IRL
January was a bit of a mixed bag for me personally and in terms of books. On the personal side, my 9 1/2 Labrador was diagnosed with not one, but two different types of cancer. He had a melanoma in his mouth and a mast cell tumor on his side. He’s still a very happy, peppy boy and there was no sign of metastasis so we elected to have surgery and the melanoma vaccine in the hope that he will continue to live to a ripe old age. It’s meant lots of doctor visits and feeding him wet food on a spoon as he recovers (he had to have a portion of his jaw removed) but he’s totally down with that so he’s as happy as he ever was.
On the Blog
I’ve been trying to better manage my time to allow for more blog hopping, reading, and reviewing. Though I didn’t break any records in terms of reading or posting, I have managed to do a lot more blog hopping. I love blog hopping as it makes me feel more connected to the bookish community and it’s the best way to hear about awesome new and backlisted titles. Beginning in February, I will begin to share some of my favorite book reviews and discussion posts in my monthly wrap-up. I’ve found some great blogs to follow this month as a result of others posts love how sharing helps connects bloggers while giving props to their talents and hard work.
What I Read
In Order of Star Power (click titles to be taken to my review):
The Heart’s Invisible Furies – My new all-time favorite book. I can’t describe this book in one sentence.
The Wife Between Us – Bound to be one of the top psychological thrillers of 2018
Girl Unknown – A young woman shows up out of the blue claiming to be her married professor’s daughter.
Sharp Objects – A young journalist, newly released from a mental health facility, returns to her home town to investigate the murders of two young girls.
The Chalk Man – A group of young friends discovers a dismembered body. Years later, their past continues to haunt them.
Deborah Rising – A work of biblical/historical fiction describing the life and adventures of Deborah.
It Ends With Us – A young woman is torn between her new, seemingly perfect love (who turns out not to be so perfect) and a past love.
Every Exquisite Thing – Two teens who don’t fit in are drawn together by their shared love of a book.
DNF
For a month with thirty-one days, January seems to have flown by. I hope you’ve had a great month!
I’m so happy to hear your dog is doing well Ann Marie! I felt for you when you posted about his cancer, I too have an almost 9 year old black lab so you’re in my thoughts for sure, they are part of the family no doubt…and the ones who always listen without talking back:) I love the idea of incorporating my favorite posts from around the blogosphere into a monthly recap like Susie did. I’ve actually realized I just don’t have time to get to all the blogs that I want and to comment and share so that idea seems doable.
Thank you so much, Renee. Yes, they are so much a part of the family and poor Jerry has been such a sweet, easy soul all his life. Unlike the beagle. 😜 Labs are just the best! Finding the time to do everything I’d like to do is nearly impossible so I’m hoping this will help. I’ve been awful about posting wrap-ups. I think I’m going to start to draft one for February now so I can make an outline. I’ll never keep track of everything if I don’t.
The wife between us sound like a book I need to read. I’m going to see if I can find it in Geneva. Thank you!
Oh, poor baby, I hope your Labrador gets better soon. 🙂
Oh, I hope you can get it. It was a great read. Thank you for wishing my Jerry well. He seems to be on the mend. Thanks so much for stopping by!
So lucky to have found ” The wife between us” in Geneva – I read it, I loved it.
Hope your dog is well 🙂
Hugs
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I’m so sorry about your dog! I sure hope this works and you have him around for a good long time. My two dogs mean the world to me. They’re my family and I’d do anything for them. I enjoy your reviews!
Brenda
Thanks so much for your kind words and for stopping by, Brenda. Despite the sticker shock, there was really no option but to pull out all the stops and do what needed to be done. He has a great quality of life now and there’s no reason to think he won’t now for several more years. Of course you never know with these things but we felt we needed to try. He greets the kids every day when they get off the bus and they just love him so much! I’m so glad I found your blog as well. Maybe someday I will acquire your green thumb and picture taking skills!
I DNF’d Women in the Castle too 🙂 And also Wife Between Us, but am considering picking it up again.
