Waiting on Wednesday

Hosted by Breaking The Spine

I'm currently reading The Book Thief and really want to read more books of the wartime era. So this book is most definitely one of my most anticipated reads of the year:

Prisoner of Night and Fog (Prisoner of Night and Fog #1)

by Anne Blankman

Release Date: 22 April

Goodreads Description:

In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

From debut author Anne Blankman comes this harrowing and evocative story about an ordinary girl faced with the extraordinary decision to give up everything she's ever believed . . . and to trust her own heart instead.


Which books are you 'waiting on'?

March Wrap Up

I'm pretty late posting this, so let's just get straight to it! This month I finished...

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)

 by Cassandra Clare 

 I enjoyed this but guessed early on the big plot twist.

 If I Stay

by Gail Forman

 I picked up this beautiful hardcover edition for a bargain £1 from a local charity shop. And I really liked it. Short and sweet. 

 The Help 

by Kathryn Stockett 

A re-read for book club. Enjoyed this just as much as the first time.

 Divergent

 by Veronica Roth 

Why I waited to long to read this I do not know! Really enjoyed it, although Tris did annoy me at times.

The Geography of You and Me 

by Jennifer E. Smith 

A really cute contemporary romance that I received from netgalley. Will release a full review near the release date, 15 April.

 And the books I started but didn't finish... 

 Prep 

by Curtis Sittenfeld 

I was excited for this book and I was thoroughly disappointed. I found Lee to be pretty depressing and I just couldn't connect with her. However, Sittenfeld's writing is great as per usual.

 On Beauty 

by Zadie Smith 

 I just was not in the mood for this. May loan it from the library at a later stage. For that reason I won't be giving this a rating just yet, I don't feel that would be fair.

March was a busy month for me, again, so I didn't read as much as I wanted to. Although I didn't do too badly! Later this week I'll tell you what I'm reading this month. Until then, what was your favourite read in the last month?

Five Influential Reads

Recently I've seen a similar tag floating around in the booktube community, so I started to ponder which books have influenced my life. Here are just a few:

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
This book is full of adventure and inspired within me a desire to see the world.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The first book I remember buying with my own money. I first read this at aged nine and have reread it time and time again. Jane Eyre has shown me why classics are so beloved, as well as introducing me to Gothic fiction.

Oleanna by David Mamet
An assigned read in my English Literature course. Oleanna allowed me to consider the importance of education in society as well as in my personal life.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Through Mitch's memories of Morrie, I realised truly how much one person can inspire a generation. 

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
This was another assigned read and I studied it alongside Jane Eyre. Wide Sargasso Sea has deeply influenced my views on the treatment of women and mental health, both past and present.

March TBR

February was such an awful reading month for me - I had one distraction after another! So, this month I decided to implement a TBR to try to keep on track.

City of Glass

 by Cassandra Clare

The third book in The Mortal Instruments series. I started reading the series a few years back but never carried on past City of Ashes (I think I was in a bit of a reading slump). Really enjoyed the first two books so decided to finally continue on with the series. I'm already over halfway through and loving this so far!

The Geography of You and Me

 by Jennifer E Smith

'A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too'                                                                                 

I received this ARC  from the publishers through netgalley. This is my first time reading anything by this author and I'm just eating it up! There's such a lovely flow to her writing. I will definitely be posting a review nearer to the book's release date in April.

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett

'In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends - view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't'

This is a reread for me.  I recently joined a book club in my local area and was told this would be March's book. I was delighted! Really looking forward to seeing if I still love this as much as last time. 

Prep

by Curtis Sittenfeld

'Lee Flora is an intelligent, observant fourteen-year-old when she leaves her family behind in Indiana to attend the prestigious Ault School in Massachusetts. Over the next four years, her experiences at Ault - complicated relationships with teachers, intense friendships with other girls, and all-consuming preoccupation with a classmate who is less than a boyfriend and more than a crush - coalesce into a singular portrait of the universal pains and thrills of adolescence.'

I loved American Wife and am slowly working through Sittenfeld's other novels - so naturally I ordered this, her debut, out of the library.

On Beauty 

by Zadie Smith

'Howard Belsey is an Englishman abroad, an academic teaching in Wellington, a college town in New England. Married young, thirty years later he is struggling to revive his love for his African American wife Kiki. Meanwhile, his three teenage children— Jerome, Zora and Levi—are each seeking the passions, ideals and commitments that will guide them through their own lives. '

I've heard many great things about Zadie Smith but have never read anything by her! I thought I'd better rectify that and this intrigued me, so I ordered it out with Prep. Hoping to get round to this one before the end of the month.

What are you reading in March?

As always, all synopses are from Goodreads unless otherwise stated.
Also, cover photos are now linked to The Book Depository as they offer worldwide free delivery.

Motivational Monday: Happiness is a Verb

Like many people, I have fallen prey to the "I'll be happy when..." attitude. Before I used to believe that having certain things or being at a certain place professionally in life would make me happy. Thankfully, since then I have realised that neither of these will make anyone truly happy. Happiness is a choice.

To remind myself that happiness can come from the everyday, I'm taking part in the #100happydays challenge on my personal Facebook. Thus far, the challenge has helped me to find much more happiness in each day - simple because I am actively seeking it. I'd encourage anyone to take part and see how it makes a difference to your day to day life. 

You can find more details about the challenge and sign up here: http://100happydays.com/ 

Review: The Man of My Dreams

3/5

'Hannah Gavener is fourteen in the summer of 1991. In the magazines she reads, celebrities plan elaborate weddings; in Hannah’s own life, her parents’ marriage is crumbling. And somewhere in between these two extremes–just maybe–lie the answers to love’s most bewildering questions. But over the next decade and a half, as she moves from Philadelphia to Boston to Albuquerque, Hannah finds that the questions become more rather than less complicated: At what point can you no longer blame your adult failures on your messed-up childhood? Is settling for someone who’s not your soul mate an act of maturity or an admission of defeat? And if you move to another state for a guy who might not love you back, are you being plucky–or just pathetic?

None of the relationships in Hannah’s life are without complications. There’s her father, whose stubbornness Hannah realizes she’s unfortunately inherited; her gorgeous cousin, Fig, whose misbehavior alternately intrigues and irritates Hannah; Henry, whom Hannah first falls for in college, while he’s dating Fig; and the boyfriends who love her more or less than she deserves, who adore her or break her heart. By the time she’s in her late twenties, Hannah has finally figured out what she wants most–but she doesn’t yet know whether she’ll find the courage to go after it. 

Full of honesty and humor, The Man of My Dreams is an unnervingly insightful and beautifully written examination of the outside forces and personal choices that make us who we are.'

(Description above from Goodreads)

A few years back I read American Wife and fell in love with Sittenfeld's writing style. However, since then I haven't picked up anything else by her until now.

Sittenfeld's prose, as always, is beautiful and flows page after page. At times, however, I found Hannah's overly analytical nature a little much. Regardless, I did enjoy this novel, though nowhere near as much as American Wife.

Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

2/5

A coming of age dystopian where people can hear each other's thoughts. Sounds good, right? That's what I thought.

At the start of the book there's a lot of mystery surrounding where the women went and why. However, it soon starts to unravel as soon as Todd meets Viola. I knew why as soon as Todd became annoyed with Viola's quietness.

Then there's Todd. I don't see how he is a loveable character. In fact, I preferred Manchee, the dog.

The storyline in itself is okay, but can feel dragged out.

Verdict: All in all I was pretty disappointed as it had rave reviews elsewhere. I guess I'm not a Patrick Ness fan.