Best & Worst Of 2016

It's that time of year again! OK, I've been really behind on my 2016 wrap up posts. Bear with me. I love doing a top ten worst books I read in any given year, but this year I thought I'd do top 5 best books and top 5 worst. Mostly because I didn't read a ton of books in 2016 so the pickings are slim. However, I did read some great books this year and some not so great books. So here you go.

My Top 5 Best Books of 2016
(in no particular order)

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
I love the books by Moriarty that I've read and this one is my favorite so far.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
I'm afraid some people will wonder what on earth I saw in this one but it just spoke to my soul. Right book at the right time, I guess.

The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
Who knew a GN would make it to my top 5 best books? Not me. This one totally blew me away.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Very cute story that dealt with some serious issues. Love these types of books.

 Roomies by Sara Zarr and Altebrando
Honestly, I'll give just about anything Sara Zarr writes 5 stars.











My Top 5 Worst Books of 2016

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Take the stupidest story ever...and then read it on repeat and you'll get this book. Never again!

Dead Ringer by Jessie Rosen
I can't believe someone thought this book was good enough to publish...even the author. Horrible!

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
While you can't really bash someone for writing a book about how they grieved the loss of a loved one, it sure is tempting with this one.

Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie
For a book about an Empath I don't think she had much empathy.
(sorry Jenni)

Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
Sometimes, when you're really looking forward to a book and it disappoints you this much it doesn't matter that it wasn't THAT bad, you hate it anyway.









And there you have it. My top 5 worst and best books of 2016. Are we in agreement on any of these? Or total disagreement?

2016 Year End Wrap-Up

Reading
Well, I set a goal to read 65 book and only managed 49. Goodreads thinks I read 52 but I DNF 3 books.

I'm sad to see that most of my books were 3 star books. And there's far too many 2 star books too. Don't you think? At least there's a good number of 4 star books and only 2 1 star books. That has changed dramatically from previous years.

I found this past year that I leaned more towards adult books. I'm not sure if YA books are just too childish for me now or if I was just going through a phase but I definitely read more adult books.
25 adult
21 YA
2 MG
1 Children's book
3 DNF

I set a goal for myself to finish some series finally and I did manage to finish 4. I was hoping to do better but am pleased with what I did manage.

Blogging
Mostly, I think I posted reviews and wrap up posts. I didn't do many discussion posts or random posts. I don't know why I find it so hard to blog but I do and have seriously considered giving it up. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to do that yet but I doubt 2017 will have tons of discussion/random posts either. I think it will be more of the same. Oh well.

Personal
I posted about my miscarriage and that, and a horrible cold that turned into laryngitis and a trip to the emergency room with pleurisy, made the latter end of the year incredibly horrible.

However, 2016 wasn't all bad. My husband and I were able to purchase two duplexes and though remodeling was a huge headache and stressful, I feel incredibly blessed to be securing our future.

We also took a trip to the Oregon coast and spent New Years Eve there. We had a blast...and guess what? I didn't even stay up on New Years Eve after all.

December Reading Wrap-Up 2016

December came and went. And can I just say, good riddance! Sorry, but it was a tough month, a tough year and I'm ready to look forward...if I can get rid of this lingering cold that ruined my Christmas. Anywho, here's what I read in December.

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, The Replacement but Brenna Yovanoff, Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira and What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan.

Favorite of the month was Love Letters to the Dead. It was so beautiful! Least favorite was What She Knew. It wasn't terrible, I just didn't like any of the characters.

November (Personal) Wrap-up 2016

Oi! This is going to be a very different kind of wrap-up post. I only read one book in November and that's because it was for book club.

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I haven't even written a review for it yet. I will. I promise.

As for favorites or least favorites um...well. I didn't particularly like the one book I read so I guess I'll just skip that part of my wrap-up.

And now for my long winded recap of this hellish month! The reason I haven't been reading etc.

So, I've been married just over three years now and I'm no spring chicken so my husband and I have been trying for kids for the entire three years....With no luck. I won't go into details but we tried just about everything except IVF.  And then, just when we'd given up and stopped trying everything, in October, we got that little pink line! We were pregnant! I couldn't believe it. I was beyond ecstatic. I told my family and close friends right away! I couldn't help myself. On Halloween, Oct 31st, the morning sickness started. My whole family has had it so I knew there was no getting out of it. And it was awful. Really awful! The smell sensitivities, the nausea, the puking, the food aversions. Oi! I spent all my time lying on the couch trying to keep food down and re-watching Gilmore Girls so I'd be all ready for the comeback episodes. (I'm still working on the last season so please, no spoiling the comeback yet!)

