2012 - Books in Review

This year was a strange year for reading. I always felt behind my goal. I've read the fewest books this year than the past 4 and it was a struggle to get them all in. Either I'm getting busier, reading slower, or making less time. I've linked my reviews here so you can get them all in one shot. The books in bold are my favourite for the year.

I read 37 out of 40 books in 2012. I'll be keeping my goal the same for 2013. I plan to read through my shelf of to-read that sits staring at me from my giant shelf. It's about time I start putting a dent in it. Frenchie shakes his head every time I buy a book and have no space to put it.

What I Read in 2012 

Crescendo (Hush, Hush, #2)

Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #7)

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)

The Marriage Project: 21 Days to More Love and Laughter

The Fault in Our Stars

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution

Firelight

Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength

The Next Always (Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy, #1)

Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)

Speak

Happy Ever After

The Giver (The Giver, #1)

Fracture (Fracture, #1)

Divergent (Divergent, #1)

The Witch's Daughter

Free Four (Divergent #1.1)

Insurgent (Divergent, #2)

The Midwife's Confession

Lover Mine (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #8)

A Discovery Of Witches (All Souls, #1)

The Espressologist

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir

The Girl in the Garden

The Power of a Praying Wife

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1)

The Graveyard Book

Interview with the Vampire

The Great Gatsby

Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings, #3)

The Virgin Cure

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1)

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, #1)

Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #9)

The Soldier's Wife

Easy

The Hobbit

December 2012 Book Recap

What I read and started in December 2012

Books read to date: 37/40
I missed by goal by 3.

Finished

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Started

Days of Blood & Starlight(Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) by Lani Taylor
Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Savings

Monthly savings: $2.17

Year-to-date savings: $355.85

37/40: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wanted to wait to review this book and the movie together, but I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to see the movie before Christmas holidays begin. I imagine the movie will be awesome. Peter Jackson is a fabulous director and I can't wait to see how all these scenes play out. I read a lot of the key parts thinking "This is going to look unreal on screen". Don't disappoint me Jackson!

The story was a wonderful adventure. This is definitely one of those books that you have to just sit and read and enjoy the ride. For every situation they got into, they got out and into another one right away. It was never ending trouble and relief throughout this entire book. I loved how Bilbo figured out how to help in every situation. Reluctantly. He showed that friendship, wit and settling things with words was the best option and when words wouldn't do, he stepped up and was a brave hobbit. He showed that courage comes in many forms and is not always about being the hero.
The story was heartwarming and fun, illustrated that sometimes enemies can be friends and grudges can be set aside to fight for the common good. Loved it.

All around it was wonderful and I can't wait to see the movie now that I've read the book. J.R.R. Tolkien was an amazing story teller.

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36/40: Easy by Tammara Webber

Easy by Tammara Webber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


From Goodreads: When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night--but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.


Lucas... Oh that boy is almost perfect. I definitely did a few big sighs with dreamy thoughts.

I picked up this book on recommendation from my sister who wouldn't stop gushing over Lucas. I procrastinated reading it until my other sister also started gushing. Ok ok! I'll read it! Glad I did. I had no idea what it was about other than the main male character was yummy. (isn't that enough sometimes?)

Quick read, very enjoyable. I was actually surprised by the content on the assault. Webber does a great job portraying just how quick and horrific that situation could be and the consequences after. Not physically, but the mental toll it can take on the victim. She didn't sugarcoat anything, got to the point and had a strong female character triumph. I loved it. Not knowing that the story was about that topic, I was a little shocked when the scene took place.

I love this sort of romance book because they don't go into massive detail during the sex scenes. It's all about  the love, burning looks, fingers brushing lightly on skin and hands smoothing out hair lovingly. It's romantic and leaves the rest to the imagination.

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35/40: Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward

Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either. 

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy

Another book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood book down. This is #9 in the series.
With the long list of characters, it feels like it will never end. There are always new characters arriving and everyone has a story. I will say that it's nice each book is focused on a certain character and their life.

