Show Us Your Books March 2022

Happy March, friends. One of my favorite months - end of calendar winter, beginning of calendar spring, daylight saving, BIRTHDAY MONTH. Just like Black History Month is every month, Black History is everyone's history, and every month is the month to read Black authors, rinse and repeat but for Women's History and women authors. 

And of course we're reading through a war, although aren't we always? Some are just more visible. Whiter. 

March is also the birthday month of two of the strong women figures in my life, and today is my Mom Mom's actual birthday. My outlook on life was shaped very much by her and I'll share a gem with you: it's okay to live a life other people don't understand. 

Here's what I've been reading since the February 2022 linkup:

Engrossing Reads

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf - Welp I started this in a trickle of like 20 pages Sunday, then decided to crack it open at 11 pm for a few minutes of reading and was up until 1:50 am. That includes the 45 or so minutes when I closed it and turned the light off because I was afraid even though it is fiction and I was surrounded by a snoring man and three dogs who bark at the slightest provocation. So, recommend? Also, my nails unpainted overnight- a true rare find. OCNJ library hard cover

Hideout (Alice Vega #3) by Louisa Luna - An excellent installment of the Vega series. She's a little more vulnerable in this one but still tough as hell, and I like it. Bring on the next! Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. Publishes today

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen - This is my favorite by this writing duo thus far. There was a part close to the end where I was legitimately stressed TF out in a good way for this type of read. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. Publishes today

Femme in Public by Alok Vaid-Menon - A collection of poetry celebrating transfemininity and I am here for it. Short by length standards, but deep and beautiful and moving. If you grew up not thinking or knowing trans people were out there and are unpacking all of that in the year 2022, check this out. Even if you're not that person, check this out. Paper bound, own

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor - I am surprised at how much I loved this. If you are a Gatsby fan but not an obsessive/purist, you might also. OCNJ library hardcover

What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer - I consumed this super slowly, over a month or more? That's how I usually do poetry - Femme in Public above was an exception. I really liked this. paperback, own

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith - I'm pretty sure I requested this book on title alone, and went in knowing nothing about it aside from wanting to get it read before its publish date. What a lovely surprise to love it. Heavy and light, fleeting, a glimpse into these lives with an interesting backdrop. I wish it went on forever type of reading experience, which we all know does not mean it is a perfect piece of lit just that it hit you just right. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle - The internet does not like this book in general but especially in comparison to In Five Years. For me, I had a no good very bad day where the world was pressing down on my shoulders. I started this, read in a few hours, and didn't think about jack shit outside of this book for those few hours. Katy was difficult and some of the story was absolutely annoying but it took me out of myself and I really needed that at the time. Did I recognize its flaws? Sure. Did I care? No. An example of how frame of mind can really impact my perception of a book. Netgalley ARC

This is the Canon: Decolonize Your Bookshelves in 50 Books by Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne, Kadija Sesay - This was great - a true labor of love by the creators. It is appreciated. Recommend to everyone. I got an advance copy of this from Netgalley and purchased it from Bookshop.org as well after finishing to have on hand.

City of the Dead (Alex Delaware #37) by Jonathan Kellerman - Lots more dialogue than usual, but a good story even if most of the action came later. 37 books in, forever favorite. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Passed the Time Just Fine

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson - Layers on layers in this story. Writing was more telling, less showing through development. I could have done with about three less threads to follow and more emphasis on one of them throughout. Benny and Byron were both hard to like, and it took me a while to realize that was a little of the point. OCNJ library hardcover

The Girls in the Fire (Detective Harlow Durant #2) by Dea Poirier - A solid sophomore effort although it did take me a little to re-orient myself to the characters and story despite having read #1 very recently. Old people probs? Will continue with the series. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange got an honest review

The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs - I'm an outlier on this book, thinking it was just fine -  probably due to my preference for anything that is not nonfiction. The lack of first hand info about these women (lack of journals, first hand interviews, etc)  - which is sort of the author's point - makes a lot of this feel speculative and if it's going to be that I prefer it be shorter. I like how Tubbs wove in commentary on Black women in America and social justice, and I think it's more of a commentary on why these women matter versus about them per se, and if I was clearer on that going in I think I would have received it differently. OCNJ library hardcover

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay - Strongly liked but there was a little pacing issue in the middle of the book for me - it felt like I was between 40-55% for five days. Overall I liked the story but more movement in the middle instead of the end would have been good. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review

Not Worth It

The Wedding Murders by Sarah Linley - This was tough to finish. The flashbacks drug on and on. Would not do it again. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Did Not Finish

Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala - Not for me

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up is the second Tuesday of every month and will happen as long as we post about reading books. All are welcome to join us! The next linkup is Tuesday, April 12, 2022. 

1. Visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me, and check in with as many in our reading circle as you can - give some love to the later linker uppers! 
2. Link back to us in your blog post - if you want the button you can get it from that link

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

SUYB - July 2017

Hello from Emerald Isle, NC, which is where I'm reading this week.

The purpose of this link up is for sure to share what you've been reading - but it's also to be a part of a larger reading community. So make sure you drop me and my co-host Jana a line on our posts and visit and strike up conversation with as many other booknerds as you can. We had a lot of new faces last linkup and it's nice to be conversational, right? 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month. The next is  Tuesday, August 8, 2017 
Please: 

1. Visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me
2. Display the button and/or link back to us on your blog post
2. Visit other blogs who've linked up and get some book talk going!

Here's what I've read from the last linkup.

Engrossing Reads

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris - Can I just say that I'm sick of people forgetting shit and thinking they're crazy in books? It felt good to get that off my chest. Regardless, once I got over that annoyance, I liked this and zoomed through it in a few hours. I enjoyed it more than Behind Closed Doors. I think this gets published July 18th. ARC e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A Million Junes by Emily Henry - This is not my typical subject matter - there was magic and ghosts and adventure. It had a YA feel, I'm not sure if it's a YA book. I loved the title and fought against liking it a little but in the end I stayed up until 12:30 on a Sunday night to finish it and to put it simply, I loved it. It was different and totally unexpected. Book of the Month Club hardcover, own

The Other Girl by Erica Spindler - Quick read, I wish it was fleshed out a little more but I enjoyed it. It sort of read like the first book in a series. Free ARC e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Her Last Breath (Kate Burkholder #5) , The Dead Will Tell (Kate Burkholder #6), After the Storm (Kate Burkholder #7), Long Lost (Kate Burkholder 4.5), and A Hidden Secret (Kate Burkholder 6.5) by Linda Castillo - As you know, I love this character and series. The .5s are the short stories in between the big books. I liked them fine but was also like hey just flesh this out at the same time. Greedy, I know.

Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons - It just seems right to read both Anne Rivers and/or Pat Conroy while in the Carolinas, even though I am in North and they dabble in South. I picked this paperback up at a used paperback bookstore and was delighted to find that I hadn't read it. paperback, own

Passed the Time Just Fine

The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane - I loved this. It could have been a lot more, but it was short and dark and sweet for YA. e-book

The Manservant by Michael Harwood - This book has a little Downton Abbey flavor plus a dash of 50 Shades plus some Ab Fab TV show. I would say it's not worth it, because it wasn't really ABOUT anything, but the main character made me laugh as did his love interest Frank. library paperback

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson - I initially thought this was going to be a DNF because the teenage mopey main character in the first hundred some pages was on my last nerve. It's a Young Adult book, so that is always a possibility. I honestly kept reading it because I was on the beach and didn't bring a back up. It turned into something I didn't mind at all. Library hardback

Resistance by Anita Shreve - I picked this up because I realized I hadn't read it. I opened it and thought fuck, it's a WWII book. But as WWII books go, it was not as graphic as some. Unfortunately it was not as good as most of her other novels either, but it was a super quick read. Library paperback

The Summer that Made Us by Robyn Carr - There was too much going on in this book and too much writing towards a happy ending, which should have made me not like it, but I found myself into it regardless. Free ARC e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Not Worth It

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance - Yes, I read nonfiction. This book is a good example of why I go into books with no expectations. I expected it to be more of a commentary on the culture in crisis. He is a self-centered jerk with a weird distaste for poor people and people who hold new deal community centered ideals based on where and who he comes from and it shows.

Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan - I loved the title of this. The rest of it, not so much. It was a mess and it didn't need to be. There was at least one but more like two or 2.5 extraneous storylines. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican - Were you ever reading a book and no matter how much you read it, it seemed like there was still over half left? That was this book. I gave it three stars, but I still think it's not worth it for the everyday reader to plow through. Kids being brutal to each other with little glimpses of humanity in between. The End. paperback, own

Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber - Not a bad read even though there was definitely some suspension of belief required and extreme naivete on the part of the narrator. Free ARC e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 

The Stolen Twin by Michele Pariza Wacek - This book was a fucking mess. The End. Amazon e-book


Did Not Finish

The Third Deadly Sin by Lawrence Sanders - I've liked other stuff by him, I adore the Archie McNally books, but this was irritatingly slow. free Amazon kindle book

The Other Daughter by Lauren Willig - I picked this up based on the cover. Sometimes that works out and sometimes it does not. This did not. It was definitely the lingering Victorian era shit in the book that pushed me off. Not in the mood. OCNJ library hardback

What are you reading?

