Random Book Thoughts

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney | Book Review

2025-08-25T20:03:00.003+05:30

Adam and Amelia are on a weekend gateway to the snowy mountains of Scotland on their anniversary…it sounds romantic, but the truth is, this is their last attempt to save their marriage which is no longer alive. This weekend will either make or break there marriage, but what they don’t know is that future has another plans for them….One way or another, this romantic weekend is bound to turn ugly as one of them is not being entirely truthful...and they are not entirely alone!

I went into this with very low expectations as I am wary with these type of ‘trouble in marriage‘ kind of books but it was surprisingly good and I really liked the writing.

What worked for me here was the snowy isolated atmosphere we got when they were in the cottage. There were so many foreshadowing author did while these couple thought about things, which kind of was convenient with the big reveal we got by the end. It can be a little unsatisfying for someone but I did not have that much issue with this.

It did felt little slow in some places, where I was not able to guess where all this is going.There were a lot of things that did not feel correctly placed in the story, so that we can have the big reveal in the end.The structure with which it was written…with letters and the twist it was suprising and I liked it.

Very fast read. I liked Alice Feeney writing and how atmospheric it was. This was my first book her, definitely will be reading more from her in the future.

“If every story had a happy ending then we’d have no reason to start again. Life is all about choices, and learning how to put ourselves back together when we fall apart.”

Overall Ratings : 4/5

My Reading Plans for April | 2021

2021-03-29T20:42:00.009+05:30

So far, 2021 has been a very slow year for me in terms of reading. I have read a total of 9 books in these three months and really need to speed up. Therefore, I decided to inspire myself by making this TBR, which will also be my first TBR of 2021. This list is quite ambitious but whatever... here we go!

Firstly, I would like to mention three books I am currently reading -

- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Progress : 12%)

- The Toll by Cherie Priest (Progress : 17%)

- A House at the Bottom of the Lake by Josh Malerman (Progress : 20%)

Now, all the books I want to start (& hopefully finish) in April -

The Slippery Slope ( A Series of Unfortunate Events #10) by Lemony Snicket

I have been reading this series for last 3-4 years and really want to finish it with last four books this year. All 9 books I have read so far have been great and would love to continue with this one in April.

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

I have been on a fantasy slump for so long, and now I really want to break that pattern and renew my love for fantasy once again! What would be better for that than this standalone! I know its a prequel to another of Wang series but can be read as a standalone. Very excited for this one, have heard nothing but positive about this book!

City of Stairs (The Divine Cities #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

I started this one last year but did not continue after few pages due to my fantasy slump. But now I really want to read something like this so will be starting this one from the scratch.

Destroy me by Karen Cole

I got this e-arc from Netgalley few months back, but now it is released and I have still not read this one. So, really need to to pick this one in April!

Our Last Night by Taylor Adams

I really loved 'Eyeshot' and 'No Exit' by this author. So picking this one randomly, hoping to like it as much without knowing anything about it!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

This was the winner of Goodreads choice award in 2019 for Mystery/thriller... so have high expectations from this one!

Beartown (Beartown #1) by Frederick Backman

I loved 'A Man Called Ove' by Frederick Backman, it was emotional and heartwarming. I know 'Beartown' involves some serious topics, but I expecting the same emotional and heartwarming message from this one too.

In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami

This one is my random pick from the month... this was on my Goodreads TBR and I don't know much about this but the reviews which claims that this one is not a very easy to digest read and I am all up for this!

Hopefully, I will be able to read most of it in April... Will keep you updated...See you next time!

The Final Girls by Riley Sager (Trying a New to me Author) | Book Review

2021-03-02T22:14:00.009+05:30

I wanted to pick a Riley Sager book for the first time, so went with the one which got me intrigued the most, which was 'Final Girls' AKA his debut novel. But it did not live up to my expectations, was overall an okay read.

'Final Girls' follows Quincy Carpenter, sole survivor of a tragic event happened during a vacation with college friends. She, along with two other girls, who also survived similar tragic events, were dubbed as the final girls by the tabloids. But Quincy hates everything it represents and tries to avoid any limelight and put everything behind with the support of her boyfriend and baking website. But when the first final girl, Lisa, suddenly dies in mysterious circumstances, she tries to get out of her self created prison to uncover the mystery of how Lisa's death is related to her and her past.

It started out very well, I was anticipating a very atmospheric and creepy suspense thriller. But there was only a little part of that here.it was mostly slow and boring, where Quincy is baking, walking and mostly having dialogues with herself and Sam. I wanted to root for her but had trouble connecting or liking her at any level.

The ending was unpredictable but not very believable...I did not like most of the explanations for what happened. I somewhat liked the overall character arc of Quincy but did not like the journey of getting there very much. There were few gory and chilly scenes but they did not help much in making the overall book worth remembering.

Overall an average read, hoping to pick another books by the author with more positive reviews than this one!

Overall Rating - 3.25 stars

Best & Worst Books I Read in 2020

2021-02-04T22:44:00.005+05:30

A Little late, but here are few of the best & worst books I read in 2020. Honestly, I mostly read Romance this year, and most of them were fine. So, I don't have that many strong opinioned books.

BEST BOOKS I READ IN 2020

BOOK #1 :- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Engaging and classic mystery by the queen of mystery itself. I read this in one sitting! My fourth read by Agatha Christie and so far the best by her! I just love mystery/thriller with ‘trapped in an island/house/cabin/jungle’ kind of premise and this was one of the best I have read with this trope. Definitely different from her previous books I have read where we are following a specific person investigating a murder. But none the less very engaging and fun read! Loved it!

BOOK #2 :- A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5) by Linda Kage

I read this whole series last year... It's a romance series revolves around these men who have this club named 'Forbidden' in common. This series was a hit and miss for me. So, I went into this book with very low expectations because the hero is a flirting playboy. But he quickly grew on me and I loved both MC's and their chemistry. This became my favourite one in the whole series. There is just something about reformed rake I love a lot!

BOOK #3 :- Alpha Night( Psy Changeling #19, Psy Changeling Trinity #4)) by Nalini Singh

Another big series I read in 2020, and 'Alpha Night' is one of the favourite series among romance readers. This one is the latest entry in the series and definitely one of the my favourite.

BOOK #4 :- Shards of Hope ( Psy Changeling #14) by Nalini Singh

Another book in the Psy Changeling Series, also includes one of my favourite couples ( Aden & Zaira) apart from Max and Sophia from the series. I just loved both our main characters and how they were friends before their romance. They were great for each other and their backstories were just full fledged and emotional!

BOOK #5 :- The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

Another mystery/thriller in the list and one I was not expecting to love as much as I loved it. The writing was atmosphere and creepy and I loved all the characters. This is definitely one book which is going to stick with me for various reasons for a very long time. One great mystery thriller with ghost elements in it. Will definitely recommend this one!

BOOK #6 :- Hunted by Darcy Coates

One awesome horror thriller with mystery elements in it. I love Darcy Coates and her writing style and this one did not disappoint! This was one great thriller with the mix of survival horror and detective mystery , I loved that combination.

