I'm going to attempt a regular blog posting again! It's not easy for me, I'm not sure why it's so difficult to take the time to blog, but it is! But I want to share my thoughts on my books and my reading adventures. Even if no one ever reads it 😊
I'm just going to recap what I've read in 2017 so far! These will just be the short reviews I put on Goodreads immediately after finishing the book. In the future I'd like to give fuller reviews of books one at a time...but as I'm horrible at blogging, we'll see.
2017 Complete Books
January
The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware★★★★★
I know I give five stars to a lot of stuff, but I don't care! This book was amazing. I breezed through it as fast as I could with life and what not getting in the way lol it was a thriller and I wanted to know what happened and after I found out then I wanted to know how it all ended up! I loved the ending, not disappointed at all. Sometimes a book can rock and then fall flat on its face for the ending, this was not the case for The Woman in Cabin 10! Highly recommended.
Homer & Langley - E.L. Doctorow★★★★★
Yes. This was a book I knew I wanted to read when I picked it up. It did not disappoint. Poignant and real. I cherish this book. Yes yes yes.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon★★★★★
I loved it! Really a compelling read. I was interested in Christopher and his father instantly and I wanted to know what happens. And I wanted to know how he viewed the world and the thoughts that were in his head. The play is coming to The Civic Center soon and I can't wait to see it now!!
★★★★★
AMAZING! One of the best "horror" books I've ever read! It truly is a vampire book unlike anything ever written before. They call him the Stephen King of Sweden and I completely agree! I will read every other book of his with as much eagerness as I did this one!!
★★★
Wasn't my favorite. It had good moments, but I was underwhelmed. It was a weird plot line with a weird ending.
★★★★★
Well! That took less than a day to read. It was a very fast and compelling read. I needed to know what was going to happen, who would be next on the tape, who would be last, how it was going to end! I didn't have the patience to wait!! Great book for a YA novel. Tough to get through some of the topics she deals with, heavy stuff! 5 stars.
Big Little Lies - Liane Moriarty★★★★★
I can't give this a high enough rating! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. I read 486 pages in two days! I stayed up way later than I should tonight to read the last 260 pages in 3 hours! The boom just chugged and chuffed and built up and up and then exploded! Wow. Liane Moriarty knows how to write a STORY! My god, read this book everyone! I can't WAIT to read another of Liane's novels!!
February
Everything You Want Me To Be - Mindy Mejia★★★★★
Absolutely loved it!! Ate it up! I thought at first it was going to be a very stereotypical ending and I had my review ready In my head for it being a bit boring and predictable and I was slightly disappointed after a very good book but Mindy Mejia had some twists and punches left for us! In the end it was an amazing book! Loved all the characters. In one way or another I felt for every single one of them. I wish there was more to read. All the best books always leave us wanting more!
Luckiest Girl Alive★★★★
I guess I forgot to review this one on Goodreads! I remember liking it, but not as much as I thought I would, because I have it 4 stars. I remember it being a good book though!
March
IT - Stephen King★★★★★
So good. I'm in awe. I loved it and I'm so sorry I waited so long to read it! I can't wait until I have enough time in my life to read it again. It was everything I wanted it to be. Stephen King is a master of horror.
The Circle - Dave Eggers★★★★
Interesting book. Very interesting. I flew through it. Just honestly not sure what I think? Not sure. I liked it...I think? Wasn't the greatest thing I ever read, I had to give it 4 instead of 5 stars. I don't know. I'm torn. Maybe need more time to think about it.
Cradle and All - James Patterson★★★★★
I really did like it! Read it in one day. It was thrilling and intriguing and mysterious. I really enjoyed the end. Didn't know if I would, I was afraid the end would disappoint, but it did not! Quick read. Very enjoyable.
The Grownup - Gillian Flynn★★★★
I enjoyed this short story, I enjoy all Gillian Flynn novels, and this one didn't disappoint either...except the end. I have to agree with others. I understand why she did what she did, but I don't like it. It didn't feel like a cop out and more than anything else it felt like she ran out of time or was trying to keep the story within a certain length and just chopped it off and called it good. That's why I had to give it 4 stars.
The Impossible Fortress - Jason Rekulak★★★★★
I loved it. Fun throwback nostalgic material. Cute storyline. Loved the characters. I ate it up. I'll read more from Jason!