An InLinkz Link-up

Book Behaviors

Inspired by Jana's Confessions of a Reading Life Post

My reading rules...or lack thereof:

1. I don't care if my to read list is out of control because I don't look at it as something to get through. Having a lot of books I'd like to read is preferable to the alternative and I actually hope I can never see the end of my list.

2. When I own a book...I crack the spine, dog ear corners, lay it on the sand, get water on it, highlight it, write in the margins. They are not sacred tomes to me. They are sidekicks that roar through life with me. 

3. I no longer keep books just so I can say I have a lot of books. If I buy it and don't love it, I pass it along so someone else can read it. 

4. I always buy books for myself on my birthday and at Christmas.

5. I don't have any interest in seeing the movie adaptation of most books.

6. My favorite form of book is mass market paperback.  

7. I judge a purse's usefulness by if I can fit a standard size library issued hardback in it. If I can't, it's of no use to me because I carry a book with me everywhere and many of them are from the library. 

8. Once I find an author I love, I will faithfully work my way through their entire catalog. 

9. I usually make the decision to bag a book at around page 33. I do not feel even a little bad when I decide not to finish a book because there are a lot out there but they are not all for me. No one cares that I didn't finish it. 

10. I'm genuinely confused why people who know I read a lot ask me what my favorite book is. Hello I can't answer that. Will you accept a top 10 list?

What are some of your book behaviors?

Thanks again to Jana for the inspiration for this post. Other me & Jana things: new episode of the Armchair Librarians will drop Thursday. Show Us Your Books is a week from today! 

Show Us Your Books - What I Read in October

Book nerd carnival day! Step right up and talk about what you've been reading!

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

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers - This book physically pained me. Anyone can be a mean girl and anyone can be the victim of a mean girl. After I finished this on the train one morning, I walked into my Dunkin Donuts and saw a gaggle of high school girls waiting for their drinks. I wanted to clutch them all to me and urge them to be kind.

Summerlong by Dean Bakopoulos - I waited for this book to come in for me at the library for over two freaking months so I was very happy when it didn't disappoint. I liked the story fine and liked some of the characters and disliked others...but I loved the writing. I'm coming for more, Dean. Don't let me down.

Passed the Time Just Fine

Identity (Fina Ludlow #2) by Ingrid Thoft - Second in the Fina series. I love her as a kickass female private detective with a fucked up family. I'm on board for more.

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner - Received a copy for free from Netgalley. This was truly just okay for me. A little slow in places, but I didn't think hmm maybe I shouldn't finish this. Do I think you should rush to read it? No.

Mad River (Virgil Flowers #6) by John Sandford - Another in the That Fuckin' Flowers series. This was Bonnie and Clyde-ish and a little violent at times, but still a good Virgil story.

Nowhere Girl by Susan Strecker - Freebie from netgalley for an honest review. I was totally sucked into this book, convinced everyone was a murderer at some point. I read it in a day. There were some holes in the story but overall not bad.


Hard No

The Good Neighbor by A.J. Banner - Do not do not do not. I received this for free from Netgalley too, and I did finish it just to know who did it. I was annoyed from the start with the protaganist: portrayed as a weak and ridiculous woman who can't think independently. Not really my type. There was potential but the execution wasn't there.

The Brockhurst File by Lynne Adair Kramer and Jane Mincer - I received this for free in exhange for an honest review and honestly? I couldn't finish it. I pushed to get halfway through and then said no more. It needed another two rounds of editing. I liked one of the characters out of the 20984 that were introduced in the first 10 pages. But it wasn't enough to overcome the sprawling and messy plotlines.

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month. The next one is Tuesday, December 8. 

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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.

An InLinkz Link-up

My Favorite Classic Novels

I have read and adored and read and abhorred some of the classic novels. I don't think liking classics makes you better or smarter, and I don't think disliking them makes you cool or real. Some powers that be lumped them together and called them the classics, and we've been judging them as a group ever since. Like any book in any genre, I think they demand to be judged individually on their own merit. Here are my favorite classics:

1. My Antonia by Willa Cather - Cather makes the American West come alive via a bold young Antonia. Her spirit is captivating. The way it's written (episodically) allows the reader to feel more comfortable in the background of the winding story.

