Stacking the Shelves (1)

 

Hopefully this year I can get on track and start participating in some of these memes - I love reading what other book lovers are up to. Here is what this one is about:

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! And audiobooks. Don’t forget audiobooks!

In other words, if you can read it or if it can be read to you – no matter how you got it – it belongs in Stacking the Shelves.

The Stacking the Shelves meme was originally hosted at Team Tynga’s Reviews. For the last few years it’s been co-hosted at Team Tynga’s and here at Reading Reality.

Reading Reality became the one and only host of Stacking the Shelves when Team Tynga’s Reviews closed its virtual doors in 2021.

You are welcome to use my Stacking the Shelves image. I’d like to give a big SHOUT OUT to Michelle@Because Reading – Ms. Limabean Designs herself – for the image.

SO…create your own Stacking The Shelves post. You can use my graphic or your own, but please link back to Reading Reality so more people can join the fun!

I am posting Stacking The Shelves on Saturdays, but feel free to post yours any day that fits you.

Be sure to visit Reading Reality on Saturday and add your link so others can visit you!

Visit other participants’ links to find out what they added to their shelves!

So many books, so little time, and so many glorious stacks!

Another quiet weekend around here, which is fine with me. I have books I have to read and am just looking forward to spending some time with my husband and girls. I am still going through some of Mom's things and also plan on trying to inventory some of my books...recently purchase one I already owned...AGAIN! LOL!

I have some reviews I have to catch up on, they are:

Book of Night by Holly Black
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenters and Seymour the Introduction by J.D. Salinger

Purchased from BOTM:

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I have quite a few books coming and will update next week. I look forward to looking at what everyone else is reading Happy Saturday!

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Book Review: The Maid by Nita Prose

Title: The Maid

Author: Nita Prose

Release Date: January 4, 2022

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Genre: Mystery

Format: Ebook/Hardcover/Paperback/Audio
Pages: 280
Source: Netgalley

Purchasing:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • “A twist-and-turn whodunit, set in a five-star hotel, from the perspective of the maid who finds the body. Think Clue. Think page-turner.”—Glamour

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022—Glamour, W magazine, PopSugar, The Rumpus, Book Riot, CrimeReads, She Reads

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

Molly is one of the most unique characters I have ever encountered in reading. I have read some reviews that say they think she is possibly on the spectrum and I would have to agree. I thoroughly enjoyed how she was portrayed, very scheduled in what she did every day, and even through the loss of her Grandmother she continues following her routine because it is what she knows and thrives on.

When she finds a guest dead in one of the rooms, and becomes a suspect it is hard to believe. She has become more than friendly over time with the wife of the dead guest and when she finds out the betrayal that she was involved in it changes everything. Thankfully she has some really great friends who are more than willing to go to bat for her and help her in any way they can.

A good mystery, not earth shattering but a book that I would recommend because it was enjoyable and held my interest. 

Meet the Author:

Nita Prose is a longtime editor, serving many bestselling authors and their books. She lives in Toronto, Canada, in a house that is only moderately clean. Follow Nita on Instagram @nitaprose or Twitter @NitaProse 

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Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Title: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo 

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Release Date: June 13, 2017

Publisher: Washington Square Press

Genre: Fiction

Format: Ebook/Hardcover/Paperback/Audio
Pages: 398
Source: Barnes & Nobel

Purchasing:

“If you’re looking for a book to take on holiday this summer, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has got all the glitz and glamour to make it a perfect beach read.” —Bustle

From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six—an entrancing and “wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet” (PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

“Heartbreaking, yet beautiful” (Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is “Tinseltown drama at its finest” (Redbook): a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it costs—to face the truth.

This is my first book by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I have obviously heard so much about all the books she's written, and to be honest I chose this one first because of the cover. 