Payne is a strong female character and I liked her. Not a big fan of Manny, I'm still not sure other than his surgical skills how he really fits in, but I'm sure that will be expanded on in the next book. As always, they see each other and fall in love immediately. They can't live without each other, but they try and it goes all wrong. Reunite and happily ever after. This is the same plot as all the books so you know what you're getting yourself into. As much as I'd like to quit this series, I can't. I'll eventually pick up the next one and speed through it as well.

It was refreshing to read a book of someone who wasn't a Brother. I was a little disappointed that there was a lot of focus on V again. He got an entire book to himself! I also felt the scenes with Xcor were a little anti-climatic. I'm a little sad Ward is adding in what appears to be another "brotherhood". As if the Black Dagger Brotherhood didn't have enough to worry about with an expanding family and the Lessening Society growing in numbers. Maybe the change will be good?

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34/40: The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: As World War II draws closer and closer to Guernsey, Vivienne de la Mare knows that there will be sacrifices to be made. Not just for herself, but for her two young daughters and for her mother-in-law, for whom she cares while her husband is away fighting. What she does not expect is that she will fall in love with one of the enigmatic German soldiers who take up residence in the house next door to her home. As their relationship intensifies, so do the pressures on Vivienne. Food and resources grow scant, and the restrictions placed upon the residents of the island grow with each passing week. Though Vivienne knows the perils of her love affair with Gunther, she believes that she can keep their relationship and her family safe. But when she becomes aware of the full brutality of the Occupation, she must decide if she is willing to risk her personal happiness for the life of a stranger.

Good story. I was expecting a great story, but I'll settle for good.

I enjoyed The Soldier's Wife. It had a good story, didn't sugarcoat the way life was on Guernsey and had an element of tension throughout.The people of Guernsey were sheltered from the main onslaught of the war. They did not remain unscathed. How historically accurate it was having work camps on the island, I'm not sure. It would definitely be something to look into. When we're taught about WW2 in school, you usually hear about the large camps, rarely about them being everywhere the Germans were.

I kept waiting for something to happen that was truly horrific for the De Le Mare's. There was certainly some tension spots and some horrible things that happened, but they remained for the most part, safe. Things could have gone significantly worse than they did.

I did find the story a little choppy in parts There seemed to be a disconnect between what Vivienne felt for the Captain and what was conveyed to the reader. I didn't feel the love they had for each as deeply as I believe they did for each other. It seemed to be an overview of the life rather than in depth. In all fairness, it did span the entire length of WW2. It seems as though there was months missed and that the bulk of their love affair happened there.

I will say the ending surprised me. It also seemed rushed.
I do think I will read another book by Leroy. She has good writing.

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33/40: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maggie Stiefvater is an incredible author. Raven Boys is unique and well written. It took me a while to get into the characters and see how they all played out together. I've been thinking about the book for the past week so that definitely shows it was a good one. I should know better than to start a book when the series isn't complete. It's so painful to wait!

Gansey is an interesting character. He's flawed and naive and incredibly focused. The amount of care he has for his friends isn't misplaced and in a very, very sweet. He has no idea that his money and offering to take care of people isn't taken well. His eloquent words are daggers to those that did not grow up in his world. I love that he has a little Indiana Jones in him. Treasure hunting has become an interesting obsession for him. A safe place to use his money where it doesn’t offend anyone. He was able to be himself and not the character he had to play because of who he is on the outside. There’s another side to Gansey that we only see when he’s in his element.

Blue, to me, is not the main character of this book like I expected her to be. She is a side character that works well with the boys. I also enjoyed this book because there was very little teen love in it. She wasn’t the kind of girl that went gaga over a boy and lost her head. Refreshing!

The shifting perspectives of each chapter were refreshing and gave me a chance to get to know every character individually. Each character was completely unique and had a different background. I liked that Stiefvater let us see into each characters background and life the other characters may not have seen.

I’ve never read a book that had to do with time-space or psychics so this was a great one. I'm excited for the next book in the series!

