Bout of Books 30 TBR

Bout of Books starts on Monday, January 4th and goes through Sunday, January 10th. 

My goal, as it always is, for the Bout of Books 30 TBR pile is to read 250 pages per day, which amounts to 1,750 pages for the whole week.  
 

January is my favorite Bout of Books of the year because it helps me set my reading goals for the year.  The timing for bout of books is always a week late as this is my first week back to work, but I always hope to hit my daily goals!

Let's see how this goes!

1. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (323 pages)

2. The Last Tiara by MJ Rose (437 pages)

3. The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner (384 pages)

4. The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck (368 pages)

5. All That You Leave Behind by Erin Carr (256 pages)

6. Almost Famous Women by Meghan Mayhew Bergman (239 pages)

This is a total of 2,007 pages!

For those that don't know what Bout of Books is... here you go:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 8th and runs through Sunday, January 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 24 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Review: Those We Love Most by Lee Woodruff

Those We Love Most

by Lee Woodruff

Publisher: Hyperion

Pages: 320

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  On a warm June day, Maura Corrigan is walking with her nine-year-old son, James, as he rides his bike to school. The unthinkable happens: he darts onto the street and is hit by Alex, a 17-year-old neighbor. As if James's death isn't tragic enough for the Corrigan family, in its wake an intricate web of relationships, secrets, and betrayals begins to unravel.

Told through the perspective of four family members, Those We Love Most chronicles how this sudden twist of fate forces each of them to confront their choices, examine their mistakes, and fight for their most valuable relationships. It asks the age-old question: Why do we hurt the ones we love most? Then it shows us how we can, in the most difficult of times, forgive ourselves and others for our transgressions.

Kritters Thoughts:  A book about family and all the ups and downs that can happen over the years.  The Corrigan family experiences an extreme loss and it affects the mother of the child and her parents and in this book each of them get the chance to tell their side of the story.

This was my first read of 2021.  I picked it because I want to intentionally read books that I have owned for awhile that I also need to review on netgalley.  Need to get that netgalley review percentage up!  

What isn't shared in the synopsis is the extreme amount of infidelity in the book and that wasn't a great way to start the year of reading for me.  I often avoid books with infidelity as that just isn't what I want in my reading life, so while I am thankful that I am getting a physical book out of my library, read and completed and getting a review on netgalley, the reading experience was just ok.  

I appreciated in this book that the story did focus on the family and their reactions to this intense tragedy and another one that happened in the book and it was more of a look on how people react to the ups and downs of life, but goodness gracious there was a lot of cheating in this one.  

If you enjoy books that peel back the layers and give you an inside look on a family during a time where they are showing the imperfections, then this book could be the right read for you.   

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

2021 Reading Goals

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Last year, I said I was ready for a new year.  I think we are all hopeful that 2021 is different in one way or another to what 2020 was.  2020 was an unique year and there were ups and downs for me.   I am ready to look forward and flip the calendar to a new beginning.

After reflecting on 2020, here are my goals for 2021

1. I want to read a minimum of 221 books.  Each year I have increased my goal by one to reflect the year and although I surpassed my goal in 2020, I can see 2021 being a different year in terms of my reading time.  

2. I want to keep my same goal of 100 ebooks in 2021.

3. The new challenge for this year, I want to read books that are both on my Netgalley TBR where I need to review to improve my percentage and are also books I own physically and want to read and pass along.  I would like to do this at least 25 times in 2021, which is at minimum twice a month.    

And the challenge that I love to do (partly because it is easy) is:

Where Are You Reading?

In this challenge, I keep a Google Map and place a pinpoint at each spot where a book takes place.  The link to my google map will also be in the sidebar all year round, so anyone can check out where I have been reading!

If you would like to participate - check out Book Journey.  She hosted this challenge in the past, not sure if she is hosting again, but as this is my favorite thing to do, I am continuing! 

2020 Reading Wrap Up

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    As I have done the past few years, I want to have one post where I have all my stats from the year together.  2020 was not the year that many people planned for and for me there were positives to the quarantine and there were negatives - one of the big positives was the extra reading time!   The realigning of priorities this year made for many more hours of reading!

