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August Bookshelf: Two Books is Progress

August Bookshelf: 2 Books is Progress

September 10, 2018 by Tanya // 39 Comments

So last month I read 1.5 books so I’m pleased as Harry Potter winning the Quidditch Cup to have completed two whole books in one month. That’s right: 2 books. Sure, my normal average is around 5+ books per month but with my non-existent my reading mojo, I can’t complain. Well, not too much. And yes, I know — #FirstWorldBookNerdProblem and I’d probably feel guilty if I weren’t an American, where being a diva is a right. I take advantage of all my rights, including being a book diva and voting. ๐Ÿ˜€

The Books I Loved and Liked in August

I read some books and I liked it. Hopefully, I like even more books next month.

The Book I Loved

Love might be a bit strong but I’m just a girl, in search of a book to love, determined to find at least one this month.

Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

Neverworld Wake by Marisha PesslBook Description: Beatrice, along with her four former best friends, find themselves stuck in endless loop as they seek answers to their friend’s mysterious death.

Book Review: Night Film by Pessl was one of my favorite books from 2016. It kept me on my toes, never sure what was real or not and scared the bejesus out of me at one point. This book took a hot minute or two to engage me (it starts with a lot of description, which isn’t my jam) but once it did, I was hooked. Imagine Groundhog Day but with five individuals who must solve the riddle behind their friend’s death to escape the endless loop. So yes, you have to buy into the Groundhog Day aspect but at it’s heart, it’s about five friends (i.e. the Breakfast Club) coming back together after a friend dies under mysterious circumstances. It’s YA without being too YA-ish.

To Read or Not To Read: Yup, I really enjoyed it. FYI — it’s not scary or a quasi-horror book like Night Film. Just in case you a scaredy cat like me. But you do have to buy into the Groundhog Day endless loop for it to work.

The Book I Liked

Some day I’ll find it … that book connection … the lovers, the dreamers and me.

Good Luck Charm by Helena Hunting

Good Luck Charm by Helena HuntingBook Description: Eight years after breaking Lilah’s heart, Ethan returns home and now she must decide whether she’s ready to forget the past and trust her heart again.

Book Review: I am generally not a huge fan of romance-only books so keep that in mind, please, but all the murder and mayhem in my go-to thrillers are messing with my headspace so hence this book. And it’s okay, which probably means romance lovers will probably go gaga for it, but I found it a bit repetitive. Lilah and Ethan both got on my nerves and I’m a big believer that you gotta root for your main couple to get their happy ending when reading a romance. The old coot in me also rolls her eyes at the common refrain/belief that there can be ONLY ONE true love/soulmate in your lifetime, but I understand that’s what romances sell. I’m just not sure that’s really healthy. I also think that I may prefer romances with more humor/silliness, like Sophia Kinsella.

To Read or Not To Read: Sure. I’m not the best gauge of what’s makes a killer romance but my guess is most romance fans will find this an easy, breezy read.

TL;DR โ€” My Recommendations to You

August Bookshelf: The Books I Loved, Liked and LoathedWhile I wish that my desire to read was higher last month, the books I did manage to read were good and I recommend them both. Those who don’t mind fantasy elements (hey, they are stuck in dreamworld) will enjoy Neverworld Wake and romance lovers should schedule a date with Good Luck Charm and they should hit it off just fine.

To More Great Reads

I took a planned break from NetGalley and my typically thrillers (Neverworld Wake doesn’t count because it’s not murdery) last month and I plan to dip my toe back in … maybe. Like I mentioned earlier, I noticed that thrillers were starting to affect me in a not-so positive way so I took a break but I also miss them. ๐Ÿ˜€ What can I say? I’m complicated. Not really, I’m pretty basic: just give me all the good books and I’m happy. Well, under normal circumstances and let’s hope those days return in less than 60 days.

As usual, I’ll be joining Jana and Steph for the Show Us Your Books Link-Up and encourage you to check out whatever has been reading the past month.

What great books did you read last month?

Tanya

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Tanya
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Meet Tanya
I'm a web designer, freelance writer (check out my services) and a full-time Mom to one playful cat named Mighty Max. My hobbies include whipping up culinary creations on Eat Laugh Purr, adding to my flip-flop collection and indulging Max. I hope you'll join me on my journey to mindfulness.

