Weekly Wrap Up #12

Posted October 15, 2017 by Lily B in Wrap Up / 29 Comments

Weekly Recap

Hi guys! Hope everyone is enjoying their October. We finally got some rain here this week, we been slowly going into some really bad drought because we had not had any rain in a month which is unusual for this time of year, it kind of felt like August was a month late this year - and we are in PA so figure that one out.

Outside of that I haven’t really been motivated this week by much, it’s turning cold again, the leaves are changing, it’s becoming beautiful outside. We all had a cold and the congestion does not seem to want to go away.

Anyone has been watching some good fall TV lately? I’m a little down because all my shows keep getting cancelled and to be honest that is just way too frustrating these days. I can’t even get into a show because of the fear that it won’t come back and I hate cliffhangers.

Also Hockey has been back but my team can’t seem to win.

Ha, anyway on the bright side. I read 5 books out of my TBR, which does not seem like a lot in retrospect to my TBR but I’m pretty happy. Also my first Bookoutlet haul came in and outside of getting one book wrong, I am pretty impressed.

Recap is a meme hosted by Kim @ Caffeinated Book Review

Last Week On The Blog

[10 Oct] Don't Tell by Karen Rose, Michael Ferraiuolo ★★★★½
[12 Oct] The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle ★★★★
[12 Oct] Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale ★★½
[12 Oct] The Ghosts of Kali Oka Road by M.L. Bullock ★★★
[13 Oct] Friend Request by Laura Marshall ★★★½
[15 Oct] Weekly Wrap Up #12

Currently Reading

New Arrivals

My first bookoutlet haul, it was a bit too much fun.

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Review: Friend Request by Laura Marshall

Posted October 13, 2017 by Lily B in Reviews / 9 Comments

Friend Request by Laura Marshall
Series: standalone
Published by Grand Central Publishing on September 5th 2017
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 384
Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 3.5 Stars

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A paranoid single mom is forced to confront the unthinkable act she committed as a desperate teenager in this addictive thriller with a social media twist. Maria Weston wants to be friends. But Maria Weston is dead. Isn't she?
1989. When Louise first notices the new girl who has mysteriously transferred late into their senior year, Maria seems to be everything the girls Louise hangs out with aren't. Authentic. Funny. Brash. Within just a few days, Maria and Louise are on their way to becoming fast friends.
2016. Louise receives a heart-stopping email: Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook. Long-buried memories quickly rise to the surface: those first days of their budding friendship; cruel decisions made and dark secrets kept; the night that would change all their lives forever.
Louise has always known that if the truth ever came out, she could stand to lose everything. Her job. Her son. Her freedom. Maria's sudden reappearance threatens it all, and forces Louise to reconnect with everyone she'd severed ties with to escape the past. But as she tries to piece together exactly what happened that night, Louise discovers there's more to the story than she ever knew. To keep her secret, Louise must first uncover the whole truth, before what's known to Maria--or whoever's pretending to be her--is known to all.

The book follows a woman named Louise who gets a facebook request from a girl named Maria Weston, but Maria Weston is dead isn’t she?

We are thrown into a past/present kind of situation where Louise remembers a girl named Maria being a new transfer student in her school. At that time Louise was struggling to fit into this group of popular girls with her friend Sophie, who basically uses her and isn’t really nice to her and ignores her. So Louise befriends Maria, but when Sophie notices it, she deliberately drags Louise out of that relationship and the girls start bullying her and being completely nasty to Maria.

This book has triggers for drug abuse, bullying, and I think sexual abuse.

So Louise gets sucked into this popular world where girls use drugs and they thought it would be funny to spike Maria’s drink with Esctesy during something called the leavers party. Well, Maria disappeared from that party after the incident and everyone believes she jumped off a cliff, but there is no body so no one knows for sure what happened that night, or do they?

I felt the book started out slow at first, but eventually it begins to build momentum and I found myself invested wanting to know what was going on.