This was a solid read. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Evelyn and Monique, and although I had a pretty good idea why Evelyn asked for Monique to write more than just an interview for the magazine that she works for, but her life story. I loved the reasoning behind why Evelyn ended up with 7 husbands...you really got a feel for how Hollywood ran and or continues to run. I loved reading the stories about the actors, directos, fans, etc...

I felt like this is a good solid book that does have a twist. Did I think it was predictable? Not completely. I enjoyed the plot and the relationships throughout. 

Meet the Author:

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of the New York Times Bestselling novels Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her books have been chosen by Reese’s Book Club, Read with Jenna, Indie Next, Best of Amazon, and Book of the Month. Her novel, Daisy Jones and the Six, is currently being adapted by Hello Sunshine into a limited series for Amazon. She lives in Los Angeles.

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Book Blogger Hop - Average Monthly Reads

 

Book Blogger Hop

This is an interesting question. It certainly depends on the month. There have been months where I read a few books and others where I have read 2-3 books a week. I would say I usually read at least 1 book  a week. I have been a little slower lately due to a new job that just seems to wear me out a little more. The hours are a little longer and go later as well so by the time I get home and get supper done I just want to watch a little tv. I do read daily but sometimes it isn't as much as I want.

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Book Review: Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente

Title: Comfort Me with Apples

Author: Catherynne M. Valente

Release Date: November 9, 2021

Publisher: Tordotcom

Genre: Sci Fi/Fantasy

Format: Ebook/Hardcover/Audio
Pages: 103
Source: Netgalley

Purchasing:

Sophia was made for him. Her perfect husband. She can feel it in her bones. He is perfect. Their home together in Arcadia Gardens is perfect. Everything is perfect.

It's just that he's away so much. So often. He works so hard. She misses him. And he misses her. He says he does, so it must be true. He is the perfect husband and everything is perfect.

But sometimes Sophia wonders about things. Strange things. Dark things. The look on her husband's face when he comes back from a long business trip. The questions he will not answer. The locked basement she is never allowed to enter. And whenever she asks the neighbors, they can't quite meet her gaze...

But everything is perfect. Isn't it?

What an incredibly interesting book! I absolutely loved Sophia and the fact that she continued to notice things that were meant to be kept hidden. Who was her husband? And why were there so many rules in Arcadia Gardens? And why, even in her own house, did she continue to find things that didn't make sense, and honestly scared her?

I can't say much more without giving this one away, and even though it didn't end how I wished, the story leading up to the ending and the characters were some that I really enjoyed. 

Meet the Author:

Catherynne M. Valente is an American fiction writer, poet, and literary critic. For her speculative fiction novels she has won the annual James Tiptree, Andre Norton, and Mythopoeic Fantasy Award - winning anthologies Salon Fantastique and Paper Cities, along with numerous "Year's Best" volumes. Her critical work has appeared in the International Journal of the Humanities as well in numerous essay collections. 

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Book Review: An Honest Lie by Tarryn Fisher

Title: An Honest Lie

Author: Tarryn Fisher

Release Date: April 26, 2022 

Publisher: Graydon House

Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Format: Ebook/Paperback/Hardcover/Audio
Source: Netgalley

Purchasing:

“I’m going to kill her. You’d better come if you want to save her.”
 
Lorraine—“Rainy”—lives at the top of Tiger Mountain. Remote, moody, cloistered in pine trees and fog, it’s a sanctuary, a new life. She can hide from the disturbing past she wants to forget.
 
If she’s allowed to.
 
When Rainy reluctantly agrees to a girls’ weekend in Vegas, she’s prepared for an exhausting parade of shots and slot machines. But after a wild night, her friend Braithe doesn’t come back to the hotel room.
 
And then Rainy gets the text message, sent from Braithe’s phone: someone has her. But Rainy is who they really want, and Rainy knows why.
 
What follows is a twisted, shocking journey on the knife-edge of life and death. If she wants to save Braithe—and herself—the only way is to step back into the past.
 

