November SUYB, and I'm grateful for all readers who share what they're reading. Sharing is caring. I love to see it on Instagram especially because it's passive and visual.
A few housekeeping items: next month, in addition to the regular SUYB on the second Tuesday of the month (December 10), we'll be hosting Favorite Reads of 2019 and you can link up on Friday, December 27, for that, or any time the week after. The link up will be open for seven days. That's always one of my favorite posts of the year and I hope it's one of yours too.
Also Jana and I will be doing a December giveaway - winner gets $25 gift certif to the bookseller of their choice + $25 donation in their name to a charity we're still working out. That will be going on in the December 10 linkup.
Buy it links are affiliate links and buying through them supports this link up
The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall - I got this from this linkup, I just don't know who it's from. I typically don't like books with child narrators but I really liked this. It was a quick and quirky read, different from a lot of stuff I read. Polly is a character and a half. OCNJ library hard cover buy it
The Lies We Hide by S.E. Lynes - This was surprisingly moving in parts for what is essentially a family drama that feels like a thriller but really isn't one, in my opinion. Still the writing pressed me on like something shocking was coming and what's coming will maybe shock some people? It didn't shock me. There are so many family dramas (I think they're calling these books domestic thrillers?) that they're easy to read and move on from, but I liked the friendship between the women in this book and that stuck with me after reading it. Free e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, book comes out December 4 buy it or find it on Kindle Unlimited
The Place on Dalhousie by Melina Marchetta - Erin sent Jana and I a message to read this, and I'm so glad she did. It wasn't available at my libraries but I lucked into it on Kindle Unlimited before my trial there runs out. Like all of Marchetta's books, I loved this cast of far from perfect characters and the way they come together. Kindle Unlimited free read buy it
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson - Woodson's writing is stunning, like it was in Another Brooklyn. The mother/daughter relationship, ambition, teen pregnancy, opportunity, class, racism, sexual identity, this has it all, and the writing around all of it weaving tales and families together is just excellent. This is the kind of book that makes me regret not using my english lit degree to teach lit at a higher level. I can see breaking this down in a circle in a classroom on a winter's day. If you don't like literary fiction or books that ask your mind to reach outside of your zone, you will not like this. Same with Another Brooklyn. OCNJ library hard cover buy it
Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben - Another from last month's SUYB and I did not want to let this one go. I can't believe I missed it when it came out a few years back. It sucked me right in. One of his better books. OCNJ library hard cover buy it
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - Child, this book was alternately exhilarating and terrifying. It can be read without first reading Handmaid's Tale but it shouldn't be. And no, watching the show does not count. A delicious and long awaited follow-up. OCNJ library hard cover buy it
If I Had Two Lives by A.B. Whelan - I was on the edge of my seat with this book and finished it in two sittings. I read these types of books all the time and this one was wild. I highly recommend it.
I got a free copy from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review. E-book, Book publishes November 14 buy it, only $1.99 on kindle/free via Kindle Unlimited
Lying Next to Me by Gregg Olsen - On the heels of that thriller, I read another. This one was also a super quick read and quite enjoyable. I saw this on "books you might like" on a sidebar or similar on Goodreads and bravo, Goodreads. I did indeed like. Also since my favorite book format is paperback, when I request a book from the library and end up with it in paperback format, I do major fist pumps. OCNJ paperback buy it (also on Kindle Unlimited for free if you have that)
Passed the Time Just Fine
The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan - I wanted to punch the main character in the face several times but I still enjoyed this book. I waited for it a the library a while, and it was worth it, which is always good. When I picked it up, the librarian said, "I think I'm next on the hold list after you," so I made sure to finish it lickety split because that's what readers do for each other when subtly nudged. OCNJ library hard cover
In the Darkness (Zoe Bentley Mystery #2) by Mike Omer - I found out there was a Zoe #2 via Dani's Blue, which is why I love when people share what they're reading on blogs, the gram, etc. Another solid Zoe book. I'll continue with the series. Kindle unlimited e-copy
The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore - Another pick from last month's SUYB I think, and another nice interlude between the serial killer/police procedural genre I bathe my brain in. Sometimes it's also nice to read a book about a summer place when you're heading into fall. OCNJ library hard cover
The Wives by Tarryn Fisher - I wasn’t sure what to believe and while things got a little muddled, I liked this. Interesting story and good pace. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, book comes out December 30
Not Worth It
The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler - My main hurdles were: 1) main character was super immature 2) a lot of things were oversimplified, including mental illness, which is not simple. Less impactful were the annoying brother, how the father was written, and overly simplified writing. I also figured out early who the killer was but had no idea what the motivation was so that spurred me to read through. Figuring stuff like that out doesn't bother me though, so that was not a factor in the meh rating. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Book comes out January 28, 2020
The Giver of Stars by Jo Moyes - The story felt familiar to me. See original article here and here, an update, as further info regarding the claims are shared last week. Nope nope nope. After the original article and feeling like I'd read a similar story (which I did, earlier this year) I couldn't do it.
What have you been reading?
Linkup Guidelines:
This link up is the second Tuesday of every month. The next linkup is December 10, 2019
1. Visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me, and check in with as many in our reading circle as you can - give some love to the later linker uppers! 2. Link back to us in your blog post - if you want the button you can get it from that link
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