"Waiting on" Wednesday: Once and For All

"Waiting on" Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Once and For All
Sarah Dessen
Expected publication date: June 6, 2017

Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that's why she's cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm's length. But Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged, now that he's met the one girl he really wants. - from Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books for the 2nd Half of 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's topic is our most anticipated books for the second half of 2017!

 

 

 

 

 

2017 Backlist Reader Challenge: May Roundup

It's time for another round of mini-reviews for the 2017 Backlist Reader Challenge hosted by Lark at The Bookwyrm's Hoard!

The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Kim Barker (2011)

I wanted to read this book after we watched the movie Whisky Tango Foxtrot with Tina Fey, based on this memoir.  On the other hand, I don't really like memoirs and the Middle East is not an area I know a whole lot about, so unfortunately, I couldn't really get into this book.

Part of the book describes what life is like for a journalist living in a foreign country and part of it is a current history of the political situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan - but I felt like I didn't get enough of either.  A lot of the political stuff went over my head; so many names and groups, and part of that is my fault for being so uninformed.  The personal parts of the book focused too much on the night life and illegal alcohol sought out by Barker and not enough on the stories she was writing.

I couldn't connect with Barker at all.  She went into this experience so unprepared.  She had rarely traveled outside the US before taking on this assignment and knew very little about the culture and politics of the area when she arrived.  Even after years of living there, she still couldn't grasp basic concepts on how to dress.  She often came across as naïve and judgmental and apparently had no problem punching men in the face.  I felt there was a level of disrespect when dealing with political figures (such as calling them by their first names) and I was left with a poor view towards Afghan and Pakistani people in general.  2 stars

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell (2004)

I really thought I was going to like this one - the son of an English nobleman is taken hostage during an invasion by Danish Vikings in the 9th century.  Unfortunately, this turned out to be a DNF for me about 50% through.  I didn't understand the main character's motivations.  Although the child was not particularly happy with his father, he seemingly easily adopts the Viking lifestyle and religion with barely a second thought, and the Viking that captured him just seemed way too nice and treated him as another son.  The writing was dense, heavy, and somewhat bland.  When I found myself skimming more than reading, I knew it was time to stop.



A Trick of the Light (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #7) by Louise Penny (2011)

A woman is found murdered in the garden of Clara and Peter Morrow in Three Pines, after a celebration for Clara's art show.  The woman turns out to be an old friend of Clara's, but they hadn't spoken since a falling out many years before.

I enjoyed this installment of the series, although it felt like there was a lot going on.  The main mystery was about the murder of Lillian Dyson.  Because she used to be an art critic, several characters from the art world were introduced.  However, as interesting as it was to learn about art and the lives and temperaments of artists, this mystery almost seemed secondary to the other storylines in the book.  I felt like this installment really dove deep into the lives of characters we've known since the first book.  Always a bit tenuous, we finally see the breakdown of Clara and Peter's marriage.  It was hard to read about Peter's jealousy regarding Clara's recent success, after years of being the more renowned artist.

The detectives are still dealing with scars, both emotional and physical, from the terror attack that took many of their colleagues' lives.  Jean Guy isn't doing so well and is now separated from his wife, having fallen in love with someone new and surprising, and he doesn't quite know what to do with his feelings.  Gamache is changed, as well, from the slight tremors in his hand to how he leads his team.  I really loved the character development in this book, and it made me want to quickly get to the next installment to see what happens.  4 stars



Goodreads Book Tag

I've been seeing the Goodreads Book Tag going around lately and even though I haven't been personally tagged, I wanted to do it anyway because it seemed like fun!

What was the last book you marked as read?

 

What are you currently reading?

 

 

What do you plan to read next?

 

Do you use the star rating system?
 

Yes, but I wish Goodreads used half-stars, since that's what I use on the blog; sometimes I don't know whether to round up or down when I'm cross-posting reviews!




Are you doing a 2017 reading challenge?
 

Yes, I set a goal of 110 books.

 

Do you have a wish list?
 

Yes, but I keep it on Amazon and my TBR is on Pinterest.

 

What book do you plan to buy next?
 

I'm not sure.  I've been trying to limit the amount of books I buy; it will either be something I've read, loved, and want to have in my personal library OR a pre-order from one of my favorite authors, whichever comes first!

 

Do you have any favorite quotes?

I only have one quote tagged on Goodreads and that's:

"Courage, dear heart." - C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

 

Who are you favorite authors?
 

Kate Morton and Emily Giffin are auto-buys for me.  I also love JK Rowling and George R.R. Martin.

 

Have you joined any groups?
 

No, I haven't gotten too much into the social aspect of Goodreads, except for checking out the statuses of my friends.

 

If anyone else feels like doing this tag, I'd love to read your answers!



