I Am Still Alive by Kate Marshall

I Am Still Alive Releases on July 24th!

I Am Still Alive by Kate Marshall

2 stars

Jess is completely alone in the wilderness. Her father is gone and the cabin is burned down. She has to survive with only her dad’s dog and a few scavenged supplies from the remains of the cabin. Jess knows she doesn’t have a long time to time survive before the cold kills her. She must seek out food, build a shelter, and keep herself warm. She has to stay alive because she wants revenge on the men who killed her father and put her in this predicament in the first place. I’m not sure where this novel falls genre wise. It’s a survival story at its core but it is meant to be suspenseful. Surviving in the wilderness is scary but surviving alone and with a handicap is scarier. Jess’ situation is much more horrifying because she isn’t supposed to be in the woods in the first place. She’s supposed to be getting therapy and going to high school, but her dad prefers to live off the grid. Marshall takes this situation and uses to up the scales. The content can be shocking and huge warnings for animal cruelty because she is hunting to survive and at times it seems almost like a callous reaction. If I’m being honest, this book is kind of boring though. Besides the basic concept it’s not all that gripping. I was more invested than her relationship with her dad’s dog, Bo, than I was with her trying to stay alive and get revenge. Marshall isn’t a bad writer, but I wasn’t gripped by her style of storytelling. I found this book easy to put down and it wasn’t a priority for me to finish it. I was just kind of meander through the experience of reading this book. I didn’t really hate it, like it, or love it. I was in the weird category of indifference. This is worse than the MEH category for me because MEH means mediocre, but indifference just means that I couldn’t be bothered.

There was a couple of great paragraphs and sentences that I really enjoyed, but nothing about this story stuck with me. It’s forgettable.


“To survive you need to learn to hold contradictory things in your head at the same time. I am going to die; I am going to live. There is nothing to fear; be wary of everything. In this moment I find a new contradiction. The indifference of the wild is terrifying—I want to be remembered, to leave a mark. And it is freeing, knowing that the forest does not care, does not judge. My failure will go unmarked—no mourning, no mockery. For the first time in my life, there are no expectations of me at all. The only thing that matters is what I want, what I can do.”

Whimsical Writing Scale: 2

Jess is a very sad character to follow. Her situation feels hopeless and she has the worse luck (probably because of her lack of knowledge about survival). I didn’t really like Jess though. I just couldn’t be bothered with her at times. She didn’t feel like she had a lot of personality. I found it hard to root for her because I didn’t know her. She was just there and had all these problems, but if you asked me what her dreams are or what qualities I’d use to define her, I’d struggle a bit. Besides the obvious trait of having a lot of willpower, she didn’t go beyond that for me. She felt one dimensional.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 2

The Villain- Listen, this is probably the part of the book I liked the least. It went from surviving to revenge and it became too much. It was kind of convoluted and it just seemed like Jess’ desire to survive was thrown to the wayside. Plus, I still don’t the motives behind these killers and it was just weird.


Villain Scale: 1.5

There is a couple of characters, but it’s interactions of the past. There’s her dad who is a weird character and we don’t know anything about him. It’s weird because I think I’m supposed to feel sympathy towards him and I kind of do, but also, I don’t because who even is he. Bo is the star of this book and if dog deaths destroy your soul avoid this book at all cost.


Character Scale: 1.5

Overall, this isn’t a bad novel. Like I said earlier, I’m indifferent towards it. It didn’t anger me or incite a lot of emotions, but I think fans of survivalist stories will enjoy this one.


Plotastic Scale: 2

Cover Thoughts: I really like this cover. It’s creepy and it looks ominous.

Thank you, First to Read and Viking Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

 

 Are you interested in reading I Am Still Alive? Do you like survival stories? Let me know down below in the comments!

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

3.1 in the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy

3.25 stars

“I lifted my eyes to his again and found stars and darkness waiting. Found home waiting.”

