It’s been a while since I’ve done of these, so I had to check back to what the last book I read was. I keep trying to pop in more often, but you know… life! I’m sure I’ll get it together one day. I’m a routine kind of person, and I haven’t figured out one of those for blogging. Toddler-saurus wakes up at the crack of dawn, and I go to bed by 9 pm. We run on old people/little kid time in our house.
I recently switched to WordPress, after the comments issue with Blogger. I haven’t finnagled with it too much yet, but let me know if you notice anything not working! I’ve thought about moving to WordPress many times and the Blogger comments thing was enough for me to finally make the switch.
Engrossing Reads
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel – 5 stars
This has been on my to read list for a LONG time, and I am so glad I read it. I could not put it down for unexpected reasons. It was a slow burn and entrancing. All the characters’ lives are intertwined and I loved every time two of those stories came together.
Books Worth Reading
Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) and Caliban’s War (The Expanse #2) by James S.A. Corey – 4 stars
If you like The Expanse tv show, you’ll also like the books, because the show follows them closely. It’s a space thriller/adventure about a close set of characters who get involved in something they didn’t mean to but now ride around like space cowboys trying to undo the weird shit going on. I don’t want to mention any specific plot points, to keep it spoiler-free. Watching the show added a lot to the books for me; usually I read the books first, but I happened to do it the other way this time around, and it worked fine. Amos and Miller are two star characters for me – I love watching or reading about them. You may especially enjoy watching Amos, and that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn – 4 stars
This thriller has an interesting premise: the main character has agoraphobia and cannot leave her house, and she witnesses something through her window she shouldn’t have seen. I think it developed well and it took me a long time to figure out some bits. It did get really dark at one point. So, fair warning, there’s a dark plot point, but you can probably see it coming by the time it’s revealed.
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena – 3.5 stars
This book had me turning the pages, but by the end of it, I didn’t care about any of the characters and they seemed extreme and unrealistic. The story pulled me in, though, and I probably would have sat down and read most of this in an afternoon if I had the chance.
Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent – 3.5 stars
This story is told from multiple viewpoints, which I usually avoid, but Oliver is a jerk (spoiler alert?? I don’t think so – it starts off with him beating his wife and the reader discovers bit by bit why he became so suddenly violent), so I’d probably have thrown this out the window had it been from his viewpoint the entire time. There’s a mystery to piece together, and it wraps up nicely.
Meh
One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus – 3 stars
I think I read too much hype about this one, because my expectations were quite high and the reality just didn’t match for me. It was good read but more YA than I was in the mood for.
Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews – 3 stars
I was into this book for the first half, but somewhere along the way, my interest tapered off and I got fed up with the Rogan character.
Currently Reading:
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
I have not read this book in probably over 10 years, and I have had this itch to reread it ever since I heard rumors of the movie (which I will probably not watch due to the reviews). And I decided I couldn’t read it on my Kindle; it needed to be in book form, so I’ve been trying to find a copy in the secondhand book store, but no luck. Long story short, I finally borrowed my mom’s copy, and I need to order myself a used set on Amazon or elsewhere! I am 1/4 way through and I remember NOTHING about this so far, besides there being a desert. Everything else is all new in my mind.
I’m linking up with Steph & Jana today for Show Us Your Books. Have you read any of these books? Can’t wait to see what everyone else has been reading.
Jeans and a Tiara 
I just bought The Women in the Window & cant wait to get into that story!
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I think you’ll enjoy it if you’re in the mood for a good thriller!
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Station Eleven seems to be one of those books people either really love or really dislike! I’m hoping to read it eventually. I had similar feelings about The Couple Next Door– definitely felt really unrealistic at times!
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Station Eleven really does seem to be a book people hate or love. It was right up my alley for some reason. I had zero expectations and ended up loving it.
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I loved One of Us is Lying, not so much on Station Eleven. I enjoyed The Woman in the Window a lot and am passing it around my office.
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Station Eleven seems to be a love/hate thing and not much in between. It had been on my list for so long and I finally got to it. It was actually the oldest book on my TBR list, which is why I picked it. Ended up loving it.
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I’ve heard that people either love or hate Station 11. I want to read it to see which camp I fall in – your review is a good one! One of us is Lying is one I’m going to start this week – I’ve heard a lot of hype too!!
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Im probably going to end up like you when I read one of us is lying hehe. I bought the kindle version (didn’t want to wait) and there’s so much expectation for it to be good.
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i’m glad you enjoyed station eleven! i was definitely in the minority with that one… not a fan. aw such a bummer about the hidden legacy book. i am obsessed with ilona andrews. it’s not healthy.
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I love that you just switched to WordPress, because that is what I’m currently considering to do (I’m at wix though). I’m worried though the process is going to be tedious! Also, I loved Station Eleven, one of my favorite books.
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Station Eleven was so good! I really love end of the world types of books, so I think that’s one of the reasons why I loved it so much. The Woman In The Window sounds like a book that I need to pick up as soon as possible! I love a good thriller!
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Station Eleven has also been on my “To Read” list for a long time. It’s gotten some mixed reviews, so I’m glad to see you really enjoyed it … It makes me want to try to get to it sooner rather than later. (Though, as you said … Life. I’ll get to it when I get to it, I guess. Haha.)
I really liked The Woman in the Window, but Unraveling Oliver was just okay for me. I remember kind of liking it, but I really don’t remember that much about it now. The Couple Next Door has been on my list for a long time.
It sucks that One of Us Is Lying didn’t do it for you. I’ve been wanting to read it for a while. I even had it checked out from the library on my Kindle for a while, but it expired before I had time to get to it. I still plan to eventually read it, but I guess I’ll have to readjust my expectations.
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I have been waiting for the Woman in the Window for like 5 months. It’s getting very frustrating.
One of Us is Lying is a good YA thriller. I think if you have higher expectations than that, you’ll be disappointed.
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I feel like I need a break from thrillers, but The Woman in the Window sounds so good! I might have to read that one before I take a thriller break!
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I really enjoyed Woman in the Window. Thanks for the recommendations!
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I thought Unraveling Oliver was interesting – and I like that it was told in different points of view. I really want to read One of Us Is Lying!
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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Station Eleven sounds interested. I enjoyed Woman in the Window once I got in to it. I have One of Us is Lying and Couple Next Door on my TBR, a little less excited for them now lol. Welcome to WordPress! I switched 4 or so years ago and never looked back!
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Station Eleven was one of my top ten reads last year. I am also wanting to read Woman in the Window. Pam 🙂
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I put off reading Station Eleven for a long time. I’m glad I finally read it! Definitely one of my favorites.
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