Monthly Wrap-up: June 2017

Yesterday Canada celebrated it's 150th birthday! Hoping all my fellow Canadians had a wonderful day. 

Well I know the people in my area won't be sad to see the month of June come to an end. It rained pretty much everyday. The majority of my township was flooded out. Roads were washed out and farmers fields looked more like lakes. Luckily my family didn't have any water damage, but many we know weren't so fortunate. Hopefully July will bring sunny days.

Charles turned 2 months old on the 19th. He is doing amazing and is officially grown out of size newborn clothes and diapers.

Now onto the books..

Another month with 2 books completed. However I made great progress on two other books, but didn't quite get them finished by the end of the month.

🌟🌟🌟 The Little Shadows by Marina Endicott
Rating: 3/5
My Thoughts: The Little Shadows follows three sisters who make up a Vaudeville act in the years before and during World War I. It wasn't until the last quarter of the book that I started to get into the story. While I found parts to be interesting, I didn't have a strong connection to the characters and felt it was far too long of a book.

🌟🌟🌟.5  If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin
Rating: 3.5/5
My Thoughts: I was sent a copy of If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin, from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book follows a teenager whose boyfriend has disappeared. I enjoyed this emotional story and how the author chose to focus on the grief associated with losing someone.

The Stats

Total Number of Books Read: 2

Total Number of Fiction: 2

Total Number of Non-fiction: 0

Total Books Sent for Review: 1

Total Books Read from My Shelves: 0

Total Library Books Read: 1

Formats Read:

Physical Books: 1

eBooks: 1

Audio Books: 0

Genres Read:

Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary. 

Total Books Read in 2017: 12

Back in January I posted 2017 First Quarter TBR: January-March from this list I have completed all but one book. That book I have yet to read is:

I hope to complete this one soon. Now here we are at the end of the second quarter. I didn't end up doing a TBR for this quarter, because well it simply slipped my mind. 

And because I'm overly ambitious I have come up with another challenge for myself. For this one I have divided the books on my back-list since 2007, into years. After I have completed these I will reward myself with a Book Outlet order. Click on the link below to check out that post:

Reading Catch-up: 2007

And that's all for now. I hope you had a wonderful June and happy reading.

Hosted by: Book Date

Reading Catch-up: 2007

Since I had my baby boy in April, I have taken a step back from accepting review requests. Instead I have decided to focus the little reading time I have on catching up with some older books. Most specifically the backlog I've had on my TBR for years now. While I read from a variety of genres, I noticed that many of the books I'd like to read are among the most read in their year of publication. So I decided to make a list for myself using Goodreads "Most Popular" compilations, divided by year starting in 2007. To encourage myself to read more I will reward myself after I have completed my list for a specific year. How will I reward myself, you ask? With books of course! Most specifically with a Book Outlet order. Stay tuned for my monthly wrap-ups, where I plan to update my progress on these challenges. 

Now let's travel back to 2007. Click on the link below to check out all the top books published in that year.

Most Popular Books Published in 2007

Here is my list from that year (including books I have already read

2007 Book Releases
Title	Author
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7)	JK Rowling
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3)	Rick Riordan
The Shack	William Paul Young
Sarah's Key	Tatiana de Rosnay
Shopaholic and Baby (Shopaholic, #5)	Sohpie Kinsella
The Luxe (Luxe, #1)	Anna Godbersen
The Book of Negroes	Laurence Hill
Lean Mean Thirteen  (Stephanie Plum, #13)	Janet Evanovich
Flawless (Pretty Little Liars, #2)	Sara Shepard
Perfect (Pretty Little Liars, #3)	Sara Shepard
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood, #4)	Ann Brashares
Plum Lovin' (Stephanie Plum, 12.5)	Janet Evanovich
War Brides	Helen Bryan
The Last Summer	Ann Brashares
The Uncommon Reader	Alan Bennett
Queen of Babble in the Big City (Queen of Babble, #2)	Meg Cabot

2007 Releases Read to Date:

Current Progress:

Fingers crossed that I stick to this plan! Wish me luck. 

The Little Shadows by Marina Endicott

The Little Shadows
By: Marina Endicott 

Published: September 2011

Published By: Doubleday Canada

Format Read: Hardcover

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 3/5 

🌟🌟🌟

After their Father’s untimely death, sisters Aurora, Clover and Bella set out to make a living as performers in Vaudeville. Under the instruction of their Mother (a former performer in her own right) they travel western Canada and the north-western United States with their singing and dancing act, before and during World War I.

Vaudeville was a popular form of entertainment that featured a variety of acts beginning in the late 19^th century. Marina Endicott’s The Little Shadows is set just before and during the years of World War I. It is a form of entertainment that I have never read about before, so I was intrigued to discover what it was all about. The author drew influence from Buster Keaton and the Pantages theaters. 

It was evident that the acts enjoyed at these shows were quite different than what is standard in the present day.  Endicott painted a detailed picture of the in’s and out’s of theater life, both on stage and behind the curtain. Also described in detail was the different performances including song lyrics. Unfortunately I found this to become tedious to read after a few chapters.

At over 500 pages in length, it took me quite a while longer to finish this book, than I hoped. This was due in part to the fact that I had a hard time connecting with the sisters. The plot felt quite drawn out and anti-climactic.

Thankfully my interest began to pick up during the last 100 pages or so. I found this book to be written beautifully and the language rang true to the time period. I also liked the way each chapter was divided and named.

Even though I didn’t exactly love this book, I would still recommend The Little Shadows by Marina Endicott to those who enjoy historical fiction with a focus on entertainment. 

