WWW Wednesday (8/21/19)

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

What do you think you'll read next?

This meme is held by samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit with other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading Us Against Them by Fredrik Backman. It's the follow-up to Beartown, which is about how a small, hockey-obsessed town is shaken up when the star player is accused of rape. I've been wanting to read this for a while!

What did you recently finish?

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch - Dark Matter is a mind-bending, sci-fi thriller! Definitely worth the read! Check out my full review here!  Dark Matter on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

The Trespasser by Tana French - Tana French writes excellent mystery/thrillers and this one is no exception! You should pick up her books if you're looking for a good mystery. The Trespasser on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - I've finally read this book after all the hype when the TV series first came out! I really loved it. The novel accurately portrays the thought process of domestic violence victims. Read my full review here.  Big Little Lies on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

What do you think you'll read next?

I've checked out the ebook for Warcross by Marie Lu, so I'll read that next and I've checked out the physical forms of the first two books in the Across the Universe trilogy/series (I can't remember if it's a series or trilogy).

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Big Little Lies

by Liane Moriarty

Published: Berkley, 2014

Pages: 458

Genre: Contemporary, Thriller

Amazon, Goodreads

"They say it's good to let your grudges go, but I don't know, I'm quite fond of my grudge. I tend it like a little pet."

About the book

A murder ... A tragic accident .... Or just parents behaving badly? What's indisputable is that someone is dead.

Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She's funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare but she is paying a price for the illusion of perfection. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for a nanny. She comes with a mysterious past and a sadness beyond her years. These three women are at a crossroads, but they will all wind up in the same shocking place.

Review

Big Little Lies is a suspenseful, character-driven read that highlights domestic violence and the importance of being kind to others.

The story is centered around three moms: Madeline, an extroverted force of nature; Jane, a shy, timid young mother; and Celeste, a drop-dead gorgeous woman who has a beautiful family and all the money she could ever need. Jane is new to the area and quickly finds herself in hot water when her son is accused of chocking another child during Kindergarten orientation. School politics and drama quickly elevate when the other child's mother, Renata, finds out her daughter is the victim of bullying and wants Jane's son suspended. Madeline deals with family escapades while it's slowly revealed that Celeste's picture perfect life is hiding a dark secret; this all comes to play in a horrifying murder.

It's reveled at the beginning of the novel that a murder has taken place but no other details are given. The snippets of interviews from minor characters in the story provide an excellent layer of suspense; the reader can tell that the dramas of Madeline, Jane, and Celeste are going to rapidly intertwine and explode into violence, which makes the book impossible to put down.

Throughout this storyline, the author does a great job of flushing out the characters to create what feels like REAL people that I could to and touch. Big Little Lies does a great job of showing the true mindset of domestic violence victims. You may find out a woman is continuously being hit by her significant other and think, "What is she even doing? If a man ever treated me like that I'd leave that night." But it's so different when it's actually happening to you. Victims rationalize to themselves and make themselves believe it was that bad or it was their own fault. I love how the author was able to portray this misconception about domestic violence.

Big Little Lies is a great read, and from what I hear a great show (though I haven't watch it yet!). It's definitely one I'd recommend and that I regret not picking up earlier.

RATING (out of five puppies):

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Dark Matter 

by Blake Crouch
Published: Random House, 2016
Pages: 342
Genre: Science Fiction
Amazon, Goodreads

But it’s all, in the end, just life. We see it macro, like one big story, but when you’re in it, it’s all just day-to-day, right? And isn’t that what you have to make your peace with?

About the book

"Are you happy with your life" Those are the last words Jason Dressen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend."

In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son  was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that's the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined - one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Review

I started Dark Matter thinking it was going to be a weird sci-fi novel but it ended up being so much more than that.

Jason Dessen is a physics professor at a community college who faced a promising career as a budding scientist at 20 but, when his girlfriend got pregnant, choose to focus on his family. Fifteen years later, he wonders what if?

During a night out celebrating a friend’s success, Jason is held at gunpoint then transported into a world where, on that fateful time where he needed to choose between his career and family, he chooses his career. Not everything is as it seems and all Jason wants to do is get back to his family, but the path is dangerous and virtually impossible.

Dark Matter is suspenseful and mind-bending! To me, the book highlights the importance of living without regrets and in the moment; you can’t live life being miserable about every potential mistake you made because that will come back to haunt you.

I feel like I can’t say that much without giving away parts of the plot so, suffice to say, just go read it because it’s a great book!

RATING (out of five puppies)

WWW Wednesday (8/14/19)

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

What do you think you'll read next?

This meme is held by samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit with other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

I picked up The Trespasser from the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble last month, and I'm finally getting around to reading it. I am enjoying it, though it drags in comparison to her other novels. Once I finish this one, I believe there will only be one book of hers left that I haven't yet read.

