books i’ve read – Simone and Her Books

Can you believe it’s already the middle of January? Sheesh! Since we’re at that point in the month, I wanted to check in and say “hi, how are you?” I also wanted to share what I’ve read so far and my thoughts on them.

While I’ve set myself for an ambitious reading year, my month has been moving at a glacial pace. I’m slightly behind in my TBR and it’s taking me a much longer time to read my books. Don’t know what that is about. Maybe it’s just the cold days or burnout or something.

Before I get into the books I read, I did want to mention that I started The Water Cure and ended up putting it on my DNF shelf. While the language was beautiful, I wasn’t a fan of the story. I feel like there was a golden opportunity to write a feminist dystopian novel, but what I got was a little cultish, a little boring, and a lot of beautiful language. Sorry, friends! Not in a place to read a novel like this.

The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin

So I started this book in 2018 and finished the book within the first day of 2019. I don’t know where this counts. Is it the last book I read in 2018 or is it the first book of 2019? Either way, I was a little disappointed in this one. While I’m still a huge fan of this series, I felt like this book moved slower than the first book. I almost feel like this book spends more time building the world than getting into the meat of the story. Second novels in series are meant to capture the audience and really start moving the plot, but this one felt like it was playing catch up. The ending did surprise me with how fast it was and it does set up the final book well. I just wish there was some more going on in this one.

Find my review on Goodreads

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

This is the first novel in a new series by Roshani Chokshi. I was super excited when I first got the book, but then I sat down and almost finished the entire book in one day. It’s almost like a historical fantasy taking place in the 1880s in Paris and having some magical elements in it. It’s definitely on the fantasy end, but if you’re a fan of adventure-style stories like Six of Crows or even movies like National Treasure, then this one is for you. Also, let me talk about the representation in this book. Every person is unique in their own way, brings something to the table, and it’s just a good old friendship times. Haha. I really loved this novel and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Find my review on Goodreads

Sadie by Courtney Summers

This winter, I wanted to read a little more thrillers. I think everyone gets in the mood for something based on the seasons. For me, it’s thrillers in the winter. This book takes the popularity of serialized true crime podcasts and puts it into a story. What if you had special privilege and can read into their minds? We follow Sadie on her journey to oust her sister’s murderer, but also get backstory on what happened through the podcast. It’s a really intriguing book that unfolds all its secrets slowly. When you finally get to the end, you end up asking yourself “did Sadie finally get to him or did she die fighting for what she believed?” It’ll definitely warm your blood on those long winter nights.

Find my review on Goodreads

If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim

I just finished reading this book and it’s my first five-star review of the year. We follow Haemi, a young teenage girl, who is in love with her childhood best friend. However, that love is cut short when Jisoo comes courting her during the years before the Korean War. It’s a complex story about one family living in post-war Korea, but it’s representative of its time and beyond.

Find my review on Goodreads

What have you been reading this month?

The beginning of the year is supposed to be the most successful part because everyone’s got the motivation to exceed their own expectations. It’s usually in February when everyone drops their resolutions and returns to their former state.

But I always have to be the exception to the rule. ALWAYS. I have to defy the understood norm because I have problems with authority. That being said, it turns out I was only able to read three books for all of January.

Three.

Honestly, I was hoping to read more than four, but I was on vacation for more than half the month. What is with vacations and me just wanting to be a vegetable on the couch? Aren’t you supposed to read more when you’re on vacation? I ended up reading less and on top of it struggled throughout the entire time to read.

However, I need to stop beating myself up. I always give myself a hard time for not reading enough when I’m reading more than most people. Perhaps I needed to decompress from my regular life since I haven’t had a vacation since last July. Perhaps my brain just went on auto-reboot and it took me that long to get back on the track of things. Whatever it was, it’s passed and I think I can battle out the rest of February.

Reading and writing this blog has really opened me up to types of hobbies I really enjoy. I love sharing with you all my bookish thoughts and I hope you like them. Here’s my pitiful list from January.

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

Ingrid Coleman writes letters to her husband, Gil, about the truth of their marriage, but instead of giving them to him, she hides them in the thousands of books he has collected over the years. When Ingrid has written her final letter she disappears from a Dorset beach, leaving behind her beautiful but dilapidated house by the sea, her husband, and her two daughters, Flora and Nan.

Twelve years later, Gil thinks he sees Ingrid from a bookshop window, but he’s getting older and this unlikely sighting is chalked up to senility. Flora, who has never believed her mother drowned, returns home to care for her father and to try to finally discover what happened to Ingrid. But what Flora doesn’t realize is that the answers to her questions are hidden in the books that surround her. Scandalous and whip-smart, Swimming Lessons holds the Coleman family up to the light, exposing the mysterious truths of a passionate and troubled marriage.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?