April
Rooms - Lauren Oliver★★★★
I forgot to write a review on Goodreads for this one too. Whoops! This was my first Lauren Oliver book and I know it was at least 2 years since I originally saw this book and wanted it until now when I actually found it again and got to read it! This book started by love affair with Lauren Oliver's work! I've read many since and have many more from her to read still!
The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
★★★★★
Another forgotten review. Whoops! I remember being blown away by this book, these characters, and the world that was created! One of the better more complete books to come out recently! It was HIGHLY reviewed by a lot of my friends and my wife and so I finally caved and read it. Really glad I did! High recommended.
Everything Everything - Nicola Yoon★★★★★
It was a beautiful and compelling read! I knew I'd love this book and I was not wrong! The characters were interesting. The twist was good and heartbreaking. The ending was pretty good. The main character and narrator, Madeline's, voice was great! I thoroughly enjoyed this read!
The Husband's Secret - Liane Moriarty★★★★★
UUUUUGH, why did I not review this one on Goodreads either?! I LOVED this book! Liane Moriarty is a GOD! Two for two on her books that I've read. This one was so gripping too! I read it super fast, had to know what was going to happen, had to know what the husband's secret was and then after it was revealed had to know how that would be handled or resolved!! She's just a damn good author! Yay for female authors!
May
Everything's Eventual - Stephen King★★★★★
Really great collection of short stories, including his famous Ride the Bullet and 1408, which was turned into a movie and the reason I picked up this book. However I just kept reading and reading until next thing I knew I had finished it. My personal favorite is Lunch at the Gotham Café! Check it out! I don't know how Stephen King does it, but he continues to do it!
Gwendy's Button Box - Stephen King & Richard Chizmar★★★★★
I loved it! Thought it was a great little story. It kept me on my toes, made me want to keep reading and it was thought provoking. Gwendy is a great character. Well done Stephen and Richard!
Rage - Richard Bachman (Stephen King)★★★★★
Another no review on Goodreads! Ack! This book was really gripping. Really thought provoking, as Richard Bachman's seem to be! It was intense. I know Stephen King made it clear he does not want this in print anymore, which makes sense because it's about a school shooting, though he wrote it YEARS before Columbine came into the news. So it's a much sought-after paperback. I read it in my collection of Bachman books.
The Troop - Nick Cutter★★★★★
Really a great book. A great exposé on human nature. And in particular the human nature of teenage boys needing to survive in the face of terrors and horrors beyond their belief. It has a taste of Lord of the Flies in it, just a taste, but I felt it. Fucked up in parts? Yes, but that's what makes it so good. It was a very easy read. When you want to know what's coming next and how it'll end, then the author has done their job in my opinion! 5 stars easily. I have Little Heaven by Nick Cutter and I cant wait to read that now too.
Dark Matter - Blake Crouch★★★★★
Whoops again! I remember obsessively reading this book though! It's super fast-paced!! I even have recommended it to people and let others borrow it from me. Really a great sci-fi read! Another one I had seen and wanted to read for years before I finally did!
June
The Running Man - Richard Bachman (Stephen King)★★★★
A well known King book that I finally got to. It was an interesting read. I'm glad I went ahead with it as long as I had the Bachman books out. Not the best for me. A little clunky and a little slow, but sometimes maybe your head just isn't in the right place for a book? But I feel I'm spot on for my feelings on books. 4 star for me.
The Dinner - Herman Koch★★★★
This was a book club book for my work, that I didn't get around to reading the month that it was suggested for. Strange book indeed. But I read it in one day, so clearly it was fascinating enough! I don't know, I liked it. Weird book, but I dig it. I'm glad I read it! Really fucked up though lol
The Stranger in the Woods - Michael Finkel★★★★★
A book I saw in the bookstore and was immediately drawn to. I like stories like this. I remember reading a very long article about this man when he was first discovered. My family bought this book for me for father's day! A very well written book, if sometimes a little wordy. I thoroughly enjoyed Chris Knights tale and the relationship, of you could call it that, that Michael and Chris developed.
Armada - Ernest Cline★★★★★
I loved it! I don't know what all you detractors are talking about! It was a fantastic book and story and characters! Was it perfect? No, but it was close! I loved Ready Player One and this wasn't as good, sure, but Ernest Cline knows how to craft a fun throwback story!
The Perfect Stranger - Megan Miranda★★★★★
I haven't read All The Missing Girls, so this was my first Megan Miranda! I loved it. It was compelling and twisty and well thought out. One thing I wish was wrapped up better, but otherwise I loved it!