"Waiting on" Wednesday: The Fortune Teller

"Waiting on" Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

The Fortune Teller
Gwendolyn Womack
Expected publication date: June 6, 2017

Semele Cavnow appraises antiquities for an exclusive Manhattan auction house, deciphering ancient texts—and when she discovers a manuscript written in the time of Cleopatra, she knows it will be the find of her career. Its author tells the story of a priceless tarot deck, now lost to history, but as Semele delves further, she realizes the manuscript is more than it seems. Both a memoir and a prophecy, it appears to be the work of a powerful seer, describing devastating wars and natural disasters in detail thousands of years before they occurred.

The more she reads, the more the manuscript begins to affect Semele’s life. But what happened to the tarot deck? As the mystery of her connection to its story deepens, Semele can’t shake the feeling that she’s being followed. Only one person can help her make sense of it all: her client, Theo Bossard. Yet Theo is arrogant and elusive, concealing secrets of his own, and there’s more to Semele’s desire to speak with him than she would like to admit. Can Semele even trust him?

The auction date is swiftly approaching, and someone wants to interfere—someone who knows the cards exist, and that the Bossard manuscript is tied to her. Semele realizes it’s up to her to stop them: the manuscript holds the key to a two-thousand-year-old secret, a secret someone will do anything to possess. - from Goodreads

5 Book Recommendations for My Husband

My husband Tom is a non-reader, but since I know his other interests pretty well, I wanted to put together a list of books he might actually enjoy!  And if your husband or boyfriend is more into video games and sci-fi movies than he is into books, he might like these as well!

I don't want to give too much away, but the sci-fi twists in Dark Matter are so amazing and fun and totally up my husband's alley.  I may have spoiled most of the book for him as I was reading it, but still!

Tom is a huge Doctor Who fan, and I think Doctor Who: 12 Doctors 12 Stories would be perfect for him.  Twelve different authors have each written a short story based on one of the Doctor's regenerations.  So, he would get to read about each Doctor with a very manageable page count!

So this one is still on my TBR, but having read a couple reviews and the synopsis, I think Tom would really love Ready Player One - I mean, video games and 80s pop culture are two of his greatest loves (besides me, of course!).  Oh, and Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobook?  He's definitely in.

Felicia Day is the ultimate guys' girl - she's gorgeous, she's smart, AND she can talk video games with the best of them.  I wanted to include her memoir You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) on this list because I know Tom loves Felicia from her appearances on Supernatural, one of his favorite shows, and some gaming videos, and I thought he would appreciate reading her story!

We really enjoyed watching the movie version of The Martian and I think if Tom were stuck somewhere with a dead phone battery, he would enjoy the book version, as well!

Review: After The Fall

After The Fall
Julie Cohen
Published May 2, 2017 (first published 2015)

When an unfortunate accident forces Honor back into the lives of her widowed daughter-in-law, Jo, and her only granddaughter, Lydia, she cannot wait to be well enough to get back to her own home. However, the longer she stays with Jo and Lydia, the more they start to feel like a real family. But each of the three women is keeping secrets from the others that threaten to destroy the lives they’ve come to know.

Honor’s secret threatens to rob her of the independence she’s guarded ferociously for eighty years.

Jo’s secret could destroy the “normal” family life she’s fought so hard to build and maintain.

Lydia’s secret could bring her love―or the loss of everything that matters most to her.

One summer’s day, grandmother, mother and daughter’s secrets will be forced out in the open in a single dramatic moment that leaves them all asking: is there such a thing as second chances? - from Goodreads

I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

After The Fall is a story about three generations of women, learning to live with each other while still hiding the biggest parts of themselves.  When Honor is injured in a fall, her daughter-in-law Jo invites her to stay with her and her daughter Lydia until she heals.

Jo and Honor have always had a difficult relationship, which became even more strained after the death of Jo's husband and Honor's son, Stephen.  This part of the book was very relatable, since I think a lot of women have trouble connecting with their mothers-in-law.  Quite often there's tension and a feeling of inadequacy.

Jo, Honor, and Lydia each have a secret.  I didn't think any of the secrets were earth-shattering, but I can see how each might want to hide their true feelings.  In Honor's case, her secret could lead to the end of the independent life she has created for herself; Lydia's secret is tough because she's a teenager, and teenagers are so cruel to each other.

For me, Jo's story and secret were the weak link.  Jo is one of those people who's perpetually happy and cheerful, always taking care of others.  She just didn't seem real.  She has a secret because she made a ridiculous promise to her 16-year-old daughter.  Letting your children tell you who and when you can date is not the greatest idea, but Jo also seems to exhibit little self-control when it comes to a certain man.

Overall, this book was a quick, easy read about the changing relationships between the three women.  I especially liked the growth that Honor's character experienced throughout the novel.  The ending seemed to come out of nowhere and was a bit jarring, but if you enjoy stories about family relationships, you may enjoy this one.

3.5 stars