This seething, gut-punch of a thriller can only have sprung from the fiendish brain of Tarryn Fisher, one of the most cunning writers of our time.

My first finish of the year. I am glad I started with a book by Tarryn Fisher. Ever since The Wives I make sure that her books get added to my TBR pile as soon as they become available. Was this my favorite book of hers? Sadly, it was not. Of the 3 that I have read this would come in third. Does that mean it was a bad book? Absolutely not. It just didn't offer me the thrills of the last two. 

Rainy and her mother go through a tough time and her mother takes her to meet Taured, a friend from years ago who has converted an abandoned prison into a community of people who have what he believes is a common goal. After a bunch of drama and trauma, Rainy tries to start a new life and eventually moves to live with her boyfriend across the country. Here she meets a group of girls...to call them all friends would be a stretch but she does have a connection with a few of them. 

When they invite her to a trip to Vegas, she reluctantly decides to go. This is where the story really picks up. Vegas is not too far from Taureds 'compund' and she thinks she may have some unfinished business with him. But Taured is the least of her problems - she has someone from her past who is hell bent on seeking revenge, and when one of the girls from the trip ends up in trouble, even though it isn't one of Rainy's besties, she feels she has no choice but to help.

To be honest I did feel that the current storyline was a little thrown together as this story really relied so heavily on the past and what happened to Rainy and her mom. Still a solid read but just not my favorite. 

Meet the Author:

Tarryn is a New York Time and USA Today bestselling author. She lives in Seattle with her children and husband. Her heart is dark but she loves you with it anyway. Tarryn is the founder of Guise of the Villain, a fashion blog, and has written twelve published novels. Tarryn is a Slytherin. 

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Sunday Salon - Still dealing with grief

Happy Sunday! It's been awhile since I have posted a Sunday Salon post - years in fact. But, I want to give thanks to Deb at Readerbuzz for hosting the chat. My mom passes away unexpectedly a few months ago, and I started a new job. So, there has been a roller coaster that I call life and I am hoping it slows down sometime soon. 

What I’m watching: We are always looking for things to watch and try to read more when we can focus. But, sometimes during the week we just want to unwind in front of the tv. We have been watching Wentworth and do really enjoy it. We are always open to options, so if you are watching something great, please let me know so I can add it to the list. 

What I’m reading: I just finished The Maid by Nita Prose and started Book of Night by Holly Black thanks to NetGalley. I also have Circe by Madeline Miller to read in hardcopy. I tried to read that one in the past but had to put it down. Just think it might not have been the right time for me so we will see how it goes this time.

New Books to the TBR Pile: Yes, having a daughter that works at B&N is a problem. We went shopping there on Friday and I to the following books:

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (I have read this on NetGalley but wanted to own it)
Circe by Madeline Miller
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Read but wanted to own)
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes (this is a another one that I have ready but wanted to own)
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Have you read any of the above books? I'd love to know what your thoughts are on them. 

I also rejoined the Book of the Month Club so have books coming shortly. Will post about those next week.

I haven't been on Netgalley recently so will have to go there and see what else is available. I do have a pretty lengthy list there already but always looking to see what else is out there. 

Hope you all have a great week!

. 

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Sunday Post #1

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things you have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

So let me just say, I downloaded a ton of new fonts so hopefully I won't drive you too crazy by switching it up until I find the one that works best for me. Like many others we aren't doing much because of CoVid. But, to be honest my reading has been slow since my mom passed in November and the start of a new job a few weeks ago. Hoping to change that with the new year. 

CURRENTLY READING

This is not my first book by Tarryn Fisher. She is one of Colleen Hoover's besties (another favorite author of mine) so I read The Wives a few years ago and loved it. This one is really holding my interest, and while my husband is watching the Packer game I am hopeful to finish it. 

Not sure what is on the reading horizon yet, but I have a huge TBR pile to grab from. Can't wait to see what everyone else is reading!

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