Read Me...Or Don't

Currently Reading: A Court of Wings and Ruin By Sarah J. Maase

Past Reads:

The Housemaid By Freida McFadden

2/5

I am so thoroughly disappointed in this book. Definitely not a thriller in my opinion, nor horror, suspense, or mystery. The whole book seems so predictable for the most part, and I felt like I was reading a book written by a middle schooler. Would not read it again. I can't believe the rating this has on goodreads. Not worth the hype. Need to sell this book asap. June 2024

A Court of Mist and Fury By Sarah J. Maase

4.5/5

Ok, I'm flying through this series faster than I thought I would, despite the how phat these books are. This book is better than the first although not by a landslide. I think it's better in the send that I am already familiar with the characters and have built my own opinions about things that when chaos arises I have more emotions. The ending is wild and I actually I am so so excited to read the next one. Sarah - you tricked me at the end... May 2024

Funny Story By Emily Henry

3/5

Book club book! I think there's probably a Hallmark movie made about this book, and if not, I'm sure it's in line to be a movie done by Hallmark. This is my first Emily Henry book, and I have to say, after reading just this one book, I am certain I know what her other books must read like: Hallmark-y. There's nothing wrong with a cheesy, predictable romance, and they make for a great quick read, but if you're looking for something deeper and confusing, I'm taking a wild guess and saying these are not those books. Overall, it was a fun summer read, and I've been given the recommendation to read Beach Read next by her so you'll be hearing from me in the future about Emily Henry. May 2024

A Court of Thorns and Roses By Sarah J. Maase

4/5

Finally, I have started ACOTAR, and I can confidently say that I will be reading the entire series. I haven't read a book series since I was in grade school, and it was probably Nancy Drew or A Series of Unfortunate Events (Which I would actually love to read again). I was surprised that I didn't find this book at any point boring or slow despite what several people warned me it would be. Maybe..just maybe I'm turning into a fantasy girly?! I found this book to be somewhat similar to Fourth Wing in several ways: fantasy, enemies to lovers, amongst other things, and all of which I enjoyed. Faeries, blight, and a wyrm - how could you resist? May 2024

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo By Stieg Larsson

3/5

My first impression of this book is that the movie was a thousand times better. It's a very slow burn until the last 100 pages actually start to unravel the plot. I love the character development and storyline of this book, but it can be really difficult to follow as there are seemingly two plots that run independently and then finally come together at the end. Lisbeth Salander, an edgy computer hacker, meets Mikael Blomkvist, an ordinary magazine columnist, to solve a Swedish family mystery that takes a crazy turn of events. May 2024

Bright Young Women By Jessica Knoll

2/5

I would have enjoyed this book so much more if the book weren't a work of fiction. About halfway through reading, I found out that the events and characters of Ted Bundy's victims are fictionalized, which, in my opinion, makes this book so much worse. The book follows the timeline of two girls and their encounters with Ted Bundy and an interesting take on Ted Bundy himself. I'll be sure to read non-fiction books in the future. April 2024

Small Great Things By Jodi Picoult & The Velvet Rage By Alan Downs

4/5

I had this book sitting on my bookshelf for several years, and I finally had the chance to read it when a friend chose it for book club, and thank God because it was a great book. Based on similar stories of people of color, this book dives into the wrongful accusations and actions taken against people of color - in this story, Ruth, a nurse working on labor and delivery, is stuck between a rock and a hard place when a white supremacist couple's baby undergoes a medical emergency. A fantastic novel by Jodi Picoult that makes you think a lot about race. April 2024

The Velvet Rage By Alan Downs, PhD

3/5

This book was a recommendation from a very close family friend of mine that grew up three houses down from, and whom I still continue to catch up with. A book that I would not typically choose to read myself, as it doesn't particularly relate me, but a book that has allowed me to have a completely different perspective on its subject - gay men and the culture that surrounds being gay. I think or maybe, I know, that the recommendation to read this book was an opportunity for my friend to educate another person on who he is at his core, and the struggles that has faced as a gay male. As a very broad overview of the book, speaking very loosely for myself, we do not know what we do not know. Had I any idea of the immense shame that overtakes every waking thought in a man as he becomes to understand he is gay? God no. Had I any idea the things a gay man will do to try to convince himself that he is not gay? Nope, but now I have an educated idea. Although not a action/thriller, romance, fairy-tale story, a great book on perspective nonetheless and possibly some more understanding and compassion for men like my family friend. March 2024