I found Louise to be a very passive kind of character. She lives in the shadows of what she had done, she is single divorced mom and her ex-husband part took in that whole incident of supplying the drug and being a part of.

I had a hard time liking Louise. I felt like she was very, I don’t know, she just existed as a character? Like there were several scenes in the book that I wanted to throttle her because despite the fact that she has a son the survival instinct in her takes quiet the time to kick in.

I was disappointed greatly by the ending. I was actually just cringing the entire time I was reading it and I found it physically painful to read it, because I hated the ending. It could have been so good, but Louise as a character just made me so angry at the end and the whole reveal flopped. Like all the build up the mystery, it could have gone somewhere so much better, but it didn’t.

The whole part, featuring the past and what they did to Maria was really hard to read at times as well because their actions just felt so unwarranted and you just feel for the girl.

Overall, this was interesting to begin with. I did struggle with Louise on several parts. Including, not being able to understand her not reaching out to the cops in certain situations and also the ending just flopped for me.

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3 Quick Book Reviews

Posted October 12, 2017 by Lily B in Reviews / 8 Comments

The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle
Series: standalone
Published by Mira on December 27th 2016
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 4 Stars

Even the perfect marriage has its dark side…
Iris and Will's marriage is as close to perfect as it can be: a large house in a nice Atlanta neighborhood, rewarding careers and the excitement of trying for their first baby. But on the morning Will leaves for a business trip to Orlando, Iris's happy world comes to an abrupt halt. Another plane headed for Seattle has crashed into a field, killing everyone on board, and according to the airline, Will was one of the passengers on this plane.
Grief-stricken and confused, Iris is convinced it all must be a huge misunderstanding. But as time passes and there is still no sign of Will, she reluctantly accepts that he is gone. Still, Iris needs answers. Why did Will lie about where he was going? What is in Seattle? And what else has he lied about? As Iris sets off on a desperate quest to find out what her husband was keeping from her, the answers she receives will shock her to her very core.

This book follows a woman named Iris who thought she had this perfect marriage with her husband Will and they were about to try for a baby, but Will ends up going on a business trip and instead of going to Orlando, Iris finds out he heads to Seattle when the plane crashed.

This book, I found that I really enjoyed and what started my love for domestic thrillers.

I love books that involve husband and wives and secrets. I wanted to know what really happened to Will as much as Iris as she navigates through trying to piece together what is happening and why her husband lied and was not on the plane he was suppose to on be but instead on a plane that crashed.

I devoured this book. I personally enjoyed following Iris and uncovering the truth. The ending caught me off guard, but overall this was everything I wanted. I found the writing to be good, the story and the characters interesting and overall a really good read.

Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale
Series: Everything We Keep #1
Published by Lake Union Publishing on August 1st 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 2.5 Stars

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A luminous debut with unexpected twists, Everything We Keep explores the devastation of loss, the euphoria of finding love again, and the pulse-racing repercussions of discovering the truth about the ones we hold dear and the lengths they will go to protect us.
Sous chef Aimee Tierney has the perfect recipe for the perfect life: marry her childhood sweetheart, raise a family, and buy out her parents’ restaurant. But when her fiancé, James Donato, vanishes in a boating accident, her well-baked future is swept out to sea. Instead of walking down the aisle on their wedding day, Aimee is at James’s funeral—a funeral that leaves her more unsettled than at peace.
As Aimee struggles to reconstruct her life, she delves deeper into James’s disappearance. What she uncovers is an ocean of secrets that make her question everything about the life they built together. And just below the surface is a truth that may set Aimee free…or shatter her forever.

The book opens up with Aimee burying the body of her fiance on her wedding day - courtesy of her shitty would have been mother in law - when, after the ceremony a woman approaches her and says her husband might still be alive.

Interesting? Right? So I thought myself, until I kept reading and realized the book was more focused on romance, loss and moving on after the loss.