My first doctors appointment was November 21st. I was so nervous and by the time the 21st came I was beside myself. I kept getting this horrible feeling like something was wrong. There was no way I was lucky enough to have everything be normal and okay....I was right. :( We went in to the doctors office and met with a midwife, talked for a bit and then went in for the ultrasound. The minute my uterus came onto that screen my heart broke. There was nothing but an empty gestational sac. I knew exactly what I was looking at before the midwife said a thing. There was supposed to be a 9 week old baby in that sac and it just wasn't there. Of course the midwife was flustered and kept leaving the room and coming back. She was trying to find out how to measure the sac. She explained what I already knew. There was supposed to be a baby in there and there was nothing there. I had what is called a blighted ovum. Which means the baby stopped developing at 4-5 weeks but my body didn't get the message and the gestational sac and placenta kept growing and raising my HCG levels.

I was sent to the hospital for blood work to see what my HCG levels were and given some options for miscarrying as I still needed to face the fact that I needed to get my uterus cleaned out.

My husband and I drove home in silence in pouring rain and then sat in the driveway crying together.

After another HCG test we saw my levels were dropping so I chose to let the miscarriage come naturally. It came on December 3rd. I won't go into the details of that hellish experience but I will tell you I had two weeks to mourn so passing the tissue was a relief. I feel at peace now. As peaceful as you can feel after something like that.

On top of all this my family just found out that my mother has breast cancer that has spread all over into her body. I won't say more on that because we're still pretty in the dark on the whole thing.

Needless to say, you can probably see now why I only read one book this month. Sorry to be a downer. I just wanted to share my story with you guys. It's therapeutic to talk about it. I'm obviously still sad but I'm alright. It's not something I'd ever want to go through again and something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy but I have learned from this experience  and am OK. Thanks for reading, if you still are. Love you guys! You're a great community that I love and feel safe enough to share my experience with.

See you around the blogosphere!

October Wrap-Up 2016

Hey guys! Despite my blogging slump my reading seems to be doing OK. I didn't think I read 6 books in October but I did. This makes me happy. If I really cram maybe I can meet my Goodreads goal after all. That means I have to read 9 books in November and 9 books in December...hmmm. Probably not going to happen but a girl can try, right? Anyway, Here's what I read in October.

The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey, Dead Ringer by Jessie Rosen, Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, The Sculptor by Scott McCloud, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black and Blood Harvest by S.J. Bolton

Favorites of the month were The Sculptor and Behind Closed Doors. Least Favorites:  Dead Ringer and Blood Harvest.

Readathon Time!

It's Dewy's 24 Hour Readathon this weekend! I'm so excited! After a really bad read I've started two great books and have two more I'm looking forward to as well. Since I missed the Readathon in the spring this one is going to be top priority. Here's what I'll be reading.

I'm already well into The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. I might even be done with it before the weekend.

Are you participating? What are you reading? What do you think of my reads?

September Wrap Up

September was only crazy for half of the month but I still only managed to read 3 books again. I swear I'll do better this month. The colder weather makes me want to curl up and read and the Dewy's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon is this month so...here's hoping. Anyway, back to September.

Hinges of Broams Eld by Jennifer Cano, Still Alice by Lisa Genova, The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty

I liked all of them this month. No least favorites. I always think that's a good thing.My numbers are small but at least I liked what I read, right?

August Wrap Up

Oi! I think I survived August. Now if I can just make it through these next few weeks, I think things will finally slow down. Maybe I'll have more time to read. Maybe I'll blog more. Maybe I'll try a K-drama. Who knows. But one thing is for sure. I won't be remodeling for as long as I can possible help it! I only managed three books in August. I also had two books I put down because they just weren't doing it for me. Look at me getting all better at setting aside books! Alright, here you have it.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. Where We Belong by Emily Giffin and If Only It Were True by Marc Levy

Favorite of the month was Where We Belong. No least favorite. So, that's good. Here's hoping for a much calmer September and lots of reading and blogging!

July Wrap Up

Can I just say, thank goodness July is over! My book blogging buddy Suey mentioned on Twitter that while most people get the drolls in January through March she gets them during July. I totally agree. It's so damned hot that I can't bear going outside. Not even to lay in my pool. Yard work needs done every five seconds but the heat makes it pure misery. So, anywho, good riddance July is over!