Fourth Wing By Rebecca Yarros

3/5

I am not the typical fantasy book reader, but this one was a book club pick and I've been lacking in the reading department this year. Surprisingly, I liked this book as far as fantasy goes. It reminded me a lot of Hunger Games, except for the dragon part. I'm a suck for a love interest, and newly even more of a sucker for a villain and damsel love story. February 2024

The Silent Patient By Alex Michaelides

4/5

This book aligns perfectly with my genre interests. I love a good psychological mystery thriller, and this read along those lines. I don't read a lot of fictions books written by men which I have recently noticed and it was very interesting to read how the author thought a women, Alicia, thought. Great murder mystery book that really throws you for a loop at the end. November 2024

The Molecule of More By Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD & Michael E. Long

4/5

Every once in awhile I enjoy reading something educational, and I'm glad it was this book! The Molecule of More is about dopamine and how the chemical plays key roles in love, creativity, drug addiction, and even politics. Even for those of you who aren't educated in science and the brain, the authors do a great job at explaining the mechanisms of how dopamine works in a variety of our lives. Why we fall in or out of love, why we are addicted to drugs, why we feel the need to dominate in areas of our lives, why we may be more liberal than conservative, and why some of us are more creative than others, is explained in this book. The contents of The Molecule of More pertains to every single person, and I highly recommend reading it as it makes you look at who you are in a different light.

Here are a couple lines from the book I found interesting:

"Human beings who have genes that produce high levels of dopamine have the highest number of sexual partners and the lowest ago of first sexual intercourse" p. 18
"The speed with which alcohol gets into the brain determines how high a drinker feels. It's the total amount of alcohol consumed, regardless of whether it's fast or slow, that determines the level of intoxication" There is a different between being high and being drunk p. 42
"On average, liberals are more likely to to be forward thinking, cerebral, inconsistent, creative, intelligent, and dissatisfied. Conservatives, by contrast, are more likely to be comfortable with emotions, reliable, stable, conventional, less intellectual, and happy." p. 161. October 2024

The Measure By Nikki Erlick

2/5

If you were given the opportunity to know what your mortality was inside of a box, would you want to know? I read this book as a first in my new book club group which I love as it's gotten me to really stick to reading in general and reading more. This was a genre outside of what I normally read so it was somewhat of a slower read for me. I like how the book is separated by several people's points of view and intertwines the characters' lives throughout. The literature is very elementary level and there didn't seem to be any one big climax or anticipation. I also realize that this entire book revolves around the strings, however, sometimes it was too much, and there were cheesy aspects I didn't care for (the rally named after the stringers) As for if I would look at my string? At this time in my life - no, because things that we know now can deeply interfere with our future. July 2024

Verity By Colleen Hoover

5/5

I stayed up until 4:30 am on a Sunday to read and finish this book over Thanksgiving weekend. I had heard about how good this book was from friends but was trying to read another book beforehand - but obviously couldn't resist. I researched very little before reading, so it was much more of a surprise, and OMG was it. As a 23-year-old staying in my childhood bedroom, this book had me sweating, tachycardic, and scared to close my eyes and go to bed once I finished reading it. If you love a good psychological thriller, and this is the one. November 2023

It Ends With Us By Colleen Hoover

4/5

The number of emotions I had throughout this book was crazy. Pure happiness, remorse, empathy, anger, and heartbreak. My heartstrings were played with too much in this book. I felt so invested in the relationships carried throughout - all for the end to completely shatter me - was dumbfounded. You always know a book is good when you can't put it down, and you end up procrastinating everything - and you shed a tear or two at the end. Read this book..seriously. August 2023

Conversations With Friends By Sally Rooney

1/5

I never read the book Normal People By Sally Rooney, but I did watch the TV series, and I absolutely loved it. I thought if Conversations With Friends were anything like Normal People, I would love it the same if not more...except I was totally let down. In my opinion, there was no climax in this book, and it was just a strung-out relationship that was super uninteresting, and this is why it took me 1+ years to read. May 2023

Comments