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Jane is my favorite heroine. I like her fire and her spunk. She is independent and strong, a true feminist - very rare for the Victorian period. I also like her vulnerability and complexity. And I might have purchased a copy of this novel for my niece for Christmas...she'll be just under three months old. LOLOL

3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I love the glitz, the glam, the melancholy, the secrecy, the longing. I love the opening line and the ending line and both are timeless. I hate Daisy with a fiery passion, and that's good for me too - I like having someone to love, someone to hate, and someone in between in my books.

4. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov - This was my first introduction to a character that should be hated turned into someone who can somehow be liked regardless. I was truly perplexed. It takes skill as an author to do that to an audience. It also starts with a bang: Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. 

5. On the Road by Jack Kerouac - There are so many quotable quotes in here. I first read this at a time when I felt reckless and thirsty for adventure and the ability to shuck responsibility and ramble on down the road. I still enjoy it today because it reminds me of a self that was a little more free.

6. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - A major study of mine in college, I came to admire Hester for her strength under duress. She would not bend or be shamed. There is value in knowing how to live inside of yourself when exterior forces are making your life hellish. This book made me think hard on that.

7. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - I was shocked at how good this was when I finally read it in college. Familiar with the Frankenstein story, I was unprepared for the nuanced writing of Shelley.

8. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - One of the first books I read that made me feel like I was an adult, instead of a girl of 11 (when I first read it). Jo March, woman warrior. Writer. Daring girl. Feminist...before I knew what feminist really meant in a larger context and what it really meant to me as a female. I like that Alcott explored a character who conceded to marriage on her terms with a man she views as her equal.

9. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, 1984 by George Orwell - Yes, I know, this is more than one. These three showed me how books can almost seem to foreshadow a future that doesn't exist yet. They were dystopian before Hunger Games and that ilk were mere farts in the wind.

10. A Separate Peace by John Knowles - Phineas remains larger than life in my mind and in literary history.

Classics I found to be tedious:
Any and all Henry James, Moby Dick, all Dickens aside from Great Expectations, all Jane Austen, William Faulkner novels

Hope to see you link up on Tuesday, November 10, for Show Us Your Books with me and Jana of Jana Says.

What's your favorite/least favorite classic?

Show Us Your Books Anniversary Edition - What I Read in September

Today is a very special Anniversary Edition of Show Us Your Books - Jana and I are giving away a $50 gift card to Amazon and Bookwormboutique merchandise. There will be two winners - an Amazon winner and a BWB swag winner. You do not need to link up to enter. The giveaway can be found at the bottom of the post after all the links. Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed this link up along with us, whether you've silently been taking notes on your next books to read, commenting with what you've liked recently, or linking up and doing all of the above...thank you. It's been awesome.

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

Law of Attraction by Allison Leotta - This was fast paced and required a little bit of suspended belief in the legalities of it all, but I was definitely drawn in. A little legalese, a little D.C., a little love, a little violence, a little psychosis. It's a recipe for a winner for me.

The One You Love by Paul Pilkington - Let me come clean immediately and say this book infuriated me and I felt like punching many of the characters and calling them dumbasses as well as punching the author for ending it on a cliffhanger because I will have to read the next one...the almighty BUT here is that regardless of those things I couldn't put the book down and had to stay up until after 1, knowing I'd get less than five hours of sleep, in order to finish it. There's something to be said for that. It's a quick read so I anticipate the next one will be as well. Edited to add: thanks to Michelle in the comments for letting me know this is still free for Kindle. Always good to read the comments on posts like these friends!

Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer - I was totally into this story, and I even got MFD to read it too. Well, to start it anyway. Thanks to Kathy Biatchi for this recommendation. It's an age old tale of two rises to the top - one born of privilege and one who had to claw his way there - a few fatal soap opera misunderstandings, and a lot of good stuff along the way.

The Betrayal by Laura Elliot - This book ensared me. The tagline is something ludicrous like a gripping novel of psychological suspense and hot damn, it was. I thought the past that they alluded to was a little wimpy at first, then I was like ohhh. I gobbled it up front to back.

The Doll Maker by Richard Montanari - Recommended by a co-worker, I did not want to put this book down. I read the first book in this series about Philadelphia Homicide Detectives Byrne and Balzano a while back and never picked up any others. This sucked me in immediately. It was extremely creepy. A good candidate for you mystery/suspense fans.