Overall, it was surprisingly a very good book with interesting characters. I really liked this college friends group and their friendship which was a nice change for a horror novel! Did not expect many things... terribly underrated book that you should check out!

Now time to discuss few books that either terribly disappointed me or I straight up did not like!

WORST BOOKS I READ IN 2020

BOOK #1 :- Worth it (Forbidden Men #6) by Linda Kage

This was one of the book which had great synopsis and I had high expectations for, but was a massive let down. I straight up did not like our main heroine ' Felicity' and that dual timeline theme did not gel with me. Knowing where they are now, did not make me excited to know more about their past. I wanted more of their present chapters and I did not like the justifications for most of the things. I liked Knox but could not understand or like Felicity and some of her choices. This all made me not rooting for them as a couple, which was not a good sign.

BOOK #2 :- Roadwork by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King)

Stephen King' books has always made me conflicted about my feelings for them. I love their premises but his writing choices always are let down for me. This one is hands down the worst books I have read by him so far...it is slow, boring and depressing journey one that made me a little apprehensive to pick more of his work.

As usual, interesting premise but so unnecessarily long execution for a King’ book. I was curious enough to continue as I wanted to know how this would end, but that was a very slow and boring journey.

BOOK #3 :- Mister Bodyguard(Morgen Brothers #4) by Lauren Rowe

Another romance series I read, but unlike other this one was a massive let down. I did not like most of the books in this series and this one was my least favourite. I absolutely hated the romance and definitely one of my least favourite bodyguard romance for sure! I am absolutely happy to forget that I even read this one

BOOK #4 & 5 :- Branded by Fire (Psy Changeling #6)& Kiss of Snow (Psy Changeling #10) by Nalini Singh

Both of these books were a massive letdown for me. In 'Branded by Fire', I did not like the chemistry and the push & pull between both MCs. It was very frustrating and, lets jus say it is not one of my favourite trope.

Same is the case with 'Kiss of Snow', had very high expectations with Hawke's book , but I just could not deal with his possessiveness and Sienna's reckless and immature behaviour. I did not like their dynamics and was just wanted to get over with this book to get to the next one.

So, that's it for the list, just hope that 2021 is going to be better. Even if it is not, I would love to read more genres instead of romance and thriller (spoiler alert - its not going this way so far in Feb 2021)

BOOKS I AM READING IN DEC | TBR 2020

2020-11-30T20:33:00.002+05:30

2020 has been a chaotic year for me, I was into a huge reading slump in last few months. For this same reason, I did not put much effort in following or creating any TBR... it was a complete mess! So, December TBR is going to be my effort of getting back on the track with a little versatility in terms of genres. I decided to give myself some challenges to make this TBR, which was a load of fun!

Here is the list of books I am reading this final month of 2020:

CHALLENGE 1 - SELECT ONE BOOK FROM YOUR "CURRENTLY READING" SHELF ON GOODREADS

CITY OF STAIRS BY ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT

I started reading this in the early months of this year but was not able to continue after 20% due to my reading slump. So, this is my final chance to finish this by 2020 and I am going to take it!

CHALLENGE 2- CHOOSE ONE BOOK FROM YOUR PHYSICAL TBR

GIRL ON THE TRAIN BY PAULA HAWKINS

This is one of the popular book that has been sitting on my physical TBR for almost a year. I am finally going to pick this one!

CHALLENGE 3- CHOOSE ONE HORROR BOOK FROM YOUR GOODREADS TBR SHELF

WILDER GIRLS BY RORY POWER

I have been told this is the female version of ' Lord of the flies' and the premise sounds interesting and creepy. So, let's conquer this TBR with some horror I really want to get my hands on!

CHALLENGE 4 - CHOOSE ONE FANTASY BOOK FROM YOUR GOODREADS TBR SHELF

THE FIFTH SEASON BY N.K. JEMISIN

I literally know nothing about this book, but have heard nothing but good things...Depending on my mood and speed, I really want to tackle the whole' broken earth' trilogy

CHALLENGE 5 - CHOOSE ONE BOOK USING RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR FROM GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 2016 LIST

MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM BY GRADY HENDRIX

Another book I know nothing, but I can guess a lot from the title...hope I finally read some good exorcism book.

CHALLENGE 6 - CHOOSE TWO RANDOM BOOKS FROM YOUR GOODREADS TBR SHELF

OFF SEASON BY JACK KETCHUM

Randomly picking this one, a new author for me...giving me some'hills have eyes ' and 'Texas chainsaw massacre' vibes, hoping for a gruesome scary read!

FOUR WEEKS, FIVE PEOPLE BY JENNIFER YU

Another book picked by random generator, it's been so long I have read a YA book with mental health representation. Hoping for an emotional and informative read from this one!

So...that's it for this post, hope I will be able to get through all of these

You Are Invited: A Ghost Story by Sarah A. Denzil | Book Review

2020-09-06T22:34:00.002+05:30

Creepy, Atmospheric and very well written book, which doesn't shy away from depicting the realism of social media and mental illness!

Five Social Media Influencers have been invited to 'The Event' - A month long retreat to an isolated monastery surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania. These five people are going to be live streamed and will be the focus of millions of people from all over the world. But something is not right here and as Cath digs deeper into this, she and people around her starts losing their mind, and things takes the worse turn from there onwards!

The overall concept was pretty basic, it was nothing unique or groundbreaking, but it was very well executed. I really liked what author did with that simple concept, giving a lot of background and creating the rich history of the place. The folklore stories added more haunting touch in the overall creepiness.

The way we gets to see the realistic dilemma in the life of an Influencer towards their work, the connection with their followers and their insecurities was very convincing and interesting. Cath's struggle with mental illness, her low self esteem and an abusive past was heartbreaking but it was inspiring to see her trying to get past all of that.

Now, on the critical side, it was atmospheric and creepy but not very high in horror. Things were quite slow and not a lot happened in a large section of the book. So, don't expect a full on action horror going into this.

As for me, I, overall, really enjoyed 'You are Invited', it had a lot of creepy moments; I really liked Denzil's creepy and atmospheric writing which keeps you on the edge throughout the story. The ending was also good, not very predictable.The payoff was worth going through all of it.

OVERALL RATING : 4 STARS!

Received an e-arc from Netgalley for an honest review

MAY WRAP UP & JUNE TBR | 2020 | What I Read & What I'm going to Read!

2020-06-04T22:17:00.002+05:30

MAY WRAP UP

So... May, by far, was my worst reading month of 2020. I managed to finish only 3 books out of my TBR of 11 books.

I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS BY IAIN REID : You can see my full review here

EYESHOT BY TAYLOR ADAMS : You can see my full review here

SPELLSLINGER BY SEBASTIAN De CASTELL : 4 stars. Overall a very fun and quick read! After a long fantasy slump I finally finished my first fantasy book of the year, and for that I am very grateful of this book. Engaged writing and a very good start to the series and this author. Would love to see more of this world!