Comments

  1. Confuzzled Bev says

    September 11, 2018 at 12:23 AM

    Neverworld Wake sounds really good.
    I hope you recover your reading mojo!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 8:38 PM

      I really enjoyed it. And I keep hoping to find my reading mojo again too!

      Reply
  2. Kay R. says

    September 11, 2018 at 3:16 AM

    Neverworld Wake sounds pretty good. Adding to TBR.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 8:39 PM

      Fantastic! I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  3. Heather says

    September 11, 2018 at 4:45 AM

    I’ve heard such mixed things about that Helena Hunting book but I will likely check it out at some point!! I mentioned in my post today that I read Lies via Netgalley (it comes out today) and it was a pretty good thriller (not too scary but definitely WTF is going on here anyway?)…if you need a recommendation!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 8:41 PM

      I always have a hard time reviewing romances because there not really my favorite and I can be extra hard on them. I definitely had some issues with parts of the book too but I wasn’t sure if that was me being a non-romance lover (and romance junkies wouldn’t bat an eye over it) or not. I’m gonna look for Lies because I enjoy a good WTF book! ๐Ÿ˜€

      Reply
  4. Rebecca Jo says

    September 11, 2018 at 5:03 AM

    #firstworldnerdproblems – that made me laugh!
    Yep – I saw that first book too & thought it sounded interesting.
    I have never really used Netgalley to its fullest. I need to start taking advantage more.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 8:47 PM

      I’m real hit and miss with NetGalley. Sometimes I really utilize it well and other times books just sit on my shelf. My biggest problem is when I request books on a whim, then don’t really want to read them but feel obligated to since they approved me. Book guilt โ€“ it’s a real thing!

      Reply
  5. SMD says

    September 11, 2018 at 5:22 AM

    Lol at not murdery. Always good to switch it up but in the end I like what I like.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 8:48 PM

      I like my murder books but I have noticed too much murder (or darkness) starts to weigh on me, which it didn’t before. I assume that’s due to the weird reality we live in these days!

      Reply
  6. Lauren says

    September 11, 2018 at 5:40 AM

    Adding Neverworld Wake to my TBR!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 8:49 PM

      Great! Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  7. Nancy @ NY Foodie Family says

    September 11, 2018 at 5:58 AM

    Glad to hear that you have started getting your reading mojo back. Sometimes it takes reading books outside our normal genre to suck us back in. Neverworld Wake sounds like a book that I’d enjoy.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 8:55 PM

      It’s starting to come back. Slowly though! Yeah, I thought reading something different might help. I liked Neverworld Wake. It’s different, which I liked!

      Reply
  8. Audrey says

    September 11, 2018 at 6:00 AM

    Neverworld Wake sounds really good! I’ve started to read more romances lately but I admit that some common themes (lack of communication, repetitiveness) make me roll my eyes and skim. Nothing wrong with liking what you like ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 8:56 PM

      Yup, that’s my problem with romances. They seem really manufactured at times and the females can be really lame sometimes. Like I wanna slap the stupidity right out of them! LOL! But I do get why people like them and sometimes I really need a good fluffy, feel-good story.

      Reply
  9. ShootingStarsMag says

    September 11, 2018 at 6:22 AM

    I really want to read Neverworld Wake. I thought Night Film was fascinating, though I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending. LOL I hope you get lots more reads in this month and can start to enjoy your thrillers again. They are great!

    -Lauren

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 8:58 PM

      Weirdly, I was really okay with the ending of Night Film. Normally I don’t like ambiguous endings but I was never sure what was real or not during the book so I actually liked not knowing. And that’s rare because normally the Scooby-Doo in me demands answers! I’m definitely going to try a thriller or two again … see if I can handle them because I miss them.

      Reply
  10. Monica says

    September 11, 2018 at 6:27 AM

    ive got Good Luck Charm on hold in the library…It will probably be weeks before I get it though ๐Ÿ™

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 8:59 PM

      I was lucky to get it right away but I’ve sat on the hold list for months … to the point I forget that I requested the book! LOL!

      Reply
  11. Michael says

    September 11, 2018 at 6:49 AM

    I feel like I’m out of the loop. What does TL; DR mean??

