Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Show Us Your Books - What I read in November


'Tis the season to give one lucky winner a $25 gift card to Amazon so they can buy books. And for us to give $25 on your behalf to Project Night Night, which is a charity that provides free Night Night Packages to homeless children. Night Night packages contain a new security blanket, a children's book, and a stuffed animal. Ho HO HOOOOOOOOOOOO You can find the entry form all the way at the bottom of this post.

But apparently for me 'tis not the season to read. I clocked six books but most were read quickly with a lot of non reading downtime. I've had a lot going on and I even let some holds go at the library - that's how you know shit is serious.

One more announcement before we get into the nitty gritty here - Jana and I are doing a Favorite Books of 2015 on Tuesday, December 29. A bonus Show Us Your Books if you will. If you were planning a similar post, we hope you'll join us!

Linkup Guidelines:
1. Please visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me
2. Please display the button or link back to us on your blog post
2. Please visit a few other blogs who've linked up and get some book talk going!

Here's what I read since the last linkup

Engrossing Reads

Angels Burning by Tawni O'Dell - When I got an email from Netgalley telling me this book was available, I nearly killed myself getting to the website to request it. Another one of O'Dell's books, Back Roads, has haunted me since I read it over 10 years ago. No one writes Appalachia and rednecks and Pennsylvania pain like O'Dell. Both books are worth your time but if you're like me will activate your melancholy dark winter spark like nobody's business.

Beneath the Bonfire: Stories by Nickolas Butler - Some things you should know: a) Butler's novel Shotgun Lovesongs is one of my favorite books. I love it to the borderline obsessive point and if you haven't read it, I'd really like you to, and b) I do not read collections of short stories but I devoured this one. These are not happy stories. Some just about ground my soul out, but hot damn this is some fine writing. Really, really fine writing. I need more Nickolas Butler!

Passed the Time Just Fine

Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes by Jules Moulin - I was surprised by this book. I liked it more than I thought I would, and there was more actual sex than I thought there would be even though the title indicates it's a book that has sex in it. LOL.

Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart - I loved Constance Kopp as a character and I enjoyed the writing but was easily distracted from this one. I really enjoyed it when I was reading it, but if I can't put it down it goes up to engrossing and if I am like oh yes, I'm reading that book it goes here. This was a Netgalley read as well.

The Pocket Wife by Susan H. Crawford - This book is inhabited by shady fucks. I wanted to shake the lot of them and the story had holes but it was worth finishing. 

Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon - I was caught up in the main story here, the one centering around Amy. I figured out who the bad guy was early, which I don't like, but alternating chapters of interest kept me invested.

Hard No
N/A

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month.
The next one is Tuesday, January 12, 2016. 
Life According to Steph

Non-bloggers, what have you read recently? Let me know what you recommend and what to stay away from. Bloggers, link up your posts below.


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48 comments:

  1. Ok you convinced me adding both O'Dell and Butler to the list. I have not read either author before. Yay for not having any "hard no" books this month!!

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  2. Thanks for another great list of books to read, and to stay away from! I need to get back on my reading game...Ive been slacking during the holiday season!

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  3. Adding Angels Burning and Shotgun Lovesongs is on my list for January. Looking forward to finally getting to read it. The Shel Silverstein books were favorites of mine as a kid.

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  4. I just read Shotgun Lovesongs! I thoroughly enjoyed it! I love Butler's easy flow of writing.

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  5. Cheers to NO Hard NOs this month. I didn't get my act together with Christmas stuff, but have a head start for January!

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  6. Put Beneath the Bonfire on my holds list at the library and Ally Hughes sounds sexy, funny so I'll check that one out, too!! Shel Silverstein was my favorite as a kid, I was obsessed with his poetry!

