Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Show Us Your Books - February 2018

Image result for knit by god's hand books

I count the Reading Challenge I did a few weeks ago as a good start in my year of reading.
I have 4 books on here this time.
YAHOOO!!!
Last year, I started the year off strong & stayed ahead of my Goodreads challenge all the way up until the end of October. Let's try & not repeat that.
Hoping to keep my mojo of reading all year long

At least I got a good start in my pocket
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I take the rating system from Goodreads
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159069
A Wrinkle in Time
**** / 4 Stars

Quick Summary:  3 special & magical beings help a girl & her brother find their father who is in prison in another part of the universe.  

I can't believe I never read this one in school as required reading. But I hadn't - & with the movie coming out, I wanted to read it first.  & yes, I kept seeing Oprah in my head when they were talking to the Mrs.

I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi but loved this one & the deeper purpose behind fighting a power that is trying to conform everyone to the same kind of thinking.  Did the author have a crystal ball or something?  Wow

I did really appreciate the references & mentioning of God many times in the book as well.
The one thing I didnt care for was the ending. It was so rushed. I want to know more. It was like the whole book was summed up & closed on 2 pages. I needed more. Maybe that's what the other books in the series is for.  Who knows.
I still enjoyed it though.


"Like and equal are not the same thing at all"



29437949Behind Closed Doors
**** / 4 stars

Quick Summary:  A perfect couple from the outside, but is it all that it appears when they go home?

This book totally disturbed me - so I guess that's the mark of a good book.
It made me angry, it made me frustrated, it made me sad, it made me fist pump with excitement, & it so ticked off. I could just put myself in Grace's position & I could think of 100 ways I'd handle the situation.... all of them totally different from Grace. Of course.
I really enjoyed the pace of this book going back & forth from the past to the present, tying the full story together... & I especially got excited as the end came closer & seeing how Jack & Grace would end up.


Side note - I feel like everyone needs a code for HELP now. & I'm going to be the Esther in every day life now.


& I totally 100% adored Millie. What a cool sister!

& I totally am going to look at George Clooney differently now too :)


“I look around at everybody laughing and joking together and struggle to understand my life has become a living hell that nobody present could even begin to imagine” 




22300078The Andy Cohen Diaries
*** / 3 stars

Quick Summary:  Andy keeps a diary for a year in his life.

I love me some Andy Cohen. & loved that he wrote a diary & was going to share it.
& let me say, I'm not an audiobook fan. They usually bore me - but I dont mind them when its a biogrpahy & the writer is also the narrator of the audiobook... so I was stoked going into this one.

& some of the stories made me laugh & made me just love Andy more... even some heart felt stories.

But MANNNNNN - this was the LONGEST audio book. I cant even remember when I started listening to this. I think each chapter was over an hour long & there's 30 chapters. I just struggled to get through it.

I have his next one also on audiobook but I may need a rest... whew.... I'm a little exhausted.
Still love my Andy Cohen though!


"I HAVE SOCIAL DISEASE. I HAVE TO GO OUT EVERY NIGHT. IF I STAY HOME ONE NIGHT I START SPREADING RUMORS TO MY DOGS. —ANDY WARHOL” 



23341607
The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand
**** / 4 stars

Quick Summary:  When best friends all have things going on in their lives, the talk around the island is quick to share rumors of it all. Are some of them true?

I am understand the tone of the Hilderbrand books now - the settings are virtually the same & each book is going to have a minimum of 6 main characters.  Maybe I'm getting used to it because I didnt need a pie chart on this one.
I really enjoyed this one - how a situation looks & how it can be perceived by others & the people who love gossip & rumors... & how fast they get around.

I really did enjoy this book though.... & really loved when a name from a previous Hilderbrand book popped up tying a character in this book to another story from the other book. Full circle moment.

This was totally enjoyable.

"Every life contains a Novel."




So what good books have you read this month?

Life According to Steph

29 comments:

  1. I've never read A Wrinkle In Time. I need to get on that. Behind Closed Doors was soooo messed up.

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  2. I remember I was mesmerized by A Wrinkle in Time, I do want to see the movie and Behind Close Doors..whoa...so good but so crazy!!

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  3. I remember not liking a Wrinkle in Time when I read it when I was younger, but I've been more tempted to reread it and see if my feelings have changed at all. I usually don't care for audiobooks either, but have had good luck on memoir type books when read by the authors too!

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  4. Can you believe I still haven't read an Elin Hilderbrand book? I need to get around to that. OMG I LOVED Behind Closed Doors!!! I thought of a million different ways I would have handled the situation as well. But I suppose you can think up of things all you want, but you really don't know what you would do unless you were in it. Such a great book. And so very disturbing! Audiobooks are how I enjoy my commute to work. Though it is 100% about who narrates it as to whether or not it is enjoyable.

