Saturday’s Something Good

So I’m totally copying this from Janssen, but I love the idea of doing a round up of all of the books I’ve read during 1st quarter for Saturday’s Something Good.

During first quarter, I read (/listened to) 50 books. My goal for the entire year is 52, but I think I may go back and revise that.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by Fiona, Countess of Carnarvon 
How you’ll feel about this book really depends on what you’re expecting. If you’re just looking for a third person history of Highclere or if you want to learn more behind the history of Downtown Abbey, this works pretty well and is engaging enough to keep reading. If you’re looking for something more plot driven, like Downton Abbey, I would suggest skipping this and reading something such as Longbourn instead.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Love the audiobook version of this. I feel like I’ll be going back to listen to it later.

Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini 
Impulse grab at the library. I actually really enjoyed it and it was interesting to read about a character that I hadn’t heard of before.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
I had a hard time getting into this, but I really enjoyed it once I understood what was going on. I’m going to definitely continue reading the series.

Belle Cora by Phillip Margulies
Long. Dragged in a few places, but overall enjoyable.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles 
Just go read Great Gatsby.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell 
Not my favorite of her 3 books, but definitely very enjoyable. Finished it in about a day.

Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi 
Good read, intriguing enough to make me willing to read her next book.

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan 
Spy novel about a woman in the 70s written from a man’s point of view….If you want to read a novel that actually talks about spies, go read James Bond novels instead.

Matched by Ally Condie 
Okay audiobook. Okay dystopic novel. I’ll continue listening to the series out of curiousity.

Levels of Life by Julian Barnes 
Good if you like something a little more philosophical. Meh for me.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
Love. Love. Love.

Twisted by Sara Shepard (PLL series)
Enjoyed listening to the Pretty Little Liars series, but not sure if I want to keep reading the series…

Rumors by Anna Godbersen 
Part of the Luxe series. Think Gossip Girl in the early 1900s. Enjoyable “beachy” read if you like that sort of thing. Which I do.

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell 
Not the best of his books that I’ve read.

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott 
Meh.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt 
Long, but loved it. Looking forward to reading her other books now.

I am America by Stephen Colbert 
Loved! Like listening to a 3 hour long Colbert Report. Just  need to get other audiobooks with him now.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne 
This had an unexpected twist that I definitely wasn’t expecting, but it’s a really good book.

Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
Had I been reading it, I probably would not have been able to finish and returned the book after a chapter. However, the addition of Jaime Heinlein’s voice made it much easier and it felt more like someone chatting to you. I won’t be reading any future books.

Live Bait by Francine Pascal (Fearless FBI series #3)
See #2. Took a really weird twist here, only one book left in the series though, so I’ll still continue in the series.

Agent Out by Francine Pascal (Fearless FBI series #2)
See #1. Quick read, entertaining.

Confessions of a Latter-day Virgin by Nicole Hardy 
After the reviews, I had high expectations for this book. It was funny at certain points, but got a little whiny at others. It didn’t really live up to the hype.

A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller 
Another historical fiction woman that is some how tied back to suffragettes. Sorry, around this point I kept reading books that tied into that and they all started to blur together and become a bit of a bore after a certain point.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume 
First leap into Judy Blume! Great book and I’ll definitely be reading more!

The Apartment by Greg Baxter 
Meh. Nothing special. Wouldn’t really recommend.

Wanted by Sara Shepard (PLL series)
See earlier comments. Like the TV show, I keep listening to see where they take each weird twist. I’ll break this habit one day.

Heartless by Sara Shepard (PLL series)
See earlier PLL comments.

Windfallen by Jojo Moyes 
Took me a minute to remember the plot of this book. It was okay. Jojo Moyes has done better.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 
Listened to the audiobook. It took me a little bit to get into, but once I did, I was hooked.  When it ended, I definitely had a minute of, “Wait, that’s it?? I want more!”

Killer by Sara Shepard (PLL series)
See earlier PLL comments

The House Girl by Tara Conklin
Entertaining story. I thought it would be much heavier than it actually was.

World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements by John Hunter 
So some of the stories got a bit repetitive, but I think it would have been much better if I read it one story at a time and took breaks inbetween. Overall enjoyable and uplifting. I would definitely recommend reading this or AT LEAST watching John’s TEDtalk.

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala 
Didn’t really enjoy this. I feel bad saying that because it was about a mother who lost her family in a tsunami, but I just couldn’t get into it and slogged through the audiobook (is that possible?).

If I Stay by Gayle Forman 
Listened to the audiobook. Enjoyable, but I think I want to go back and read it and the upcoming sequel.

Wicked by Sara Shepard (PLL series)
See earlier PLL comments.

The World’s Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne 
Went into this not knowing what to expect, but I really enjoyed it.

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris 
Hilarious audiobook, I would definitely recommend listening to it.

Unbelievable by Sara Shepard (PLL series)
See earlier comments about PLL.

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Sat again and tried to remember the plot line. Interesting story but it felt very long.

Dancing for Degas by Kathryn Wagner 
I think between the two ballet dancer – Degas novels I’ve read (Painted Girls being the other), I enjoyed this one more. It didn’t hurt that it had a heroine that you could actually enjoy cheering on.

Longbourn by Jo Baker 
If you like Downton Abbey and/or Pride and Prejudice, you will enjoy this.

Among Others by Jo Walton 
Cute fantasy novel, but I felt like it built up to a much bigger ending than it actually had. I remember finishing what was suppose to be the big dramatic scene and going, “that’s it?”

I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella 
Similar to other Kinsella novels. Decent beach read.

Dare Me by Megan Abbott 
A YA novel that reminds me how happy I am to be done with high school. Meg Abbott does bitchy high school girls well.

Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois 
Had to remember what this was about. On it’s own, it was okay. Once you realized that it was related to an actual case of a girl being accused of murdering her roommate during study abroad, it became much more fascinating.

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan 
Good read. Definitely interested in going to read more of her books.

The Little Drummer Girl by John le Carré 
Hard to get into at first, but interesting read once I did. I will admit, I had to go and read the plot summary to help clear things up half way through reading it.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin 
Great! Excited to read Happiness at Home.

Kill Game by Francine Pascal (Fearless FBI series #1)
I decided to start reading this series since I had read the books back in middle/high school and loved them. This series picks up 4 years after the first series ended. It’s an entertaining read, but you’ll be a little confused at first if haven’t read the first series.