There’s no point in me telling you what this is about because if I say anything I would spoil everything, so just know that it’s a fluff fest. A Court of Frost and Starlight is a weird novel. It’s not a novel, it’s technically a novella. Think Stephen King style of a short story with enough substance to be a novel. The problem is that I went into this novel expecting SK level of substance and I don’t know why I was expecting this 230-page novel to actually deliver something other than what it promises. I guess that’s my fault. I set up an expectation of this novella will destroy my soul like Apt Pupil, give me hope like Shawshank Redemption, and empower me like Big Driver. Alas, that’s where I went wrong. Not every writer is at King’s level when it comes to writing novellas. In fact, I would say Maas is one of the worst/rockiest endeavors into this territory. That sounds harsh, but there is always room for improvement. I haven’t read her Throne of Glass novellas, so I don’t have anything to compare them to. I’ve read enough novellas in the YA genre (they are very prevalent in series) to feel confident in saying that this wasn’t a bad novella, but it wasn’t a good one either. Imagine a cake that’s three layers with icing in the middle of each other and then imagine a baker coming along and adding a random cupcake on top of the cake. It’s not a horrible idea, but it doesn’t do much for the story in terms of character development. It is a bridge between Feyre and Rhys’s story into Nessa and Cassian’s story. Not a bad idea, but this book is hard to get into for being so short. I think this is because Maas didn’t know really what she wanted ACOFAS to be. She was contracted for some novellas to bridge one series to the next and so she just kind of made up this sweet filler story about the Inner Circle celebrating Winter Solstice. There’s also so potential conflicts thrown in, but none of them are addressed in this story because that’s would be too complicated to address conflicts in this novella. We have to spend money on the other series to find out all these subplots that have been introduced along with any plots that were left open from the original trilogy.


Also, I want to preface that Maas still makes basic grammatical errors that drive me crazy. She continues to use periods at the end of questions and it drives me bananas (it’s even worse since taking a grammar course). She also has picked up a new and overwhelmingly annoying habit of using colons where a dash should be. Colons are best for listing, but she is uses it for just one word. Example: “The door: new. The display window: new.” It’s annoying. I’m going mention that Rhys’ obsession with having sex with Feyre is still randomly sprinkled in his PoV at the most serious times. It’s just weird, but I expect it from Maas at this point. (Still doesn’t mean it’s fun to read and it’s more cringey than sexy or alluring.)


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3

Feyre is still the main focal point of this story. It focuses primarily on her roles as High Lady and her desire to paint again, but being scared to / not having the privacy to express the horrors she wants to focus on in her art. It’s a nice little plot. I liked it well enough. Feyre is still a character that I like, but she has a few moments where she tries to control of people’s lives when it is not her place to do so. I never realized how much of a micromanager she is when it comes to meddling and trying to sway people to do what she thinks is best, but a lot of people struggle with that as well so it’s a believable character trait. Mor also has a couple of PoV chapters. Her chapters are insightful to where she is going to be and what she’ll battling in the upcoming novels and I’m really curious to see where she goes and what adventures she’ll face. Nesta doesn’t even get a full chapter. I’m so annoyed about. She is hands down my favorite character in the books. Everyone puts her on the back burner. They exclude her and then wonder why she is so cold. It’s because no one actively reaches out to her except Amren. Nesta deserves a great character story and I hope that she gets it because time after time we see that people don’t pay attention to her with true and genuine intentions.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: Ferye-3.5 Mor-3.5 Nesta-4

Rhys has a lot of PoVs in this one and I’m kind of annoyed that we don’t see him coming terms with being resurrected after dying in ACOWAR. His thought process focused all on Feyre and sometimes on the problems with the Illyrian camps, but it felt contrived. I was unimpressed by the way he treated Tamlin. I don’t even like Tamlin, but it always peeves me that characters hold grudges against others for actions committed against them but expect everyone to forgive them because entitlement. That mentality doesn’t work well in the real world or for the soul. It’s toxic and it puts a bad taste in my mouth. I can’t say I was really swooning over him like I usually do. I thought he was just alright this go-round. I guess I’m kind of disappointed by that, but I’m taking it as a sign that it’s time for Maas to move on from writing about Feyre and Rhys. The man that really stole the show was Cassian. What a sweet soul. He has a noble heart when it comes to training Illyrian women to train and be treated as equal to men. I loved him so much. He stole the show.


Swoon Worthy Scale: Rhys-3 Cassian-5

I want everyone to know that if I didn’t ship Elain and Azriel hard before I ship it SO HARD now. The tension between these two was palpable and I wasn’t even in either of their heads. They are so sweet and cute. They deserve the best because they are both sweet and pure souls who will come together and have magical sweet love. (My inner romantic is coming out. I’m embarrassed because I’m a grown adult. LOL) I also would love to see a PoV from Amren. She is an iconic character who does all these amazing things and sacrificed herself at the end of the last novel and we still don’t get to see inside her head. There was a new character introduced that I really enjoyed and I loved her dynamic with Feyre.