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 9:02 PM

      Too Long, Didn’t Read. ๐Ÿ˜€ My reviews can be long (cuz I can’t do concise!) so for those who don’t want to read everything, can just read the TL;DR to see what I recommend.

      Reply
  12. Ana says

    September 11, 2018 at 8:28 AM

    Neverwold Wake sounds a little like Before I Go, without the murder? Maybe i’ll check it out.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 9:03 PM

      I haven’t read Before I Go, although it’s on my TBR but I don’t remember what’s it about. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!

      Reply
  13. kristen says

    September 11, 2018 at 10:47 AM

    ok, i am a scaredy cat so thank you for the disclaimer. i’ll add it to my list.
    so i don’t know if i am the best judge of romance, but i do read a lot of it.. and i was seriously let down by the good luck charm. it was very repetitive, the writing felt a bit stilted and i had a bunch of other complaints. to be honest, i got some absolutely awful news and needed to read something to take my mind off it and that’s what i read, so i thought it was just me reading it at a bad time where any book would have sucked, you know? but apparently not. i rated it 3 stars i think but that was being generous. i loved her other books though!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 9:05 PM

      I think you know a good romance from a bad one so hearing that you had some complaints actually made me feel a bit better because I thought it was just me being a old coot! I am sorry that you got some awful news and I”m going to email you separately. Hope you’re doing a bit better, friend.

      Reply
  14. Jana @ Jana Says says

    September 11, 2018 at 12:14 PM

    You know, being a book nerd diva IS a right. And one that I’m proud to exercise.

    I wish I liked those kinds of breezy romance books. I just can’t get into them.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 9:13 PM

      We are all proud book nerd divas! ๐Ÿ˜€ I sometimes like breezy romance books. Sometimes I hate them. I’m complex that way. ๐Ÿ˜€

      Reply
  15. lauren @ laurenalforddesign.com says

    September 11, 2018 at 5:38 PM

    both of these sound good!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 9:13 PM

      They were good, solid reads!

      Reply
  16. Kasey Holloway says

    September 13, 2018 at 5:30 AM

    I’ve had to take a break from thrillers in the past too, it’s always so good to be self-aware and realize how our reading life and the media we consume affects us!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 9:15 PM

      Yeah, it bummed me out because thrillers are my favorite genre but it was just getting too much for me. And it seems like everything is crap right now so I wasn’t getting any balance. But I miss them so I’m going to try one or two this month and see what happens!

      Reply
  17. Gina says

    September 13, 2018 at 5:41 AM

    Two books is better than zero! When my reading mojo is off I just try to not give up completely because then I *really* find it hard to get back into it. Anyway, hope you are able to find some book connections that click for you a little more this month.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 9:17 PM

      Darn tooting! I did give up reading in July, which made me feel bad but I also needed the break. Normally if I reread favorites my reading mojo returns but that didn’t work for me this time. I’m hoping this months goes even better!

      Reply
  18. Shea says

    September 13, 2018 at 6:42 PM

    I can’t read too many thrillers in a row. In fact I’m not sure I can even read TWO in a row. They just freak me out too much! Anyway, Neverworld Wake sounds really good, although I can’t decide if the “groundhog day” concept would fascinate me or frustrate me.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 9:20 PM

      I used to read thrillers pretty much nonstop but not so much these days. Too much murder! LOL! I was okay with the Groundhog Day aspect, but it would have gotten annoying quickly but I liked “why” they got stuck there and what they had to do to get out, so it was and wasn’t endless, if that makes sense.

      Reply
  19. Mackenzie says

    September 14, 2018 at 9:29 AM

    Hopefully you get your reading mojo back soon! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      September 16, 2018 at 9:21 PM

      Thanks, Mackenzie! I hope so too!

      Reply
  20. Alexandra says

    September 21, 2018 at 6:19 AM

    Slumps are the worst!! Oh no! Good luck getting out of it. It can be such a challenge sometimes. XO – Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

    Reply

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Tanya

Hi! I'm Tanya ...
Iโ€™m a dreamer trying to be more of a doer with aspirations to be both enough and magnificent. I believe in wholehearted living and being authentic. Learn more about me and why I created A Mindful Migration, here.

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