Books I Couldn't Stop Thinking About

A couple of weeks ago, BuzzFeed posted an article by staff member Lincoln Thompson called "31 Books You Won't Be Able to Stop Thinking About." Some of them are newer releases, while others are older. Out of the 31 books mentioned I have only read one, however I do have some others on my TBR.

The one book listed that I have read before is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. It has been quite some time since I first read it, but I remember enjoying this story and piecing it all together to uncover the mystery. I gave it a 4 star rating, however I wouldn't quite say that it was a book I couldn't stop thinking about.

This article got me thinking: what are some books that stayed with me long after I finished the last page? I would like to share a couple of those with you today.





Marley and Me: Life and Love with the Worlds Worst Dog by John Grogan 
This book along with the movie based on it, really hit home for me, especially since I read it around the time that my childhood dog Pal passed away. I could really relate to the love Grogan and his family had for Marley dispite all the trouble he got into. Long after the last page (or scene in the case of the movie) I would remember parts and smile or shed a tear.






I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch / Illustrated by Sheila McGraw
Yes, this is a children's book. And yes I've mentioned it many, many times here on ML's Many Reads. But this story of the love between a mother and her son is just so timeless and heartwarming. I Love You Forever is even more meaningful to me now that I have my own little boy.




See Jane Run by Joy Fielding
See Jane Run is a suspenseful story about a woman who suffers an accident resulting in amnesia. That description sounds pretty similar to other books right? But this one touches on some pretty disturbing occurrences that still send chills down my spine. I would also like to add that this was the first time I had read a book of this nature, so this may play into its lasting effect on me.





Now I'd love to hear from you. Have you read any of the books mentioned in the article and if so did they stay with you? What other books had a lasting effect with you? Leave me a message in the comments. 

Currently Reading: June 19, 2017

Quick update: I meant to do a Sunday wrap-up yesterday, but due to the rainstorms we were having my internet was down.

My Reading Progress

I recently completed 2 books since my last update.

I found Marina Endicott's The Little Shadows to be beautifully written, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I gave this book 2.5-3 stars. 

If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin is a book I was sent for review and centers around a young woman whose boyfriend goes missing. It was a quick read that I enjoyed. I gave it a 3.5 star rating.

Currently Reading:

Hosted by: Book Date 

The Littlest Cowboy (The Texas Brands #1) by Maggie Shayne

The Littlest Cowboy (The Texas Brands #1)
By: Maggie Shayne

Published: July, 2014 (Originally Published: May 1996)

Published By: Thunderfoot Publishing 

Format Read: eBook, Kindle for PC

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: 1.5/5

🌟

Sheriff Garrett Brand and his siblings are awoken one night to find an abandoned baby on their doorstep.

Chelsea Brennan arrives in Texas to identify the body of her deceased sister, but learns that her 6 month old nephew is missing.

Meanwhile baby Ethan’s father a well-known criminal will stop at nothing to find his son. Even murder. 

The concept of this story with the orphaned baby, the family who take him and the aunt who comes to find him caught my interest. It had been quite a while since I read a cute contemporary romance. Or at least that is what I thought I was in for when I started reading The Littlest Cowboy. And there were parts that fit that bill, however Maggie Shayne threw in some elements of mystery and suspense as well. In some cases these elements work well together, but unfortunately this instance wasn’t one of them.

Although Garrett seemed like a very attractive man (who doesn’t enjoy a hot cowboy?) I felt like he was portrayed as too perfect. The main female character Chelsea was quite traumatized by her abusive childhood. This added depth to her story, however I felt that her personality traits and opinions were very inconsistent. She started out as a fierce woman, but became more of a damsel in distress. It was almost like she was two different characters. As I read along I began to dislike Chelsea and Garret more and more. Readers will discover the baby will take a backseat to strange relationship that would bud between his aunt and the man who took him in. 

I hung on and read to the end of this story, but unfortunately it never did capture me. The ending sealed the deal for me, earning The Littlest Cowboy a 1.5 star rating. 

Sunday Wrap-up: June 4, 2017

Hello everyone,

Just a quick update today as I am quite tired. Charles is currently passed out on my arm (which is fall asleep itself) so I'm typing this post with one hand. Multitasking is definitely a huge part of parenthood, ha. Things are going well on my end though. I'm feeling good and keeping very busy. Thankfully I've been finding some time to read. Even sitting down and reading a couple of pages here and there is better than not reading at all. I especially like to have an eBook open on my Kindle for PC, during feedings. It seems that I've been doing most of my progress that way, which is fine because I have quite a few books downloaded in that app.

Problem with Blogger?
To those of you who use Blogger, have you noticed any trouble publishing and saving lately? I have been trying to update my pages, but my updates don't seem to save. Instead I keep getting a "Revert to Draft" option. I sent in feedback on this problem to Blogger, but have yet to hear back from them. Could it possibly be that the pages I am trying to update are at their maxim limit? If any of you could give me some advice on how to remedy this, I would greatly appreciate it.

My Reading Progress:

I completed The Littlest Cowboy this week. Thankfully it wasn't a long novel, as it wasn't really my cup of tea, but I hate not finishing a book that I've started so I read to the end. 

Currently Reading

Yes, I'm still plugging away at The Little Shadows. I'm determined to finish it this week though. 

This morning I began reading If You're Gone, a book that I was sent for review months ago, but haven't been able to get to until now. 

And that's all for now. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Hosted by: Book Date

Hosted by: Caffeinated Book Reviewer