You'd think with being cooped up in the house all day I'd be reading like crazy. And while I did read a few more books than usual this month, I still only managed to read six books this month and DNF another.

 The Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella, Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater, Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase, I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

One Dead Spy, a graphic novel by Nathan Hale, was August's book club pick. I tried to read it and only got half way through. It's just to immature and boring for me. I chose to DNF it.



Sadly, like all other sucky things in July, Blue Lily, Lily Blue and Black Rabbit Hall were 3 star books but the rest only got 2 stars from me. It wasn't a great reading month. Sigh! Like I said, thank goodness July is over. I really hate it.

Here's to a much better August!

June Wrap-Up 2016

June is over? Holy crap! This year needs to slow down! What with replacing a fence and starting another remodel on a different duplex than last time, I'm impressed I managed to read at all in June but read I did. Here's what. 

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (Re-Read) The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater, Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd, Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella and The Dream Thieves by Maggie Steifvater. 

Favorite was Finding Audrey. Didn't have a least favorite this month everything was pretty good. 

For July I'm hoping to finish The Raven Boys Cycle. Obviously I hope to read more than that but we'll see. 

May Wrap Up

May has come and gone. For some reason I feel like I read, like, 1 book this past month but, as it turns out, I read 5. Go me! Although I'm still behind on my Goodreads goal. Sigh! 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie, Black Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin, Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) by Richelle Mead and Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6) by Richelle Mead

Favorites of the month.

Loved that I finally finished this series and I'm glad because all my other reads this month were mediocre but these were great! 

Least favorite.

I had such high hopes for this one but it was just too slow and the ending irked me. 

So, there you have it. 

Plans for June include reading The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater and I Am Malala for book club. Oh, and finish replacing our fence. 

April Wrap Up 2016

It's time for my April wrap up! I've been in such a blogging slump and my real life has been so jammed back but I did manage to read four books. I've decided to shake up my wrap up post. I'm stealing the idea from Kate over at Midnight Book Girl. I hope she doesn't mind. Here you have it.

Books Read:

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffing, Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and The Selection by Kiera Cass.

Favorite of the month:

Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson (Review to come)
Loved the banter and swoony romance but the ending irked me.











What did you read? Have you read any of these? Tell me what you thought.

Readathon!

It's that special time again! Sat April, 23rd! Get your read on!

The place...

My Library!

The Books...

Just the one I'll be working on.

The Snacks...

Mmmm! Grasshopper cookies! 

And, yeah! So I probably won't actually be able to participate very much this time. Stupid life! That's why I only have one book to work on. I do plan to read what I can and snack on my yummy treats. Everyone have fun! I'll see you on the other side!

March Wrapup 2016

Oh, wow! I'm so funny. Remember when I talked about planning out the books I'd be reading in advance each month and posting pics on Instagram? Remember when I talked about what I'd be reading in March? Remember when I talked about how I really don't plan out what I'm going to read because I'm a mood reader? Yeah, I shouldn't have tried to plan out anything. I read one book in March that I intended to...then I went off schedule. Oh well!

 Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready
Finally finished this series. With wonderful world building and great characters including a hot Scottish boy, I really love this series.

A Head Full Of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
Intriguing and suspenseful. Had me enraptured the whole time. Crappy ending, though.

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige Mackenzie and Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Silly but entertaining and suspenseful YA.

Love The One You're With by Emily Giffin
Totally engrossing, addictive chick lit. Just what I needed this month.




Aaaaand there you have it. Favorite of the month was Love The One You're With. No least favorite this month. I liked them all. That's rare!

Plans for April...Ha Ha Ha. I'm not making reading plans. That didn't go so well. My husband and I are working on remodeling one of our rentals and it's consuming my life. So, I need to just mood read this month like I did in March.

A Day In The Life

A Day In The Life is this most awesome meme hosted by Trish over at Love Laughter and a touch of Insanity. The post is just what it sounds like. We were to pick a day and log our activities and then post about it. I saw people doing this last year and had so much fun getting a peek into their lives that this year I just knew I had to participate. So here you go. I recorded March 15th.

9:04 AM Wake up (yes this late) and roll over to look at alarm clock. Too tired to get up. Roll back over to get some more sleep but the work phone rings. Answer phone trying to sound like I've been up for hours and am cheerful and happy and take a job for my husband. Consider going back to sleep but my husband is awake so I give up. We lay in bed for awhile and talk about our recently vacated rental that need remodeling.

10:22 AM Eat a bowl of Sugar Puffs and waste time on my phone looking at Instagram, Twitter, Facebook etc.