I couldn’t stand Aimee. I felt like she couldn’t make up her mind about what she believed, one day she is like, oh… Maybe my husband is alive.., the next she swoons over the new artist and James Donate is forgotten.

There is a weird one year time jump when she starts to question herself again. Really.. a year?

Then the second part of the book got interesting and also disappointing.

I don’t really know if this should really be called a thriller. But, if you don’t like another male love interest involved I’d stay away because this book will not end how you want it to end.

I found it frustrating, yes there were parts I enjoyed but ultimately the ending pissed me off because the epilogue is like..yeah felt that coming.

The Ghosts of Kali Oka Road by M.L. Bullock
Series: Gulf Coast Paranormal #1
Published by Self-published on March 15th 2017
Genres: Paranormal, Ghosts
Pages: 211
Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 3 Stars

On the Gulf Coast, Things Don’t Just Go Bump in the Night They Terrorize You and Sometimes You Disappear!

The paranormal investigators at Gulf Coast Paranormal thought they knew what they were doing. Midas, Sierra, Sara, Josh and Peter had over twenty combined years of experience investigating supernatural activity on the Gulf Coast. But when they meet Cassidy, a young artist with a strange gift, they realize there’s more to learn. And time is running out for Cassidy.

When Gulf Coast Paranormal begins investigating the ghosts of Kali Oka Road, they find an entity far scarier than a few ghosts. Add in the deserted Oak Grove Plantation, and you have a recipe for a night of terror.

Ready to go ghost hunting? You’ll enjoy this supernatural suspense novel, the first in the Gulf Coast Paranormal series.
Gulf Coast Paranormal Series The Ghosts of Kali Oka Road The Ghosts of the Crescent Theater A Haunting on Bloodgood Row The Legend of the Ghost Queen A Haunting at Dixie House The Ghost Lights of Forrest Field The Ghost of Gabrielle Bonet The Ghosts of Harrington Farms The Creature on Crenshaw Road ˃˃˃ Another Haunting Series by M. L. Bullock--Seven Sisters

This book could have been so good you guys. It was definitely creepy, but it fell so short.

The book follows a ghost investigation team and a girl named Cassidy, who joins the team based on her abilities of being able to see stuff through her paintings.

The team is trying to clear a name of a boy who is believed to have murdered his high school sweetheart, but he claims that a creature did it.

It was just so spooky, but my issue was the author took a real legend/ghost story that exists and built their book around it instead of making it part of the book.

Like there was a ton of stuff that felt lose, no ends and the wrap up just felt silly.

I did not understand how an evil spirit wasn’t put to rest, but the other ghosts hunting the place were and I never really got a clear image of what happened to the female ghost.

I felt like the author could have done so much with adapting this, but they just didn’t and it did not feel incomplete and it left me feeling weird.

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Review: Don’t Tell by Karen Rose

Posted October 10, 2017 by Lily B in Audio, Reviews / 14 Comments

Hi everyone! Sophia Rose is back with another review, this time of an audio of Don’t Tell by Karen Rose. Oh a romantic suspense, doesn’t it sound really good? set against a backdrop of Chicago and Ashville, NC the premise of two cases has me interested. Read Sophia’s review and see what she thinks.

Don't Tell by Karen Rose, Michael Ferraiuolo
Series: Chicago #1
Published by Tantor Audio on August 22nd 2017
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 15 hr 44 min
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Heat:

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

It was a desperate plan. But Mary Grace Winters knew the only way to save herself and her child from her abusive cop husband was to stage their own death. Now all that remains of their former life is at the bottom of a lake. Armed with a new identity in a new town, she and her son have found refuge hundreds of miles away. As Caroline Stewart, she has almost forgotten the nightmare she left behind nine years ago. She is even taking a chance on love with Max Hunter, a man with wounds of his own. But her past is about to collide with the present when her husband uncovers her trail and threatens her hard-won peace. Step by step, he's closing in on her-and everything and everyone she loves. Contains mature themes.