JUNE TBR

And June is going to be an attempt to create a somewhat normal reading routine. Here are few books I want to read this month!

THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON BY STEPHEN KING : I picked this book in May but managed to read 13%, liking it so far, let's see how it goes!

CITY OF STAIRS BY ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT : Have not managed to read this till now and I have no excuse. So, taking my shame with me I really need to read it NOW!

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX BY J.K. ROWLING : Speaking of my shame, adding more in that list. Was planning to reread this series last year, still have not moved beyond 5th book.

THE SUNDOWN MOTEL BY SIMONE ST JAMES : This is form my May TBR.'The Broken Girls' is one of my favourite of this year so far. And 'The Sun Down Motel' have even more positive reviews that one. Seems like this one is also about disappearance and follows two timelines like her previous book. Cannot wait to pick this one up!

WOLF UNDER FIRE (STAT #1) BY PAIGE TYLER : Quite excited for the e-ARC I got from netgalley. I read the whole 'X-Ops' series by Ms.Tyler and that series ended on a big news. Not sure if this series takes place after that, but would love to get back to that world for sure!

Now, I am randomly picking books from my goodreads TBR shelf. After confirming their availability (physical/ebook/audiobook), these are the ones I am including in June TBR. Not mentioning any details because I am going completely blind into these.

I HUNT KILLER (I HUNT KILLERS #1) BY BARRY LYGA

THE ENCHANTED BY RENE DENFELD

SONG OF THE BEAST BY CAROL BERG

THE VAGRANT (THE VAGRANT #1) BY PETER NEWMAN

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Suspense Thriller Read | Eyeshot by Taylor Adams | Book Review

2020-05-09T21:54:00.001+05:30

AMAZON:INDIA | US

A very solid & intense thriller!

This has to be the first time I am reading a thriller set in a desert and I loved the setting of this book. A deadly sniper is targeting this young couple - James and Elle Eversman, in the open grounds of Mojave desert. They are completely out in the open with nowhere to go, with only their broken-down car as a protection. Are they going to survive the bullet of this killer? For how long? Will they get the chance to start a new life in Tulsa? - With very slim chances and so many chapters left, I also wondered the same thing!

There were so many odds against them and so much to lose, and all this made to a very tense and thrilling ride for readers. I loved the couple and their relationship; it was hard not to. Author spent so much time on their backstories, it was hard not to get attached with them. We also got the chapters from the killer’s perspective so the action was not all one sided.

The only reason I did not give it five stars was because there were some moments where I felt the book was a little slow, as we spent a big amount of time on exploring the backstories of our characters. The scenes also felt unrealistic in few places. It was not a big issue for me, but it takes you out of the action a bit.

I loved Taylor Adams writing, which I also liked in ‘No Exit’, so it was not a surprise. He writes such gripping action thriller scenes, worthy of being on a movie. It steals your attention and expand your imaginary senses! Definitely planning on reading my last unread book ‘Our Last Night’ by him soon!

OVERALL RATING - 4/5

BUY ON AMAZON : INDIA | US

I'm Thinking of Ending Things | Iain Reid | Book Review

2020-05-04T19:57:00.000+05:30

AMAZON: INDIA | US

Weird and kind of unexpected.... but in a good way!

This was such a unique experience for me. I went into this book knowing that the twist is quite polarizing among readers and not fully understandable. And I completely agree why.

It started out with a basic scenario - Jake and his unnamed girlfriend are heading towards a secluded farm to meet Jake’s parents. His Girlfriend is thinking of ending things with him and trying to justify and debate the reasoning with herself before confronting.

In the middle of this, there is also a strange man who is leaving missed calls and creepy messages to the girlfriend. On their way, the couple has discussions related to relationship, solitude, memory and some other random philosophical things.

"Just tell your story. Pretty much all memory is fiction and heavily edited. So just keep going."

"The more we tell ourselves that we should always be happy, that happiness is an end in itself, the worse it gets."

And for the major part of the book I seriously had no idea where we were going with this story. There were so many directions this book could have gone at that point, but then they finally reached their destination and met the parents. But after that the things got interesting as we had more creepiness and suspense in the story. And then something else happened, and the story took a bizarre turn and got more creepy. The ending was not very predictable but as the author gave us so many clues, I kind of also went through that possibility in my mind. So, I was not shocked, but still loved the ending and the way it was executed.

I really liked Iain Reid’s writing, it was introspective, atmospheric and creepy. The first 30% was a little slow for me but I loved the second half of the book. This is one book where author left a lot for its reader to make sense of. Not sure if I understood every single thing, but it was enough for me to appreciate the book.

Will surely read more by Iain Reid in future!

OVERALL RATING : 4/5

AMAZON: INDIA | US

What I Read in April | Wrap up | 2020

2020-05-02T21:23:00.001+05:30

Taking full advantage of my quarantined life in April , I finished 20 books last month. Out of 20, I read 7 books out of 12 from my planned TBR. Overall it was a great month!

* Technically I read two classics, but I added the second one in mystery/thriller genre.

BOOKS I READ IN APRIL

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn : This was from my April TBR and my Introduction to Gillian Flynn. 3 Stars read - disturbing but a little underwhelming. Read my full review here

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: This was my favourite read from the month. I just love classic mystery/thriller with ‘trapped in an island/house/cabin/jungle’ kind of premise and this was one of the best I have read with this trope. Full 5 Stars!

Full Review here

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter : Another author I finally read from! It was completely disturbing and suspenseful. I was not a big fan of characters and there were few (racist) things that bothered me. Hence, overall gave this 4 Stars!

The Passengers We Cannot See by The Behrg: This was a netgalley ARC I got in March and finally read in April. This was a Collection of 15 horror short stories, few were quite innovative & I liked, few were just a slog to get through. Overall did not connect with the author's writing style. Gave 3 Stars!

Full Review here

Emma by Jane Austen: A Jane Austen classic I read after a very long time. It was okay, I just did not care for majority of this book. But really liked the Emma's character development and the premise. Gave 3 Stars to this!

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng : Very Sad and emotional book. I went into this expecting more mystery but it was a contemporary book at its core with a little bit mystery. Overall 4 Stars! You can read my full review here

Maiden Lane Series (BOOK #6 - #12.5) by Elizabeth Hoyt : A Historical Romance series which started few years ago but did not continue. Decided to pick this one again and managed to binge read the whole series. I read 7 books & 3 Novellas in this series. It was an awesome experience.

Duke of Midnight (Maiden Lane #6) - 3 Stars

Darling Beast (Maiden Lane #7) - 3.5 Stars

Dearest Rogue (Maiden Lane #8)- 4 Stars

Sweetest Scoundrel (Maiden Lane #9)- 4.5 Stars

Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane #10)- 3.75 Stars

Once Upon A Moonlit Night (Maiden Lane #10.5) - 4 Stars

Once Upon a Christmas Eve (Maiden Lane #10.7) - 3 Stars

Duke of Pleasure (Maiden Lane #11) - 4 Stars

Duke of Desire (Maiden Lane #12) - 4 Stars

Once Upon a Maiden Lane (Maiden Lane #12.5) - 4 Stars

The Morgan Brothers (Book #1 - #4) by Morgan Rowe ; Randomly picked this series after hearing good things about this. Overall a disappointing journey, but really liked the first book!

