August Books

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So here we are, another month come and gone, and my summer vacation is officially over.  *sigh*

This gives me mixed feelings.

Either way, it's back to the old grind, and it's also time to share the books I read in August!


Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I am so sad to have finished this series. But I can definitely say that I am relieved that things I was expecting (dreading) DIDN'T happen.

I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5 because I didn't love the ending. It IS open-ended and just left me wanting more. I also feel like it would've been nice to have wrapped up more of the characters' stories.

Overall, though, I absolutely loved this series and am so glad that I read them!

Update: I recently found out that there is a 9th book that Diana Gabaldon is working on! Yay! :)


Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I struggled with my rating for this. I went back and forth between 3, 4, or 5 stars. As you can see, I settled on three, and I suppose since this is a review, it would be good to explain why.

I did not know (because while I love Harry Potter, my life does not revolve around it), that the book would be the script of the play that premiered in London on July 30, 2016. While I liked that it made this a VERY quick read, it didn't have the same depth as the other Harry Potter novels. It did also really make me wish that I could see the play live because I think that would really bring a lot more to the story.

J.K. Rowling did NOT write this book, contrary to the fact that the book cover lists her name first and bigger than everyone else's. So it was certainly lacking her style. Many reviews that I saw basically stated that this read like fan fiction, and I can't say that I disagree.

The characters that we know and love did not really seem to be themselves. Sure, they're adults now, but I feel like their personalities were lacking the depth of the Harry, Hermione, and Ron that I expected. In fact, Draco is the grown up character that I liked the most as he seemed the most like himself.....and improved for the better.

I did like the plot of the story. I enjoyed getting to know Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. Although, Albus does quite seem to act a lot like his dad, Harry, circa The Order of the Phoenix, which is my least favorite book of the Harry Potter series. Scorpius was actually a delightful and likable character, despite the fact that he is the son of Draco Malfoy.

As I am a huge fan of time travel, I'm happy to see it as part of this plot, and I like that through Harry's dreams and the time travel we are able to relive some moments that all Harry Potter fans will know and recognize.

Overall, if you're a Harry Potter fan, this is definitely a must read. Even more so, if this production ever comes to the USA, you can be sure I'll find a way to see it!


George by Alex Gino

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I received this book in a Scholastic book order before summer vacation in 2015. I finally got around to reading it before adding it to my classroom library.

It was a quick read for an adult. It is listed for ages 8-12, grades 3-7.

Knowing students as I do, and knowing the area in which I live and teach, if students don't read the synopsis first, they will be very confused as to why the pronouns describing George are female. It is a decent way into the book before the word transgender is even used to describe how George feels.

The book is also listed as dealing with Bullying, but I would disagree. Bullying occurs, but there are no real consequences to the bully, nor do we really see George finding a good way to deal with being bullied.

The book could be good to have on hand simply for the fact that a student may need to read it. But I don't think it really has a moral or lesson for students going through the same issues as George. It really wasn't inspiring and it really didn't lead very far for George. The very last chapter is a start, but I'm not sure that this book would really make an impact.


The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I wish we could give half star ratings because I would give this a 3 1/2 instead of a 3.

I really quite enjoy stories that add different takes on classic fairy tales, and I may or may not have been obsessed with Disney princesses at a certain point and time in my life. Chris Colfer creates a wonderful fairy tale world and likable characters in Alex and Conner. I am looking forward to continuing their story in the next book of the series.

I'm hoping, though, that Colfer's writing matures as he continues through the series. While I didn't really notice until I was nearing the end of the book, some of the writing just seemed simplistic.

My goal as a teacher this year is to read books aloud and have discussion with my sixth grade students. Sometimes, students struggle with reading and writing, and you're just never too old to enjoy being read TO. This is going to be the first book that I share with my students. I think both boys and girls will like it, and I like the idea of reading introductory books to those in a series in the hopes of inspiring them to continue reading more!



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I'm feeling very good about my progress this month!  I am now 3 books ahead of schedule on my Goodreads challenge to read 40 books this year.  As the beginning of the school year has arrived, I'm going to need that!  HOWEVER, Audible had a sale going on this month to get 2 books for one credit, and I bought the extra credit to take advantage.  Then with my regular August credit, I added one more book.  So I've got 3 audio books lined up, which I'm very excited about!

So what have you read this month?

What's on your reading list?

July Books

Here we are, another month has flown by.  My summer is slowly fading away, and I'm both excited and dreading it at once.  I actually thought I would only get in two books this month because they were both very LONG (but wonderful!) books!  I managed to squeeze in one more, though.

Here's what I read this month:

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another great installment in the Outlander series! (Seriously, I know that's not deep, but I just loved reading another book in this series.  I don't want to ramble about all of the things I love about these books....)



An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I am so sad that this series is drawing to a close!

As with the other Outlander books, "An Echo in the Bone" has many ups and downs in the lives of Jamie, Claire, Brianna, and Roger! The one thing I didn't enjoy as much is that in this book, Gabaldon includes many chapters about William. So as not to give anything away, William is a character that has been mentioned in or even part of other books, but I was annoyed that it took away from parts of the story about the other characters.

However, after finishing the book, William truly becomes an integral part of the plot.

