What I've Heard- The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat

Nearly six years ago, I read The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore and absolutely loved it. I searched for a long time for an audio version and I finally found one! This book was just as fabulous as I remembered and I loved it just as much. It is one of those books you want to share with everyone you know. Which, come to think of it, is the whole reason I have this blog! I want you to read good books you'll love and I really think this one qualifies. If nothing else, be sure to add this to your summer reading list. It's the perfect fun, easy, can't-put-down read.

Winter by Marissa Meyer

Finally, I was able to finish The Lunar Chronicles with Winter by Marissa Meyer and it was wonderful! Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and the rest of the crew have made their way to Luna and they have more plans than they can count. Winter must be rescued, Levana must be dethroned, and a wedding must be stopped. This book is full of twists, turns, and excitement, captures and rescues, defeats and victories.

At 824 pages, this book is full. I have read complaints that it was too long and needed better editing, but I don't agree. The pace was always just right, not rushed and it never dragged. The only concern I had was that I wanted to read faster to find out what would happen. I was quite surprised about how much I really liked this series. It was a wonderful new take on fairy tales that we all know so well without sticking too closely to the stories and being predictable. There was a little romance, but not too much that I will feel awkward sharing it with my eleven-year-old daughter. And the "princes" in the tales were saved by the "princesses" at least as often as the other way around. I don't read much YA these days because I just haven't found any that could hold my interest, but this series was wonderful. I hope you'll read it.

What I've Heard- Born a Crime

Born a Crime is the autobiography of Trevor Noah and tells all about his growing up in Apartheid South Africa. His father is white, his mother is black, and neither can openly claim him. He couldn't be seen in public at all with his father and he recalls his mother dropping his hand on the street one day, pretending he belonged to someone else. And yet he grew up feeling loved.

The stories Noah tells will make you catch your breath and also laugh out loud. The relationships between Noah and his mother and with his grandmother are touching and heartwarming. I listened to the audio version and, being read by Noah himself, it was wonderful. I cannot recommend enough that you read this book. Or listen to it. Or both. Trevor Noah's humor and perspective of what many people would view as an extremely difficult upbringing could teach us all a lesson about how to face the world and how to make it better.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Don't you just hate it when you have more books to read than time to read them? I know I've lamented this with you before now. It is a constant struggle, isn't it?  I was trying so hard to finish The Lunar Chronicles before I needed to read my book club book, but I was worried I would be cutting it a bit fine so I took a little break. This month's book club choice is A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I have been meaning to read this book for so long that it had almost become embarrassing when I've had to admit to my other reader friends that I haven't read it yet.
Finally I no longer have to live with the shame!

Ove lives in Sweden, alone in the home he shared for four decades with his recently departed wife. He is not a very happy man and he feels no misgivings about telling other people how idiotic they are. Ove is ready to leave it all behind when a new family moves in next door and he can't seem to get away from them. An entire neighborhood of misfits come together and somehow it works.

While there were parts of this book that gave me pause, for the first part of the book, I liked it. Then something happened around the halfway mark and I realized that I loved it. There wasn't a specific moment, necessarily, that made me love it more, but rather a growing affection that came to fruition. I love this book and I really wish it hadn't take me so long to finally read it. My sister, who just finished reading this with her book club this month as well texted me to ask if I was finished with it yet. Her actual words were: "I'm dying right now." She needed to talk about it and I completely understand why.

This book is beautifully written and the story is wonderfully told. I hope you'll read it soon, too.

Sometimes a family is the one you choose.

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Before the finale of The Lunar Chronicles could be released, author Marissa Meyer had to string us along a bit with a diversion into a significant character's back story. Fairest is our peek into what makes the Evil Queen so evil. Levana may rule Luna now, but it took a lot of effort on her part to gain that position and unfortunately for those who stood in her way, there isn't much she won't do to get what she wants.

The key to a fully developed villain is a powerful motivating reason for said villainy and this short book allows the reader to peel back Levana's layers.

You will not come to love Levana or even to feel sympathy for her (well, maybe a little), but you will come to understand her.

Cress by Marissa Meyer

The third installment in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer is Cress which folds into the series the story of Rapunzel. Held captive in a satellite orbiting Earth, Cress is forced to work for the evil queen and is isolated from anyone else in the galaxy. She is secretly protecting Cinder and Scarlet, but as that becomes more difficult, Cress appeals for a rescue- the quintessential damsel in distress.

I'm not sure how it is possible, but this series has only gotten better with every book. The characters are well-developed and substantial, never giving in to expected, trivial weakness. These books are fun to read and difficult to put down.

I'd love to write more, but I just have to keep reading!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

The second book in The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer is Scarlet. I was a little worried about how this series would go since I liked, but didn't love, the first book. In many book series, the sophomore offering falls short and leaves its readers disappointed, but in this case I was very pleasantly surprised to find that was not an issue. Scarlet is even better than Cinder!

In this second installment, we follow Cinder as she attempts to escape prison and certain death, but we also meet Scarlet, Meyer's version of Little Red Riding Hood. Scarlet is searching for her missing grandmother and the authorities refuse to believe there is anything amiss. Scarlet's desperation leads her to a strange traveling companion and perhaps into the clutches of the big, bad wolf.

The alternating storylines added quite a lot of interest and excitement to this book and I liked it much more. Now I'm actually looking forward to reading the remainder of the series! If you weren't sure you wanted to continue after the first book, give the second a try and see if you still feel the same way.

2018 Year in Review

I can hardly believe that 2018 is finished!

Here is a list of all the books I read this year:

1. The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

2. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

3. The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen

4. When We Meet Again by Kristin Harmel

5. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

6. Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser

7. Evelyn, After by Victoria Helen Stone

8. Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

9. The Party by Robin Harding

10. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfferer

11. The Coincidence Makers by Yoav Blum

12. The Memory Box by Eva Lesko Natiello

13. The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

14. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

15. Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman

16. Relativity by Antonia Hayes

17. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

18. The Immoralists by Chloe Benjamin

19. America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

20. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

21. Dear Rachel Maddow by Adrienne Kisner

22. Every Note Played by Lisa Genova

23. A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy

24. Suicide Club by Rachel Heng

25. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

26. The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

27. The Best of Us by Joyce Maynard

28. Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

29. Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh

30. Good as Gone by Amy Gentry

31. A Lady in the Smoke by Karen Odden

32. The Night Before by Wendy Walker

33. I Work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan

34. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

35. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

36. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

37. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

38. The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell

39. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

40. Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates

41. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

That is a respectable list, though I did fall ONE BOOK SHORT of my Goodreads reading goal. I really wish I had been able to squeeze in that last book, but I just didn't make it. Still, I read some really wonderful books. My top three most recommended books this year are:

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh

and

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova

I highly recommend any of these three books as a great way to start your 2019 if you haven't already. What were your most recommended books for 2018?

Have you set your Goodreads goal for the year? I think I'll aim for 40 and see how it goes since life has gotten a little busier for me in the last few months.

Here is to a Happy New Year and may it be filled with love, peace, and good books!