What did you recently finish?

The Magicians by Lev Grossman - So I did enjoy reading The Magicians, but I felt like the characters were a bit annoying and there wasn't much of a plot. The Magicians on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★

Final Girls by Riley Sager - Final Girls is a great thriller full of suspense and mystery! I'm excited to pick up Lock Every Door. Final Girls on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

Deserve to Die by Miranda Rijks - I got Deserve to Die on NetGalley, and I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The author does a great job keeping up the suspense in the novel, but I was a big disappointed with the ending. It's still a good read, though! Deserve to Die on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★

What do you think you'll read next?

I've checked out There There from the library, so that'll be next on my list. I might read a mystery or two I have at home after this one.

Top Ten Tuesday / Book Characters I'd Love to be Besties With

Top Ten Tuesday is a book blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is Book Characters I'd Love to be Besties With. Let's get to it!

Simon Spier from Simon vs the Homo Sapien Agenda - Simon, because we all need a gay best friend!

Hermione Granger from Harry Potter - I'd love to be friends with anyone from HP, but I feel like I'd click well with Hermione.

April May from An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - If you haven't read this book, which if you haven't you need to, April is sassy, hilarious girl who would be awesome to be besties with! We have the same type of humor, so I think we'd get along really well.

Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass - Celaena because everyone wants to be friends with a motherfcking badass!

Arya Stark from Game of Thrones - Arya's another badass that I'd want on my side.

Evie O'Neill from The Diviners - This is an amazing series! Evie is an outgoing party girl, which is just the type of extrovert that would take an introvert like me under their wing.

Veronica Mars from the book/TV series - I've loved the Veronica Mars TV series ever since it first aired. It's now been rebooted on Hulu, and the original creator is a co-author on a new book series. I've read the first book and really enjoyed it!

Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer - Lazlo seems like a cool dude who has all the qualities I'd want in a friend; he's loyal and a genuinely good person.

Wade Watts from Ready Player One - I like nerdy boys so I think I'd like being friends with Wade.

Mark Watney from The Martian - Mark is hilarious... even when he's stranded on Mars, he's cracking jokes and keeping your spirits up. He sounds like the perfect friend to have when you're going through a rough time.

What about you? What book character would you love to be besties with? Let me know in the comments!

WWW Wednesday (8/7/19)

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

What do you think you'll read next?

This meme is held by samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit with other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

I'm almost finished with The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's really good so far. I was surprised by how quickly it progresses; we go through Quentin's entire five years at Brakebills in the first part of the novel. Still good though!

What did you recently finish?

I recently finished The Wonder, which is a great historical fiction novel about a British nurse who travels to rural Ireland for the strange case of a young girl who hasn't eaten in four months but who, apparently, doesn't need food. I also read The Broken Girls, which is a spooky thriller. Both are great novels.

What do you think you'll read next?

I picked up Final Girls and There There from the library. There are also some ebooks I'm on the wait list for... I'll probably also continue with The Magicians trilogy.

July 2019 Wrap-Up

For the month of July I read a total of 14 books! I devoured the Legend series and participated in The Reading Rush, so that mostly contributed to this month's high number.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert - Really enjoyed this one! ★★★★
The Legend series by Marie Lu - Overall, the series is entertaining and fun. Legend: ★★★★, Prodigy: ★★★, Champion: ★★★★
Normal People by Sally Rooney - I was really surprised by Normal People. It's a depressing love story that shows the importance of hope. ★★★★★

No Exit by Taylor Adams - I liked the premise but didn't care for the characters. ★★★
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell - Then She Was Gone was another read in which I enjoyed the story line, but I felt like it started to fall apart in the middle and I got bored. ★★★
Wilder Girls by Rory Power - A fantastic read! Creepy, suspenseful and addicting. Wilder Girls definitely lives up to the hype. ★★★★★
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas - I wasn't a fan of this one. I kept feeling bored while reading. ★★

 

Miracle Creek by Kim Angie - Miracle Creek is a great read that combines family drama, murder and a thrilling courtroom aspect! ★★★★★
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He - I checked out the ebook from my library because I've seen good reviews on it, but the Descendant of the Crane was not my cup of tea. ★★
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab - This book is a really enjoyable middle grade read. I especially liked the plot. ★★★★

As part of The Reading Rush:

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black - I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! An excellent read. ★★★★★
Carrie by Stephen King - I finally read the book for the first time. I really liked this a lot more than the movies; the book provides additional background on Carrie and what happens after the prom incident. ★★★★★
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli - I liked the book in general but I'm not a fan of Leah as a character. ★★★
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur - After reading this, I don't understand the hype surrounding the book. I'm not a big poetry reader, but I don't see how the majority of the pieces are considered poems. ★★

What did you read in July? Let me know in the comments!