Let's compare 2020 to 2019.  2019 was full of social commitments and large work projects, so I know that 2020 in terms of my reading will be one year that I am thankful for.  

Total number of books I read in 2019: 170
Total number of books I read in 2020: 244

Total number of pages I flipped, clicked, and so on in 2019: 55,197
Total number of pages I flipped, clicked, and so on in 2020: 76,353

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I have been keeping track of WHERE my books were taking place all year. Below is the outcome.  There are 11 states that I didn't "visit," which is better than last year!  Last year I missed 18 states, so excited to see that I "traveled" the US more in 2020. 

States that didn't make the list:

Rhode Island        Mississippi         North Dakota

Vermont              Arkansas             South Dakota

Delaware             Oklahoma           New Mexico

Indiana                Nevada

My country number went up from 8 to 17 this year, so I am glad that both domestically and internationally, I traveled more - maybe because I read more!

Countries accounted for:

Monaco            Canada                    Russia                Scotland

Jamaica            Kenya                     Spain                   Italy 

India                Czech Republic        South Africa

France              Germany                Chile

England            Ireland                    Finland

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As far as the Ebook Challenge is concerned, I challenged myself to 100 ebooks and finished 138 this year.  I outdid myself this year and will continue to keep track of this number just for my own perspective on my reading.

December - the close of 2020

The best month of the year with a lot of quiet vacation time, I got a lot of reading in! The best way to finish a year.

1. Christmas in Winter Hill by Melody Carlson

2. Confessions of a Curious Bookseller by Elizabeth Green

3. The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry

4. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

5. A Timeless Christmas by Alexis Stanton (audiobook)

6. The Return by Nicholas Sparks

7. Savage Road by Chris Hauty

8. The Winter Berry House by Caroline Flynn

9. The Silent House by Nell Pattison

10. Rachel to the Rescue by Elinor Lipman

11. The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little

12. Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd

13. If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier (read half of it)

14. The Watchmaker of Dachau by Carly Schawbowski

15. You Cannoli Die Once by Shelley Costa

16. Take Mum Out by Fiona Gibson

17. Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst

18. Better to Wish by Ann M Martin

19. The Long Way Home by Ann M Martin

20. Best Kept Secret by Ann M Martin

21. Home is the Place by Ann M Martin

22. Aftershock by Judy Melinek and TJ Mitchell

Total pages read, clicked and flipped: 7,156

Where having I been Reading?:

Washington state

Pennsylvania (2)

South Carolina

England (2)

New Bern, NC

Washington, DC (2)

Michigan

Alaska

Scotland (2)

Italy

Maine (2)

New York City, NY

Princeton, NJ

San Francisco, CA

First Book of the Year

I have made my first read of the year a significant pick for a few years in hopes that it starts the year out on the right reading foot!  I picked Those We Love Most by Lee Woodruff for a few reason - it is a book I need to review on Netgalley and for me I want to actively try to read and review more of my Netgalley TBR AND this is a book I own a physical copy and I would love to read and pass on books from my physical TBR.  

For 2021.  I would love to tackle two TBRs at the same time!  I have quite the lists that overlap, so this will be a new goal that I plan on keeping track of in 2021 and will really aim to achieve!  

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

A holiday week full of great reading time!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

The Watchmaker of Dachau by Carly Schawbowski

You Cannoli Die Once by Shelley Costa

Take Mum Out by Fiona Gibson

Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst

Better to Wish by Ann M Martin

The Long Way Home by Ann M Martin

Currently Reading:

Best Kept Secret by Ann M Martin

Next on the TBR pile:

Aftershock by Judy Melinek and TJ Mitchell

Review: An Island Christmas by Nancy Thayer

An Island Christmas

by Nancy Thayer

Publisher: Ballantine

Pages: 224

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  As Christmas draws near, Felicia returns to her family’s home on the island to marry her adventurous, rugged boyfriend, Archie. Every detail is picture-perfect for a dream wedding: the snow-dusted streets, twinkling lights in the windows, a gorgeous red and white satin dress. Except a lavish ceremony is not Felicia’s dream at all; it’s what her mother, Jilly, wants. Jilly’s also worried that her daughter’s life with daredevil Archie will be all hiking and skydiving. Wondering if their handsome neighbor Steven Hardy might be a more suitable son-in-law, Jilly embarks on a secret matchmaking campaign for Felicia and the dashing stockbroker.
 