Passed the Time Just Fine

Never Buried (Leigh Koslow Mystery #1) by Edie Claire - This reminded me a little of the unassuming Aurora Teagarden mysteries by Charlaine Harris. A very mild character and a very mild storyline. I think I read another reviewer call them "cozy mysteries" and that's just what they are. I won't run right out to read more, but I didn't mind reading this one.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald - I got this from Netgalley in exchange for a review. I liked the characters and liked the idea of a dead town being revived by books and sheer will. As a reader, I also love the references to books and how the author wove them into the story. The love story in the book seems really underdeveloped, which is a shame. Regardless, this left me with a feel good feeling like I used to get after reading Fannie Flagg books.

Whistling Women by Kelly Romo - Another freebie from Netgalley in exchange for a review. I didn't know much about this book. I liked the cover and the title, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked the story and how it unfolded too. I detested Mary and her speech patterns but enjoyed the other characters.

Open Season (Joe Pickett #1) by C.J. Box - I picked this up in Grand Teton. It's about a Wyoming Game Warden. I was like oh, why not. He was a bit of a wimp sometimes, and I don't really like that. His young daughter also played too heavily in the story too, I don't like that either. I liked this book okay and am curious to see how the character might develop further, so I might give another book in the series a shot.

Girl Defective by Simmone Howell - I very rarely remember who recommended what to me but for some reason I know I saw this on Erin's blog. Maybe because it's an Aussie book? I liked the writing here (some snippets felt lyrical), as well as the characters. I think the story could've been sharper and deeper. There were a lot of interesting plot threads, none of which were done justice I don't think. But it was a fine read as it was.

Hard No

N/A, thankfully. No non starters this month!

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month. The next one is Tuesday, November 10. 

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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.

An InLinkz Link-up

One year anniversary giveaway! Two winners. One prize is a $50 Amazon gift card and the other prize is a mug & 8x8 print from bookwormboutique both seen below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We all read different books

One of the things I love most about reading is how intensely personal it is.

We all have preferred book types we like to read. Sometimes we have similar interests in books as friends of ours.Even when that happens, we never read the same book as someone else.

A book hits you differently based on where you are in your life and what's going on around you. Since no two people have identical experiences, memories, or associations, we interact with books differently. Hell, I interact with books differently based on my life stage.

Books I read when I was 18 are different books when I reread them at 38. I think it's wonderful how our brains and hearts react and interact with material and characters and how that changes based on our life stage. We look at old favorites with new eyes and have new experiences to apply to things that happen in the book. I can recall where I read certain favorite books of mine and still see myself there, reading them in my mind. I remember what I felt when I read them for the first time. I remember being that girl, and I remember all the years and miles between then and now. Some things in that book look different to me.

Just something I find interesting. My favorite book can be one you hate, and neither of us are wrong.

Hope to see you link up on Tuesday, October 13 for Show Us Your Books with me and Jana of Jana Says. To thank you for reading, loving books, and linking up if you have, we're giving away some prizes in honor of the one year anniversary of this link up. You will not need to link up to be a winner.

Have a great weekend mon frers! I'll be attending my 20 year high school reunion. No shit.

The Culture of Luxury Books

Hello friends - the question - book or e-reader - and some other thoughts about it by Sophie White today as I attempt to get myself back together after vacation. Don't forget that the Show Us Your Books: Anniversary Edition link up is Tuesday, October 13. Enjoy! 

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In a world where the modern reader seeks convenience, such devices as tablets have slowly risen to replace paper books to introduce digital copies of the written word. For many, this is a sign of the rise of modern books, and it has since been forecast that paper books will soon be replaced completely.

Bibliophiles may disagree. With the role books has had over the centuries, some book lovers may think that they will never be completely erased, for culture is what they represent. But with today’s highly visual audience, publishers have raised the bar on books’ graphic appeal, introducing a niche of artistic designs and covers that attract collectors, putting more focus on luxury books.

The art of the printed word

The key to getting modern readers interested these days seem to be through a highly attractive book cover design. For bibliophiles, this is taken one step further and would include the overall design of the book. Still, for those looking to peek into high style and art, luxury books have found their place.

Whatever the case, it cannot be denied that books still hold their own magic for readers. There are also different types of books that don’t fit very well for digital copy. This would include highly photo-centric books that are best enjoyed in glossy volumes for full appreciation. These books are items of luxury and are considered as objects of art themselves, to be proudly put on display in the home.