I’ve been a lover of Karen Rose’s books since I stumbled upon Closer Than You Think, the beginning of her Cincinnati series and several books into her overall Romantic Suspense series. Finally, I got the chance to go back to the very beginning to where it all began in Chicago.

It’s fascinating when one starts at nearly the end and goes back to the beginning to see the comparison of just how much a writer as progressed in style and element, but also see the amazing heart of the writing that pulled me in and was there all along through a whole series it seems.

As I said, Don’t Tell is the beginning. It’s part of the Chicago series, but the book is technically split between events going on in Ashville, NC and Chicago and like all the others is a large book with many story lines and several narrators. The police in North Carolina are on the trail of a re-opened cold case as is the villain even while another storyline is developing in Chicago surrounding the secretive woman at the heart of it all.

Mary Grace Winters now posing for 9 years as Caroline Stewart was an incredible heroine. She exemplified a true survivor. She’s strong, but also fearful and fragile, stubborn and generous and it was neat to see what a truly good man with his own ghosts could do. Max comes across in the beginning as a knight, but then his past is revealed and he is a tarnished battered knight who makes mistakes with Caroline, but still finds the strength to be the man she needs. Down in Ashville, Agent Stewart and Detective Ross are equally great characters to follow along with as they doggedly investigate the case of Mary Grace Winters. It was heartwrenching to see what they dug up of Caro’s past as battered Mary Grace. And oh yes, I was treated to many scenes with the sadistic fiend who was her abuser and the abuser and killer of many more while also believing himself to be a good cop, Rob Winters. Shivers came when I was stuck in his head with him.

The story took its time drawing all the plot strings along until they tied together in one intense climax. But the author deftly followed up with the aftermath of situations. This was not a murder mystery where the reader must figure out the killer’s identity. It was a gritty, exciting thriller romance where it was a race of who would get to Caroline first and then what would happen if her evil ex did.

The narrator has one I’ve noted as being a favorite of other audio listeners so I was glad to give Michael Ferraiuolo my first try. He did a great job with the huge cast of characters, plot threads, range of emotions and tension, pacing, and overall tone of the book. I can see myself becoming a fan of his work, too.

All in all, I was riveted at times and engaged deeply through the softer scenes. It’s a great blend of romance, character growth, and suspense. I definitely recommend it to romantic suspense and thriller romance lovers.

About Sophia Rose

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

Facebook | Goodreads

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My Overly Ambitious October/November TBR!

Posted October 8, 2017 by Lily B in discussion / 18 Comments

Hi guys! I hope you are having a great October so far. October is my favorite reading month because of Halloween and everything spooky and I definitely went overboard on my TBR pile, because I actually bought a bunch of books specifically for this month and they will just have to roll over into November I think. So I am calling this my tentative October/November TBR.

What is on your reading list? I really like to know, you know, in case I am missing out. But, let’s make this quick because there is a lot. Most of these are physical copies and some are ARCs.

Bought

Publisher

Borrowed

Think I will stop there, that is 27 books for October/November reading list and I have a feeling I’m missing a few. But, if I could get through half of these by December I’ll be pretty happy.

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2 Quick Book Reviews

Posted October 6, 2017 by Lily B in Reviews / 10 Comments

Death by Eggnog by Alex Erickson
Series: Bookstore Cafe Mystery #5
Published by Kensington Publishing on September 26th 2017
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 3.5 Stars

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Krissy Hancock is staying in her adopted hometown of Pine Hills, Ohio, for Christmas this year--and she even has a whole week off from her combination bookstore-cafe. But a killer is about to dampen her spirits . . . Unfortunately, Krissy's been roped into filling in for a sick elf in the local holiday musical extravaganza. With a demanding director, backstage gossip, and two men in fierce competition for the starring role, it isn't all sweetness and Christmas lights. Then a murder puts a stop to the production, and Krissy is faced with a pageant of suspects. Could her ex-boyfriend, a fellow elf, really be the culprit as the police are claiming? Or will the actor playing Santa be trading his red suit for an orange jumpsuit? When her behind-the-scenes investigation starts getting dangerous, the only thing Krissy really wants is to make it to Christmas dinner alive. But first she'll have to finish wrapping up this case . . .