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  7. Happy to hear there were no books that you really didn't like this month...I have to say the ones with creepy characters always make it hard for me to finish reading! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  8. OOh your two engrossing reads do sound captivating! They both don't sound 100% up my alley but I am looking for some diversity in my reading in the new year so I will definitely check them out!! I bet you have definitely been busy with other stuff lately but I think 6 books on top of everything else is pretty impressive!!! Looking forward to the link up on the 29th - is it ok for me to include my top 20 favourites? LOL j/k...hard to narrow them down this year!! ;)

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    1. PS - my favourite book as a child was The Balloon Tree (when I was really young), Anne of Green Gables, and then obviously Harry Potter (I was 14 though, does that count?!) haha

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  9. Alright. Finally looking up Shotgun Lovesongs.

    Glad there were no hard-no books this month. Though, sometimes reading bad book reviews is fun too.

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  10. I am adding Angel's Burning and Butler's novels to my list to read! The descriptions may not be ones that I tend to gravitate towards but I am trying to expand my genres that I read. I already added the Ally Hughes book to my list when Jana was talking about it so I am glad to hear you give an approval too!

    If I had to pick one book from my child hood, it would be the Amelia Bedelia books! I just loved that crazy nut!

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  11. I stillll need to read Shotgun Lovesongs! So glad the book of short stories lived up to how much you loved his novel. So hard to think of my favorite book from childhood, but I loved the Boxcar Children.

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  12. Shotgun Love Songs! I love short stories and between your review and Jana's review, I will read it! And yes, you have had a lot going on! Carpe Diem! Love. Your. Momma.

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  13. I have never heard of Back Roads if you can believe it! I'm adding that and Angels Burning to my TBR list right now because they sounds like books I would love!

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  14. I love stories about Appalachia, adding those to my list right now!

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  15. Everyone posting about the books they've read lately makes me realize it's been too long since I've picked up one! Need to get back in the swing of reading again. Thanks for the recommendations :)

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  16. Angel Burning and Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes both sound really good to me. Will add those to my list to read. Looking forward to the best of 2015 posts!

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  17. I'll have to check out Nickolas Butler now!

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  18. I loved Girl Waits with Gun. And I felt the same about Ally Hughes; not an earth shattering book but one that passes the time just fine (I read it on a plane ride in a single sitting because let's face it, it's not a thinker of a book). And we already discussed Beneath the Bonfire. He's a beautiful writer.

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  20. Angels Burning added!

    When I was reading Girl Waits With Gun I thought of you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  21. Hmm, O'Dell sounds interesting! Will have to remember her. Hmm. My favorite book is difficult but I guess I will go with Little Women. I remember reading it a lot.

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  22. That charity sounds like a wonderful organization; thank you for sharing it and putting it on my radar.

    Added Beneath the Bonfire!

    Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes has been on my radar but I don't think I've landed one way or the other on whether I want to read it. Good to hear a good review for it though, adding it!

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  23. How have I not heard of any of these books? ! Short stories aren't usually my thing, but Beneath the Bonfires sounds worth checking out. As a child, my favorites were anything by Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume and when I was a little older, the Babysitters Club series and Sweet Valley High.

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  24. Thanks for the recommendations!I read the sample of the Pocket Wife and am still on the fence about reading it.

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  25. I've never heard of Back Roads but I am going to have to check it out since I live in PA!

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  26. My favorite book as a child was "Striped Ice Cream," which I actually forgot about until just now, so thanks for the question prompt! I loved it so much in elementary school...I should probably re-read it as an adult.

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  27. I loved Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and any of Judy Blume's kids books!

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  28. at least no hard no's this month! i had a sucky reading month too, but i wasn't busy, just lazy. shotgun lovesongs has been on my list for ages, i am a bit intimidated like i always am when it comes to other peoples favourites, but i am sure i will love it :) i hope lol.

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  29. I was a huge fan of Judy Blume books when I was a bit older and loved the Shel Silverstein books of poems and art when I was younger. In fact, I think I might go order Jack one right now!