Hero (Book #1) - 4.5 Stars

Captain (Boom #2) - 3 Stars

Ball Peen Hammer (Book #3) - 3.5 Stars

Mister Bodyguard (Book #4) - 2 Stars

How was your Month? Do share books you read, Comment Below!

May TBR | What I am Reading this Month | 2020

2020-04-30T23:49:00.000+05:30

So, it's that time of the month when I plan my TBR and try to (unsuccessfully!) follow that for the rest of the month! Here we go....

Books I am Excited to Read in May

I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS BY IAIN REID

AMAZON:INDIA | US

Quite a polarizing book. 'A smart, suspenseful & intense literary thriller' according to goodreads. This is also a debut novel of Iain Reid and I have no idea what to expect, but really like the premise. Would love to be surprised by this.

EYESHOT BY TAYLOR ADAMS

AMAZON:INDIA | US

I read 'No Exit' by Taylor Adams this year (my first book of 2020) and absolutely loved it. Wanting to read more by him, this one catches my eye with its thriller packed premise. 'Eyeshot' is about this couple stranded in a desert trying to survive from this deadly sniper, how they are going to do it? Let's find out together!

THE SUN DOWN MOTEL BY SIMONE ST. JAMES

AMAZON:INDIA | US

Another author I started reading this year and absolutely loved! 'The Broken Girls' is one of my favourite of this year so far. And 'The Sun Down Motel' have even more positive reviews that one. Seems like this one is also about disappearance and follows two timelines like her previous book. Cannot wait to pick this one up!

THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON

AMAZON:INDIA | US

I am reading Stephen King after a month's gap. No Idea what's this is about, but let's go with it.Maybe I will like it, let's hope so!

THE TROOP BY NICK CUTTER

AMAZON:INDIA | US

This was in my 2018 TBR, still have not read it! But I really am intrigued by the premise and positive reviews this is getting. This is kind of body horror and about this troop of boys in an island.Honestly, little hyped for this, let's hope it does not disappoint!

WRATH OF THE STORM (MARK OF THE THIEF #3)BY JENNIFER A. NIELSEN

AMAZON:INDIA | US

'Mark of the Thief' is one of the series I need to finish. I read first two books in this trilogy in 2018 and did not continue. I will continue with this after a quick recap of first two books. This trilogy is quite underwhelming, as compare to the 'Ascendance Trilogy' this author. But I still am going to see this trilogy to its end!

THE FOURTH MONKEY(4MK Thriller #1) BY JD BARKER

AMAZON:INDIA | US

This is a random book I am picking from my goodreads want-to-read shelf. I know nothing about this but thriller trilogy but am really excited!

SPELLSLINGER (SPELLSLINGER #1)BY SEBASTIAN DE CASTELL

AMAZON:INDIA | US

I am in a fantasy slump this year, have not finished a single fantasy book so far in 2020. Hence wanted to start a new YA fantasy series as well as a book by 'new to me' author. It fit both the criteria perfectly, and premise also sounds cool. Let's see how it goes!

I am also including few of the books from my previous TBR I did not manage to read :

- THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (HARRY POTTER #5) BY JK ROWLING (REREAD)

- CITY OF STAIRS (DIVINE CITIES #1) BY ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT (10% into this)

- CARNIVOROUS CARNIVAL (A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS #9) BY LEMONY SNICKET

You see the details in my April TBR here

All TBRs Link
All Wrap ups Link

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'Everything I Never Told You' by Celeste Ng | Book Thoughts / Review

2020-04-25T20:09:00.002+05:30

Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.

So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.

A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.

MY THOUGHTS / REVIEW

Lee family’s middle and the favourite child, ‘Lydia’, is dead - we literally start ‘Everything I Never Told You’ with this sad piece of information. And that sets the tone of the overall book perfectly well, because things get sadder as we delve further into the story.

Going into the book I expected a mystery/ thriller book with a strange family dynamics in the mix, but it was completely the other way around. This book gets deep into the mind of this Chinese-American family, and we get to know everything about them - from the background of James & Marilyn (the parents), to how they met and how their childhood shaped them into the way they are now and how it affects the relationship with their children.

I had a very hard time liking the parents. I can understand their background, their interracial marriage and how hard things had to be in the 1950s for them, but the ignorant way they treated their children just made me a little angry and sad. Lydia, the favourite child is burdened under the expectations of her parents, while they completely ignored their oldest son Nath and youngest daughter Hannah. It was so hard to see all three siblings and coping with things in their own way. That was the most depressing part for me to read, seeing their hopes, dreams and love for their parents.

Overall, it was an emotional, sad yet a realistic and a little hopeful read. I really liked the writing style of Celeste Ng. Her character development was on point and realistic and I felt somehow connected to this family.
This was my introduction of Ng, and I will definitely read more books by her in future!

OVERALL RATING : 4.25/5

BUY ON AMAZON: INDIA | US

Book Review | The Passengers You Cannot See by The Behrg

2020-04-18T23:01:00.001+05:30

Every story has its beginning and end. But some stories won’t let go. Some stories dig their claws into you. They infect your dreams. They carve out a residence in your mind. They become passengers . . .

Ones that never leave.

Within this collection of short stories by esteemed horror author The Behrg you will discover a haunted house that is not quite what it seems. A trophy collector who prefers living statues to cold ones. A truck driver who, with one good deed, finds more than he bargained for. And a world where happiness can no longer be felt.

Light and darkness. Hope and despair. Depravities and humanity. These passengers and more await. And they’ve been sharpening their claws to greet you.

MY THOUGHTS

'The Passengers You Cannot See' is a collection of 15 short horror stories, and you have all different sub-genres of horror in these stories. Few of them I really liked & few were either disappointing or too boring for me.

Stories I really liked :

- One Star Review : Creepy & dark side of a writer, I really liked the twist in this one

- Kill Your Darlings : It was really disturbing and I liked the concept very much

- Patterns : This one was kind of psychological and paranormal horror, and the twist completely took me by surprise.

- Stillborn: Another one with creepy & cool concept, really liked this one.

Apart from this, there were few stories I thought had so much potential but due to the writing style author chose, made them so vague and kind of pointless that I lost my interest. And few were just underwhelming and not scary at all.

Overall, I really liked the concept but the writing style was so not for me.

MY RATINGS : 2/5

**Received an eARC from Netgalley and Victory Editing for an honest review**

GET THIS ON AMAZON : INDIA | US

What I read in March | Wrap up | 2020

2020-04-12T17:51:00.000+05:30

Overall, March was a good reading month for me. I finished total 14 books in March, out of which 5 books were the part of my planned TBR challenge (out of 8), and 9 books I read were from a contemporary romance series.So,feeling pretty good about myself for that :-))

So, I read total 5 out of 8 books from my planned TBR and had pretty good experience with most of them!