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32/40: Wild: From Lost to Found on the PCT by Cheryl Strayed

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I wouldn't ever recommend this book. If it wasn't for book club, I wouldn't have picked this one up. I'm having a hard time writing a review for this book because I didn't really like it.

If this book was fiction, I may have had an easier time getting through it. I lost respect for the author in the way she coped with her loss. Not everyone deals with loss the same way, and I get that. Some people channel positive ways and some negative. It was just hard to read the negative things she did and never really explained her reasons. It seems like hiking the Pacific Coast Trail was the positive route, but a little extreme in my opinion. I am glad the book focused on that part instead of the negatives.

It took me 2 months to get through this. I started reading every word. Then I got frustrated with her coping mechanisms and only read the parts where she was describing her journey on the trail. Then it got to be boring and the same after a while. He journey was long, and she had great luck not having terrible things happen to her as a young woman hiking alone. There were certainly times when things could have gone far worse than they did.

I do have a great respect for the brutal environment she put herself through in order to try and find herself. I could never do that. I hate hiking. The fact that she got through the PCT is truly an accomplishment.

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31/40: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

From the first page I was hooked. I felt like I was reading an episode of Supernatural which is definitely my favorite TV show. Cas sounded exactly like Dean Winchester, only 18. He was witty, sarcastic, had a way with getting information from girls. Saw people as a means to killing a ghost, getting the job done and then leaving. No ties. No friends.
I liked the candid monologue he would have in his head. I liked the idea of him wanting to avenge his father, but knowing that to do so he must hunt and gain his experience before he knew he was ready. The fact that he was training himself in preparation for killing the thing that took his father showed a lot of restraint and smarts for an 18 year old.

Anna was a creepy ghost. I liked her story as hard as her past was to read about. Her inner struggle was interesting. What would it be like to know you're dead? She went through hell and was more powerful than anything Cas had ever come up against in the past. She was something more than a ghost.

The rest of the characters were good. Fitting perfect stereotypes that made the story feel like a teen horror movie. Carmel, Chase, Mike and Will were your typical popular girl in school and jocks. Thomas was the awkward, yet comes into his own and is a force to reckon with. I actually had to put the book down near the end knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep. Had to save the end to read during the day. Not many books freak me out and make me love it.


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30/40: The Virgin Cure by Amy McKay

The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: "I am Moth, a girl from the lowest part of Chrystie Street, born to a slum-house mystic and the man who broke her heart."

The Virgin Cure begins in the tenements of lower Manhattan in the year 1871. A series of betrayals lead Moth, at only twelve years old, to the wild, murky world of the Bowery, where eventually she meets Miss Everett, the owner of a brothel simply known as "The Infant School." Miss Everett caters to gentlemen who pay dearly for companions who are "willing and clean," and the most desirable of them all are young virgins like Moth.

While Moth's housemates risk falling prey to the myth of the "virgin cure"--the belief that deflowering a girl can heal the incurable and tainted--her new friend Dr. Sadie warns Moth to question and observe the world around her so she won't share the same fate. Still, Moth dreams of answering to no one but herself. There's a high price for such independence, though, and no one knows that better than a girl from Chrystie Street

I really enjoyed this one. The only thing I would want different is for it to be longer! Around the last 90 pages I kept thinking that there HAS to be more to the story.

Moth was a good character. Innocent, trying not to be. Trying to survive. As much as she tries to be ruthless or heartless and make herself out to be older than she is, she is still a young girl at heart needing someone to love her. Dr. Sadie was such a sweet woman and I love how her story ended. She had such a good heart and I really hoped that what she did for a living made a difference. Which for Moth, it certainly made life more bearable.

The personalities of Rose, Mae and Alice was fantastic. McKay covered all the bases for girls who would be in a brothel and played their characters just right in the story. It was a struggle to get through some parts and I found myself disgusted with the behavior of the men, but that was the point of the story.