July
The Talisman - Stephen King★★★
The Talisman...oh boy, what to say? Another epic adventure by Stephen King. Took me FOREVER to read. I read probably 6 or 7 books between when I started this one and finished it. It was supposed to be a buddy read, but I fell behind because it wasn't compelling me. In the end I enjoyed it, Jack was good, Wolf was fantastic. His adventures and trials were good, but it just wasn't all there for me. It was maybe just too much and a little too slow in parts. Glad I read it, but will probably never re-read.
Daddy Long Legs - Jean Webster★★★★
Got this book to read because I LOVE LOVE LOVE the musical based on this story. The story itself was a little bland. It's a short story, perhaps a novella. And I already knew what would happen lol but it was still fun to read and to see the exact phrases reused in the musical. This was read as part of a 5 books in 5 days challenge with a friend.
Pork Pie Hat - Peter Straub★★★
I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong. It was just a LOT of exposition. Being broken up by actual conversation would have made it flow easier for me. The ending was fine. I drew some conclusions I think the author wanted me to. Just was kind so-so for me overall. Another I chose for the 5 for 5 challenge
Summer of Night - Dan Simmons★★★★★
How could I give this anything but five stars? Fully fleshed out characters, seems exactly like what it would be like to be a 12 year old in 1960! I could visualize everything in my mind as Dan laid it out! Great bad guys/monsters! A gang of kids banding together to solve it (I see why it gets compared to IT a lot and it's worthy of being compared). The ending was good! Wrapped up nicely, as I think a lot of Stephen King's don't do 😳. It was a beautiful book! I often think if I can picture a book as a movie in my mind then it was written well! Can't say enough!! Will reread for sure!
Lost Boy - Christina Henry★★★★★
I absolutely loved this book! I loved the spin on the classic tale. It was so real. A lot of thoughts about who was actually right and who was wrong and why between Jamie and Peter. Perhaps both were right at different times and both were wrong at different times and for different reasons. I found this to be so much more of a thinker then I expected. I really hope she writes a sequel! In the meantime I will have to find her Alice and Red Queen books!
Battle Royale - Koshun Takami★★★★
EPIC buddy read with Leah! I liked it. I just wasn't a blown away with it as I had expected to be! I was SUPER pumped to read the gorier more realistic Japanese version of The Hunger Games (even tho this book came out well before The Hunger Games) and then it was certainly entertaining and had some parts I soared through, but other times it was a bit clunky. I think part of that was the translation. I don't know, I liked it, and in some ways it's a masterpiece being 700 pages long, but maybe I just built up my expectations a little too much?
Replica - Lauren Oliver★★★★★
I'm not gonna lie, I loved this book! I thought the characters were great, I thought the twists and turns were new and exciting! I thought I had it figured out from the beginning and I was wrong! Love that. And a litmus test of mine is if I can picture the book as a movie and hell yes I could, and it's indeed a book I WANT to be turned into a movie! 5 stars and I can't wait for the sequel!! ❤👍📚
The Heart Goes Last - Margaret Atwood★★★★
This is my first Margaret Atwood! And damn if I didn't think this plot sounded so fascinating. I was just perusing the hospital bookstore because everything was half off and this was there so I jumped on it! I loved it! What a strange concept and execution of this book. I dig it. I can't remember why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. Must not have been a runaway hit for me, but I do remember loving it. It'll be worth a reread someday!
Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell★★★
Fuck this book. It just pissed me off over and over and then it didn't fix it in the end. I need some time to think. Maybe I'll change my rating? But right now I'm just torked off.
Well, I did go back a few days later and changed my rating from 1 star to 3, because it WAS a good book, just pissed me off too many times and I hated the ending.
August
The Summer That Melted Everything - Tiffany McDaniel★★★★★
What a powerful book! I can't believe this is the authors debut novel!! SO much to think about. I will be recommending this book to everyone. I think this story will stick with me for a long time and I see a reread in my future!! Can't say enough about this book. Just for me the hit of the summer.
Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman★★★★
My first Neil Gaiman! I intended American Gods to be my first, but damned if it doesn't just keep sitting atop my TBR! I gotta get to it!! But a book about MY heritage's myths?? Sweet! And I loved it, just not exactly my cup of tea. Well written and researched and fun to see these characters outside of the superhero genre.