THE TEST BY SYLVAIN NEUVEL

A short scifi story by a completely new author, this was for the challenge - 'A book you meant to read in 2019' and I finally read it. It was very weird and not completely what I expected, but really enjoyed.

My Goodreads review for The Test :

Really liked this one. Kind of a dystopian world where one has to pass this messed up secret test for british citizenship.Things gets weirder as we follow this test. I loved the 90% of the book, but that last chapter kind of brought this book down for me a little. It was not a very satisfying conclusion for me, I wanted a little more explanation. Hence, giving it 4 stars instead of 5.

BUY ON AMAZON - INDIA | US

THE BROKEN GIRLS BY SIMONE ST JAMES

Hands down, one of the best mystery/thriller I have ever read so far this year. It was for the 'A Book with three word title' challenge in the TBR. I just loved the suspenseful,creepy and historic elements of this book. Loved the characters,friendship and ghost elements in the story.Full 5 stars!

You can read my detailed review here

BUY ON AMAZON - INDIA | US

ROADWORK BY RICHARD BACHMAN (AKA STEPHEN KING)

I read another Stephen King and this was definitely the worst book I have ever read by him, as well as the worst book of the March.It was part of 'A Book published in the month of your given birthday' (which is March) TBR challenge. Overall Rating -2/5

Full Review here

BUY ON AMAZON: INDIA | US

PINES (WAYWARD PINES #1) BY BLAKE CROUCH

This was for the challenge 'A Book with a nature word in the title' and honestly, it was the most disappointing read for me in March.I gave it 3 out of 5 stars!

My Goodreads review for Pines :

Not sure how I feel about this one.I really liked the overall premise and the little bit of action we had in last few chapters.Otherwise, I was not a big fan of characters and the middle part of the book was kind of okay.
Need to process this one a little. Will be picking the second book after a while.

BUY ON AMAZON: INDIA | US

A MAN CALLED OVE BY FREDRIK BACKMAN

Another favourite for the March. I read this under 'A Book with atleast four star rating on goodreads' challenge. This book has very high rated reviews and I completely stand by them. Loved all the characters, it was so heartwarming and I loved the 'found family' trope in this so much. It made me happy, sad as well as mad - And I loved this for enticing so much emotion in such a short time! Full 5 Stars!

BUY ON AMAZON: INDIA | US

Apart from my TBR, I also read a contemporary romance series

FORBIDDEN MEN (BOOK #1-9) BY LINDA KAGE

This was all over the place, I loved most of the books but few were also little underwhelming. I binge read 9 out of 10 books in the series and loved most of them. I just did not like the sixth book at all, I did not like the overall premise and did not like the heroine but loved the hero.

Still, overall, it was a good time!:-)

Book #1 Prize of A Kiss : 3.5 Stars
Book #2 To Professor, With Love: 4 Stars
Book #3 Be My Hero: 4 Stars
Book #4 With Every Heartbeat: 4 Stars
Book #5 A Perfect ten: 5 Stars
Book #6 Worth it: 2 Stars
Book #7 The Girl's Got Secrets: 4.5 Stars
Book #8 Priceless: 3.5 Stars
Book #9 Consolation Prize: 4 Stars

BUY ON AMAZON: INDIA | US

So, that's it for the post. Comment and let me know, how your year is going so far? Read any good books? Let me know!

And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie | Book Thoughts

2020-04-12T00:54:00.002+05:30

Ten strangers gets trapped in this private island called 'Soldier (or Indian in some editions) Island', allured by its mysterious owner for a weekend getaway. As we uncover the sinister intention of their mysterious host, it seems that these guests are also not as innocent as they appear. Next comes a series of deaths in the sequence of this old nursery rhyme of ‘Ten Little Soldiers (or Indians)’. Will these guests be able to identify the mastermind of this trap and escape the island? Or they will fall prey to this well thought out murderous mayhem?

My fourth read by Agatha Christie and so far the best by her! I just love mystery/thriller with ‘trapped in an island/house/cabin/jungle’ kind of premise and this was one of the best I have read with this trope. Definitely different from her previous books I have read where we are following a specific person investigating a murder. But none the less very engaging and fun read!

I loved the inclusion of the nursery rhyme in the story; it added the creepy factor in this mysterious story. Following all these characters with their inner demons, so in contrast to their reputation was very interesting to uncover. I loved the ending and how things were revealed.

Definitely one of the accessible classics, which keeps you hooked from beginning to the very end. And one of the few books I will go back and reread for sure in future!

MY RATING : 5/5

Buy on Amazon : US | India

Book Thoughts | Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

2020-04-07T20:59:00.000+05:30

I have mixed feelings about this book. Maybe I was expecting a lot because of the interesting premise and few good reviews I read, as for me it was overall an average read. Still, I liked the way it started and how disturbing few things were.

Our protagonist 'Camille', a reporter, is back in her hometown to cover a story on a girl’s disappearance, somehow related to a murder happened in town a few months back. Now here in Wind Gap, Camille has to face her distant mother and 13 years old step-sister she doesn’t know much about. As she delves more into the case and young victims, she slowly remembers the incidents from her past she is not ready to deal with. Are these murders connected to her past or is it something else?

As I said earlier, I really liked few disturbing incidents in the book and the premise was so up my alley that I was super-hyped for this one. It started very well, I really liked the super depressing family dynamic. All the characters were unlikable, so I did not expect to connect with any of them.And I really did not like Camille, and some of her actions towards the end of the book did not make much sense, those felt more for the shock value instead of adding much to the plot. But few shocking reveals about these characters were disturbing and I liked them.

I guessed the real killer, so ending was not very shocking or unpredictable. And I did not like the way actual killer was revealed at the end, it was so quick and abrupt! Instead of showing us the actual events, we were just told about them, I so did not like that.

Overall, it was engaging but a little underwhelming read, especially compared to some other mystery/thrillers I have read so far this year. But this is Gillian Flynn’s first book, so would love to read her later books - ‘Dark Places’ &‘Gone Girl’ and then will see.

CW : Self Harm, sexualization of underage, murder and child abuse (to some extent).

OVERALL RATING - 3 out of 5 Stars!

Get it on Amazon here

My April Read (Quarantine Reads) | 2020

2020-03-31T22:27:00.002+05:30

I had a great reading month in March and as I am going to work at least the half of April at home, I think its time to get overambitious and put a lot of books I want to read on my this month's TBR!

First of all, I want to include three of the books from last few month's TBR which I started, but did not finish for some reason.

EMMA BY JANE AUSTEN

I have no excuse this time! This was in my January & March TBR and I failed to read it beyond 20%. I am like this for classics, especially unabridged version of them. But I am determined to finish it this time and I am going to do it! (Maybe 😅)

CITY OF STAIRS (DIVINE CITIES #1) BY ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT

I am in such a fantasy slump this year and have not finished a single fantasy so far in 2020. So, same with this one, it was in my February TBR and I started it but did not go beyond 10%! So, here I am with this in April TBR, I was really liking it but left it unread!