I loved the setting and how well McKay described everything. I could almost feel the grit and dirt Moth lived in. She went into enough detail to disturb you, but left a lot to the imagination. The path that took Moth to Miss Fenwick - one of Miss Everett's girls was a bumpy one, a hard one and ended up being rewarding.

Highly recommend this one for anyone who is a historical novel fan.


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29/40: Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul

Basically I just didn't get this book. Sisters Red made sense to me. Sweetly, sort of.  This one was not what I expected out of the Little Mermaid.

While I love the writing style Pearce gives, the story line for this one was not something I could get on board with. I hate giving spoilers in reviews on my blog, so please go to Goodreads to see why. I just didn't see the connection between what Lo was and what the man was. There was no connection for me throughout the story that explained it. Yes it's fantasy, or paranormal or whatever genre, but it should make a little sense as to why there is one "monster" and then a different kind. With absolutely no explanation the story lost it's meaning to me. I really wanted to love this one. I love The Little Mermaid and thought this was an awesome idea to retell it. Sadly, it just didn't live up to my expectations. Going off the synopsis I really expected more about Lo trying to steal back her soul and there being a struggle between Celia and her for Jude's affection.

I also felt nothing for the characters. There didn't seem to be enough for me to feel that each character really loved who they loved. They all seemed pretty flat. The best character by far was Lo and her inner struggle. That part I totally understood. And Molly was great as a supporting character.

I really wanted to love it. Writing style was great as always. I still plan to read more of Jackson Pearce in the future because I think she's a wonderful writer. Just didn't love this particular book. The other Fairy Tale retellings were far better.

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28/40: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: It's also a love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying, but extremely rich Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly, in one of the novel's more famous descriptions. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with all the tragic inevitability of a Greek drama, with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway acting as chorus throughout. Spare, elegantly plotted, and written in crystalline prose, The Great Gatsby is as perfectly satisfying as the best kind of poem.

I've never read The Great Gatsby and I'm very glad I have now. While I did find the language/writing difficult to understand in some parts and had to repeat reading some pages, I loved the story. I think this is definitely one of those books that gets better and better the more often you read it. For a book that was only 191 pages, that could be easily accomplished.

I started reading this book because of the movie coming out next year. Sad really. I'm reading a classic because of the movie. I know a lot of people read this when they were in grade school. I think reading it then and reading it now would be different. However, having to analyze the book for a class would have really got me more involved in it. When I started the book I was under the impression the story was going to be told from Gatsby's point of view. I was a little surprised when it wasn't. It gave it a very different feel.

Gatsby was an interesting character. I liked him, but have to question his level of crazy. I get that people will do anything for love, but I think he went a little overboard. There was such an air of mystery around him until his deepest desires are revealed and then he becomes a simple man, loving a woman from afar, for a long time. He seems like this incredibly secretive fellow, and really he's not. It's interesting to see the change.

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27/40: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: Here are the confessions of a vampire. Hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly erotic, this is a novel of mesmerizing beauty and astonishing force–a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses. It is a novel only Anne Rice could write.

I listened to this one on audio. I have watched the movie several times and wanted to "read" the book to see what was missed. I'm impressed with the book to movie adaptation. A lot of times the parts that make you feel for a certain character are skipped, or a secondary character isn't included at all. I felt more for Armand listening to the book than I ever did in the movie. I think now I may have to watch it again and really pay attention to his character over Claudia or Louis. 

I gave it 3 stars because I found it very long and a lot of it was very drawn out. While I loved the writing and the characters, it was just really long. That said, when I came to the conclusion of this one and the narrator said "the end", I immediately hit play on The Vampire Lestat. That in itself speaks to Anne Rice and her ability to suck a reader in and make them crave more. I've also been told by a number of readers that The Vampire Lestat is their favorite book in the series. 

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26/40: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . . 
I've never read a Neil Gaiman and heard a lot of friends love him. This was one that popped up a lot in recommendations. It was ok. Probably more like 2.5 stars than 3.