As the big day approaches and Jilly’s older daughter, Lauren, appears with rambunctious kids in tow, tensions in the household are high. With the family careening toward a Yuletide wedding disaster, an unexpected twist in Nancy Thayer’s heartwarming tale reminds everyone about the true meaning of the season.

Kritters Thoughts:  Felicia just wants to marry the guy she wants to, but she decides a Christmas wedding on her favorite island will help her mom possibly accept the marriage faster and she will get to introduce her intended to a place that she holds close to her heart.  

Felicia is the complete opposite from her older sister Lauren and her mom Jilly.  Felicia reminded me of my little sister!  She isn't sure if she wants kids, she wants to travel and have a whole host of experiences and live a pretty unconventional life.  Her mother and sister went down the typical path with marriages and children and are living pretty "normal" lives and in walks Felicia with her fiance Archie.  I love how Archie mixed things up and after most of his exploits the family found him to be a positive addition to their group.  I loved the character arch of all of the characters in this book.  

What a sweet little book.  This little novella is a perfect read for the holiday season.  This is one that you can easily curl up with and read in just one sitting by the lights of a tree and the perfect holiday candle burning!  I always hope for books like these to read amongst the crazy of the holidays!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Christmas in Winter Hill by Melody Carlson

Christmas in Winter Hill

by Melody Carlson

Publisher: Revell

Pages: 176

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Krista Galloway is not a fan of Christmas. After her rough childhood in multiple foster homes, the holiday season just brings too many bad memories to the surface. But when she accepts a job as a city manager in the mountain town of Winter Hill, Washington, Christmas is part of the deal. The small town is famous for its Christmasville celebration, something that the city manager . . . well, manages.

As she tries to make her tiny new apartment feel like home for her and her eight-year-old daughter, Emily, Krista begins to wonder if this move was a mistake. She doesn't always feel welcomed in the close-knit town, and Emily continually wonders, "Where's the snow?" Can a friendly stranger and his family help restore Krista's Christmas spirit before the big day?

Kritters Thoughts:  Krista Galloway has escaped to a small town in Washington state with her daughter to start brand new life, but moving to a small town that makes a big deal out of Christmas isn't her best idea.  She has had a bad string of horrible Christmas seasons, so she would just rather skip it all and get into a new year, but maybe this town will change her mind about the whole holiday.

I loved the balance in this book between Krista's professional life and a bit of romance.  With the limited pages, I always get nervous that there will be some instalove, but Melody Carlson was able to write it in a way that felt that the two characters had enough interactions to naturally fall sweetly in love!  I also loved the little bit of mystery that took place in her professional life - it was a great addition that gave the book depth.  

This was my last hoilday read for this year and it was a good note to end on.  This sweet town reminded me of all the great things about this season that I love.  

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2020 Challenge: 127 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Romancing the Holidays by L Austen Johnson

Romancing the Holidays

by L Austen Johnson

Publisher: Lore and Lyre

Pages: 210

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Lucky Fall

After her parents’ death, Sarah felt like there was no luck left in the world. With her siblings’ newly out of the house, she’s free, for the first time in years, to do something just for her. So when her best friend surprises her with tickets to Dublin for the week of St. Patrick’s Day, she’s thrilled. She’s on a mission to reconnect with her parents’ past and visit the places in their photographs.

But when she falls—literally—into the arms of an attractive if snarky Irishman at a pub, Sarah might just have to add another quest to her list: find out said man’s name…and relationship status.

*

Pawsitively Perfect

After a rough breakup and particularly difficult winter, veterinarian Leigh feels ready to engage in the outside world again. That is until her dog, Pogo, slips his leash in a park and invades the picnic of gorgeous ex-Marine, James. It’s doubly humiliating when Leigh finds out that James just so happens to be the head of the non-profit that she’s is expected to work on an event.