Character Scale: 5

Overall, ACOFAS isn’t a complete bust, but it has a lot of faults. I’m not overly impressed by it, so I’m hesitant to recommend it. A lot of people are saying that this is a novella and because of that it doesn’t need to be amazing. I disagree. If it wasn’t for the sampler of the next book I would’ve decided to throw in the towel with the series, but that sampler was a lot of fun and pumped me up for the next book.


Plotastic Scale: 3

Cover Thoughts: I adore this cover. It’s one of my favorites of the trilogy.

 

Have you read ACOFAS? Are you a fan of it, lukewarm, or not a fan? Are you excited to read Nesta and Cassian's story? Let me know down below in the comments! 

Books I've Read in 2018 #13-18

 

Hey, everyone! I hope you are having a lot of fun this summer. This video turned into a bit of a rant because I realized that I kind of hate Ready Player One after talking about it more. This book is a little all over the place, but it was a lot of fun to film.

THE BOOKS:

 

The Sins of Lord Lockwood by Meredith Duran- 3.75 stars Check out my review here. 

You Know How the Story Goes by Thomas Olde Heuvelt- 4 stars Check out my review here.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 2 stars I originally gave this 3.75 stars, but after after talking about this book I realized that is way too high a rating.

The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton- 4.25 stars Check out my review here.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank- 4.25 stars Check out my review here.

The Master Plan of Evangelism by Dr. Robert E. Coleman- 4 stars 

Recommend the Most:

The Price Guide to the Occult is my favorite of the bunch! It's creepy and dark. It also tackles a lot of issues with self-harm and depression. I love Walton's lyrical writing style and I'm a definite fan of hers.

STATS:

Books Reviewed: 4
Books Rated Over 4 stars: 4
New Favorites: 1
Books That Changed My Life: 0
Owned: 1

 

Have you read any of these novels? Have you seen the movie for Ready Player One? Which out of these books are you most interested or least interested in reading? Let me know down below in the comments!

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

5 stars

“Two Truths and a Lie isn’t just a game. For most people, it’s a lifestyle.”

Emma Davis has become an expert liar in the last fifteen years. Ever since her three cabin mates at Camp Nightingale went missing she has been keeping secrets about how much she knows concerning the disappearances of Vivian, Natalie, and Allison. The girls have haunted her since and she can’t stop painting them. Girls dressed in white covered by the dreams—never found. Francesca Harris-White wants to reopen Camp Nightingale to the public and she wants Emma to come back as a paint instructor. Emma is hesitant, but she knows that she must face the ghosts of her past and discover where the girls went. Camp Nightingale has a lot of secrets, but the secrets of its origins may have something to do with the haunting grip these lost girls, particularly Vivian, have on Emma. This is hands down one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read. I was engrossed. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. My adrenaline was pumping and I HAD to know what happened to these girls. Sager paints a visceral and haunting landscape with the vast woods of Camp Nightingale. They have a hold on Emma, but also the reader. I’m a fan of creepy camp tales and stories that surround woods because there’s something so terrifying and claustrophobic about all this never-ending space that is a canopy of trees. Sager writes with just enough information to leave the reader tantalized and starving to keep reading. I became addicted to this story. It was intense and it has one of the best plot twists at the end. I didn’t see it coming at all. It blew me out of the water and left me sitting with my mouth hanging open whilst making strange sounds that sounded like a fish.


“So much water. So much land. So many places to disappear.”

Whimsical Writing Scale: 5

Emma is an unreliable narrator. Don’t trust anything she says because she is the type of thinker who shuts out a lot of the past and only focuses on bits that she wants to remember. The alternating timelines of past and present were engrossing and expertly woven that the present would trigger a memory of the past in just the right moment for the story to develop seamlessly. I’m a fan of omission in my suspense and thrillers because it ups the ante and keeps me on my toes.


“Lying to myself. It’s the only falsehood I allow.”