The writing was good, so I can understand why people love Gaiman. He has a great way with words and creating this interesting setting. He's creative. Who would have thought to create a story of a human boy who grows up in a graveyard, raised by ghosts? As interesting as the story sounds, it was so-so. I'm not sure if this was just the wrong Gaiman book for me or what, but it wasn't enough to sell me on him being an amazing author. I will likely read another one by him in the future if it was a book club book, but after all the gushing, I just don't see it.


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25/40: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.
When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

NOOOO! I have to wait 3 months for the next one??!!? Don't worry, doesn't end with a massive cliffhanger, just a lot of questions and a new storyline I can't wait to read about.

I really enjoyed Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Laini Taylor has a way of pulling you in to this world of magic, art and love that makes you not want to stop reading. I felt like I read 2 books back to back the way she had the stories laid out. I kept looking at my page count and thinking that there must be a lot that happens still, I'm only halfway!

For the longest time I could not figure out who Karou was. She has amazing skills, raised by the Chimera and there is always something off about her. Aside from the mystery that surrounds her from the point of view of her friends, as a reader there was something about her I couldn't figure out. I loved the mystery around her and how everything is revealed in due time.

The story to me is split into two chunks. Karou in the present and the past historical story around Akiva. I liked that the last half of the book is all history of the worlds and what happened between the Seraphim and Chimera. How everything tied together was a surprise up to a point where everything aligned.

I can't wait for the next one. Thankful it didn't leave on a complete cliffhanger, but I have so many questions and need to know what happens next!

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24/40: The Power of the Praying Wife by Stormie Omartion

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: The trials and pressures of modern life can make the prospect of a fulfilled, meaningful marriage seem impossible. In The Power of a Praying Wife, popular Christian author and speaker Stormie Omartian pinpoints common marital struggles and reveals the miraculous way that disciplined prayer can alleviate heartache and sustain unity. According to Omartian, a marriage's success depends upon "laying down all claim to power in and of yourself, and relying on God's power to transform you, your husband, your circumstances, and your marriage." Omartian attributes the success of her own 25-year marriage to dedicated prayer for every area--however specific--of her husband's life; from his finances and his work to his integrity and his temptations. Each chapter offers insight into areas that are especially important to men, followed by "power tools" (inspiring, topical Scripture) to guide one's prayer life and transform a woman's mind with regard to her husband. This practical read will encourage women to trust God to change their spouse, and undoubtedly refocus one's perspective on God's power rather than one's own personal predicamen

Julie from Book Hooked Blog and I did a Bible study together and this was the book we chose to start. We are both married, no kids. Both God-fearing Christian woman whose faith plays a big part of their life. We both struggle with our faith at times as do most people. We figured doing a Bible study together would help us out. Get us thinking, reading the Bible, praying more and thinking about God first. There are thousands of miles between us, so our weekly (sometimes not so weekly) meetings were done through Skype. I feel like I have gotten to know her more than email and chat could over the past 8 months and thankful that we got it in our heads to take on this journey together. Thanks Julie!!

I think this book is definitely directed at a wife who has more marital experience than either of us do. I also think it's directed at a wife who struggles to keep her faith in check while caring for her kids and husband and working a 9-5 job. That said, I did find a lot of useful chapters and a lot of questions that really made me think, pray and talk about them with my husband. There were a few chapters were far more into a dark place than either of us have been in our marriage. It's hard to think about what we would do if put in those situations. The answers to all our questions was always, pray about it, but we both admitted honestly that it would most certainly NOT be our first response, or second, or even third.

I found that chapters like His Future, His Family, His Faith, etc that were very general and something that no matter husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, single, are something we can all relate to on some level.

I felt that there was a lack of actual Bible study in it. There were readings, yes. But only two or three verses in each chapter. I would probably not classify this as a Bible study and more as a Faith study. There was a lot of time spent on prayer, which was great, and thinking about situations that one may have or need to deal with. The readings were great, what little there was.

It was a good first bible study, but I don't think I'll read any of her other books in the series.