    I read the Ally Hughes book and it was the same for me; it passed the time just fine. I listened to Shotgun Lovesongs on my drive from MI to FL but it was so broken up that I feel like I need to re-read it as a book rather than listening to it here and there in the car. I just requested it from the library.

    And I can't remember if the recommendation came from you, but I read all 4 books in the Anna Curtis series by Allison Leotta and really liked them. I can't wait for the 5th to come out next year. And I am FINALLY close to the top of the list for After You by Jojo Moyes. Christ, that was a long wait.

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  30. I'm so behind on reading right now. this was just the motivation i need.

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  31. Yay for no hard no's this month! I'm always amazed at how much reading you get done, and it inspires me to find more time to read myself :)

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  32. I love that you were surprised by Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes, good surprise. :) I need to add some of these books to my list.

    CARLY sounds like my long lost best friend, I was a Judy Blume & Shel Silverstein lover too!! No my little guy is a huge Shel Silverstein fan. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was a book I read over and over. :)
    XOXO

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    1. P.S I love that you're giving to Project Night Night!!! You're such a sweetheart!!!
      XOXO

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  33. I've been holding off reading Girl Waits With Gun because my IRL book club is planning to read it (hopefully for January's meeting), but I don't know how much longer I'll wait. Ally Hughes was already on my list and I just added Try Not to Breathe.

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  34. Yay for no hard nos this month!

    I was ALL about horse books as a kid! If it was published in the 80s and had a horse on the cover, I probably read it.

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  35. haha I love that you were surprised at the amount of sex in a book with sex in the title! That's the kind of stuff that happens to me a lot. I'm always convinced that the title is just trying to get my attention. Surely it doesn't have much to do with the actual content. :)

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    1. Also my favorite book as a kid? I loved Harriet the Spy and went around with a notebook for like a month. I wanted to get locked up in a museum like From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I was also obsessed with Ella Enchanted. My copy is very well-loved.

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  36. The Little Prince is one of my all time favorites. Plus I also loved From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankenweiler.

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  37. You may not have read that many but at least you didn't have any hard no books! I call that a win. My favorite book as a kid was The Mitten. I still love that story. That an Love You Forever.

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  38. I had so many favorite books as a child! My absolute favorites were series like Goosebumps, The Baby-Sitter's Club...the list is endless!!!! :D

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  39. Adding Angels Burning to my want to read list! Project Night Night sounds like such a great cause!

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  40. I read Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes and liked it too. I have been reading Beneath the Bonfire for two weeks now. It really is fine writing, but when I read short stories, it's easy for me to put the book down. I'm almost done though so I should just finish it already. Is Butler's third book short stories too?

    We just talked about this, but my favorite book was Just As Long As We're Together.

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  41. ONLY six books?! Pffft. What kind of leader are you???? ;)

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  42. Shotgun Lovesongs is on my "To Read" list, and now I definitely want to add this book of short stories as well. Like you, I'm not a huge fan of short story collections (I usually end up liking one or two and hating the rest), but I'll give them a chance if they're by an author I really enjoy or if they come highly recommended (like Beneath the Bonfire).

    I know we talked a little bit about Ally Hughes already, but I really am glad I wasn't the only one who was surprised by the amount of sex in that book. It's funny because, as you said, the title should give readers some indication of what's to come, but I was definitely not prepared! Haha.

    And finally, my favorite childhood book was probably either The Little House on the Prairie series (my mom and I used to read those together every night before bed) or the Sweet Valley books. I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones that immediately come to mind.

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  43. Shotgun Lovesongs is on my list! Maybe I should move it up a bit :)

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  44. I just saw that Shotgun Lovesongs is available on Hoopla as an audiobook so it will likely be my first listen of 2016 unless it's less than ten hours and I can knock it out next week. It's always exciting to read someone's favorite. Appalachia and winter sadness sound intriguing, but perhaps not during the holidays.

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  45. Oh man, my favorite books as a kid was the Thoroughbred horse series. I loved them! I think I had a full shelf of em.

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