PROMISE OF BLOOD BY BRIAN MCCLELLAN

Same with this book, fantasy & I are having a complicated relationship right now. But I am going to compromise and try to mend it!

SHARP OBJECTS BY GILLIAN FLYNN

I really want to start a Gillian Flynn book this month, More than Gone Girl I am interested in this one's premise. Hopeful that I'll like this!

THE PASSENGERS YOU CANNOT SEE BY THE BEHRG

The Passangers you cannot see is the Net galley e-ARC I got in March. This book is basically collection of short horror stories I know nothing about. It is now released but I am still planning on reading the ARC I got.

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (HARRY POTTER #5) BY JK ROWLING

I was rereading the series last year but stopped after 'Goblet of Fire'. So, I am going to continue with the fifth one in April.

SLAVE TO SENSATION (PSY CHANGELING #1) BY NALINI SINGH

This is going to be my first TBR when I am setting my romance read for the month. I usually picks romance randomly. But I have been meaning to start this series quite a while ago. Worrying about not liking it as much, but let's see how it goes!

PRETTY GIRLS BY KARIN SLAUGHTER

I am hyped for this one, don't know much about the story but have heard good things.

EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU BY CELESTE NG

I have heard very good things about Celeste Ng and really wants to start with this one.

DUKE OF MIDNIGHT ( MAIDEN LANE #6) BY ELIZABETH HOYT

Little iffy about this one because first five books have been quite all over the place and I really did not like the fifth book. So on that note let's how it goes!

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

Nothing to say about it other than that this is one of Agatha Christie's strong books and I really am in mood of some classic mystery.

THE CARNIVOROUS CARNIVAL (A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS #9) BY LEMONY SNICKET

Another series I am reading for so long and have not finished yet. I really liked the eighth one and it quite ended on a cliffhanger. So, will be picking this to see more on Baudelaire siblings lives.

Very excited with my whole TBR so let's see how this month is going to go!

Book Thoughts | The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

2020-03-25T19:48:00.000+05:30

The Broken Girls is a suspenseful, creepy unresolved mystery kind of book with great ghost story and historical elements mixed into it! This has to be my favourite read so far this year, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

So, we are following two timelines - past (1950) and present (2014) in Vermont, both somehow connected to this Boarding School called 'Idlewild Hall'. In 1950, we follows four roommates, who bonds over the haunted stories of Mary Hand, a ghost rumored to be haunting this school. In 2014, we are following Fiona Sheridan, a journalist who is still not over her sister's murder which happened over 20 years ago. Her murder was resolved and the guilty party was convicted. But Fiona still is not convinced that this is the whole truth. Her search for uncovering the whole truth leads us deep within the history of Idlewild Hall and an unresolved disappearance that happen in that other timeline.

I loved both timelines, but my favourite was the 1950 one, which was more creepy and atmospheric with awesome friendships between all girls. All four girls had a very different personalities and past, which we slowly gets to know. 2014 timeline was more on the mystery/suspense side, where we follow Fiona as she is uncovering the past and what actually happened to her sister in 1994 and girls in 1950.

The best part of this book was that it was not at all what I expected when I started. There were few expected turns but mostly it went on a totally different direction. I felt very connected with all the characters and was able to empathize a lot. This is definitely one book which is going to stick with me for various reasons for a very long time. My first Simone St James book and I loved her writing style, it was atmospheric and engaging. Will be picking more from her!

FULL RATINGS - 5/5

What I Read in February | Wrap up | 2020

2020-03-15T00:55:00.000+05:30

I read 7 books in February, out of which only two were from my planned TBR (I know, I suck at this!). So, let's discuss them briefly here!

Firstly, from my TBR, I finished 2 books and started one but did not finish.

THE PERFECT MOTHER BY CAROLINE MITCHELL - This was one of the eArc I requested from Netgalley. Overall, it was an engaging read, even if a little weak for a mystery/ thriller. Had a very strong start but got weak by the end. Overall 3.5 Stars!
My Full review can be read here

THE MARTIAN BY ANDY WEIR - My first SciFi of 2020 and I definitely started with a good one. Overall loved the characters and story. But it was pretty heavy on scientific content, which kind of bored me in some places, hence the 4 stars for this!
Full review here

Also started 'City of Stairs' from my TBR but I was not in the mood so set that aside at that time. Will be picking it up again when I am in the mood.

I was on a big reading slump in the first half of the month. To get out of it I picked a lot of romance back to back. Most of them were rereads and I chose different kind of romances here!

FAKE OUT (FAKE BOYFRIEND #1) BY EDEN FINLEY - I wanted to read some mm romance with fake boyfriend element in it and got this one as recommendation. This is the first book in the series and started out pretty strong and funny. I totally enjoyed the first half of the book. But it got quiet slow and drama heavy in the second half and the cheesiness and ending did not impress me a lot.

Still a solid read for this particular trope, but not my favourite!
Rating - 3.5 Stars

LEO LOVES ARIES (SIGNS OF LOVE #1) BY ANYTA SUNDAY - Another MM romance I picked based on the recommendations and good reviews. Another first one in the series and a new author for me. It was as expected an entertaining read for me.
Thoroughly enjoyed it! I liked both MCs, a solid 4 stars read for me. It was not one of my favourite in the genre but a good read for sure!

WIN SOME LOSE SOME BY SHAY SAVAGE - To make myself feel better I re-read one of my favourites from last year. A complete happy experience for me. Finished this in one sitting and it was amazing. This is a YA straight romance which focuses on Matthew Rohan', a teenager with 'Asperger’s Syndrome'. We follow his romance with a classmate and how he gets out of his comfort zone a bit by bit after developing a sort of friendship with her. It is such a sweet and feel good book with some heavy topics discussed. Still, it is one of my comfort read!
Full 5 Stars!

MAIDEN LANE BOOK (#4 & #5) by Elizabeth Hoyt - I read first five books in this series years ago but did not continue after that. In Feb, on a whim, I kind of picked the fourth book in this historical romance series. Had no memory of anything here so it was kind of a fresh reread for me. I kind of remember liking it earlier but this was a disappointing reread for me this time for both the books!

I gave 'Thief of Shadows' (Book #4)

- 3 stars - It had a pretty interesting premise and a swoon worthy hero to root for but I just was not that into the romance between hero and heroine. And for a romance book, it sucks, right!

But the real blow came with the fifth book 'Lord of Darkness'. I absolutely hated our heroine 'Margaret' with a burning passion! So, even though the story was good and I loved the hero, our heroine kind of ruined the book for me. A 1.5 Stars read for me! I have not read any book in the series after that, but this one made me kind of weary to read the sixth one, even though its about different people. I am going to take my time before reading the next one in the series!

So, here we go, all the seven books I read in Feb. Comment and let me know, how your year is going so far? Read any good books? Let me know!

