WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.
- WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?
I’m probably already finished with Educated by Tara Westover by the time this post goes live, but as I’m putting this WWW together I still have quite a few pages left. I also started Not A Clue by Chloe Delaume and wasn’t impressed; part of the reason I put it down and picked up Educated instead, not wanting to have three disappointing reads in a row. I’m also starting Las Lullaby by Carol Wyer soon; I always seem to love her books so hopefully this one will tip the balance towards the positive again. I know picking up The Cruel Prince by Holly Black will be a risk, as there are very mixed reviews out there and I’m scared I will belong to the negative group. But I guess I’ll never know if I don’t try right?
- WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?
1. The Liar’s Wife by Samantha Hayes (4,5/5 stars) REVIEW 22/11
If the blurb of The Liar’s Wife doesn’t convince you already, I can promise you that this is only just the tip of the huge iceberg of plot twists, shocking surprises and suspenseful scenes that this story has in store for you. Make sure to free some time, because you will want to keep turning those pages until you find out what exactly happened all that time ago and how everything fits with what is happening now. Without doubt an excellent psychological thriller and a very satisfying read despite some difficult themes.
2. Elevation by Stephen King (2/5 stars) REVIEW 20/11
I have no clue whatsoever why this novella is marked as ‘horror’. Contemporary romance with a hint of sci-fi and even a far-fetched urban fantasy… Maybe. But horror? I don’t think anyone would find Elevation scary unless you are afraid of hights or stepping on the scale. I know it’s only a novella, but the characters just felt like one big cliche for me and didn’t add anything interesting to the story for me. A big problem, as the story is mostly focused on them.
3. Daughters Of The Lake by Wendy Webb (4/5 stars) REVIEW 18/11
Daughters Of The Lake is a wonderfully written paranormal romance and mystery story with a gothic feel. What at first glance seems to be a simply mystery and historical crime with a dual timeline turns out to be so much more, giving you a rich and original plot to savour. I especially loved the folk tale elements, and the paranormal touch is well constructed as well. The balance between all those different elements is spot on, and with easy to like characters you will have an excellent time discovering more about the past and how it affects the present. Recommended!
4. Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis (1/5 stars) REVIEW 26/11
I was hoping to find something interesting and inspirational in Girl, Wash Your Face, especially after hearing others swear by it. I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I don’t even know where to start summarizing my opinion about this one, but my shorties review has turned into a full blown rant with a LOT of details. Make sure to prepare yourself for that one. 😉
5. All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover (4/5 stars) REVIEW 26/11
There is no doubt Colleen Hoover is a star in creating flawed and realistic characters that will have to go through a lot before they reach the final page. I had a few problems with the story, but I still think All Your Perfects was mostly a great read. And once again she has managed to make me enjoy a genre I normally tend to stay away from… Something not to take lightly.
6. Her Final Confession by Lisa Regan (4/5 stars) REVIEW 28/11
I have consistently enjoyed the books of this detective thriller series so far and book number four is no different. Her Final Confession is fast, suspenseful and filled with plot twists and shocking surprises. Intense is an understatement! While not everything about the plot and twists is exactly credible, it’s still quite easy to forget about the credibility and enjoy the ride anyway. The writing style and the characters have a lot to do with this! Entertaining, intense and full of suspense: Her Final Confession is without doubt another excellent addition!
7. An Officer And A Spy by Robert Harris (DNF at 30%) DNF REVIEW 29/11
I have picked up An Officer And A Spy only to put it down again after only a few pages multiple times over the last few weeks. I’ve tried and tried to at least make it to the end to see if things improved later on, but in the end I decided to make the difficult decision to just DNF it. I hardly ever give up on a book, so it definitely makes me sad to do so… But between the superslow pace, writing style, too many descriptions and a lack of interest in both the plot and the characters, I think this was the right choice for me.
8. The Living by Isaac Marion (2/5 stars) REVIEW 23/11
I was really hoping The Living would be a more positive reading experience for me, but sadly it was a repeat experience of The Burning World. The whole different stages of zombies and returning to life angle is without doubt refreshing, and the story has some interesting aspects. But between the writing style, lack of plot, confusing POV switches and WE chapters I just couldn’t enjoy this final installment. I was in fact relieved it was finally over, and that is never a good sign. If you are able to connect to the writing style though, you will probably have a significantly better experience.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?