A different sensory experience

One of the most important things a book can have is to capture and immortalize different facets of life – whether through pictures or words – and this is deftly achieved in books that hold both in equal importance.

Luxury books can claim to give readers a different, dignified experience for the senses. With beautiful, memorable photographs that can capture everything from art to fashion and travel, luxury books are themselves a reflection of culture.

The modern audience includes people who consume visual components every day – from advertisements on the street to social media pictures as well as television shows. With so much going on in daily life, books offer an escape and a sight into other worlds.

Printed books in the digital age

With the on-the-go lifestyle many people lead these days, it can be really useful to have a tablet from which to access different books anytime at any place. But the appeal of physical books will never truly go away for the most dedicated reader.

What is even more undeniable is the appeal of volumes of books laid out across shelves in one’s own home. It signifies a sense of comfort and relaxed coziness that book lovers value when they read. This is why home libraries are considered as valuable personal spaces of culture across the world.

Even as e-books rise higher in popularity, books will only evolve to become even more sought-after for creating personal collections in one’s own space. This is why books may never truly go out of print even as the juggernaut of modernism continues to roll.

Sophie White is a blogger based in Australia with a wide array of interests that have to do with high style and its appreciation. She is a bibliophile and true book lover, as well as having a keen eye for the latest in fashion and good food.  With her passion for sophistication and quality, she partners with Assouline, an independent publisher of lifestyle luxury books with boutiques around the world.

Show Us Your Books: What I Read in June

It's that time again, book nerds - the Show Us Your Books linkup with me and Jana of Jana Says! Please extend some decorum and try to visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me, as well as a few other blogs who've linked up below so you can get your money's worth and get some book talk going.

So I was on vacation during this interlude and there are consequently a lot more books on my list below than there normally are - I usually read five to seven books a month and there are 17 listed below as well as more that I didn't finish. I typically share them in the order I've read them, but this time I've taken the liberty of separating them out into three categories: Engrossing Reads, Passed the Time Just Fine, and Hard No  in case you're like WTF there's too much here to read. Here's what I've read since my last Show Us Your Books Post on June 9:

Engrossing Reads

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen - I've never read this author, and I've seen her everywhere. I truly loved this story, and I'll be reading more YA books by Dessen.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - One of my absolute favorite heroines and consequently one of my favorite books. It's been a few years since I read it, and it was nice to visit Jane again. It's also nice to know that at every point in my life that I've read this book, it still holds up. If you're looking to dive into a classic, I suggest this one.

Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight - This book was totally engrossing. So many moving parts. So many people who could've been good or bad. A great read.

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover - A really weird premise and some crazy dark shit that Hoover pretty much glossed over, but I liked the characters a lot. It was a really good beach read.

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittmore - Your standard rich people have fucked up secrets and lies tale. It made for a good beach read. Everyone was just a little bit off their rocker and that seemed fine to me.

Pines (Wayward Pines #1) by Blake Crouch - I was sort of all WTF while reading this book. It was so weird and I had no idea where he was going with it most of the time as he laid the groundwork for the series, but I wanted to go along with him. When I finished reading this one, I was glad I had the next two at my disposal.

Wayward (Wayward Pines #2) by Blake Crouch - In my opinion, the best book of the trilogy. I almost missed my stop on the train because I was so into this one morning.

The Last Town (Wayward Pines #3) by Blake Crouch - I kept picking this up and putting it down as the margin left to read at the end narrowed. Although this was not the best book in the series, I didn't want it to end. I hope there are more. Do you get my drift, Blake Crouch? I read all three of these in a matter of five days (maybe less?). More more more please.

Passed the Time Just Fine

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout - Oh dear, what to say...this was the okayest book I've ever read. That's not a rousing endorsement and you shouldn't take it as one. I kept waiting for a big thing and there was no big thing. I think Strout was going for some epic character family ties situation and she failed.

The Beach House by Jane Green - Mindless with dizzying coincidences, this was nonetheless enjoyable and a very quick read.

The Summer Girls by Mary Alice Monroe - Some of these characters drove me insane and the book went on a little too long, but it was like drifting out in the ocean and lazily considering going in but feeling too comfortable to get up and actually get to shore, so I read through it.

The Summer Wind by Mary Alice Monroe - Second in the series, I basically have one question out of these books and I'll read them all to find out. I skimmed some parts of this.

Heat Lightening (Virgil Flowers #2) by John Sandford - I love Virgil Flowers. This book was fucked up but good. I finished it on the ride down to North Carolina.