Book Thoughts | The Martian by Andy Weir

2020-03-14T22:20:00.000+05:30

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

MY THOUGHTS

I am trying to get into more Sci-fi this year and 'The Martian' was my first choice for that. Having seen the movie and really loving it, I was really hyped for it. And it was a good time for most of the part.

Loved Mark Watney as the protagonist. There was something hopeful and positive about him, that even in the bleakest of the situation we had a ton of hope and cheer inside us as we follows his log entries.

“Actually, I was the very lowest ranked member of the crew. I would only be “in command” if I were the only remaining person.”What do you know? I’m in command”

“I started the day with some nothin’ tea. Nothin’ tea is easy to make. First, get some hot water, then add nothin’.”

Loved the humor and smart ways Watney tackled all the impossible tasks one by one. On some level, all this made me motivated enough to tackle my issues one by one without thinking about all of them on a whole level and freaking out!

What I did not expect was to like the whole Ares-3 crew and the little tidbits of their personal life. I loved their dynamics and interactions. I also loved reading about the team from Earth which helped Watney throughout the book.

The reason this was not a 5 star for me was the large amount of scientific terms and info dumping we got in many places. Sometimes there were paragraphs after paragraphs of them. I was overwhelmed, and honestly, a bit bored in few places and had to reread them more than once. It took me a while to adjust with that and I finished this in a whole month.

By the end, I appreciated a lot of those things and got on-board with the writing. But I still liked the movie more than the book and it's definitely time for a re-watch!

MY RATING - 4/5

BUY ON AMAZON HERE

The Perfect Mother by Caroline Mitchell | Book Review

2020-03-02T00:24:00.000+05:30

She thought they wanted her baby. But they won’t stop there.

Roz is young, penniless and pregnant. All she wants is to be the perfect mother to her child, but the more she thinks about her own chaotic upbringing, the more certain she is that the best life for her baby is as far away as possible from her hometown in Ireland.

Determined to do the right thing, Roz joins an elite adoption service and can’t believe her luck. Within days she is jetting to New York to meet a celebrity power couple desperate for a child of their own. Sheridan and Daniel are wealthy and glamorous—everything Roz isn’t. Her baby will never go hungry, and will have every opportunity for the perfect life. But soon after Roz moves into their plush basement suite, she starts to suspect that something darker lurks beneath the glossy surface of their home.

When Roz discovers she isn’t the first person to move in with the couple, and that the previous woman has never been seen since, alarm bells start ringing. As the clock ticks down to her due date, Roz realises her unborn baby may be the only thing keeping her alive, and that despite her best intentions, she has walked them both into the perfect nightmare…

**Received an eARC from netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK in exchange for an honest review**

Overall Rating - 3.5 stars

When 24 years old Roz finds herself pregnant and penniless, she turns to an adoption site in the hopes of providing a better life for her baby. A too good to be true opportunity comes along when a celebrity couple decides to adopt Roz's baby. But everything is not as simple as it seems, and by the time Roz realizes that, it might be too late to back out.

The interesting premise convinced me to request for this book. Overall it was a fun ride! I liked the Mitchell's writing and short chapters, it made this book an easy and quick read. Roz was an okay MC, but I was not too attached to her. Sheridan was a complex, quite an evil and unlikable character, but you do feel bad for her sense of desperation in some places.

I really liked the deep friendship and progression of mother- daughter relationship shown in the book, there were some good moments. Plot and story was okay, but the mystery and thriller aspect of it was underwhelming. It had a very strong start but got kind of went pretty average by the end.

Overall an enjoyable book, but not a very strong mystery/thriller for me.

Buy from Amazon here

March TBR | 2020 | BOOK CHALLENGES

2020-03-02T00:16:00.000+05:30

I failed to follow my Feb TBR last month, managed to read only 2 out of the 7 intended books. So this month to motivate myself further, I am including few reading challenge prompts in my TBR from various challenges (old & New).

I am not following any specific challenge but mixing and matching all of them for this month. But I will be sharing link to all the blogs I took these prompts from at the end of this post. Be sure to check that out for details!

CHALLENGE ONE : Book by a Dead Author

For this I chose 'Emma' by Jane Austen, it was in my Jan TBR but I managed to get 20% into this and did not pick again - That's what I get for picking the long unabridged version!

Anyways, its perfect time for me pick it again for this challenge and I am adding it to my March Reading List!

CHALLENGE TWO : A 2020 Release

With this one I am killing two birds with one stone . I got the arc of 'The Wise Friend by Ramsey Campbell' from Netgalley and have only few 2-3 weeks to finish. It's a 2020 release and sounds very promising with its interesting plot. So here we go!

CHALLENGE THREE : A Book Over 500 Pages

For this I really wanted to choose something from my goodreads 'Will Read Soon' TBR, so I chose 'Promise of Blood' by Brian McClellan. This is the first book in the 'Powder Mage' trilogy. I know nothing about this one but if I really like this one, will definitely be picking further books in the series.

CHALLENGE FOUR : A Book published in the month of your given birthday

I am a March born (yay!birthday month!), so for this I picked 'Roadwork' by Richard Bachman (AKA Stephen King), it was originally published on 3rd March 1981.

Apart from this awfully old cover, it is also one of King's old work - which I really wanted to pick more. I have a very complicated relationship with his books, but I very often like his ideas and premise. Let's see what will happen with this one. This is one of the bind up I bought of Bachman's work so I might as well should pick this one!

CHALLENGE FIVE : A Book with atleast four star rating on goodreads

I am picking 'A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman' for this one.

This is a very well received book with an average 4.36 ratings on goodreads. One of the book from my over-piling TBR and on priority. Of course, I had to pick this one!

CHALLENGE SIX : A Book with three word title

Picking 'The Broken Girls by Simone St. James' for this one.

Another book I am really excited to read.This one has such a unique hostel and historical fiction murder mystery vibes, I really wants to pick this one very soon!

CHALLENGE SEVEN : A Book you meant to read in 2019

'The Test by Sylvain Neuval' was in my last year TBR, but I did not pick it up and kind of forgot all together. It's short and very intriguing with strange sci-fi vibes, I am going to like it for sure!

CHALLENGE EIGHT : A Book with a nature word in the title (wind,rain, snow etc)

I have been meaning to pick one Blake Crouch book for ages. Don't want to pick his very Scifi books. So, picking 'Pines (Wayward Pines #1)' for this prompt and this month's TBR!

Blogs I picked these prompts for this month's challenges -

Stacked Review - 2020 TBR Reading Challanges

PopSugar - Reading Challenge 2020

An Intentional Life - Read your Bookshelf

********************************************************************

My January Wrap up | 2020

2020-02-15T23:46:00.000+05:30

The New year brought me into such an optimistic reading mood in Jan, that I managed to finish 4 books out of 6 from my planned TBR.

Though I did not read that many books and did not complete my TBR, it was still a good reading month for me as I liked almost all the books I read.