I will probably read my last pending November NG ARC next, which is Heresy by Melissa Lenhardt. It’s been ages since I read a Western themed historical fiction story, so I’m looking forward to it.Then I’m hoping to pick up a few Goodreads Choice Awards finalists… It’s going to be between The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen depending on which genre I’m in the mood for. . My newest TBR jar pick is still The Insect Farm by Stuart Prebble; I don’t think I’ll get to it this month, but I’m hoping to read it before the year is over.
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You dnf’d An Officer and A Spy for exactly the same reasons as me, makes me feel better about it.
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Same here! When I remembered you DNFed it as well I felt slightly less bad about it.
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Quite a number of these titles have caught my eye. I am currently reading Liar’s Wife. I feel like it has started quite slow but I can’t wait to keep reading it. I will be reading All Your Perfects next week followed by Last Lullaby. I hope that we will both enjoy it. Happy reading Yvo and have a wonderful week 🙂
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I hope The Liar’s Wife will pick up for you! Last Lullaby is great so far and I hope you will enjoy All Your Perfects as well. Have a wonderful week!
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I can’t wait to read Educated myself. As a fan of CoHo, I also look forward to your review of All Your Perfects, the next one of her novels I plan to read myself. I hope you’ll like The Wife Between Us, I really enjoyed it!! Happy reading Yvo!
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I hope Educated will work better for you! Although with an about 99% success rate, you should be fine. 😉 All Your Perfects was definitely one of the better CoHo books I’ve read so far… And I’m looking forward to The Wife Between Us. Have a wonderful week!
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I’m glad you enjoyed All Your Perfects! I loved Girl, Wash Your Face, so I’m curious to read what you didn’t like about it. Look forward to your review. The Great Alone is a good one!
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I’m glad All Your Perfects was a good one for me! And I’m looking forward to The Great Alone. I’m actually surprised by my strong reaction to Girl, Wash Your Face, but I guess we can’t like them all…
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I loved Educated and hope it worked out for you! Sorry you had some disappointments! (but thanks, I scratched 2 off my list)!
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Educated was another troubled read for me… I’ve had quite some mediocre reads lately; fingers crossed I’ll get back on the 4+ rating track soon! (Although with Last Lullaby it looks like I will have at least one positive read right now.) Good to hear my disappointments were useful to you. 😉
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Great list!! I love Colleen Hoover (did you see she has a new one coming out soon, Verity?). Also, I’m starting Educated soon as well as trying to get The Great Alone back from my friend so I can read it over the holiday breaks! Happy Reading!
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Ooooohhh I so did not know CoHo was having a new one coming out soon! I’m adding it to my wishlist straight away. I hope Educated will be a good one for you! And I’m looking forward to finally read The Great Alone. Have a wonderful week!
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I loved Educated! I hope you did too.
The Great Alone is one of my favorites this year. Enjoy!
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Educated wasn’t a hit for me sadly… But I’m having high hopes for The Great Alone as I enjoyed The Nightingale last year.
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Oh shoot! Sorry Girl, Wash Your Face wasn’t for you. I liked parts of it. Some was just eh. What I really like is her podcast.
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I’m not sure I even want to try her podcast after such an extreme reaction to her memoir… xD But I guess I just was the total wrong target group for her writing in the first place.
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Fair enough. I’ll definitely be reading your review!
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I need to read Carol Wyer’s book! I have had a copy of The Cruel Prince for months but it’s not my usual genre and I just don’t like the title so it’s sitting there waiting its turn!
I can’t decide what to read next xD
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Last Lullaby is great so far! Although I still prefer her other series… And I’m not sure about The Cruel Prince either (I’m so so afraid of the almost certain love triangle and romance overdose haha), but fingers crossed. I’m having a hard time deciding what to read first as well, but the ARCs decide for me for now. xD Have a wonderful week! ❤
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I need to read the Colleen Hoover book!
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It’s not my absolute favorite, but definitely worth the read. 🙂
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I hope you enjoy The Cruel Prince! I was so nervous on whether I would love it or not, because it was so hyped and I don’t usually like hyped books as much as everyone else. I LOVED the Cruel Prince though. I can’t wait to read the sequel (hopefully next month, I was approved on Netgalley). I hope you enjoy all of your upcoming reads.
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Yeah, that is my fear with The Cruel Prince as well… But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that waiting for a few months will make me forget about the hype and enjoy it better. I didn’t realize the sequel was coming out this soon though. I guess a good thing if I like the first book. 😉 Have a wonderful week!
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