I loved the first season of this show and it‘s so accurate to the book! I‘ve already moved on to the second book. I hate how they ended the show but I am a reader of course so I have to read the books!

Wow. This one was REALLY good. I listened to it on audio and I‘m glad I did because it made Sadie‘s stutter more real. It breaks your heart, but it shows the power of the human spirit.

I‘m giving this a pick because it was interesting to learn about the inner workings of an art museum. The story was just okay, but overall I enjoyed it.

Another dud. It sounds good, but the chemistry between characters is not there for the premise of the book.

This was another good one! It was sad, but it was a quick easy read. I didn‘t know about the roundup that happened in Paris so I feel like I learned something about the time period too.

I LOVED this book!!! It was very nostalgic for me because I was a music major in college and all of the musical terms and the beautiful way being in an ensemble was described was perfect. Beautifully written!!

Ugh this was a monster of a book!! I finished it because it was for book club, but if it wasn‘t I would have bailed. The storyline is so confusing and all of the names of characters are similar. I can‘t even tell you what the book was about to be honest-that‘s how bad it was for me.

I really liked this one! The characters were flawed, but believable. I like how the family comes together in the end.

This was too unbelievable for me. I wouldn‘t recommend it.

I love Fredrik Backman. I don‘t know anything about hockey, but I live in Texas so I know what it‘s like to be into a hometown team. I loved the way this book played out with each character. Definitely a pick for me!

I was really not impressed with this book. The only likable characters were Roy‘s parents! I didn‘t like the way he acted like his wife was his property and not her own person. It just didn‘t do it for me.

It‘s a pick for me because Mailhot‘s writing is so powerful and impactful, but her story made me really sad. It made me sad because she seems to be trying to prove she‘s okay now, but really she still seems very angry. I‘m surprised she and her husband are still together to be honest.

I got this at a huge Half Priced Books sale a long time ago and I finally read it. I really liked it! It was complicated emotionally but I love the way the family connects in the end. Definite pick!

Honestly this could have been a pick but I HATED the way Landay describes women. He is constantly talking about how the look (i.e. weight) and he referred to a female Judge with a derogatory name. It was a bit of a surprising ending to be sure, but it was just okay.

This was an unexpected Moriarty story but I really liked it! There wasn‘t a huge plot twist or whodunnit type scenario, but it was very sweet and gentle.

This was just okay. I own the Emperor‘s Children but have never read it. I just wanted more from the story of a childhood friendship that falls apart.

Another one about being Fearless! This is an AMAZING true story and I am in awe of what humans can survive. This story is a love story believe it or not. I know I‘ll be thinking of this one for months to come.

So my word for this year is “Fearless”. Fear is something I‘ve struggled with forever, so I‘m reading/listening to books of Fearless characters and man was this a good one to start with! I have always had a fascination with the Nazi regime and concentration camps, but I didn‘t know anything about Holland during that time! Truly a Fearless story if I‘ve ever read one!

There were some parts to this book that were a little overboard for me, but overall I thought it was really good and eye-opening on the perspective of a Muslim teenage girl right after 9/11.

I‘m giving it a pick because I love Jodi Picoult, but I don‘t really like when authors do stories from the end and work backwards because I get confused on what the characters know and don‘t know at any given time... This is a signed copy though so I‘ll keep it forever haha!

First book of 2019! I loved this book and I keep thinking about it even though I finished it over a month ago. It really does explore what it means to be a family and how we can find our own family when we need it.

Last post of 2018! And I think the 66th book I‘ve read this year!
As always, an Emily Giffin novel is awesome. I loved the three characters she picked to narrate the story because without giving anything away, using the mother of the boy in question to narrate was my favorite part. Definitely a must read!

I listened to this book thinking it was going to be about a cult, and it is, but not really. Kwon‘s writing is so beautiful though I got over the fact it was more about a relationship than a cult. It was a quick read and it has really stuck with me since I read it.. lots to think about.

I loved Retta on Parks and Rec, so I had to read this book! It was a pick, but there were some chapters I could have done without... they were just too slow. Otherwise, I learned a lot about her and the show!

The content was so interesting, but I feel like it was extremely repetitive. A great story, but not great writing.

Meh. The first one was the best. I liked the sappy ending but it was too wishy-washy through most of the book.