After her father cancels their Christmas plans, Krissy Hancocks finds herself staying home for the holidays. Already taken time off from work, one of the towns people ropes her into helping with a Christmas play. Everything seems to be going fine until the very crude Santa is found dead in his dressing room and the person suspected of murder is no other than Krissy’s ex-boyfriend who now wants Krissy to clear his name.

I enjoyed this for the most part, I thought it was interesting and it seems like a great read for Christmas with a small town setting and a group of people who really love the holidays.

This would have been a 4 star read, but I took half a star off because of who done it in the end. I thought it came out of no where and the reason was just like, blah, really? It felt a bit disappointing.

2 Quick Book Reviews Sugar Pine Trail by RaeAnne Thayne
Series: Haven Point #7
Published by Harlequin Books on September 26th 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday
Pages: 384
Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 4 Stars

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

An unlikely attraction brings comfort, joy and unforgettable romance this holiday season!
Librarian Julia Winston is ready to ditch the quiet existence she's been living. She's made a list of new things to experience, but falling for Jamie Caine, her sexy military pilot neighbor, isn't one of them. Julia's looking to conquer life, not become the heartbreaker's latest conquest. But when two young brothers wind up in Julia's care for the holidays, she'll take any help she can get—even Jamie's.
Happy to step in, Jamie reveals a side of himself that's much harder to resist. Not only is he fantastic with kids, he provides the strength Julia needs to tackle her list. She knows their temporary family can't last beyond the holidays, but the closer she gets to Jamie, the more she wonders if things could be this merry and bright forever…

If you are looking for some holiday reading this Christmas season, look no further. RaeAnne Thayne is an amazing author to pick up when you are looking for a cozy, heartwarming romances. Yes, they are predictable as far as romance goes, but her books are very character driven.

Julia Winston was a lovely librarian character with a big heart that took in two boys in need and gave them a temporary home, even if she knew it would eventually break her heart.

Jamie had quite a lot of heartbreak in his life when it came to women and family, but watching his affection grow for Julia was so heartwarming.

Wonderful characters, sweet romance, and heartwarming writing that just keeps me coming back for more.

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Review: The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain

Posted October 4, 2017 by Lily B in Reviews / 16 Comments

The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain
Series: standalone
Published by St. Martin's Press on October 3rd 2017
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 384
Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Rating: 4.5 Stars

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

From perennial bestseller Diane Chamberlain, a compelling new novel
In 1944, twenty-three-year-old Tess DeMello abruptly ends her engagement to the love of her life when she marries a mysterious stranger and moves to Hickory, North Carolina, a small town struggling with racial tension and the hardships imposed by World War II. Tess’s new husband, Henry Kraft, is a secretive man who often stays out all night, hides money from his new wife, and shows no interest in making love. Tess quickly realizes she’s trapped in a strange and loveless marriage with no way out.
The people of Hickory love and respect Henry and see Tess as an outsider, treating her with suspicion and disdain, especially after one of the town’s prominent citizens dies in a terrible accident and Tess is blamed. Tess suspects people are talking about her, plotting behind her back, and following her as she walks around town. What does everyone know about Henry that she does not? Feeling alone and adrift, Tess turns to the one person who seems to understand her, a local medium who gives her hope but seems to know more than he’s letting on.
When a sudden polio epidemic strikes the town, the townspeople band together to build a polio hospital. Tess, who has a nursing degree, bucks Henry’s wishes and begins to work at the hospital, finding meaning in nursing the young victims. Yet at home, Henry’s actions grow more alarming by the day. As Tess works to save the lives of her patients, can she untangle her husband’s mysterious behavior and save her own life?