Rant: It's very frustrating trying to find a Bible study for women that isn't "You're Single" or "You're married, which also means you have kids. Because being married without kids is a unthinkable". If anyone knows of a Bible study for the "Double Income, No Kids (yet)" people, let me know!! The two churches I've gone two don't have anything either. What happened to taking care of the faithful that are getting their life together so they can provide for their future children? There are those of us out there that want to have Husband and Wife time before a family; That want to enjoy their relationship just the two of them and have a rock foundation to build a family on.

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23/40: The Girl in the Garden

The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: The redemptive journey of a young woman unsure of her engagement, who revisits in memory the events of one scorching childhood summer when her beautiful yet troubled mother spirits her away from her home to an Indian village untouched by time, where she discovers in the jungle behind her ancestral house a spellbinding garden that harbors a terrifying secret.

This is another book I've read that is just ok. It took a long time for the story to go anywhere and wrapped up in the last 100 pages. And not just wrapped up, SHOVED FULL of reveals. There was too many for my liking and I thought a couple of "secrets" were a bit unnecessary.

The writing was good however. It flowed well, the description was great and I loved the setting. There was just enough description for me to picture where everyone was, what was going on and move on with the story. There were a lot of characters but the few the story followed were easy to feel for and relate to. There were quite a few outer characters that I thought would have a big part in the book but never came back into the story. It irks me when characters are introduced, but then are just left alone.

This was a book for my book club so I'm hoping there will be good discussions about it.

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22/40: Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

From Goodreads: Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof) accompany the text.

I had such high hopes for this book. A ton of my friends have read it, loved it, thought it was hilarious. I seem to have a vastly different type of humor I guess.
I thought it was horrible. Not funny after the first couple chapters. I found it exhausting to read and if I wasn't halfway through by the time I realized it wasn't funny, I would have stopped. (I can't quit a book after being so far in, it feels wrong)

I thought some of the stories were funny, but for the most part, absolutely ridiculous. It actually amazed me that someone who seems quite brilliant, can seem so crazy. I know this is a "mostly true memoir" so I truly hope that half the stuff in this book was extremely exaggerated.

This was definitely not one I'd be recommending.

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21/40: The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


From Goodreads: What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right? With overtones of Jane Austen’s Emma and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers


Cute, fun and likable characters. Completely craved Starbucks after reading this one. Also left me wondering what Jane would say about me and my favorite drinks of choice: Tall Caramel Macchiato or a Tall Java Chip with no whip.

The characters were stereotypical. Nice Girl Jane, best friend, mean girls, jealous coworkers, angry boss and multiple hot guys to choose from. It was a quick, fun read. I started Saturday morning and finished it that afternoon.
The idea that you can tell a little about a person by their regular coffee drink is probably pretty accurate.

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20/40: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


From Goodreads:
 In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and the descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar's depth to this riveting story of magic and suspense.


This was a so-so book for me. I liked the premise of it. I liked the different creatures and I loved the mystery and intrigue. I felt it was far too long. I found myself skipping over parts that seemed unimportant. Skimming a book is never a good sign.


The characters were great, but I had a sad realization that the relationship between vampire and woman was eerily like that of the possessive one in Twilight. I just couldn't get that out of my head. The good thing is, Diana is a witch and incredibly strong. Or at least she appears strong. For a character that is stubborn and has so much power inside her, she was rather "woe is me, I can't do this" for the majority of the book. Even when she discovered her power and started to train, she was still weak as a witch. I'm not sure if it was her love or if she was just pretending to be strong at the beginning. 


Matthew was close to being my new book boyfriend. At the beginning I was all "Oh Matthew, you are so amazing". But then he lost his luster. Sorry Matthew Clairmont, you didn't make the cut. 


I don't have a desire to pick up the next one. It ended on quite a cliffhanger and I can see how a lot of people would pick up the next one right away. The length of the end of the story was too much for me to pick up the next one. Feeling like I'll never finish a book and just want to get it down and over with is never a good sign.


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