Monthly Wrap-Up: February 2012

Well, another month has passed! I hope that everyone had a great month. For me, it was a pretty exciting one ... I bought my first car! I went with a 2012 Kia Sportage and I absolutely love it! It's so cute and it's perfect for me. Other than that, I've gotten some mroe reading done this month than I did last month, but not quite the amount that I would like to be reading. Oh well, that leaves me some room to improve! So, here's what my month looked like, reading-wise:

Number of Books Read: 8

Book Completed

Before Versailles by Karleen Koen

The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen

The Taker by Alma Katsu

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky (audiobook)

Masie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Favorite Book of the Month: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (can't wait to read the rest of this series!)

Least Favorite Book of the Month: The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

At least I'm building momentum going into March! How was your month? Let me know, and happy Leap Day!

Waiting On Wednesday (2-29-12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly awaiting. This week, my pick is: The Innocent by David Baldacci (expected publication date: April 17, 2012).

Synopsis (from BN.com): America has enemies--ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can't stop. That's when the U.S. government calls on Will Robie, a stone cold hitman who never questions orders and always nails his target. But Will Robie may have just made the first--and last--mistake of his career . . . THE INNOCENT It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn't seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable. He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a fourteen-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn't an ordinary runaway-her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can't walk away. He needs to help her.Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he's convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents' deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power. Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl's life . . . and perhaps his own.

So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday (2-28-12)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's 

topic is:

Books I'd Give a Theme Song To (And Which Song It Would Be)

1) The Devil Wears Prada - You're So Vain by Carly Simon (for Miranda Priestly ... because she is so vain!)

2) Jane Eyre - On My Own from Les Miserables (I feel like this song should be played when Jane is leaving Thornfield. It's too perfect!)

3) A Summer Affair - Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra (just because this book is all about summer, which makes me automatically think of this song.)

4) Maine - Landslide by Fleetwood Mac (with the three generations of women narrating this story, I think this is the most fitting song. It resonates with each woman in some way.)

5) True Colors - True Colors by Phil Collins (so it may not seem very original, but it fits so well for these sisters, who don't realize how special they each are.)

6) Tabloid City - New York, New York by Frank Sinatra (obviously, a book about what happens in 24 hours in NYC. Is there any other song that is as appropriate as this one?)

7) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson - I know that Lisbeth would probably hate this song since it's so pop and not her, but it makes me think of her! 

Well, that's all that I could come up with for this week. That was a tough topic, but fun! So, what books would you give a theme song to? Let me know!

Review: Before Versailles by Karleen Koen

Before Versailles
Author: Karleen Koen
Published: June 28, 2011
Genre: historical fiction
Hardcover: 460 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating:  2 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): After the death of his prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin, twenty-two-year-old Louis steps into governing France. He’s still a young man, but one who, as king, willfully takes everything he can get—including his brother’s wife. As the love affair between Louis and Princess Henriette burns, it sets the kingdom on the road toward unmistakable scandal and conflict with the Vatican. Every woman wants him. He must face what he is willing to sacrifice for love. But there are other problems lurking outside the chateau of Fontainebleau: a boy in an iron mask has been seen in the woods, and the king’s finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet, has proven to be more powerful than Louis ever thought—a man who could make a great ally or become a dangerous foe ...


My Thoughts: I enjoy a good historical fiction novel, especially one that centers around the French monarchy (they were so odd and yet set the precedent for how courts around Europe should behave). So this books seemed like something right up my alley, following Louis XIV right as he begins his reign as king. However, there was so much going on in this book that there ended up being very little plot and too many characters coming and going. At first, it seems like the book will follow Louise, a maid of honor to the king's brother's wife. Then, it seems like we will be following Louis himself. Then maybe, his scheming finance minister, Fouquet. Then there is a boy with an iron mask! Seriously, there was so much going on that it became too much to handle and seemed like four different novels were all smooshed together into this one book.