The story

Tess DeMello was going to have the perfect life. She was going to marry the love of her life and get a nursing degree. Everything was going great, until Vincent took on volunteer work for a couple of months away from Tess and her entire world falls apart.
Unable to stop herself from feeling sad about her future husband’s long absence and a niggling feeling that he might be seeing someone else - Gina takes Tess to Washington, where a drink too many leads Tess into sleeping with a mysterious stranger and falling pregnant.

Unable to forgive herself and not knowing what to do, Tess breaks off her engagement and moves elsewhere in hopes of starting her life all over again. When the father of the child decides to do right by her and she marries the mysterious stranger and moves to his hometown of Hickory, North Caroline where she learns the struggle of racial tension and hardships imposed on the town by World War II.

Thoughts

Woah, just Woah you guys. I started this book last night, read it till the wee hours of the morning and when I woke up I had this book on my mind and had to finish it. I just finished it and still reeling from the emotional storyline.

I was so angry with Tess at first and her mistakes because it started out badly and what looked like unforgivable, but ended up mounting until the character started growing from her mistakes into this strong-willed woman that has seen and been through so much hardship and heartbreak in such a short amount of time.

This book dealt with a lot. It dealt with Tess and her loveless marriage, leaving a cloud of mystery hanging over the entire book by making you wonder what is going on the entire time. Just as I thought I had it figured out the author takes this in a completely different direction I was not expecting.

Chamberlain also weaves so much history and everything that people have gone through during this time period with racial tension, laws, World War II, Polio, the building of the Polio hospital and all the sickness and heartbreak. It just added such a punch to the entire book and made it so riveting and hard to put down.

I spent half the book feeling like Tess deserved what she got when she made the stupid choice of leaving the love of her life and the second half respecting her and everything she went through.

I loved that Tess kept pushing and defying the customs and her husband and mother-in-law with the respect that came to her nursing license. I like that she took charge of that part of her life in order to make herself happy again.

The author throws us into the action right away with the opening of the book and the book sits in two parts. The events leading to the accident and the events following the accident. You see a lot of character growth as the story goes on and it just completely blew my mind.

I was sad, I was teary, I was enthralled in the story and the characters writing. It was so well written, the storytelling was remarkable and I was so drawn and flipping through the pages that I actually had a hard time saying goodbye to these characters.

The pacing was perfect, I never felt like there was a dull moment. The author kept me glued to the pages wanting to know what was happening, what was going to happen to these characters. I loved how she incorporated this time period into these characters lives and made them feel really genuine and human, that at times I forgot that they are fictional.

If you enjoy Historical fiction, absolutely wonderful writing, an emotionally gripping story, raw characters, I strongly recommend you read this because, I just cannot express how much I loved this book and everything about it.

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Weekly Wrap Up #11 - Fall is here!!

Posted October 1, 2017 by Lily B in Reviews / 14 Comments

Weekly Recap

Fall is here!! Who else is excited? I am sitting over here drinking my coffee with pumpkin spice in it, the weather outside at the moment is super chilly but it looks like it will go back up to 70’s this week. I am hoping the leaves change slowly, I was worried they would all just kind of drop and no beautiful autumn for us, so far, so good.

What’s else is new? Oh September was a busy month. My birthday, my anniversary, my nieces birthday and we all got colds. We all also have colds right now, two weeks after we recovered from the first, blah. I also got Kindle Unlimited now, because I apparently needed access to more books.

I’ve been on the roll with reading. I have also bought a bunch of chilly books for fall reads and with Halloween coming up, bring out the ghost stories and thriller - right after I am done with a Christmas book I am reading - Oops.

My reading has picked up, I went to being behind schedule to being 6 books ahead 😀 super excited.

How are you guys planning on enjoying your fall? Do you read certain books? What are you reading?

Recap is a meme hosted by Kim @ Caffeinated Book Review