Hello December! Oh my - how did we all finally make it?!
Honestly, December seemed so far away, until we looked up and poof - here it is. We are collectively taking this month to just soak in all the holiday fun. All while we have December 31st quadruple circled BIG on our planners. Bring on 2021!
Today is Book Club Day (whoop whoop!) and we are chatting about what we read in November. Have anything we need to read these next few weeks to close out 2020 - share with us! We think we each have our top three for the year picked out, but sometimes there is always a last minute book that just "wows" us.
Here's how November went...
WHAT WE READ...
CARRIE BETH
Last month I shared how I was totally obsessed with The Royals series by Erin Watt so I started my month finishing the last two in that series.
Fallen Heir follows one of the supporting characters from the first three books, Easton Royal, who is one of the brothers. He's in a downward spiral because of addiction and the fact that he is still mourning the loss of his mother. His life is just a little out of control until he meets an unexpected girl, Hartley. She isn't like the other girls he dates and really doesn't give him the time of day. That is enough to make Easton want to try and change his ways. They start to develop real feelings for each other and emotions run high as this books ends with a major event and leaves you hanging.
Cracked Kingdom follows Hartley's story and after the terrible accident that ended book 4. I found myself just wanting to fast forward and figure out if everything worked out.
A lot of the characters annoyed me in this one and definitely didn't enjoy it as much as at the other four, but even though I say that, I still listened to it in about 2 days because I just couldn't stop! These types of books are my total guilty pleasure. They are sort of far fetched with crazy rich teenagers living like adults and its very rated R, but I'm a sucker for them. If anyone has any recommendations for a similar series please send them my way!
My next listen was Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover. She never disappoints me and although I haven't read the one controversial title that a lot of her regular readers do not like (Verity), all of her other novels are generally ones that draw me in right away. It's always love story, always a tear jerker and always has me feeling all the feels.
Heart Bones about a young girl who has lived an incredibly hard life with her addict mother and after an overdose that kills her mom, she goes to live with her dad she barely knows. She's thrust into a very different lifestyle and while she is grateful, she is still feeling lost. She meets an equally lost guy and they just seem to "get" each other. That is until his past and secrets are revealed. Everyone tries to convince her to forget about him, but she never waivers and vows to stand by his side. They ultimately help each other both find their ways and has a happy ending!
My last book of the month was Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge.
I decided after all my semi-shallow books I would try something a little deeper. This one follows two strangers who, after being in a terrible plane crash, finds themselves on a small uninhabited island trying to test their survival skills until they can be rescued. Only they come to the hard realization that they are most likely not going to be rescued. It follows their life on the island and I questioned myself so much during this story. Wondering what I would have done if put in the same situation and it really makes you stop and think about not only the choices you would make, but also all of the things we take for granted on a daily basis! I was a little unhappy with the ending of this one and wished it gave a little more closure, but it was a great book!
JEN
This is the second month in a row I didn't read the book that I originally picked out. I am listening to The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (and am really enjoying it), but haven't quite finished it yet. So stay tuned on that review next month.
I did manage to read a few books from my pile this month. We snuck away to our cabin for the week of Thanksgiving, and it's amazing what a little downtime in the middle of nowhere can do for your reading habits. I read two books in that one week.
First up was
Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella. I love Kinsella books. They are always filled with humor and quirky characters. The premise behind this one is two people meet on a writing retreat and fall in love. They aren't allowed to tell each other their real names or any details about their real life. After one blissful week together, they go home determined to continue the relationship. But when real life sets in, blissful might be a strong word. This book was really sweet, had some funny moments, and some of the secondary characters I actually enjoyed more than the main characters. It's a quick, light read that I would rate PG on the romance/language scale.
Moving on to my second book for the month -
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. Why I thought it would be a good idea to read a murder mystery based in the woods in the middle of nowhere, while I was in the woods in the middle of nowhere is beyond me. But it's okay - no sleep was majorly lost (unless you count the staying up too late to figure out the ending kind of lost). The nice thing about this murder mystery is that it is more of a whodunit style of mystery and less of a gruesome descriptive one. The story follows a group of college friends reuniting for a New Year's trip. They decide to spend their holiday at an uber exclusive hunting resort. Insert a crazy windstorm and a missing guest in a remote police can't get to you until a few days later location and you have
The Hunting Party.
The story is told from several characters points of view, and time pops back and forth from present day to three days prior. Shockingly was easy to keep up with, and not get mixed up. The plot also has two mysteries built into it: Which character dies? & Who did it? Honestly, this was not a likable cast of characters, so there were several times I found myself one or two of them would be "it". I think the author does this on purpose though. I enjoyed the story and it kept my interest from start to finish. There are a few surprises and twists throughout, it that kept me guessing.
WHAT'S UP NEXT...
CARRIE BETH
Sticking with the deep books and more meaningful literature roll, I decided to go with one that has been on my Audible wish-list for a while. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes has a gazillion great reviews so I'm excited to check it out!
JEN
Okay, going to finish up The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and give that review. Then, I think I'm going to switch gears to a holiday read. This one is on my list.
Any good books we should add to our "must read" lists for 2020?
We can't wait to share our favorites of the year with you soon!
BOOK CLUB 2020
HAPPY READING!
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