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  5. How was I not already following you on Goodreads?? Yay to a great reading month!

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  6. I am so in awe of how many books you read. I would love to read more! I did read a book a friend is coming out with called "when God says go" and it's SO good!

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  7. Thanks for sharing! I really love A Wrinkle in Time. I actually read it in grad school; I never had before! I imagine that the rest of the series probably answers your questions, but I've only read the one. I'm excited for the movie too.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  8. I'm with you on audio books, I like them best when the author is also the narrator.

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  9. I read A Wrinkle in Time last year? year before? and also couldn't believe I hadn't read it before then. I'm curious about the movie adaptation - not sure I'll see it but if it brings another generation back to the book, that's a good thing! I tried reading the next books in the series - I made it through A Wind in the Door but A Swiftly Tilting Planet lost me.

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  10. i haven't read A Wrinkle in Time but i do want to before the movie comes out.
    i saw on Nadine's post that you've finished the beau and the belle!! so happy you liked it :)

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  11. I read a Wrinkle In Time years ago, but remember nothing from it! I need to read it again.

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  12. I looove A Wrinkle in Time and cannot wait to see the movie. The Rumor is on my list too! Behind Closed Doors was so messed up!!

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  13. I've got "A Wrinkle in Time" on hold at my library. Looks like it will probably be summer before I get it. I may end up buying it when I finish The Mitford Series by Jan Karon.

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  14. I am definitely going to see A Wrinkle in Time. I just haven't decided whether I'll read the book first, probably not since the movie is out next month. It weird and somewhat a little scary that so many older books once again seem so relevant. Like aren't we supposed to be better?

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  15. Behind Closed Doors really disturbed me too. Just crazy to think about something like that happening to someone. :(

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  16. I love how you read the Wrinkle in Time book before the movie came out; that's always the best way to do it!

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  17. Minus the Andy Cohen one, these are all on my TBR! I'll probably be moving A Wrinkle in Time up though since the movie comes out so soon. I never read it in school and didn't realize it was part of a series either.

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  18. I never liked A Wrinkle in Time, even as a kid. LOL

    I did like the B.A. Paris book.

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  19. I know I read A Wrinkle in Time but I don't remember it. I feel like that's weird. I did just buy it for my daughter so maybe I'll pick it up when she's done.

    I liked Behind Closed Doors. I'm reading The Breakdown now and got her newest from NetGalley.

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  20. If you like A Wrinkle in Time, try When You Reach Me. There's elements of A Wrinkle in Time literally in the book because it's a plot point. I'm reading it to my class right now and NOW they want to hear A Wrinkle in Time next, so I might have to give in to that request.
    The Breakdown by B.A. Paris was even been (to me) than Behind Closed Doors.

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  21. That's exactly how I felt about Wrinkle in Time---like it was really going somewhere and then the ending was totally rushed! I haven't read any of the subsequent books, though, so I don't know if more gets resolved there.

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  22. I have never read A Wrinkle in Time, but I did read all 4 of Madeleine L'Engle's Crosswick's Journals.

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  23. I downloaded to my Kindle a series of six books that were all free. I love free!! They are kind of silly and predictable but I am enjoying them (on the third book in the series). The Senior Sleuths Mysteries, by M. Glenda Rosen. Two private detectives are 70 and 82 years old and they are a RIOT. Good for giggles and they are keeping me entertained. Certainly not movie material or book club selections, but still fun. I always enjoy your reviews!

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  24. I've had The Rumor on my shelf for a while but I haven't opened it yet. Glad to see you enjoyed it! I'm also glad you enjoyed A Wrinkle in Time more than I did, lol. I listened to it on audiobooks and I wonder if that's what made it bad for me.

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  25. I don't know why I never really remembered the story of a wrinkle in time and now I am seeing the movie previews for it. Andy Cohen cracks me up so I'm sure his book is interesting. I remember we considered the name Cohen for one of the boys (not because of Andy but for the Hebrew connotation) but thought too many people would relate it to him lol. Sierra~Beautifully Candid

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  26. Glad you had some good reads this month!! :) I haven't read any of these. I need to try some Hildbrand someday! :) XO - Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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  27. A Wrinkle in Time was one of my favorite books in childhood. I still remember my 5th grade teacher reading it aloud to us and we'd all hurry in from recess because we couldn't wait to hear more. The movie previews don't match my imagination so I'm trying to decide if I want to see it. Oprah was not at all who I pictured : )

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