The Pledge (#1) by Kimberly Derting - Your standard YA Dystopian fare, this had a little bit of a Cinderella twist. It was alright. I don't see how they're going to make this a series.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - I was relieved that I liked this book, the first Hercule Poirot novel Christie put out. I hated the Miss Marple I tried to read and thought Christie was lost to me, but I liked Poirot a lot.

Fly Away (Firefly Lane #2) by Kristin Hannah - It's been quite a long time since I read Firefly Lane. I can't even recall it too well, but I vaguely remember disliking Tully then and I dislike her now. I liked other aspects of this story though, and it was a quick one day read on the beach.

Rough Country (Virgil Flowers #3) by John Sandford - Another enjoyable romp with Virgil Flowers. If you read this book, that sentence will be funnier to you. I'll make my way through this whole series. They're not too taxing on the brain and I like the characters and the writing.

Hard No
Otherwise known as books I started and chose not to finish in June:

Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum - How dare this author use my word as a title, precluding me from writing a book under the same title about the glamorous art of housewifery, and make it such an un-enjoyable read? Pooh pooh.

A Half Forgotten Song by Katherine Webb - Isn't the title poetic? Doesn't it draw you in? Guess what doesn't draw you in? The book. Fart noise.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - Nothing grabbed me even though I really wanted it to because since it didn't, I had to walk up to the house and get another book.

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month. The next one is Tuesday, August 11. 

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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.

An InLinkz Link-up

Show Us Your Books! - What I read in February

Book nerds, unite.
Link up your posts about the book(s) you've read recently with me and Jana of Jana Says!

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The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani - Meh. I think this author overestimated himself, writing this book as if it would be a sweeping tale of secrets and gender and family in the late 1920s/early 1930s. It was not. The main character is selfish and greedy, which I suppose could describe a lot of us at 15. There was too much fat in this book, scenes provided, I suspect, so the author could write them...not because they advanced the narrative or contributed to characterization or plot. The ending was a big loud fart too, with no smell to back it up. It just sort of petered out and left you like...Okay? What was the point?

Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot - This reminded me a lot of Gossip Girl, and not in a good way. I liked none of these characters, which makes it hard to like a book unless they're intriguing (they're not, they're pretty flat) or the writing is excellent (it's not bad but not great). This is a YA novel you can skip.

Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty - I read the first of the Jessica Darlings last month. I was unsure how I'd feel about this one, but I think I liked it more than the first. I'll continue on with the series.

Rocks: My Life in and out of Aerosmith by Joe Perry - When I started this, I was like wow, Joe Perry is quite articulate and really throwing his soul into overly poetic writing. Then I realized that was the cowriter. Cripes, some of it was so flowery. I liked the stories Joe told, even when they seemed out of place to where the book was at that point. One of the things I liked the most was hearing about where he came from and how normal and not rock-n-roll or hard his upbringing was. I'm not the hugest Aerosmith fan and this comes nowhere near Nikki Sixx's autobio, but it wasn't bad. Joe Perry seems like a really stand up guy.

My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh - This reads like a love story to Louisiana, and in particular to Baton Rouge. This makes sense given that it's the author's home and also the setting for the novel. I liked this book a lot but felt some things that were important were glossed over while things that weren't were given a lot of play. Overall enjoyable for many reasons, one of which was that I faintly felt the rocking cadence of some Pat Conroy-ish descriptive writing. I've always been a sucker for a good southern novel.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - This book was so weird. I appreciated that it wasn't overly dramatic as most world ending books are. I liked some of it, but I wasn't crazy about it. It didn't engage me so that I couldn't put it down, which was what I was expecting given the hype and praise it got everywhere.

Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman - The main character of this book is a 59 year old kick ass lady with white hair. I really liked reading a book with an older protagonist who didn't come with the trappings of age we see in so many novels. Some of this was formulaic suspense, but I enjoyed Brigid and her husband (and they have pugs) so I'll read more of these - I think Brigid Quinn is a recurring character for Masterman.

Killer Wasps by Amy Korman - This was written by a local writer and my old boss's sister-in-law. I was petrified I wouldn't like it and would have to sweep it under the rug but I liked it a lot. It was light and fun and had some Philly-area flavor and characters that made me laugh. It would make for a great beach read, and it appears to be the first in a series. I'll read the next one when it comes out

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Haikuesday

Birthday in five days...

Anticipation is strong.
Give me all the cake.  

