3 Books to Read and 3 Books to Leave

Hi, friends! I'm so happy to be joining you all today. My name is Cassie and I blog at Sage where I chat about marriage, travel, and reading. I'm a sassy INFJ with a husband I love and three fur animals to top it all off. My heart beats for Jesus, authenticity, and community (I'm the co-founder of the #morethanaframe Instagram community). I hope you'll stay a while and chat books with me!

As I alluded to in my introduction, I'm a tad bit book obsessed. I constantly have an audiobook and ebook going at the same time. I feel like I can never get enough! I have done an obscene amount of reading so far this summer, and there have been a number of books I would definitely read again as well as a few that I would definitely leave. Here's the scoop:

1. BIG LITTLE LIES BY LIANE MORIARTY
If you haven't heard of this book, you're hiding under a rock. It has been all the rave in the blogging world lately, so I knew I had to give it a shot. It definitely lived up to my expectations. I loved the style of the writing and how suspenseful it was. It didn't overlook creating realistic characters even in the midst of the suspense, which I really appreciated.

2. MAGIC HOUR BY KRISTIN HANNAH
This was a book I chose on a whim and I'm so happy I did. It's one of those "finding yourself after the storm" books, but in a way that hasn't been done before. Absolutely worth the read!

3. LEAVING TIME BY JODI PICOULT 
I'm a HUGE Jodi fan. I love how much research she puts into each of her books, how I never see the end coming, and how she weaves together seemingly unrelated character lines. I thinks she's a genius and this book is a great example of her talent. Plus it has elephants, and who doesn't love elephants?!

1. UNBROKEN BY LAURA HILLENBRAND
Maybe I shouldn't have seen the movie before reading the book because I found this really hard to get through. It's an amazing story, but it felt long and drawn out at times and I found myself hoping it would end soon. I'd say you're better off watching the movie.

2. EAT, PRAY, LOVE BY ELIZABETH GILBERT
UGHHHHHH. That basically sums it up.  I was warned that I was either going to love or hate this book, and I definitely didn't love it. I found the author annoying. She sounded like a martyr and something about that drove me insane. It kind of had the same undertones as "Wild," which I liked better, but still didn't love. 

3. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN BY PAULA HAWKINS
This was another one of those books that everyone in blogland has been talking about. I found it pretty underwhelming. There are a number of other books that have similar plot lines and I found the ending predictable. I think this could have been a really good book, but something about it just didn't do it for me.

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June Reading, Summer Book Swaps, and a Giveaway!

What I Read

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. I've totally been slacking. I finally got this book back from the library and was able to finally finish it. There were so many different story lines but they were able to juggle them pretty well. I listened on Audiobook and the narration was great. 

What I'm Currently Reading

Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews

My Reading Challenge Updates

Total Books this month: 1

Total Books read this year: 12/75

Total Books Read for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge: 5 / 12

Lastly, I joined the Summer Book Swap with Chelsie and Ashley. I was lucky enough to get paired up with Ashley as my partner. We had to choose a summer read, a read that was on their wish list, and a book you'd think that they would love. Here's what she got me!

For a book that was on my wishlist, she got me Still Alice by Lisa Genova. For a beach read she got me Love Letters in the Sand by Diann Hunt and also The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand, a favorite of hers. Lastly, a book that she thought I would love was the Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks.

What have you read lately? Also if we aren't already, be my friend on Goodreads!

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And now, for the giveaway!

Who couldn't use a shopping spree to Anthropologie right now? Luckily, I've teamed up with a wonderful group of gals to bring you a wonderful $75 Anthro giveaway.  Don't miss out, enter below.

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Reading Challenge Update - April

What I Read

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce (audiobook). At times I got frustrated because it was definitely made for a YA crowd but overall it was still a good book. Maybe might read the rest of the series later. This was one of my books for the Modern Mrs. Darcy challenge as a book from my childhood. Tamora Pierce was my favorite author. I found her because her most popular book is titled "Alanna" so of course I was obsessed with it when I read it at like age 8. This book was an interesting spin-off of Alanna, and still had many of the same characters in it but the main character was new. Three stars. 

Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray. Very good book. This was suggested by Nicole and I'm glad I picked it up. Great character development and an interesting, unique story to boot. Four Stars.

Paper Towns by John Greene. I was surprised by where this book went. I liked the mystery part of the book, and of course Margot is a character who you all are curious about and wish you had known too. Three Stars.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (audiobook). I think the book could have used a bit of editing. I think at parts, it just kept on and on about things that didn't really add very much to the story. It was also weird because at times the two main characters were ridiculously immature and at other times, they were extremely mature and made references that I know no high schooler would know. Overall a good story and a good audiobook to listen to. Three Stars.

What I'm Currently Reading

Lord of the Flies by William Golding (audiobook)
The Blondes by Emily Schultz

My Reading Challenge Updates

Total Books this month: 4

Total Books read this year: 8/75 (Behind by 9 books, yikes)

Total Books Read for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge: 4 / 12

Have you listened to any good audiobooks? What are your favorites? Also if we aren't already, be my friend on Goodreads!