11:00 AM Finally get my lazy butt out of bed and check the mail. No checks just junk mail. Sigh! My head is pounding. Complain to my husband who is out of the shower and he gets me a Advil and a cookie.

11:27 AM It's cleaning day. I start in the kitchen.

11:38 AM Go  to put something in the laundry room and get distracted by sweeping the floor in there. Get back to the kitchen. Discover husband spilled ice cream on the counter and floor the night before.

12:02 PM Snap at husband for spilling ice cream on the counter and floor and just leaving it. (Did I mention the headache? It made me grouchy) Husband goes outside to work on something. Finish cleaning the kitchen and get out the vacuum to start the long vacuuming process.

12:48 PM Husband leaves to go on his job and I finish vacuuming.

1:15 PM  I'm putting the vacuum away (in my guest bedroom) and get distracted by my books. Pick up The Haunting of Sunshine Girl and read the first chapter sitting on the floor. Decide to read the book. Take the book out of the guest room and text my husband to apologize for snapping at him. (Reading cheers me up!)

1:24 PM Clean bathroom.

1:41 PM I'm done cleaning! Well, I should dust but I think I'll skip this week. Take a shower.

2:07 PM Out of the shower and dressed. Put makeup on and realize I have office work to do. Go into office while my hair air drys and send out some invoices. Make some phone calls and try collecting money from past due invoices.

2:22 PM Husband's back from job. I blow dry my hair and we head to Home Depot to get new locks for the rental.

3:15 PM Arrive at rental and husband starts changing locks while I walk around and look at all the long hard work we have to accomplish. Sigh! A Neighbor's cat wanders into the rental. I pet it of course.

4:36 PM Back at home. Snacking on chips and catching up on reading and commenting on blogs I follow.

5:48 PM Make another phone call trying to collect money. Am told to call back on Thursday to talk to someone else.

5:52 PM Send husband to the store to get a can of Manwhich for dinner while I start browning the hamburger. It's date night and we usually go out but to save money we've decided to eat in. As I brown the hamburger my head starts pounding again. I wonder if I have a tumor. Tell myself "I don't have a tumor" in Arnold Schwarzenegger voice and continue browning hamburger.

6:12 PM Sit down for a cheap meal of Sloppy Joe's and potato chips. Yum!

6:34 PM Clean up from dinner and head out door to go to the movies. Date Night! Whoot!

6:56 PM At movie theater. Buy tickets and popcorn and head to our theater. We're seeing 10 Cloverfield Lane.

7:05 PM Previews start. Oooo! A Preview for X-Men Apocalypse! Movie was super tense and exciting but lame ending.

9:14 PM Movie is over and we're heading out for ice cream. At JCW's we order a Butterfinger Malt and share it while discussing everything that needs done at the rental.

10:04 PM Home again. Do more office work.

10:10 PM Run a hot bath and get my book. Soak in the hot water while reading more of The Haunting of Sunshine Girl.

11:02 PM Husband cleaned the kitty litters and fed the kitties. Yay! Brush teeth and grab a water bottle and head to bed. Thinking I'll read again but maybe I'm too tired.

11:07 PM Yep! Too tired. Fall asleep.


There you have it. I hope you weren't too bored. I didn't take pictures. Sorry.

February Wrap Up 2016

It's time for my February (Adult Literature Month) wrap up. I had fun but every time I do this I want to bathe in YA books after. Adult books can be heavy and actually love heavy books but I need to mix it up, you know? So this month I only managed four books. It would have been more but I started Life After Life by Kate Atkinson for book club thinking it would fit nicely into my Adult Literature Month and, well, that's about all it did. It took the whole rest of the month to slog through! Anywho, here are my reads for February.

Pines by Blake Crouch 
Very mysterious and exciting. I couldn't put it down.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
LOVED!

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
Um, Not sure why this one was a best seller. It was just weird.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Long, slow, repetitive and BORING!

So there you have it. Favorite of the month was What Alice Forgot. Least favorite was...can you guess? Life After Life.

I hope you guys didn't get too bored reading my reviews this month. At least I posted a few discussion posts

I Can Relate
Does Writing Make Better Readers?
Book Banter #8 Depth vs Fluff

And there was that whole BBAW thing. It was a fun month. The weather is getting warm, I've done some gardening already and I can't wait to delve into March. I'm hoping to get some series finished this year. If you want to know what I'll be reading in March, I'll be posting pictures on Instagram.