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Non-bloggers, what have you read recently? Let me know what you recommend!
Bloggers, link up your posts about the book(s) you've read recently with  Jana of Jana Says and me!

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month. 

The next one is Tuesday, April 7.

An InLinkz Link-up

What I Read This Summer

Hey party people. I threatened to start doing a dedicated book post every month. Here it is.

For those of you that hate reading, never fear, Thursday Thoughts returns next week.

Going forward they won't be so long, but for this one I'm covering three months because that's how I roll. I'm going to kick it back to June and cover the books I've read since then.

If you want to know what the book is about, you should click on the title to get to a summary. I'm not in the business of summarizing books. There are people who do that for a living and they will always be better at it than me, so just go read what they have to say about it. What I am in the business of is telling you why I did or didn't like it as best as I can.

Sometimes it's hard for me to describe, and I'm sure it is for you too. Sometimes a book will hit something so personal, so intrinsic to our personality, that we've never even really explored it before. So it resonates with us without us being really able to say why.

Big shout out to the Philadelphia Free Library system for supplying me with all of these books. Much obliged.

June Reads
May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Holmes - This one was a marathon, not a sprint. When I first started, I wasn't sure if I would finish but it drew me in and I genuinely wanted to know how things would end up. There was just enough zany to provide levity to some serious issues.

Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky - I could've done without the gimmicky shit in this book about relationships and secrets and sickness, but I really liked the backdrop and it was an easy, mindless read. If I find myself wanting to be where the book is taking place, if the location and description of it call to me, I will put up with some bullpucky to keep reading about it.

The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh - I was psyched about this book. It was really promising but it ended up tripping over itself a lot. There was definitely potential for more to the story, and I wish McHugh had gone further with some things. Still liked it, wanted to like it more.

Lakeside Cottage by Susan Wiggs - If there's something I really hate, it's repetition in story telling. There's too much of that in this book.

How to be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman - There was some weird shit in this book. I kept reading to find out exactly what.

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri - By page 63 (13 pages past the time I typically discard a book), I was ready to give up on this. I didn't, and I'm glad. This was a heavy read, and parts of it broke my heart. Really sluggish to push through on the front end for me, I wish I would've clicked with it a little faster.

July Reads
The Accident by Chris Pavone - The premise of this book is totally awesome. The execution is a little lacking. Still, it was my first time reading Pavone, and I've added The Expats to my list. I liked the writing. Who knew the publishing world could be so exciting and fraught with danger?

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - I absolutely hated the writing style. But the story was compelling enough to carry me through, and it was overall a pretty quick read.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt - Another heavy book for summer. I loved it. It was not happy, but the story was important. I'm glad the early years of the AIDs epidemic is getting play in books like this one and movies like The Normal Heart. While that's a facet of this book, it's more about relationships, love, and loss. It's a good read that sits low in your gut for a while when you've finished.

The Girls from Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe - I was not expecting such heavy shit from this title. But there was a lot going on in here and it was a page turner.

The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams - Williams wrote my favorite novel of last summer (One Hundred Summers) so I had high expectations of this book. She delivered - it was something juicy to sink my teeth into without stretching my brain too much. Williams weaves a good tale and I'd love it if she came out with one book a summer. Perfect for a lazy summer reading fling.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken - YA dystopian lore, the first in a series. Sometimes I wonder how authors come up with this shit. It was a quick read and I'll continue on with the series.

August Reads
The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street by Susan Jane Gilman - To me, this was two different books - the flashbacks (which I loved) and the present day (not so much). I don't think she did a good job fusing them together. I put it down sort of saying, "So? What was the point?"

The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen - This is the first of Gerritsen's Rizzoli & Isles books (in which Isles does not make an appearance). I had a hard time in the first 30 pages separating what I was reading from what my brain knows of the TV show. I'll carry on with the series in book form.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub - This was supposed to be the book of the summer? Read Violet Grant instead. It was hard for me to find anyone to like in this book.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - I adored this book. I think the storytelling and writing style are perfect for the actual story. The characters are great and you can like the good guys and dislike the bad guys a little bit - the author blurs them enough to make them realistic. None of us are perfect and none of these characters are either. I really enjoyed it.

The Arsonist by Sue Miller - I really enjoyed While I Was Gone and The Senator's Wife, so I expected to love this. And I did for a while. But the title didn't really represent the book well and that annoys me. The way Miller packaged the end annoyed me too. It felt hurried while some other parts of the book felt draggy. I like you, Sue Miller. Try again though.

Do any of these sound good to you? What were your top reads this summer?



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