expected, it was well written and quite an interesting peek into the (fictionalized) underground world of drug runners.
Reality Boy by A.S. King – ★★★★ – Gerald and his family are famous for being the family from a reality TV show. Gerald acted out by hiding fecal matter in interesting places like in shoes, and was then known as the “Crapper” during his stint on tv. He’s now older and is dealing with the aftermath of his unique moniker. I really enjoyed the premise – it really made me wonder how some of the “famous” children of mommy blogs and reality TV will adjust as adults to their unique fame as they age.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – ★★★★ – A difficult book to read: One teen who keeps planning their suicide, and another who is discovered, about to jump, at the very start. This is the story of Theodore and Violet, two high school students who have been through a lot. After reading this book, I really loved it and was touched. Now that I’ve had some time to sit on it, I’d say it was just average. It didn’t stick with me like I expected (as say, Fault in Our Stars, as it was compared in the book summary.) For that, I’d say it’s worth more like 3.5 stars. Still a good YA read.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – ★★★★ – I think this now means I have read all of Rainbow Rowell’s books. Yay! I really enjoyed this fun spin on a fan fic writer (Cath) who finds herself in some hot water when her creative writing teacher isn’t a fan of her “recycled” stories. What I didn’t love was the departure between chapters into the Simon & Baz stories. I would have preferred them integrated in some other way, honestly. I preferred the “real life” story and would have loved to see a bit more character development and conflict.
The 2015 e-Reader Reading Challenge
Trish let me know about her e-Reader challenge a couple of months ago that started at the beginning of March. I picked (almost) all of my books from downloads I already had on my Kindle (…I have a lot!) and I’m hopeful to finish this before the end of May!
Rules:
The challenge will run from March 1st to May 31st. Books you are currently reading are not eligible to be used in this challenge. You must start these books on March 1st.
All books MUST be available on e-readers. I will check to make sure it is as I am offering a prize at the end of this.
You must finish all books by the deadline.
Additional points will be added to those who do pick all books from books already downloaded onto their e-reader.
1. A book with a one-word title (5 points): Breakable by Aimee Salter (already owned)
2. A book already downloaded that you have not read (4 Points): Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid (already owned)
3. A book you would be embarrassed to admit you read (And tell us why) (3 points): The Host by Stephanie Meyer (I have some shame that I’ve already read the entire Twilight series… may as well embarrass myself more by trying out her other novels.) (already owned)
4. A book with a color in the title (4 Points): The Ghost with the Electric Blue Suit by Graham Joyce (already owned)
5. A non-fiction book that will better your life (4 points): Eat Move Sleep by Tom Rath (already owned)
6. Pi Day is March 14th- Pick a book with 314 pages (4 Points): The Belief in Angels by J. Dylan Yates (already owned)
7. Daylight savings is ending and Spring is coming- Pick a book with the word Spring, Daylight, or Savings in the title (4 Points): Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith (already owned)
8. April Fool’s day is coming, read a humorous book (4 Points): People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen Mann (already owned)
9. April 22nd is Earth Day. Read a book about Nature, the Earth, or living “Green” (4 Points): The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
10. May is the kickoff of Summer and a time where we remember our veterans. Read a book with Summer or Remember in the title (4 Points): The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry (already owned)
My Reading Challenge Updates
Total Books this month: 11
Total Books read this year: 38 / 150
Total Books Read for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge: 5 / 12
Total Books Read for the e-Reader Challenge: 1 / 10 | (Points: 4)
Week’s End Link Up
And finally… I’m co-host of this week’s link up with Oak & Oats called Week’s End! Link up your favorite post from last week and meet some new bloggers.
RULES
1. Link up ANY POST from last week!
2. Make sure it is a POST and not your BLOG URL. We love your blog but we want you to share a post.
3. Click on one, two, three, or more posts and LEAVE ENCOURAGING COMMENTS. The whole point of this is to find new blogs, make new friends, and all that good stuff! You MUST read the post right before yours and comment.
An InLinkz Link-up
What have you been reading lately? Any recommendations? P.S. let’s be friends on Goodreads if we aren’t already!
The post What I Read: March & Week’s End Link Up appeared first on hellorigby seattle fashion & lifestyle blog.