Can Leigh get over her embarrassment and her fear of being hurt again to seize the reins—erm, leash—on love? Or do the two different types of “vets” just not mix at all?

*

All Thanks to You

When aspiring vet tech Rosalie meets a guy at a Halloween black cat adoption party—perhaps even The Guy—she fails to understand that he’s asking her out. They say goodbye with only the promise of a cat adoption in their future, and she thinks that is that…until she walks into her younger sister’s parent-teacher conference and realizes Jonah from the cat event is Mr. Keene, high school English teacher extraordinaire. She wants to date this lovable nerd, but after her bad luck with past relationships and her experience seeing her parents get divorced, she’s afraid to let Jonah in.

Will she find love with a fellow cat-lover, or will it all fall to pieces by the first snow?

*

Beaver Creek Resort

Claire is fine being a single mom. Contrary to what her sister Sydney thinks, she doesn’t need anyone new in her life, not after Mitch cheated on her when she was pregnant five years ago. And she absolutely doesn’t need a cheesy, Christmas-themed singles' event at the Beaver Creek Resort to help her find someone suitable.

Besides, the only attractive man she’s even met at the ski resort so far is the guy she crashed into earlier, and he was a total jerk. It’s not like he’s going to show up to the singles event and magically become charming and nice and caring…right? That’d be a Christmas miracle.

Kritters Thoughts:  A book with four short stories that each center around a holiday from St Patrick's day to July 4th to Halloween to Christmas.  

Typically when I read short story collections, I don't typically love them because I want so much more from the stories and they feel short and choppy with the limited pages, but not so in this one.  I felt as though the author was able to create full stories in quick pages and nothing felt as though it was instalove!  Each story had a great intro, heart and conclusion and there wasn't one that I didn't like less (although I am partial to dogs over cats!).  

I read this book around the Christmas and before reading I didn't know different holidays were included, so I wish I had been able to read each story around the holiday it is focused on, so I suggest that to future readers!

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2020 Challenge: 124 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

It was such a good week and weekend of reading!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

Rachel to the Rescue by Elinor Lipman

The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little

Find Me in Havana by Serena Burdick

Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd

Currently Reading:

The Watchmaker of Dachau by Carly Schawbowski

Next on the TBR pile:

Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst

Review: The Last to See Her by Courtney Evan Tate

The Last to See Her

by Courtney Evan Tate

Publisher: MIRA

Pages: 400

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  A woman disappears into the dark city night…

Gen is on the verge of a divorce from her cheating husband. When her sister, Meg, has a convention to attend in the Big Apple, she invites Gen along to celebrate her newly found freedom. But the perfect sisters’ getaway quickly goes awry when a tipsy Gen defiantly throws her wedding ring off the hotel room’s balcony. Then, wanting some fresh air, she decides to take a late-evening walk alone and vanishes without a trace.

The investigation that follows uncovers secrets—and betrayals—between sisters and spouses that will twist the truth in on itself until nothing is clear.

What really happened to Gen and who, besides Meg, was the last to see her?

Kritters Thoughts:  Gen and Meg are sisters and as Gen is finalizing her divorce, Meg invites her to New York City as she is attending a conference and Gen can make a girls weekend out of it.  It is all fun on the first night as they drink and have a good time, but that is it - Gen goes missing and Meg must drop everything to try to find her sister.  

Switching between the here and now and into the past and switching between multiple perspectives, this book kept me reading, as the pacing was on point, but towards the end of the book when the clues started to fit together - it got weird!  As this is a mystery/thriller, I don't want to spoil too much, but I must say that I was on board with the who and the what up until a point and then I wasn't.  A lot of my ratings of a mystery/thriller are based on who ends up being the culprit and how I feel about the reveal and this one was just ok in my book.    

I would read more from this author because I liked the writing and the pacing which matter in this genre.  I will judge her plotting on more than one book, so will have to come back to my thoughts on that after another read or two.  

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Ebook 2020 Challenge: 123 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from HarperCollins  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.