Linking up with: Friday Favorites | Oh, Hey Friday! | TGIF Blog Hop | Little Friday

Reading Challenge Update - March

Ok so I challenged myself to a few reading challenges this year. There is the Modern Mrs. Darcy book challenge, and the read 100 books this year challenge. The hundred book challenge has already been edited down to 75 books, last I checked I was eight books behind! I also am taking up audiobooks since I drive so much it'll be a good way to get through books when I don't have the time to physically crack open a book and read.

I also decided that I need to write out the Modern Mrs. Darcy book challenge. So here it is:

A book you’ve been meaning to read: Bossypants by Tina Fey

A book published this year: Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova

A book in a genre you don’t typically read: Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

A book from your childhood: Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

A book your mom loves: Wicked 

A book that was originally written in a different language: IQ84 by Haruki Marukami (started in 2014 but finished in 2015....this book is LONG!)

A book “everyone” has read but you: Big Little Lies by Lane Moriarty

A book you chose because of the cover: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

A book by a favorite author: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

A book recommended by someone with great taste: Girl Boss by Sophia Amoruso

A book you should have read in high school: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

A book that’s currently on the bestseller list: The Martian by Andy Weir

What I've read this past month:

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey: This gets four/five stars. I really thought this book had some very great input. I've always been a girl who has been raised to be independent and this book brought up a lot of points and explanations on how men think and react to that. It was very down to earth without telling women to just sit around, care for their children, and cook/clean the house.

(I know I slacked this past month...)

Currently Reading:

Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Have you read any of the books on my list? Or do you have any suggestions for a book that was published this year?

Be my friend on Goodreads!

2015 Reading Challenge Update

So Goodreads tells me I'm already two books behind schedule! Hmm, maybe 100 books this year was a bit overzealous. I have read two other books, but they really weren't my favorite so don't even worry about those. They're on my Goodreads account if you want to see there.

To update my book challenge from Modern Mrs. Darcy, I've completed a book that's currently on the best seller list and a book by a favorite author. Those are easy.

The Martian Review:

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first man to die there.

It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him, and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he's stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive--and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to get him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills--and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit--he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

When I first read about this book the first reviews said that the writing is just way too comedic and the narration seems a bit childlike and immature especially when in such a situation. I disagree, I feel like the comedy and jokes that Mark Watney cracked throughout the books probably were his way of survival. There was tons of science that I often had to go back and re-read the descriptions of what the main character was trying to accomplish. It's a fun read that is very different from many popular science fiction books out there. Super excited that this is coming out as a movie directed by Ridley Scott! (sidenote: I'm surprised they casted both Jessica Chastain and Matt Damon in another space movie together. I loved Insterstellar.)

Sharp Objects Review:

Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.

Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.

As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.

With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable.

It's an extremely complex and disturbed story. Typical Gillian Flynn. It has a great narrator that you want to sometimes scream at for what she does, but you can't help but to like her. Halfway through the book is where the narrator and the book really open up to the deeper psychological and family issues that overshadow the entire situation. Terrific book, terribly creepy.

Are you keeping up with any reading challenges?

Review of 2014 Reading Challenge and 2015 Reading Challenge

For 2014, I challenged myself to read all the books of movies that were coming out in 2014. It was pretty entertaining, and then it was fun to compare the movies to the books when I saw them!

1. The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel. I did like the book, however it was hard for me to really get into just because of how it was written. I actually preferred the movie over the book.
2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I haven't actually seen the movie yet. I am such a cry baby that I refused to go to the theaters to see it. The book was good, but a quick YA read.
3. The Giver by Lois Lowry. For some reason I never had to read this in middle or high school! I actually really liked it and was surprised by how similar it was to the City of Ember. The movie was really good!
4. If I Stay by Gayle Forman. It was okay...pretty sad. Quick read, I feel like I might like the movie better but haven't had a chance to see it yet.
5. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. One of my favorite books this year. I couldn't put it down. The movie almost as good, but not quite. I'm pretty sure my boyfriend doesn't want to marry me because of this movie now. Whoops!
   
    


6. This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. For what the book is about it is hilariously written. I couldn't stop laughing at parts. Also haven't seen this movie either. I really need to get on watching these movies!
7. Wild by Cheryl Strayed. This just came out in theaters so I have an excuse for why I haven't seen it yet. Very well written non-fiction and I'm not a big non-fiction person. A completely honest memoir that is humorous and suspenseful. Can't wait to see Reese Witherspoon in this role.
    


8. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Wow, just wow. A must-read. Again, a true story that is heart-breaking and heart warming all at the same time. The movie was really good too.
9. Serena by Ron Rash. Intriguing book, there were parts that I had to go back and re-read. Movie is coming out in 2015 with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, so I'm sure they're going to do a great job illustrating the book.
10. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. This was an amazing book too. This movie is actually going to come out in 2015. Flynn is a really dark writer, but just the way she write drags you deep into the character and the story. I highly suggest her books!
11. Honorable Mention: The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro. This actually came out in a series on Fx that my boyfriend and I watch. They did great, but I actually think season one covered the first and second book so there were things in the tv series I hadn't read yet!
     

Lastly, I am joining the Modern Mrs Darcy 2015 Reading Challenge. The challenge is to read 12 different books in 12 months from 12 different genres. Considering that my reading goal for this year is 100 books, I think I can accomplish this pretty easily and it should be fun!



Currently Reading: The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan. #1 book for 2015.

What did you think about the books that were made into movies this year? Were you able to read them before the movie came out?