ABC Reads: March

A:  (The) Atlantis Plague, by A.G. Riddle.  Completed January 2016.

B:  Broken Grace, by E.C. Diskin.  Completed January 2016.

C:  (The) Color of Secrets, by Lindsay Jane Ashford.  Completed February 2016.

D:  Daughter of Sand and Stone, by Libbie Hawker.  Completed February 2016.

E:  E, by Kate Wrath.  Completed February 2016.

F:  Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell.  Completed March 2016.

G:  (The) Guardians of History, by Elisabetta Cametti.  Completed March 2016.

H:  (The) Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson.  Completed March 2016.

I:  Ice, by Kevin Tinto.  Completed March 2016.

J:  Jackaby, by William Ritter.  Completed March 2016.

K:  (The) Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.

L:  (The) Light of the Fireflies, by Paul Pen.  Completed March 2016.

M:  My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Strout.  Currently reading.

N:  (The) Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah.  Completed January 2016.

O:  Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline.

P:  Paper Towns, by John Green.

Q:  (The) Queen of the Damned, by Anne Rice.

R:  Regret, by Dan Dawkins.

S:  (The) Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin.  Completed March 2016.

T:  Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher.

U:  Under the Blood-Red Sun, by Graham Salisbury.

V:  Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann.

W:  Wonder, by R.J. Palacio.

X:  (The) X, by Lorena Bathey.

Y:  You, by Caroline Kepnes.

Z:  (The) Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman.

Fangirl

From the title I thought it would be about some girl who stalked some celebrity but it really wasn't what I expected at all!  I really had no idea what the heck fan fiction was before this and was really surprised how many people read and write fan fiction stories!  I did think it was a little pathetic how obsessed Cather was with the Simon and Baz thing but loved how she stayed true to her nerdy self.

 The Guardians of History

You'd think I'd have liked this one a lot as it has to do with history but it was just okay for me.  Too much fiction, not enough history for me.  Also an unnecessary erotic scene which I pretty much skipped entirely.  It could have been a lot better if there were more detail and the author was a little more descriptive about everything.  I couldn't connect with the characters and found it hard to imagine the scenes while reading.  It was like a knock-off Indiana Jones, but Jethro was no Indy.

 

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared

This one was a bit hard to get into.  I found it hard to believe that Allan was able to do all that he did after climbing out the window considering his age but it was a very fun read.  I liked going back and forth between the past and present and I felt like Allan was like Waldo in those "Where's Waldo?" books.  Different scenes and different time periods, yet he was always there somewhere.

 
Ice

After reading the first paragraph of the description of this book, I knew I just had to read it.  I liked that it was fast-paced and full of mystery and adventure.  I didn't think that the story would end the way that it did with extra-terrestrial involvement and all but it is an interesting theory as to why native Americans built their shelters in the cliffs as opposed to other more habitable places.  Would have liked to read more about the cultures and mysteries of the ancient tribes before it got all E.T.

Jackaby

After reading Kristen's review of this book, I decided to try it out for myself.  Since I haven't watched Sherlock or Doctor Who, I really did enjoy the book for what it was.  It was a quick read, and I did notice several similarities between Sherlock Holmes (a la Robert Downey, Jr.) and Jackaby.  I thought the book could have been a little better if some things weren't so obvious and rushed.  I knew from the mention of the suspect's "clink-clink" sound and description of the boots who the killer was.  The werewolf/caini bit didn't throw me off at all and it would have been much better if there was more to it than just the short section.  I'll stop now before I spoil the rest of the book for everyone.  Haha.

 

The Light of the Fireflies

Whoa.  If you ever thought your family was dysfunctional, you'll change your mind after reading this.  This book was so twisted and made me all sorts of uncomfortable but I couldn't stop reading it!  It is basically about a family who lives underground.  They're all severely burned except for the youngest boy who was born after they all moved underground.  I can't write anymore without giving away the story so just read it.  It will seriously have you saying "what the fuck?" out loud as you read it.  It's fucked up but makes you want to keep reading.  Kinda like real housewives...but darker like Bates Motel.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

I finished this book in a day.  At first it didn't really seem to be my kind of thing, but after reading it I'm glad to say that I really did love it.  The book goes kind of fast and there aren't many climactic or dramatic, tear-jerking moments but it is a book that makes you think and reflect on the characters and yourself.  It is a book about people who love books and it made me love being a book nerd.

I'd say this was a good month for books for me.  I read 7 books this month!  I don't even know if I've ever read that many books in a month before.  March is always chaotic for me so I didn't get much else done besides reading and binge-watching on Netflix in between work, soccer games, baseball games, science projects, birthdays...whew!  I'm getting exhausted just thinking about how crazy it all was.

April is usually less hectic which means we'll have more time for beach days, family outings, sewing and crafting and more reading!  I changed a few titles on my list since I'm still waiting on my order from Thrift Books (and if you click that link you get 15% off your first order) to come in, but I'm more than halfway through my list!

Cheers to another month of reading!