There were also a lot of characters in this story. Normally, I don't mind a lot of characters, as long as they are all important to the plot. However, many of these characters didn't seem to do anything and would come into the story for a chapter or two, disappear for a hundred pages, then show up again. It just became a lot to keep track of, and since many of them weren't contributing anything to the story, it just seemed very cluttered. I did enjoy the writing and it was evident that Karleen Koen did a lot of research for this story. For me, though, there was just too much going on with this book, but not enough story being told.

Audiobook Review: The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

The Wedding Girl
Author: Madeleine Wickham
Published: June 23, 2009
CDs: 8 discs
Genre: chick lit
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 3 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): At the age of eighteen, in that first golden Oxford summer, Milly was up for anything. Rupert and his American lover, Allan, were an important part of her new, exciting life, so when Rupert suggested to her that she and Allan should get married to keep Allan in the country, Milly didn’t hesitate. Ten years later, Milly is a very different person and engaged to Simon—who is wealthy, serious, and believes her to be perfect. Milly’s secret history is locked away so securely she has almost persuaded herself that it doesn’t exist—until, only four days before her elaborate wedding. To have and to hold takes on a whole new meaning when one bride’s past catches up with her and bring the present crashing down. 


My Thoughts: Madeleine Wickham, also known as Sopie Kinsella, is one of my favorite authors to listen to on audiobook. Her stories are engaging, funny, and easy to listen to. While this story was good, it wasn't as good as some of her other books that I've listened to. For me, the characters were not as strong as they typically are in one of her books. Milly was so weak, it was maddening! She seemed to go through life with no backbone, just doing whatever her mother thought was best for her. And she never corrected her finace, Simon, when he made assumptions about her, which were inaccurate. Simon seemed a bit bullish, which really turned me off to him. The only two characters that I actually enjoyed were Milly's sister, Isabelle, and her father.


So, why did I give this book three stars if the characters were so lacking? The plot was interesting, and I couldn't help but get caught up in it. Milly married a gay man when she was 18 so that he could stay in the country with his lover. When that comes back to haunt her present, the story becomes interesting, and I wanted to know what happened to all parties involved. It was a bit sad but still something that was a fun read. If you are a Sophie Kinsella fan, then I would still check this book out because it's not awful, but it's also not her best work.

Follow Friday and TGIF (2-24-12)

Happy Friday everybody! I hope that you are having a great week and ready for the weekend. Unfortunately, I have to work all weekend, but that's the life of a restaurant manager! Oh well ... time for some Friday fun ...

Parajunkee asks:

Activity! Take a picture or describe where you love to read the most!

Well, I'm going to sound lame, but I don't really have a favorite place to read. In the summer, I love being outside and reading, but the place doesn't matter to me. Right now, I love going to Starbucks, getting my Skinny Vanilla Latte, and enjoying my book. But the place doesn't matter, so long as the book that I'm reading is a good one!

GReads asks:

Required Reading: Which book from your school days 

do you remember reading & enjoying? Is there a book published now 

that you'd like to see in today's curriculum for kids?

Great question! My favorites that we had to read were probably To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, and Ethan Frome. Something that I think should be included in today's curriculum? Harry Potter. Haha, I have no idea, but I wish that had been required reading when I was in school!

So, where's your favorite place to read? What was your favorite required reading in school? Let me know, and have a great weekend!

Waiting On Wednesday (2-22-12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly awaiting. This week, my pick is: Come Home by Lisa Scottoline (expected publication date: April 10, 2012).

Synopsis (from bn.com): Jill Farrow is a typical suburban mom who has finally gotten her and her daughter's lives back on track after a divorce. She is about to remarry, her job as a pediatrician fulfills her—-though it is stressful—-and her daughter, Megan, is a happily over-scheduled thirteen-year-old juggling homework and the swim team.

But Jill’s life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill’s ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries and discovers that things don’t add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet Jill can’t turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own.

Come Home reads with the breakneck pacing of a thriller while also exploring the definition of motherhood, asking the questions: Do you ever stop being a mother? Can you ever have an ex-child? What are the limits to love of family? 

I've read two of Scottline's books now and have really enjoyed them, so I can't wait to read this one! What are you waiting on this Wednesday?