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 was in the mood for a cute contemporary so I decided to finally pick up my TBR jar pick Broken Hearts, Fences And Other Things To Mend by Katie Finn. I’ll also be starting the third Detective Jane Phillips book Deadly Vengeance by OMJ Ryan for the upcoming blog tour…
- WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?
1. The Big Chill by Doug Johnstone (4/5 stars) REVIEW 27/07
Look out for my full review during my stop of the blog tour!!
2. Opium And Absinthe by Lydia Kang (3/5 stars) REVIEW 12/07
I admit that it was cover love at first sight when I saw Opium And Absinthe, but I was completely sold as soon as I read the blurb. I’ve enjoyed Lydia Kang‘s books, including The Impossible Girl, in the past, and another historical setting with a medical twist sounded simply fantastic. I liked the historical setting, the Dracula element and the investigation into Lucy’s death as well as the medical details… But the slow pace, the repetitive and sometimes dull plot and constant focus on the substance abuse instead of a proper focus on character and plot development ended up being mostly a letdown for me.
3. Dear Martin by Nic Stone (5/5 stars) REVIEW 19/07
I already knew Dear Martin was probably have an impact on me after all those raving reviews, but I was blown away by just how much it hit the mark and left me reeling. This is such an important, powerful and absolutely heartbreaking debut and helps educate us just how real the American race problematics are even to this date. In the light of recent events, Dear Martin is even more of an eye opener and I cannot thank the author enough for getting Justyce’s story out in the world.
4. Entre Senderos De Lavanda by Mariela Gimenez (4,5/5 stars) REVIEW 25/07
I read this book as part of the Masa Critica Argentina program through Babelio, and I had an excellent time with this story! It’s a contemporary romance read set in France with a wonderful cast of characters. I really enjoyed the building up of the different relationships despite the appearance of the love triangle, and I think this has to do with the fact that a lot of the focus is on familiar relationships as well as self discovery too. I wasn’t going to post a full review on my blog at first, but as I prefer writing my reviews in English first anyway before I translate them to Spanish, I decided to put it on my blog too in case someone is interested in a Spanish read.
5. The Cry Of The Lake by Charlie Tyler (2/5 stars) REVIEW 21/07
I admit that it was cover love at first sight for me, but I liked the sound of the blurb too… Sadly, I wasn’t too convinced by the story itself. The three different POVs didn’t complement each other but distracted instead, the plot itself felt too chaotic and unrealistic and I couldn’t warm to the writing either. The lack of information was confusing instead of adding the intended dose of suspense, and the characters themselves didn’t feel realistic and were hard to like. All in all not the experience I was hoping for.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?
I need to make my way through my August ARCs ASAP as we have started a huge home improvement/DIY project and once the painting/cleaning phase of the project arrives I probably won’t be having any free time/energy left to read. xD First up are two thrillers: Save Her Soul by Lisa Regan and Echoes Of Guilt by Rob Sinclair. I’ll probably take a break from ARCs in between with Fruit Of The Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras as I’ve been dying to read it… And I have a new TBR jar pick! Dead Girls Don’t Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf. I can’t say I’ve had this one on my radar lately, and I’m not sure how long it will take to actually read it as I have a pile of other books I want to read first, but we’ll see how things go I guess.
You can also find me at Goodreads. Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Bloglovin’.
Broken hearts seems like my kind of contemporary! Happy reading 📖
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s turning out to be a great read so far! Happy reading. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I definitely want to check out Dear Martin this year.
Here’s my post – https://dearbookshelves.wordpress.com/2020/07/08/www-wednesday-july-8-2020/
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can highly recommend Dear Martin! It’s without doubt a story that will stay with me for a long time. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Martin in an incredible novel, isn’t it? There was so much more to it than I was expecting. xx
My post: https://rathertoofondofbooks.com/2020/07/08/www-wednesdays-29/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes, most definitely! Very powerful indeed. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you get through all those ARCs prior to your project. Good luck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not sure I will, but fingers crossed haha. It all depends on how fast the workers can finish the bigger projects so we can start working on the painting and other easier improvements… xD xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
How are you liking Broken Hearts, Fences and Other things to Mend? I love that book so much, which I am sure I’ve told you plenty of times, haha. I got Opium and Absinthe last month and it sounds pretty interesting. I hope you enjoy all of your upcoming reads!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did think of you when my TBR jar told me it was time to finally read it! It’s still early days as I didn’t have time to read today, but so far I’m really enjoying it. I hope Opium And Absinthe will work for you! xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just finished Dear Martin 30 minutes ago 😀 – it was powerful!!! Equal to THUG!! And I’m impressed by all these YA books that hit the spot just right with their messages.
~ Corina | The Brown Eyed Bookworm
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m happy to hear that! Both THUG and Dear Martin are on my all time favorites list… If you are looking for a MG read with a similar message (and one that’s not talked about enough in my opinion), I can highly recommend Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes too. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just put the audiobook on hold at the library 😀 – love a great recommendation, and it looks like a fantastic one
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read it last year and I still remember it! Heartbreaking, but oh so powerful. I hope it will be a good one for you! xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you – I’ll keep you posted 😊
LikeLike
Good luck balancing reading with your home improvement project! You’ve some interesting titles to tease you💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I’m keeping my fingers crossed I’ll be able to squeeze in most of my ARCs before the painting starts, although today alone showed that might have been too hopeful (spent the day clearing out old junk so the place is ready for the workers to come in on Monday). xD xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m bummed you didn’t enjoy Opium and Absinthe more. I had higher hopes for it. I hope you enjoy your current reads!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It might just have been me though? I guess I was expecting something more of Opium And Absinthe, especially since I loved her other book The Impossible Girl. xx
LikeLike