Show Us Your Books: Three Year Anniversary

What would we do baby, without us

What would we do baby, without us

 sha na na naaaaaaaaaa

Happy three year anniversary to this awesome reading community! Thank you for joining Jana and I on the second Tuesday of every month to talk about books, whether you are linking up your own post, commenting on ours, or just reading them and thinking about them on your own. Reading is so fundamental to who we are as people - it impacts how we think, how we relate to others and the world around us, how we cope, how we grow - I am so glad to share those pieces of me here with you, and to get those pieces of you through conversations about books and reading.

As usual we are hosting an anniversary giveaway that you can enter at the bottom of this post for a $25 gift card to Amazon + a $25 donation in the winner's name to the Children's Literacy Initiative, which is local to us (out of Philadelphia), and like us believes that reading = opportunity, reading = choice, reading = power. We know our booknerd community is as civic minded as we are and knows the importance of literacy so we figure you win and the community wins and the future world wins if we raise a generation of readers who are critical thinkers and we all freaking win.

And can I take a minute to wish my long long time BFF Melissa a very happy birthday? 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up is the second Tuesday of every month. The next is  Tuesday, November 14, 2017 
Please: 

1. Visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me
2. Display the button and/or link back to us on your blog post
2. Visit other blogs who've linked up and talk books as booknerds are wont to do

Here's what I've read from the last linkup.

Engrossing Reads

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng - I was super pumped to read this and it did not disappoint. I liked it better than her first. I'd recommend this book to almost any kind of reader except the person who wants something very not thinky. BOTMC hardback, own

The Rules of Magic (Practical Magic 0) by Alice Hoffman - When Alice Hoffman is on, she is on, and I am in love with her books. When she's off she's way off. She is on here. Everything I love about Alice Hoffman is in this book and more time with the Owens family was a great treat. For lack of a better word, magic. Free e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward - Ouch. This book hurt in a way reminiscent of some Toni Morrison books. So good. BOTMC hardback, own

Passed the Time Just Fine

Brass: A Novel by Xhenet Aliu - This had some of my favorite novel components: more than one generation of mother daughter relationships, blue collar town, struggle, American dream...it was like a Bruce Springsteen song off The River album. I loved the writing, the story itself was a little secondary to that. Free e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Liar's Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard - Interesting premise for sure, and I had no idea where this book was going through most of it which is always a good sign. It kept me interested. Free e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall - Really well written and emotional - character and subject-wise. It was a good move to focus on the family of the person committed of a terrible and ostracizing crime over the alleged criminal himself. Too often we forget the people who are in the orbit with no blame to share and we heap it on them anyway. Free e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Do This For Me by Eliza Kennedy - I think I was the first person to review this on Goodreads, so it's like new new new. LOL. Some books arrive in your life at the exact right moment. I loved how outrageously this woman lost and found herself. It was exaggerated and ballsy and totally not real life and I would not have appreciated it even three days earlier or later. Free e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

All of Us and Everything by Bridget Asher - I was super pumped to read this at the shore as it's set in Ocean City. Then the author made a total setting mistake and it annoyed me terribly - she talked about the boardwalk way down in the 50s streets. The boardwalk ends on 23rd. Totally lame error. Other than that and some excessive wordiness and explaining of shit we didn't need to know, the concept of this was really pretty interesting. Paperback, own

Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons - Man, people on Goodreads shit all over this book. While it certainly is not her best, for me it was a perfect way to while a few hours away on the beach without asking too much of my brain or soul. Paperback, own

Fractured by Catherine McKenzie - This has been on my kindle for a while and I ended up liking it more than I thought I would even though some of the plot points were poorly developed and the end result seemed like the easy way out. Amazon kindle e-book

Cause to Run (Avery Black Mysteries #2) by Blake Pierce - Solid Avery story, pretty solid suspense series if you're into that. Amazon kindle e-book

Don't Tell a Soul (Detectives Kane and Alton #1) by D.K. Hood - First, D.K. Hood, why is Kane listed first? Because he's the male? They are co-lead characters. How about alpha order? Anyway, this was fine. Fine. It didn't knock my socks off but it entertained. Free e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not Worth It

Did Not Finish

The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse - Yeah, no. Sorry, Netgalley, I cannot finish books that are weak, whiny, and unreadable with female leads who have no fucking clue what is going on in the real world. I am sick of those female characters. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Poison by Galt Niederhoffer - Another turd bomb. This book spent over 20% of itself electronically giving too much background detail about these people. It was literally the build up that would not end, so I ended it. Bye, boy. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel - So, this is a weird situation, I don't think I've ever had it before. I loved the writing - it read like a love letter to family and kids who are different. I loved the characters, all of them. I loved the world Frankel created. But it never seemed to move more than a foot forward. I never got any closer to the end, and I just put it down lovingly, like a toy that has served me well and was much loved but that I grew out of. I think this subject is important. I think the way it was written about was beautiful. I am annoyed that I couldn't stick it out, but that goes against my reading philosophy. I'd rather put it down still loving it 3/4 of the way through than push to finish and end up hating it. So that's what I did. I read it the week before Geege died, when I knew the end was coming. I'm sure that had something to do with it. OCNJ library hardback

And you? What have you been reading? 

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