Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Didn't Get To

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Books I Meant to Read in 2018 but Didn't Get To

This could be a long list. There is never enough time to read all the books I want to.

 
 
 
 
 

Orphan Island

Goodreads Synopsis:    On the island, everything is perfect. The sun rises in a sky filled with dancing shapes; the wind, water, and trees shelter and protect those who live there; when the nine children go to sleep in their cabins, it is with full stomachs and joy in their hearts. And only one thing ever changes: on that day, each year, when a boat appears from the mist upon the ocean carrying one young child to join them—and taking the eldest one away, never to be seen again.

Today’s Changing is no different. The boat arrives, taking away Jinny’s best friend, Deen, replacing him with a new little girl named Ess, and leaving Jinny as the new Elder. Jinny knows her responsibility now—to teach Ess everything she needs to know about the island, to keep things as they’ve always been. But will she be ready for the inevitable day when the boat will come back—and take her away forever from the only home she’s known?

My Thoughts:

-    I understand what the author was trying to say, and I get that the story is symbolic, but I wanted more. 

-    There were little clues about the kids and the island, but no questions were really answered. I want to know why the kids are on the island. Where do they come from? Where do they go when they get on the boat? 

-    The story was fine, and it kept me reading, but the characters were annoying, especially Jinny. I didn't like Jinny at all. She was very self-centered and couldn't get along with anyone. Deen was a saint to be her friend. Ben was the only one I really liked, but I wish he had put Jinny in her place a bit more.

-    I felt like the book could be for a slightly older audience. I understand why 11-12 year olds hold on to childhood things, but they don't necessarily need to really give them up for a few more years. Teens for sure need to give up childhood things as they start transitioning to adulthood. This is just my opinion on it. 

-    Despite not loving the book, I am glad I read it. 

Red Queen

Goodreads Synopsis:    This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...

My Thoughts:

-    Wow! This book was one wild ride!

-    This book got a lot of buzz when it came out, and it deserved it.

-    I picked this book up a while ago, but I had just finished reading Pierce Brown's book, and I wanted something different, so I put it down. I always planned on picking it up again, and I'm so glad I did! I just wish I had picked it up sooner.

-    The characters were complex and I never knew who to trust or not. I still don't. 

-    The story was gripping from beginning to end. The story was begging me to come back to it when I wasn't reading. I was so hooked. 

-    Oh the feels! I felt hope, loss, betrayal, excitement, anger, etc. It was amazing!

-    The ending is killer! I can't wait to read what happens next!

December Stats

Books Read:  5

  

  

Pages Read:  1,470

Shortest Book:  132

Longest Book:  384

1 Star:  0

2 Stars:  0

3 Stars:  2

4 Stars:  2

5 Stars:  1

I decided to stop reading the Horse Diary books. I read a lot of them, and I just can't keep up with Gnome. It was stressing me out.

My reading slowed down a lot towards the end of the year, but I'm hoping to read more in January. The new year always get me pumped up to read.

And Then There Were None

Goodreads Synopsis:    First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion.









My Thoughts:

-    This was my first Agatha Christie novel, and I really enjoyed it! I love a good whodunit story.

-    The beginning was a little slow, and it took a while to familiarize myself with the 10 victims, but once the murders began I was hooked.

-    The story is very clever and suspenseful. I thought I had figured out whodunit, but I was wrong. . . mostly.

-    I love that the book kept me guessing. I wanted to know how each person died and how it fit into the rhyme. I wanted to know who the killer was, and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. 

-    I was surprised at how well the story holds up. For a book from the 30s, it is still fun. 

-    I think will read more from Christie, and I'm beginning to understand why she is so popular.

2019 Goals

We made it to a new year!

A new year = new reading goals!

Woo!

My Goals:

I set my Goodreads Challenge to 160 books.

I'd like this stack to be read:

I want to continue reading the Newbery books. I'm going to aim for 20 this year.

I want to re-read the books on my bookshelves. I'm going aim for 20 of those too!

4 Goals! 1 Year!

Let it begin!

Good luck with all your goals this year!

Did I Reach My Goals?

We made it to the end of 2018! Woo!

Lets see how I did with my reading goals.

Goal #1

My Goodreads Challenge was set for 152 books. I read 185! WOO!!

Goal #2

This was the stack of books on my nightstand at the beginning of the year.

This is the stack now. Oops! The books on my nightstand are books I own and haven't read. I wanted this stack to disappear, but it just kept getting bigger. Oy!

Goal #3

I wanted to read half the Newbery Award books. I thought this wouldn't be too hard, but that was before I started reading those old 1930s books. I have a new appreciation for modern editing. I only read 17/96. I will continue to push through, but I'm not sure when I'll finish.

I didn't do so great, but at least I knocked my Goodreads Challenge out of the park!

Ivy and Bean: No News is Good News

From Goodreads:    Ivy and Bean need some money. Ten dollars, to be exact. Never mind what for. Okay, it's for low-fat Belldeloon cheese in a special just-for you serving size. Don't ask why. How are Ivy and Bean going to make ten dollars? Hey, maybe they should write a newspaper about Pancake Court and sell it! Great idea! And easy, too. All they have to do is snoop around the neighborhood. Wow...It's very interesting what they can find out. It's even more interesting when the neighbors read about it in the newspaper.







My Thoughts:

-    This is my new favorite book in the series. I love that Ivy and Bean's shenanigans get better and better with each book.

-    Both Gnome and I were able to relate to Ivy and Bean feeling left out when all the kids around them had the latest fad and they didn't. I also love that the fad was the wax off of cheese. 

-    Ivy and Bean's idea to create a newspaper was so much fun. After reading this, Gnome wanted to start a newspaper with her friend.

-   The story is relatable, funny, and highly entertaining. 

Previous Books

  
  

My Christmas Haul

My hubby went ALL out for me on Christmas! I was so surprised. Wow! Check out that stack of books plus all the extra geeky stuff!

I feel so blessed and grateful for a husband who not only supports my crazy reading lifestyle, but also endorses it.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

A Monster Calls

Goodreads Synopsis:    An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor. 

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting - he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.

From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd - whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself - Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

My Thoughts:

-    This is a very honest and tender story that makes you feel all the feelings. I think anyone who has experienced grief will appreciate the truth of this book.

-    The illustrations were wonderful. They captured the tone of the book beautifully.

-    This is another book that I'm kicking myself for not reading sooner when it was all a buzz. Oh well, I've read it now!