1) NO EXIT BY TAYLOR ADAMS

I started my year with mystery/thriller, which I was craving at that time and this book delivered a wild ride. I liked it a lot, gave it 4 stars
Full review here

2) HAUNTED BY DARCY COATES

This is my favourite so far in 2020, another horror gem by Darcy Coates. I read her 'Dead Lake' last year and I really liked that. Decided to pick this pick based on its premise, loved it! 4.5 Stars read for me, few characters were a little irritating but otherwise I LOVED it!
Full review here

3) HOSTILE HOSPITAL ( A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS #8) BY LEMONY SNICKET;

Finally I read the eight book in 'A series of unfortunate events' after so many months of procrastination.Really a dumb move,it was good and my favourite by far in the series.Really want to see what is going to happen with the children after that cliffhanger.
4.5 stars!

4) THE LONG WALK BY STEPHEN KING

This was my last read of the month, finished on the very last day of January.
My feelings for this is quite complex.There were few things I really liked and few things really bugged me.Gave it 3 stars
You can check my whole review for this here

I also started 'Emma' by Jane Austen but only read 20% of it and put it down for another time, I will pick it back when my mood strikes for classics. Will be continuing it then.

That's it for the Jan wrap up, hope to have a better reading in February (SPOILER ALERT : It's not going very well!)

*****************************

Book Review | The Long Walk by Stephen King

2020-02-02T23:18:00.002+05:30

In the near future, when America has become a police state, one hundred boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Among them is sixteen-year-old Ray Garraty, and he knows the rules—keep a steady walking pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings and you’re out—permanently.

My Thoughts

I had to think about my feelings about this book before writing my review.

And let me tell you - my feelings are very mixed and complicated!

To start with what I liked — I really liked the simple premise of this competition in the dystopian world. I liked how bleak and brutal things turned out as we got deeper into the competition.And that simple premise turned into unsettling and full fledged series of horror events. That was my favourite part of the book!

What I did not like is basically my usual complaint with King. I have never liked the unnecessary sexual things in his stories, and this book was no different. We are in the head of this sixteen years old horny virgin teenager and let me tell you that was not a pleasant feeling for me to read! I can understand few of these things, given the time and person, but understanding does not mean I enjoy reading them. It always brings me out of the story and make me resent them! And there were so many instances which were not really necessary!

Second thing which really bugged me was how weak the reasoning of our MC to join this competition was. I thought maybe we will be able to understand his motivation further, but it was very weak and unconvincing to me. I was able to understand other boys' reasoning and mindset but was not sure of Garraty's, despite being inside his head! I was also not a big fan of the ending, it was nothing special.

Not my best read from him, I liked his ' Salem's lot' a lot better. But an interesting read overall!

OVERALL RATING (out of 5)- ★★★

Buy online - Amazon (IN)

Books I will be reading in February | 2020

2020-01-26T23:38:00.001+05:30

January is in its end, so now is the time for making TBR for the new month, i.e Feb. So, here we go....

The Perfect Mother by Caroline Mitchell

I got the arc of this book from NetGalley. A mystery/thriller with an interesting premise, I cannot wait to get my hands on this one!

The Wise Friend by Ramsey Campbell

Another arc I got from NetGalley, this one is a horror. This one also has very good reviews from its early reviewers.Hence I am picking this one!

The Martian by Andy Weir

This has been on my TBR for such a long time, I have seen the movie and absolutely loved it. Don’t know why I am pushing it further. Will get to it this month!

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

This is another one which looks quite unique in Fantasy genre and have fantastic reviews from many people. I honestly know nothing about the premise but really hoping to start this series this month. If I like it, I will binge read the whole series. Let’s see how it goes!

Raven’s Gate by Anthony Horowitz

Totally a random pick and know nothing about the book, but it’s been quite a while since I have read any YA fantasy/horror kind of book. I can’t remember any such a book, so now is the right time to pick this one!

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

I am a little dicey about this one. I read ‘Strange the dreamer’ in Dec last year. I liked it but did not love it, mainly because I was not invested enough in the writing. Hence, despite the cliffhanger, I did not immediately pick this one. I am waiting for the mood to read for that kind of writing.So let’s see about this one!

Broken Girls by Simone St James

Another Mystery/thriller I will pick in Feb month! Again, not sure about the premise but I have read good things about this one.

That’s it for the post. Thanks for reading!

So, what are your plans? Would love to know. Comment below!

Random Book Thoughts

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Best & Worst Books I Read in 2020

BEST BOOKS I READ IN 2020

BOOK #1 :- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

BOOK #2 :- A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5) by Linda Kage

Now time to discuss few books that either terribly disappointed me or I straight up did not like!

WORST BOOKS I READ IN 2020

BOOKS I AM READING IN DEC | TBR 2020

You Are Invited: A Ghost Story by Sarah A. Denzil | Book Review

MAY WRAP UP & JUNE TBR | 2020 | What I Read & What I'm going to Read!

***Suspense Thriller Read*** | Eyeshot by Taylor Adams | Book Review

I'm Thinking of Ending Things | Iain Reid | Book Review

What I Read in April | Wrap up | 2020

BOOKS I READ IN APRIL

May TBR | What I am Reading this Month | 2020

Books I am Excited to Read in May

I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS BY IAIN REID

EYESHOT BY TAYLOR ADAMS

THE SUN DOWN MOTEL BY SIMONE ST. JAMES

THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON

THE TROOP BY NICK CUTTER

WRATH OF THE STORM (MARK OF THE THIEF #3)BY JENNIFER A. NIELSEN

THE FOURTH MONKEY(4MK Thriller #1) BY JD BARKER

SPELLSLINGER (SPELLSLINGER #1)BY SEBASTIAN DE CASTELL

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MY THOUGHTS

Stories I really liked :

What I read in March | Wrap up | 2020

And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie | Book Thoughts

Book Thoughts | ****Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn****

My April Read (Quarantine Reads) | 2020

Book Thoughts | The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

What I Read in February | Wrap up | 2020

Book Thoughts | The Martian by Andy Weir

MY THOUGHTS

The Perfect Mother by Caroline Mitchell | Book Review

March TBR | 2020 | ** BOOK CHALLENGES**

CHALLENGE ONE : Book by a Dead Author

CHALLENGE TWO : A 2020 Release

CHALLENGE THREE : A Book Over 500 Pages

CHALLENGE FOUR : A Book published in the month of your given birthday

CHALLENGE FIVE : A Book with atleast four star rating on goodreads

CHALLENGE SIX : A Book with three word title

CHALLENGE SEVEN : A Book you meant to read in 2019

CHALLENGE EIGHT : A Book with a nature word in the title (wind,rain, snow etc)

My January Wrap up | 2020

Book Review | The Long Walk by Stephen King

My Thoughts

Books I will be reading in February | 2020

The Perfect Mother by Caroline Mitchell

The Wise Friend by Ramsey Campbell

The Martian by Andy Weir

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Raven’s Gate by Anthony Horowitz

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

Broken Girls by Simone St James

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Book Thoughts | Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

March TBR | 2020 | BOOK CHALLENGES