Shirley Jackson – DreamingAndReading

Hey Everyone,

How are you?

So I have been reading quite a bit recently but I haven’t given a review of them. So I thought I would do another recent read post.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I’ve had the book for months and I had seen the movie, so I was expecting to be really good. I think hyping myself didn’t benefit me loving it. I listened to most of it while working and Neil Gaiman is a really great Narrater. I do recommend anyone to listen to him.

Hunted by Megan Spooner

I’ve had this book on my Kindle and on Audiobook. I heard many positive views of this book and it became popular around the time when the Beauty and the Beast movie was released. While I enjoyed the book, I was reminded by other books that had similar themes, I found the premise and story to be very good and inventive but I did see ACOTAR by Sarah J.Maas and The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdeih.

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

I have been a longtime Dessen Fan and I was very surprised with this book. I liked Louna, a young girl working at weddings but doesn’t to open her heart to someone. Enter Ambrose, who is someone that enjoys his life and has gotten into situations which don’t please his family members. I also liked the easter egg in this book, if you have read Dessen’s other books then you would see a recurring theme of some of her characters in her books feature in her other books, in this book it was the characters from Along for the ride.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

I had picked this books up because of the movie. While I am in favour of more presence of Asian characters in media, I was curious as to what the story would be about. Even though the book were about Nick and Rachel, I was mostly interested in Nick’s cousin who struggles with her home life. I am excited to see the movie but I am also interested in the rest of the series.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

This book was a re-read for me, I have always considered that this was my favourite book out of all of her other work. I just loved the story of this book, the relationship between Anne and Captain Wentworth and their interactions throughout the book, it was like an awkward encounter but I also liked how they both still felt for one another.

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

I have been a fan of Ephron’s movies for years and I got this book because of it. It made me think of her movies and how it could typically be one.

Wedding Season by Katie Fforde

This was another re-read for me, I have been wanting to re-read it for a while. It’s a good chick lit book about weddings and romance, also a celebrity wedding that had to be done in two months while also doing another wedding on the same day.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

I have had this book on my shelf for over a year, I got into a bit of an obsession with buying all of Shirley Jackson’s books after reading We Have Lived In The Castle (Not obsessed now, but I am still collecting). This book was very creepy although I kept insisting myself that the house wasn’t haunted but I liked the description of the house, it reminded me of a house from an Anime called Ghost Hunt.

Hawkeye Vol 2 – 4

I got Vol 1 a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Particularly the relationship between Clint and Kate, they are both the same yet there is no competition between one another. I also missed Hawkeye in Infinity War, so I got the Graphic Novels to fill the void. I have yet to get Vol 5+6 but I will soon.

Hawkeye Kate Bishop Vol 1 + 2

Kate Bishop has become one of my favourite characters in Marvel, next to Rogue and Blink. She is the female version of Clint, blunt and determined. I am glad that Marvel made a series for her because if the MCU tries to introduce Young Avengers I would love to see Kate Bishop on the screen but I would also like to see the banter between her and Clint.

The Shades of Magic Trilogy by V.E. Schwab

This was another re-read but I got the US Edition of the books and couldn’t resist the temptation to read the series again.

Three Fates by Nora Roberts

Out of all the Nora Roberts books that I have read in the last couple of months, this book didn’t intrigue me. I think the plot was just flat and the romantic relationship was blah.

Hey Everyone!

I have been reading quite a lot recently and I haven’t been able to have time to sit on my laptop and write a review for each of them. So this is me giving you a reading catch-up, I read eight books since Stalking Jack The Ripper. Most of the books are romance books but some of them have a thriller twist which is the types of books that I am getting a lot more.

A Secret Garden by Katie Fforde

I’ve had the book on my kindle for ages but I am wasn’t in the mood to pick it up. I saw the book in paperback and immediately purchase it. I have been a longtime fan of Katie Fforde for years, I started reading her books since I was 14 and have never stopped getting her new book every year. I really enjoyed the book, it was a nice fluffy read and I kept imaginning Saroise Ronan’s voice in my head because Philly is Irish, so I imagine her having a strong Irish accent.

The Wrath & The Dawn/The Rose & The Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

I was in the mood to read something that I had read before. It’s been two years since I picked it up and I finished the duology in two days. I was even tempted to get the UK edition of this duology but I live the US Editions a bit more.

The Lottery & Other Stories by Shirley Jackson

I picked this book last year and I have been slowly listening to it on Audible. I really liked We Have Always Lived In The Castle but I was enjoying this book more, It’s a collection of Jacksons Short Stories. I found some stories to be quite good and there were some that I was not interested in.

Divine Evil by Nora Roberts

Recently I have been getting very into Nora Roberts Standalone’s and I got this book out of curiosity. I have to warn you that IF you do pick this book up, be aware of sexual assault, a cult that takes women and does some unimaginable things and also a romance between a sculptor and a Sheriff. This book follows a girl who has recurring nightmares about something dark about her hometown, she goes back home for inspiration and also gets tangled with the former bad boy turned Sheriff. I have to be honest, it not one of the greatest books by her but it was definitely memorable.

The Villa by Nora Roberts

If you have ever seen an episode of Dallas or Dynasty then this book is slightly about that. Instead of oil or a business company, this family business is about wine. Someone has intent on harming the family business and it affects the three generation of women. I enjoyed the book a lot especially when it came to the mystery of the family’s betrayal. The romantic relationship between Sophia and Ty was really sweet and Sophia reminded me very much of Fallon from Dynasty, She is quite snarky especially towards her awful father but also she was able to sort things out by herself and struggles to open up more in her relationship with Ty.

The Collector by Nora Roberts

I never thought you could house sit for a career which apparently you can. I found this one a mixed bag, I don’t have many feelings about it. I felt the romantic relationship was not romantic but also a little pushed together. I felt the Male character to be very overprotective which annoyed me a little bit. I felt the chance meet for the characters was a bit weird since the Male character was the brother of the man that died but also the woman was the witness of the death, to me, it seemed a very odd way to write two characters meeting and also going into a relationship.

The Search by Nora Roberts

After reading this book I now really want to own a dog. My family don’t have a dog because my parents grew up with pets and they both didn’t really like it. Anyway, Fiona is a Dog Trainer but she is also a survivor of an event that happened when she was in her twenties. An event that scarred her old life away and shelter herself on an island where that person can never find. Out of all the Nora Roberts books that I have read in this blog post, I enjoyed this book the most. I liked the relationship between Fiona and Simon but I also liked learning more of the secret of Fiona’s past.

And that concludes my catch-up. I do have a book review coming up soon so hopefully, I will get my blogging mojo back and do some more.

I hope you are having a lovely day

Tag: Shirley Jackson

Recent Reads #2

Recent Reads