Tag: Book review
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Top 10 Reads of 2022
I read about 75 books this year, and here are my favorites (in no particular order). The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah Genre: Historical Fiction This novel is about the dust bowl in the US in the 1930s, and a family who becomes “Oakies” trying to survive by going west to California. Kristin Hannah always…
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My Favorite Books, and Why They Change
The conversation question I both love and hate is: “What is your favorite book?” As a bookworm, it’s impossible to pick just one. But I also read so many books that my list of favorites does occasionally change. I used to think that was a problem—after all, shouldn’t your favorite books stay favorites forever? But…
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Top 10 Reads of 2017
Hi all! As this is the last day of 2017, here is a highlight of my favorite reads this year. My reading goal on Goodreads for 2017 was 80 books, and I managed to read 91. Of those 91 books, all but two were in my five favorite genres: fantasy (42%), historical fiction (16%), classic literature…
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Book Review: A Million Junes
I read A Million Junes through Penguin Publishing’s First to Read program. The book comes out on May 16. Imagine a Sarah Dessen novel—filled with serious questions and teenage vulnerabilities—paired with a collection of American tall tales. Now mix it all up into the Romeo and Juliet story, and the result is A Million Junes by Emily Henry. Synopsis…
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The Wanderers: Introspective People Who Don’t Go to Mars
I recently joined Penguin Publishing’s program called First To Read, which allows reviewers and bloggers to read books before they come out. The first book I’ve read through the program is The Wanderers, a literary fiction novel by Meg Howrey that comes out on March 14. Here’s my review. Synopsis: The book is about three astronauts…
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5 Contemporary Fiction Books to Read
This is the last installment of the 5×5 series, where I’m exploring five of my favorite books in five different genres. If you missed them, check out my posts on fantasy, literature, historical fiction, and nonfiction. I don’t read contemporary fiction as often as several other genres, but I should. Contemporary fiction deals with real-world…
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5 Books to Expand Your Mind This Year
In this 5×5 series, I’m sharing five of my favorite books in five different genres. Revisit the posts on Fantasy, Literature, and Historical Fiction if you missed them. I’ve always loved stories, so when it comes to books, most of what I read is fiction. However, I’ve read quite a bit of nonfiction too—mostly philosophy and theology…
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5 Historical Fiction Books to Read This Year
In this 5×5 series, I’m exploring five books in five different genres over five posts. Head back to the posts on fantasy and literature, if you missed them. Books transport you to new worlds, and historical fiction gives you a taste of life in the past. I’ve always enjoyed the genre—when I was in late elementary…
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5 Classic Books to Read in 2017
In this 5×5 series, I’m exploring 5 books in 5 different genres, over 5 posts. If you missed the first post on fantasy books, you can check it out here. The first literary classic I read was Heidi in second grade. I found it in my school library, and while my friends were reading The…
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5 Fantasy Books You Should Read
Welcome to the 5×5 post series—five posts that explore five books in five different genres. Over half of the 80 books I’ve read this year have been fantasy, so we’ll start there. I’m going to skip over some of my favorite series such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings because most people already know about…
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5 Patriotic Reads for July
Happy 4th of July! In honor of our country’s birth, I’ve put together a list of my five favorite American literature works. I’m not typically an American lit. person—I like European literature better—but there are definitely some American books I’ve read and loved. If you’re looking for ways to think about our country this July, here…
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Monthly Reads: June
July already. Wow; time flies. Here’s to the month of June and its reading, full of sunshine and good books. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Genre: French Literature Talk about a long book! I loved it, but it took me over a month to listen to it on audiobook. Adventure,…
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Monthly Reads: April
April is a busy month for my family: two birthdays, plus Easter. So I did a lot of reading in the car—or rather, listening. The library’s audiobook feature is handy. The Idea of a University, by John Henry Newman Genre: Education, Literature This is a series of lectures given by the founder of the…
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Honey Love: The Wedding Bees, by Sarah-Kate Lynch
Wanderer Sugar Wallace arrives in Manhattan with nothing but a beehive, a secret past, and a taste for good manners. She imbibes new life into her dispirited neighbors while trying to determine whether Theo Fitzgerald fits into her own life. This book is delightful—full of garden rooftops, homemade jars of honey, curly hair wrapped in…
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March Reads
March has been full of pages. Here are the books I’ve read and my accompanying thoughts: Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton Genre: Christianity, Philosophy This book has officially made it on my Top Ten list. I read it for the first time six years ago, but I was young and foolish, and didn’t take much in. This…
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Book Review: Gilded by Christina Farley
Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa moves from California to Seoul, South Korea, where she discovers that she’s part of a long lineage of girls who have been abducted by a Korean demigod. And she’s next. I read Gilded as an interlude between the second and third books in Colleen Houck’s Tiger Curse series. The two stories run…
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Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo For a fantastic review of the first book in the trilogy, here. One of the reasons I love reading fantasy novels is because of the magic—I get to experience a new world that isn’t limited to the familiar laws of Earth. Each world has it’s own set of…
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Review: Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz
Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston, Heart of Dread Book 1 About the book here. In December, I went to see Disney’s animated Frozen with some friends. The story was characteristically Disney—happy and light-hearted, with dancing snowmen, puppy-like reindeer, and singing duos. Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston’s Frozen, on the…
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Review: The Moon and More, by Sarah Dessen
About the book here. I’m not usually a fan of steamy romance novels. Sure, they excite my imagination and get my heart pumping. But many of them are unrealistic, catered to the emotional desires of the female population. So when a friend bought me one of Sarah Dessen’s books a few years ago, I…
Victoria Van Vlear 