Fall Readin' Plans

I have hesitated on writing about my Fall reading because the weather has been so warm.  I wasn't sure if Autumn was every going to make an appearance of if we were going to go straight into winter.  But the leaves have finally started to change color and the mornings and evenings are much cooler. One great thing about this time of year is the amount of money I'm saving on my electric bill!!  So I've laid out my plans for fall and I hope I'm able to stick with them.

First up for me is An American Cage by Ted Galdi.  This is the second book I've read by Mr. Galdi and blessed to have received another advanced copy.  His first book Elixir(click on title for my review) was excellent and so far so is this book, very hard to put down. This book is set to be released October 16th.

Three men escape from a prison in Texas, and this story follows the 24 hours after their escape and attempt to enter Mexico.

I decided to include these books because they were orange and perfect for fall reading.  Also a couple of these have been on my TBR for quite a while now.  I have read a few of Karin Slaughter's books in the past, earlier this year I read, The Kept Woman.  I'm not sure why I didn't do a review for it though.  I've read Jonathan Safran Foer before as well, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, although that was before I was blogging. 

I have been waiting to read this book for a while and contemplating on whether or not I was actually going to do it, since The Girl on the Train was just okay for me.  I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book, so I thought I add it for fall.  I've borrowed it a couple of times from the library and haven't read it yet.  It's not renewable since it is a new release.







The next book I have on my list for this fall is a book that I won directly from the author.  J.L. Leslie is a new author for me and I look forward to getting to know her writing.  Her book Lincoln's Choice is what I will be reading.

 

 

The rest of the books I have planned to read this fall are also new authors to me, and are all Advanced Reading Copies.  The Boyfriend Swap by Meredith Schorr.  This is a Christmas Romance set to be released November 7th.

 

I Can't Breathe  by Matt Taibbi.  This book is non-fiction that tells the story of Eric Garner, a black man in New York who was killed by police after they had put him in a chokehold.  This book is set to be released October 24th. 

 

The Wife Between Us  by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen  A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love(blurb from Goodreads). This book is not going to be released until early next year, but I will be participating in a blog tour for this book in December. 

 

I'm sure there will be other books along the way, I have about 8 checked out right now from the library, plus a whole lot more that I just won!! 

 

So Many Books, So Little Time!!

My Best of 2015

One thing I really love about this time of the year, are the "Best Of" lists.  The radio is counting down the best songs of the year.  MTV and VH1 are playing the best videos of the year(Wait?!? Do they still play videos on these channels?).  The news is showing the top stories of the year in varying categories.  Facebook is giving you your "Year in Review".  Instagram and Twitter show you your most liked, retweeted and shared content.  My favorite by far though is the lists made by my fellow book lovers, publishers and writers on the Best Books of 2015.  There hasn't been a book that I have given a 5 star rating on as of yet this year, so this list is comprised of my highest rated books.

I have reviewed several lists that have come across my email, Oprah's Bookclub, Goodreads, BookRiot.com, and The New York Times; and I have compared their list with my Goodreads Read 2015 list and here are my best of 2015.

First, I'm going to start with Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman.  This was one of the most anticipated works of literary fiction for the year.  We hadn't heard anything from Ms. Lee since To Kill A Mockingbird some 55 years earlier.  For me this book was just alright.  I gave it three stars.  It didn't live up to all of the hype that it has been receiving up until its release.

Next, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins another highly acclaimed book for this year that didn't disappoint, but wasn't as great as I was anticipating. Think about how many pictures you saw this year with girls on a train reading The Girl on the Train.

Another book that made the top of my list this year is The Murder House by James Patterson.  James Patterson is one of my favorite authors.  Every year he releases several new books and this one by far is one of my favorites by him in a very long time.  It is a standalone and an outstanding read.

This year I was introduced to several new authors, thanks in part to this blog and groups I am a part of on Goodreads.  Here are some that I highly recommend:

H.N.Wake--I was given her book, A Spy Came Home in exchange for my honest review.  This is the first book in her Mac Ambrose series.  Deceits of Borneo is #2 in the series and that is waiting patiently for me on my Kindle now for a read and review.

Vince Milam--His book Evil Runs was a very interesting religious themed thriller.

Libby Fischer Hellmann-- She has written several books, but she is a new author to me.  I was given her novella, The Incidental Spy as a part of her Review Crew and I am looking forward to reading all that she has written.

This year, I also was much more involved with NetGalley and First To Read(a program through Penguin).  Here are some of the books, I received from these services that are on my best list:

Don't Fail Me Now by Una LaMarche
In Search of Sam by Kristin Butcher
The Mask by Taylor Stevens -- This is #5 in her Vanessa Michael Munroe series, but this is the first one I read.
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave
The Underwriting by Michelle Miller
The Sound of Glass by Karen White
Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge
The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango

So here is my list.  Some of these books are included on the lists mentioned above.  But this is what I liked.  Please share with me your favorite books of 2015 and/or what you are looking forward to reading in 2016(I will have a blog post of that at the beginning of the new year).

Review--The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rachel Watson rides the train every day to a job she was fired from months ago.  She spend the day in the city until it is time to go home again.  As she passes the town of Witney, she always looks at two houses on Blenheim Road.  Number 15 and number 23.  Rachel used to live at 23 Blenheim Road with her husband Tom.  But that was 2 years ago.  Now she lives in a flat with her friend Cathy in Ashbury.  Number 15 is occupied by Scott and Megan Hipwell who Rachel likes to refer to as Jess and John.  Rachel enjoys watching Megan and Scott and their happy life together, so much unlike her own.  Until one day, she sees something she knows she shouldn't have and then the next day Megan is reported missing.  Could the information she have be the key to the investigation?  Will the investigators believe her, or will they think she is just a lonely, drunkard who will try anything to get closer to her ex and his new wife.

I have been waiting to read this book for a very long time.  It has been on my hold list at the library for about 4 months.  I couldn't put it down.  It kept me on the edge of my seat and I had to know what was going to happen next.  There were a lot of shocking things about this book that makes you want to know who the culprit was.  Who has Megan and what have they done with her?  There were times where I was a bit confused about the different dates.  The book goes from present to past from chapter to chapter and from person to person.  I found myself flipping back to see where I was in the story to keep myself straight.

Overall, this is a good book.  One that I will recommend over and over.  It's a great thriller that you will not want to put down.


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