It’s so hard to pick a book up for the second time – for me at least. But I do think it’s worth the read. That said, and as much as I enjoyed the book, once I put something down, I’m not sure it could ever be 5 stars. The fact that I was frustrated enough to put it aside would have to factor in. I think…
Still getting error messages 🙁 I’m so sorry to hear about your dog. I hope he has a speedy recovery. Are you taking a break from fostering so you can focus on him?
Bummer. I’ll keep working on it and thanks for letting me know. Hmmm… Maybe it’s an issue through reader. And thanks for wishing Jerry well. And yes, I’m taking a fostering break. My four are plenty to keep me on my toes right now. 😊
As you know I am currently reading The Heart’s Invisible Furies and am really enjoying it. I am a huge fan of dry humor, and this book has it in spades. Can’t wait to see how it all pans out.
I’m so bummed you DNF Little Fires Everywhere. You are actually the first person I’ve seen to NOT love this book. Oh well! Can’t win them all.
I was bummed too. I thought I would be the only one and was surprised that a few people commented on my Goodreads review with similar opinions.
Love that you provided a list in order of “love”…like that. Also, am surprised you DNF’ed The Women in the Castle, not because I’ve read it but because I’ve heard so much acclaim about it. Look forward to reading your specific feedback on your experience – esp since you and i had similar reactions to Little Fires Everywhere.
It saddens me to hear about your furry baby, yet I’m glad to hear that there seems to be a viable solution to address the tumors. I’m still so affected by the loss of mine in October. She was 16 years old and as much as I thought I could handle it (being a social worker who actually enjoys grief work specifically)….yeah, it wasn’t good. Our emotional attachment is so great.
Enjoy a new week of reading.
Lory
Thanks, Lory. I read about 80 pages of The Woman in the Castle and just couldn’t engage. Another one that I thought I’d love… The pacing was too slow and it read more like chick lit if that makes sense.
I’m so sorry to heat about your Lab. I know exactly what you mean. You are never really prepared to let them go. They love so unconditionally and are so loyal. 💔
So sorry to hear about your sweet dog. I know how tough that can be. The best dog I ever had was an amazing chocolate lab that left us too soon.
Looks like you had a pretty good reading month all things considered. I always consider a month with a couple of great books in it a win. (You were smart to quit on The Women in the Castle!)
Thanks, Susie. Labs really are the best. I’m sorry to hear that you’d lost yours too soon. 🙁
Yes, all things considered it was a good reading month. I felt lucky to have found a few that I really enjoy. In all honesty, it felt good in a way to DNF what I wasn’t enjoying. I’m glad to hear you think I made the right decision with The Woman in the Castle. 🙂
Sorry to hear about your pup, but I’m glad that he seems to be doing well despite his setbacks. Hope his health improves and you get to enjoy his companionship for many years to come!!
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Thanks, Nicole! And thanks for being the first one to use my new Comment Luv plugin. Being the least technical blogger on the planet, I’m quite pleased with myself for installing it all by my lonesome. Which, in truth, is not that hard…
Awwww I hope your dog gets better and indeed lives to that ripe old age! Poor guy, at least he’s still happy and himself! I’m surprised you dnfed Little Fires Everywhere and would be interested in hearing why as i’ve read only good things so far! <3 Happy reading in Feb!
Thanks, Dani! He’s doing well so far. I’m still waiting for biopsy results to be sure they got it all which is a little frustrating since it book two weeks. I felt that Little Fires was very slow moving. At 110 pages in, I didn’t have any investment in the plot or the characters. I was looking for reasons not to read which is very unlike me. After I posted on Goodreads I was surprised to learn that a few of my GR friends felt the same.
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear about your dog! I’m glad that he seems to be his peppy self still! I enjoyed The Chalk Man and Sharp Objects. Although Little Fires Everywhere started out slow for me, I did enjoy it overall by the end. May February be smoother sailing for you!
Thanks, Lisa. I’ve heard that about Little Fires from a few people but I think it just wasn’t for me. February is shaping up pretty well and I just got some book mail that I’m really looking forward to digging in to.