The Blinds - Adam Sternbergh★★★★★
My first Book of the Month read! Yay! I loved it! I thought it was an interesting concept and the characters were certainly interesting! There were plenty of surprises and twists and turns toward the latter half to keep me entertained! Loved it, really glad I chose it as my Book of the Month! ❤
The Lying Game - Ruth Ware★★★★★
I loved it. Except the 40 pages I read right away and then set it aside to read another book, I read this in 2 days. I'm a big Ruth Ware fan tho. Loved all three of her books! She writes great characters and great plots. There's always some great twists and surprises I don't see coming, some I do see coming, and usually when a surprise is revealed and you understand, then a few pages later it's twisted a second time! I love that! Big fan of Ruth Ware. I'll read whatever she puts out! Yay female authors!!
Before the Fall - Noah Hawley★★★★
It was good! Not the greatest thing I ever read, but it had my attention and the last half of the book breezed by and the last few chapters were intense!! Another one that I picked to read years ago and didn't get until now!
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury★★★★★
My first reread of a classic in a LONG time! Just couldn't put off rereading my favorite book anymore! Still love it! ❤ so much to consider and read into! Ray Bradbury wrapped so much symbolism into this work!
And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie★★★★★
My first Agatha Christie novel and it was fantastic! Can't believe it took me this long, but it did! Lots of good old fashioned murder mystery and some twists and turns and dammed if I didn't want to know the entire time who the killer was so I kept reading and reading! Great fun!
Bleed - Ed Kurtz★★★★★
My first official read of a book I got from The Nocturnal Reader's Box (if you're a fan of horror and reading GET THIS BOX!!). It was a fuuuucked up book lol. But it was GREAT! Disturbing in great ways. The beginning reminded me SO MUCH of Little Shop of Horrors! The ending was a little too strange for me, but otherwise I enjoyed this VERY much!
September
Cell - Stephen King★★★
I enjoyed it. I got invested in the characters. The last half went much faster, but it just wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I didn't hate it. Didn't even dislike it, just wasn't what I was wanting maybe? Glad I read it, can add another King book to my read pile! But probably don't ever need to read it again.
The Mailman - Bentley Little★★★★★
AMAZING book! I absolutely adore this book and this villain! Talk about ruthless and badass with just a *hint* of supernatural. Can't wait to get another Bentley Little book if this is the kind of writing and story telling I have to look forward to! Picked this up off eBay as a cover buy and because it was produced as a special edition by Cemetery Dance, but I had a feeling I'd love it, and my feelings about books are rarely wrong. Hotly anticipating my next Bentley Little read!!
Gerald's Game - Stephen King★★★★
I liked this book. The story was captivating, the concept and why it's scary was well done! It was a tad slow at times, as I thought it might be, so 4 stars instead of 5 for me, but I did like it. I bumped it up to read immediately after I heard they were making a Netflix movie from this and the trailer looked good. I just watched the movie and it was well done too! I'm glad I read this book and I don't despise it like some other people do. Oh! And the last 40 pages or so REALLY made the book for me!! SO GOOD!
Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell★★★★★
Loved it! Absolutely loved it. The characters, the plot, the plot within the plot! It was a very compelling read. I was entertained and enthralled from start to finish. I'm a Rainbow Rowell fan even if Eleanor & Park pissed me off. I still like the way she writes. These characters in Fangirl were fleshed out SO well! I cared about them. A lot. And I'm glad it had a good ending!! Since Eleanor & Park's ending pissed me off so much!!
Dark Screams: Volume Eight - Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman★★★
This is an ARC I got from NetGalley, thank you so much!!, for an honest review. I have to admit I was let down by this book. The short stories contained within were just not that interesting. They were not fleshed out. Some ended abruptly. The last story in particular, India Blue, was really not an interesting or well put together short, I'm sorry to say. I feel like 3 stars is generous. Also disappointing because Bentley Little has a short in here and I love him.
Walpuski's Typewriter - Frank Darabont - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Boy - Bentley Little - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tumor - Benjamin Percy - ⭐️⭐️
Twisted and Gnarled - Billie Sue Mosiman - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Palaver - Kealan Patrick Burke - ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
India Blue - Glen Hirshberg ⭐️
The Shining - Stephen King★★★
My three stars are in no way to represent that I didn't enjoy this book, I did. I read it. All of it. It just took me some time because I couldn't get invested enough to want to zoom through it. I'm disappointed, believe me. Because it's a King classic and so many people love it! It was just very very slow for me, I'm sorry to say.
So there you have it! All 51 books I've read in 2017 so far! If you made it to the end of this post WELL DONE and THANK YOU for reading! I love talking about books and I love reading!
Lars