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 5

Now I’m going to talk about the characters. There’s a lot of them. We have the original three campers—Vivian, Allison, and Natalie— and we have them mirrored by the current campers—Sasha, Krystal, and Miranda. The chapters that focused on Vivian and Emma’s dynamic were so interesting. It felt kind of like a weird manipulation game, but also a genuine potential friendship. It was a lot. I also loved Emma’s dynamic with Sasha, Krystal, and Miranda. I loved when they went canoeing and hiking together to uncover a map that Vivian had left behind. There’s Franny who owns the camp and is the epitome of nice and threatening. Her assistant, Lottie, who is always there and hovering. There’s Chet and Theo, the adopted sons of Franny. Theo was accused of being the ones to murder the girls (by Emma) and it leaves a lot of tension. There’s also two returning campers—Casey and Becca— girls who both didn’t get along with Vivian. I must say after reading this novel and knowing what happens, I’m blown away with how Sager developed the characters and dynamics to keep the reader guessing.


“Everything is a game, which means that sometimes a lie is more than just a lie. Sometimes it’s the only way to win.”

Character Scale: 5

The Villain- I want to talk about why I love this novel so much, but that means spoiling so don’t click on the spoiler because you will know what happens and why this book astounded me. Chet is behind the current campers going missing in hopes to pin these murders on Emma to clear his brothers name. I kind of suspected that Chet had something to do with it because he seemed suspicious at the beginning and my red flag went up, but I didn’t expect this level of craziness to occur. What really threw me for a loop was the reveal of what happened to Vivian, Natalie, and Allison! Where the bodies turned out to be buried—the asylum that the lake drowned—was genius. Even more mind boggling was the fact that Vivian was researching this place not as a revenge against Franny, like I originally thought, but as a place to bury the bodies of Allison and Natalie. You heard me right, folks! Vivian was alive the whole time and I am completely blown away by this because I didn’t suspect that possibility at all.  So, yeah, I was blown away and I can’t stop talking about this novel.


Villain Scale: 5

If you want a fast-paced summer read, this one is perfect. It’s set during the summer and it involves lies and secrets intermixed with history and legends. It’s a thrilling and unputdownable read. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the big reveals because I need to discuss this novel with someone. I highly recommend this!


Plotastic Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: I love this blue and mint combination so much. This cover is creepy and bright. I love it!

Thank you, Netgalley and Dutton, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

 

Are you planning to read The Last Time I Lied? Did you enjoy Final Girls? Should I pick it up? What has been your favorite suspense novel this summer? Let me know down below in the comments! 

June Reading Wrap-Up + July TBR

Hi, everyone! I hope you guys are having a wonderful summer. The month of June was a great one for me and I spent a lot of time with friends and getting closer to God. I've been enjoying not having a lot of things on my plate because it's such a change of pace from my hectic schedule during the school year. So, let's dive right in and look at the books that I read in the month of June!

Books Read in June:

   

Furyborn by Claire Legrand- 4 stars This fantasy was a complete surprise for me because if I'm being honest, I kind of wanted to hate it. I just couldn't. The concept of knowing that one of the heroines turns into a villain was just so captivating and I really loved Rielle's storyline. I wasn't a huge fan of Eliana, but I do think in the next book her story will grow on me (at least I hope). Check out my review here. (Netgalley ARC)

IT by Stephen King- 5 stars This was a reread for me. I originally read IT when I was twelve (it's been almost ten years) and I thought that the audiobook would be a fun medium to check out. I really enjoyed the narration that Steven Weber provides and I'm just a fan of King in general. My first time reading IT was an experience, but as an adult I appreciate the horror much more and I really enjoyed this one. It's not my favorite King, but I definitely love it.

The Mermaid by Christina Henry- 5 stars I loved this story so much! It was stunning and heartbreaking. I really enjoyed Henry's take on mermaids, feminism, and humanity's greed. This story was so moving and I knew that I would enjoy it, but I didn't think that it would become an absolute favorite. I can't recommend this story enough! Check out my review here. (First to Read ARC)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis- 5 stars This audiobook was so stunning and I was so immersed in the story. I never read The Chronicles of Narnia as a kid, but I've seen the movies. I've been a fan of Lewis for some time and decided to pick up the series and I'm loving it so far! 

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds- 5 stars Y'all! Check out the audiobook for this one. Jason Reynolds narrates the story and it was so powerful. It follows a young man whose brother has just been shot as a result of ongoing gang wars and he decides to steal his gun and exact revenge. However, the elevator stops and a man he knows gets on. But this man has died and as more and more floors past, ghosts from the past keep filling up the elevator and he must decide if revenge is really worth it. SO GOOD!