My brother was in active addiction for 5 years. By the grace of God he has been clean for 7.5 years. This book was like a terrible flashback to those scary years when he was using, but damn. David Sheff nailed it. The confusion, the anger, the heartbreak, the longing for our loved one to get better. This book is a beautiful testament to how addiction impacts a family. I also work with people in addiction and I would recommend it to professionals⬇️

I was hoping this one would be better than the other B. A. Paris book I‘ve read, but it wasn‘t. It was too far fetched for me.

I kind of figured out the plot twist in this one early on, but didn‘t want it to be true. It was a good book that made me think of how it would be to live in a bubble. Makes you grateful for what you‘ve been given!
Also, I really like YA in audio.. anyone else feel that way?

From Mike Pence, to Donald “the human centipede” Trump, to feminine products and make-up, this book covered it all. In this day and age women need to be fired up. And Erin Gibson‘s book made me realize I have A LOT more that I should be fired up about. It‘s so good and so relevant. If you want to get more fired up, READ THIS NOW!

I didn‘t like this one as much as the first, but that seems typical for the second book in a trilogy. Still going to read the last one of course!

I felt like this book is between a pick and so-so. I‘m going with so-so because it didn‘t really have the best flow. It made me ache to go back to NYC though and made me sad that I have never lived there 😆

This was a fast, cute read. Definitely YA, but I appreciated the discussion of medication for mental health and the need to stick with it!

I really liked the concept of this book and it kept me guessing on whodunnit, but I wasn‘t as scared as I thought I‘d be based on the reviews. Still! A good one to read for this time of year!!

Eh, I know it‘s kind of a classic, but I just had a hard time relating to the characters. It was soooo slow at the beginning. I didn‘t see the ending coming, but it wasn‘t enough for this to be a “pick”.

I‘m kind of on a reading roll this week! This was creepy, but I wish it had been longer!

This. Book. Broke. Me. I devoured the audiobook in just a few days. Forman‘s knowledge of music and the way she weaves it into the writing of this book is breathtaking. In the last few minutes of the audiobook Mia talks about listening to a piece of music on an iPod that was so incredibly relatable to me I had to listen multiple times. I‘m going to have to purchase this one. Great book!!

This was so cute and different! I wouldn‘t say the writing is awesome, but I really appreciated that the author didn‘t let some plot points get overdone and strung out like some romantic YA books. It was light and just what I needed 😊 I am going out to get the second one today!

Another audiobook where it would have been better to read. I got really confused and I think it is because I struggled to follow the timeline and the different names used for the Golden State Killer. I do want to do some more research though since the book came out last year and they caught the guy this year! I would not take my recommendation to heart... I might go back and read it again to fully understand it 😊

I love the way Celeste Ng writes. I feel like this story isn‘t a huge sweeping story, but one that kind of haunts you and makes you think even when you aren‘t reading/listening to it. I know it‘s a story that I‘ll be thinking about for a while.

I haven‘t re-read a book so fast as I did with Eleanor. When I finally saw it in paperback at Target my HUSBAND told me to throw it in the cart because I have purchased so many copies for people as gifts! I just love this book so much. The cover makes it sound like a love story with a boy, but it‘s more about Eleanor learning to live and love herself. A DEFINITE pick!

I think this is a very accurate description of Bipolar Disorder and I‘m giving it a “pick” for that reason. I know it was not meant to be a long drawn out book but I would have liked it more if there had been more too the novel.

I love the women who narrated this one! I‘ve listened to a few she‘s done and I am a true believer that the narrator can make or break an audiobook 😂 I also really liked this book. It was a little confusing because it works backwards so I had to keep reminding myself that all the information I was learning the characters already knew at the start of the book. Confusing, but still a definite pick!

Meh. It was too predictable and perfect. I wish the characters had had a little bite to them. I did like that they were a biracial couple because I don‘t know if I‘ve read a book with a biracial couple before. But that was really the highlight. I also was not a fan of the narrator‘s voice ☹️

This was a dark book. I loved Gone Girl and I did like this one a lot too!! It‘s just... disturbing and dark. I couldn‘t put it down though which was awesome because I‘ve been in a LONG reading slump. So finishing this in a week felt good. Wanting to tear through a book felt good. Can‘t wait to watch the HBO series!

This one is just okay... it was too long for me. Maybe if I read it and didn‘t listen to it I might have liked it. It was too unrealistic for me.

I‘m giving this a “pick”, but I was a little disappointed. I want a heroine who doesn‘t need a dude AT ALL. I mean, I feel all superheroes have a love interest but I just wanted Zelie to be a badass on her own. I really love some of Adeyemi‘s imagery though and I could feel the magic, so that‘s why it‘s still a pick for me!