I think I might take a break and put off reading the next (and final) book, as I am not sure I can bear to say goodbye to these amazing characters!


Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a surprisingly quick (and good!) read. I was a little unsure if I would actually enjoy this book, since it's out of my typical genre choices. But I actually really enjoyed it! As a science fiction book, there were some parts of the book that were a little confusing. When the author was talking a lot about certain aspects of physics, I was lost. There were also parts that were hard to wrap my head around, but Jason (the main character) was struggling, as well, which made me feel like I was supposed to be confused! Ultimately, I couldn't put this book down. I really wanted to know what would happen with Jason, Daniela, and their son, Charlie. Even if "science fiction" isn't your "thing," I would definitely recommend this book. There are a lot of twists and turns with an amazing, exciting plot!

I received this book for free from BloggingforBooks.com in exchange for my review, but all opinions are my own.



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I am currently "on track" with my Goodreads challenge to read 40 books this year.  My plan for August is to try to get ahead since things will inevitably slow once school begins.  (Also, I suspend my Audible account in the summer since I spend way less time in the car and don't need to have an audio book on hand.  But it will activate again near the end of August, so that will help, too!)

What have you been reading lately??

April Books

I seriously can't believe that April is over already.  It really flew by so quickly.  Does anyone feel the same way?

At least I managed to get a book finished this month, but I really need to step up my game because now, rather than being ahead of schedule in the Goodreads challenge, I am "on track."  I'm an overachiever.  I prefer to be ahead of the game.  ;o)

This month, I read the next installment in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It took me forever to get through this book, but this was in large part due to lack of time. I went back and forth between giving this 3 or 4 stars, but I settled on 4 after reading the final chapters.

There were parts of this book that dragged on, and parts that I felt were unnecessary or boring. One particular example is the small sections that were excerpts from Governor Tyron's journal. While his actions in this books were of importance, I don't care about him as a character. I want to read about Jamie, Claire, Brianna, and Roger!

I did find it a little strange that this book has other excerpts like that: Brianna's dream journal, Claire reading information in Dr. Rawlings' medical journal. It sometimes seemed to interrupt the story with a different style.

Overall, I went with 4 stars because some of those seemingly unnecessary parts resolved themselves or carried the story further. And the book ended by leaving me ready to move on to the next installment!



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January Books

So I'm off to a great start for my 2016 Goodreads Book Challenge.  I have already read 4 books in January, and I'm 2 books ahead of schedule.  My goal this year is to read 40 books since I read 36 last year!

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book! I listened to Landline on Audible. The narrator was the same as my first Rainbow Rowell book, FanGirl. At first, I had a little trouble adjusting to her as Georgie and not Cath, but I quickly got over that!

I really enjoyed how the story moved between Georgie's past and present. When she first used the landline to call her husband, I was so confused. I actually rewound the book because I was sure that I had missed something. I was annoyed at first, but then I kind of liked that I was just as confused as Georgie was.

This book had me hooked and kept me wanting to know what would happen and how things would work out! So glad I gave it a listen!


Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I don't even think I can say how much I am loving this series. Drums of Autumn has so many ups and downs in the lives of Jamie, Claire, and now adding more focus on Brianna and Roger. I cannot wait to continue reading more!



The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read this book very quickly. I don't know that it lived up to all of the hype that it received, but I definitely enjoyed the book!

I liked that the story was told from three points of view: Rachel, Megan, and Anna. Even though the story definitely focused on Rachel, I believe that the other two women are essential to developing the story. I had a lot of sympathy for Rachel and her broken heart and struggle with alcohol addiction. It struck me how she had difficulty with her credibility due to her drinking and blackouts.

I can truly say that I didn't find this story predictable, and as the end unfolded, I was actually coming to realizations right along with Rachel.

Definitely a good read!


The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have been obsessed with the Tudor court since I read "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory. Since then, I've not only devoured ALL of her other books on the subject but also those on the Cousins' War.

With that being said, I am always looking for more historical fiction on this topic and am willing to give any author a chance! "The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn" did not disappoint. I love making connections between other speculation I've read about this time period. The story shares Anne's thoughts from a perspective that I haven't experienced before, and I enjoyed the connections it made with Queen Elizabeth I during her reign.

I wasn't thrilled with the voice of the narrator on this Audible listen or I might have given this 5 stars.



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November Books

Another month has come and gone!  As I mentioned last month, I completed my Goodreads challenge already, but I'm still pressing on to see where I end up at the end of the year!

This month, I am kind of disappointed with myself because I only managed to finish one book.  In my defense, I have been listening to a book on Audible that is really long, and as of the date of this writing, I have about 40 minutes left.  So I was close.

I technically finished the following book at about 12:30 AM on December 1st.  But I'm still counting it as a November book because I read furiously to finish it and since I hadn't gone to bed before finishing it, it counts (and Goodreads thought so, too because it's listed as finished on November 30th).

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this next installment of the Outlander series. The only reason that I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I found myself being a little confused at certain points throughout the story. As the story goes from 1968 back to the 1700s and back to 1968 again, I found myself confused about how there can be so much left to talk about in Claire and Jamie's story.

BUT overall, I loved the story, and I was moved to tears again in places. I am very excited to begin reading Voyager!



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What did you read this month?