The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges- 5 stars This is a Christian novel that focuses on God's righteousness and how we as Christians can obtain holiness through different steps. This was a convicting novel for me to read and I absolutely loved it. My relationship with God was strengthened and I definitely want to pick up more of Jerry Bridges' novels in the future.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli- 3 stars This story is important for a lot of people and it's definitely a novel that I would put in future students' hands, but I didn't think it was that good. It was alright. I couldn't stand any of the characters and this novel just felt really mediocre. I'm not a contemporary reader though, so fluffy stuff like this isn't really all that captivating for me.

LIKEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff- 4.25 stars I really enjoyed this. I don't want to say too much because I feel like I'm going to spoil something with gushing, but I really was caught off-balance by this story. Time after time, Kristoff knocked me off my feet and threw me for a loop. I'm so excited for the sequel because it's going to be WILD! Check out my review here. (Netgalley ARC) 

The Diviners by Libba Bray- 5 stars I knew that I was going to love this. It focuses on 1920s New York and a group of people who unknowingly unlock a demon called Naughty John from a Ouji Board. The story is told in alternating PoV and all of the characters are diviners, people with powers that would make them "divine". It's such a wonderful gripping and horrifying story. I loved the audiobook so much and I was blown away by Bray's story telling. 

Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier- 5 stars In the final novel in the original Sevenwaters trilogy, we follow Fainne, the daughter of Niamh and the sorcerer, Ciaran. Fainne is an anti-hero and it was a really interesting dynamic to follow. My emotional turmoil was high and everything I wanted to happen did. The character death at the end destroyed my heart, but it needed to happen and it was so beautiful. I love this trilogy so much and it was so wonderful to follow each generation as they overcome this powerful evil force. It's not my favorite story of the trilogy, but I loved it immensely.

Lady in Waiting: Becoming God's Best While Waiting for Mr. Right by Jackie Kendall and Debby Jones- 4.25 stars I read this with my three best friends because we started an impromptu book club this summer. This novel focused on a lot of wonderful concepts and truths. It focused heavily on the book of Ruth (which is one of my favorites in the Old Testament) and I really loved the commentary and application. My biggest drawback with this one was the juvenile writing and at times, the writers would give examples that felt lined with judgment and also there were things that didn't apply to me. Great novel, but it has a few problems. The thing is that it does what it is supposed to. I felt convicted and closer to God and that's what I was looking for with this novel. (All of my friends are enjoying it as well.)

Endless Night by Richard Laymon- 1 star This is my most hated read this year and I read it for Peter Likes Books' book club. I thought I was going to like Laymon, but NOPE! He's crass, disgusting, and he sensationalizes serial killers. I felt so icky after reading this. I love true crime and darker novels. That's the majority of what I read, but this was just gratuitous. Check out my review here. 

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter- 5 stars This is my second Slaughter novel and I think I can say that she is my favorite suspense and thriller writer. I love her more than Gillian Flynn and that's saying something. This novel was shocking, dark, and moving. I love that every Slaughter novel I read pushes boundaries and looks at humanity's dark corners. I loved the audio of this one and I can't recommend this one enough.

Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari- 1.5 stars I thought I was going to love this one, but I was completely disappointed by it. The concept of a girl waking of trapped in a well with no memory of how she got there is so gripping, but the conclusion and the overall concept of who did was out of left field and completely disappointing. I also hated all the characters. Completely unimpressed. Check out my review here.

2018 Goals:

2018 Goals:

 -I want to finish at least three series (five doesn't seem doable). COMPLETED 4/3 

*I finished The 5th Wave Trilogy with reading two novels!

*Burn for Burn trilogy was finally finished!

*I read and started The Lord of the Rings trilogy in one month! 

*I finished the original Sevenwaters trilogy by Juliet Marillier with two novels read.
-I want to read five sequels (I don't have to finish the series). COMPLETED 8/5 

*Flawless by Sara Shepard is book 2 in the PLL series. 

*The Infinite Sea and The Last Star by Rick Yancey are the 2nd and 3rd book in The 5th Wave series.

*The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon is the fifth book in the Outlander series. 

*The Lord of the Rings: The Towers and The Return of the King are the first and second in the LOTR trilogy.

Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian is the last book in the Burn for Burn trilogy.

 *Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier is the second book in the Sevenwaters series.

*Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier is the third and final novel in the original Sevenwaters trilogy.
-I also want to read four short story collections. COMPLETED 5/4 

 *Harry Potter and Philosophy. 

*Manga Classics: The Jungle Book

*Starlings

*Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe.

*The Merry Spinster
-I want to read three classics that are not Stephen King novels. COMPLETED 10/3 

*Manga Classics: The Jungle Book

*Anne Frank Remembered

*The ABC Murders

*Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe

*The Master Plan of Evangelism (Christian Classic) 

*The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 

*Heaven (It's one of the few real V.C. Andrews novels.)

*The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

*The Pursuit of Holiness (Christian Classic)

-I want to read five Stephen King novels (I've already read one in 2018). 3/5  

*The Long Walk (5 stars)

*Gerald's Game (5 stars) 

*IT (5 stars-reread)

Read 2018 ARCs. Read 25!
Books I Posted on End of the Year Survey. YES! 5/18

*The Fiery Cross

*Ashes to Ashes

*Gerald's Game 

*God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

*Son of the Shadows

Summer TBR Check-In:

For  physical books that I own, I read Child of the Prophecy and The Diviners! 2/20

For audiobooks, I read IT, The Woman in the Window, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Long Way Down, and The Good Daughter. 6/20

Overall Thoughts:

 I read 14 books this month and had no DNFS. Compared to last month, I read so many new favorites. I haven't rated this many books five stars in a long time. 8 out of the 14 books I read were 5 star reads! That is so wonderful and this has been an amazing reading month. I'm going to make this super hard on myself, but I want to rank the books that I gave 5 stars to this month because it adds some flair to this post. Haha. 

1. The Mermaid

2. Child of the Prophecy

3. The Diviners

4. The Pursuit of Holiness

5. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

6. The Good Daughter

7. IT

8. Long Way Down

Currently Reading/Hoping to Finish in July:

  

Already Finished: A Wilderness Station (finally!)

Netgalley ARCs: The Last Time I Lied and A Darker Shade of Magic

First to Read ARCs: I Am Still Alive

Eldeweiss ARC: Amity

I started The Shining (after it being on my TBR since Mach LOL), I'm loving The Last Time I Lied and you should all go check it out, and I started A Court of Frost & Starlight and it's okay so far. I started listening to The Heart Goes Last and it's interesting, but I'm not a huge fan of it and it's kind of underwhelming. I'm reading I Am Still Alive on my computer and it's interesting so far, but I'm not a big fan of the writing style. I started The Purple Book for my leadership reading and I'm loving it. I'm still reading Helter Skelter, East of Eden, Against Forgetting, A Darker Shade of Magic, and Amity.

Books I'm Thinking About Picking Up:

ARCs

 So my month of July is pretty open to whatever which is awesome, but also kind of weird because I feel like it'll be harder to choose what to read. I want to get to Lying in Wait because I didn't in June and I feel like it may be a really good thriller. I really want to read Bellewether because I've heard wonderful things about Susanna Kearsley and I'm excited to finally check out one of her novels. It's All About the Duke is an ARC from May, but I'm in the mood for something breezy and lighthearted and HR is where I go when I crave that. Rust & Stardust comes out early August and sounds gripping and graphic. I didn't get to The Hawkman in June and I'd like to get to it, but it's not top priority.

Audiobooks

I have Love Story in my queue and I'm really excited to check out Karen Kingsbury because she sounds similar to Francine Rivers (who I love). I've been waiting for The Hollow for ages on request. I'm #1 now. I probably won't get The Case for Jesus or The 5 Love Languages this month because I'm not high on the wait list, but I'm SUPER excited for The 5 Love Languages. I'm #1 on the list for Circe and I'm super excited for it because I've heard fantastic things about it and I want to love it. I first heard about The Sun Does Shine on the 700 Club and it instantly piqued my interest. I'm hoping to continue with The Chronicles of Narnia series. I'm reading it in publication order as opposed to chronological order, so next up is Prince Caspian.

Books I Own 

I'm just going to throw three random books on my summer TBR on the list. I honestly don't know what I'm going to pick up next after I finish my physical currently reading pile. I would really like to get to YOU because I've been meaning to for a while. I also am in the mood for some Kafka and would love to finally get to my edition of The Metamorphosis and Other Stories. I've been meaning to read Brave New World for ages and maybe I'll finally choose to pick it up.

What was your favorite book you read in June? Have you read any of these novels? Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments!